The Miami Dolphins Look Bad, But Better Than Jets

There was a ton to take away from the 24-0 blowout win against the New York Jets. The Dolphins faced their old team with a shuffled around the schedule and walked away with an ugly victory.

First thing’s first, the injuries are starting to pile up. Shuffling the schedule around so their bye week is week 7 can only help Miami down the stretch. While veteran Kyle Van Noy was scratched this week, more players went down facing the Jets. Devante Parker came out after an injury, Andrew Van Ginkel left with a concussion, Raekwon Davis a shoulder injury, and Kamu Grugier-Hill with a shoulder injury. Getting an extra week to recover is a must going into a tough matchup with the LA Rams after the bye.

If not for facing a bad New York Jets team the Dolphins might not have walked away with the victory. For starters, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick started the game hot throwing for three touchdowns in the first half. However, he went back to the usual Fitzpatrick who turns a poor performance one game after a brilliant one. He’d finish the game without another touchdown and two interceptions struggling not to force throws.

More Dolphins: Taking Their Time With Tua

Miami’s defense is starting to turn it around and despite the mental mistakes, the Dolphins are finding ways to win despite the injuries. Between overcoming injuries and mental mistakes this is what you want to see out of a developing team. As much as you want to see mistake-free football, being resilient enough to overcome them is what keeps them growing.

Then, of course, it was Tua Time! Seeing the rookie get into the game was kinda like buying a new Cadillac, finally getting to take it out for a drive, and it snowing the next day forcing you to put it back away. Tua would finish the game playing only a short series but his two passes were what you needed to see.

His ability to roll out and hit a receiver on the run is a big part of his arsenal. The next throw he’d step up into the pocket and fire a rocket to get a first down. The two passes might not have been flashy but were a reflection of the future offense in Miami. Tua Tagovailoa won’t be the next running quarterback but there’s a good chance he’ll force a moving pocket.

Speaking of Tua, the greatest thing about the rookie getting into the game was Fitzpatrick’s reaction. Not everyone in the NFL would be excited for the guy taking their job to get into a game, but Fitz was as pumped as fans. If the energy and camaraderie carry through the Tagovailoa era, this Dolphins team will be fun to watch.