The Phinsider
That was cool, I guess.
If you like your team beating other teams at football and your team is the Dolphins, then that worked out great.
We can’t say that often this year, so let’s appreciate it while we can.
Happy Random Sunday, everyone!
Heading into Week 10 of the 2025 NFL season, the Buffalo Bills’ quarterback Josh ‘Tim’ Allen had a lifetime record of 14-2 against our little ol’ Dolphins that rarely could.
The game started as Dolphins games often do: poorly. A penalty, a wasted timeout, and an interception on a downfield huck into obvious double coverage got them off on the expected foot.
Contrary to recent history, however; the Dolphins’ defense responded by forcing Buffalo to punt on their opening drive: the first time that’s happened for the Bills all season.
Miami still managed to sneak in a few of their greatest hits: burning all 3 first half timeouts before even hitting the 9:00 mark of the 2nd quarter, giving up a free 4th and 1 conversion via an encroachment penalty: you know, some real bangers.
But, despite a few familiar missteps, the outcome was anything but. When the smoke cleared, the Fins had…dominated. A final score of 30-13, 197 team rushing yards (with 174 coming by way of De’Von Achane), and a total suppression of James Cook, who had amassed over 300 yards the previous two weeks combined and yet, against the Dolphins’ dreadful run D, was held to 53.
It was weird.
How are you going to come out and bash the Bills while sitting at 2-7? This is the same as rolling a critical hit against an enemy with 1 HP left. Sure; it feels good, but it’s ultimately meaningless.
It almost makes me madder than if they just stayed bad.
But just almost.
The benefits of a win, especially against a frankly superior in-Division opponent, always outweigh a loss. The big question is: will the staff sustain the success of such a showing? There are lessons to be learned from how the team went about winning if the staff is willing to welcome them:
Miami’s ‘Greatest Show on Surf’ offense of the long forgotten past of 2023 was predicated on force feeding the ball to one Tyreek ‘Now a DJ, apparently’ Hill. It was helmed by a version of Tua Tagovailoa that hasn’t shown itself this season and it relied on a lot of timing plays plus some pre-snap motion that has been since outlawed.
The point is: this current version of the Miami offense is hamstrung in a few ways. Reek isn’t coming back, Tua doesn’t appear to be reverting to his older, better ways, and injuries are cropping up throughout the ranks (in the tight end room particularly).
As a result, Mike McDaniel has had to make adjustments, something he is historically violently opposed to.
But, to his credit, he’s making them.
The offense has been...
