Five Things I Think I Think About the Miami Dolphins – Week 8

“What is going on?” — Announcer Kevin Harlan at 4:18 left in the 3rd quarter of Miami’s win over the Atlanta Falcons

Fair question.

Let’s see if we can figure it out.

Mild improvements beget mild excitement

I’m sure some will balk at the term ‘mild’ for a 34-10 drubbing by a previously 1 win team while playing on the road. We have, however, seen this before. We know this team is capable of pretty soaring heights (e.g. a 70 point performance once upon a time not so long ago), but we also know that they’re equally capable of pretty sinking lows (e.g. this season up until Week 8).

On the positive side:

• The offense moved the ball consistently and efficiently
• Playcalling balanced run and pass (even favoring the run overall)
• Passes went downfield sometimes
• OGII was used in short yardage situations to great effect
• Penalties were kept to a minimum
• There were no operational issues
• All field goal and extra point attempts were successful
• The pass rush actually applied pressure to the opposing QB
• The run defense had a preposterously good showing (surrendering only 45 total rushing yards)
• The defense generated a turnover
• They made some 4th down stops
• The Dolphins won and they won by a lot

That all seems to indicate a monumental shift in Miami, one win to rule them all, the necessary turning point to right the ship and send the team careening into the playoffs, where they will hit their stride at the perfect time and cruise into their first Superbowl win since the rule of the Pharoahs.

Or.

It was a one time thing.

I don’t want to be overly pessimistic: a win is always good (tanking is fool’s gold without a generational prospect and a competent front office).

That said, I don’t want to put too much weight on a win that took a 1-6 team to 2-6. They’ve still lost 3 times as many games as they’ve won.

Having Michael Penix be Kirk Cousins for the day definitely helped, along with Drake London being out.

Still: the Falcons are an NFL team and the Dolphins beat them soundly.

And that counts for something.

Robinson and Pitts should have gone bananas

Probably the most unlikely turn of events from my perspective was all-world running back Bijan ‘Chopped Pork’ Robinson and Kyle ‘Everyone wanted him in Miami that year he got drafted’ Pitts not going absolutely gangbusters on the Fins’ defense.

I don’t care about fantasy football, but that felt like a pretty good pair to put on a weekly roster with that matchup.

Heading into the game, the Dolphins’ run defense was ranked somewhere in the low 20s (Google’s the whole way over there on another tab) and giving up over 800 yards per down [citation needed]. They, historically, are also just the wooooorst at covering opposing tight ends. No matter who lines up over there, they dominate...