The Phinsider
The Dolphins get a week off and a chance to salvage the season.
One of the best things for a team amid a roller-coaster season is to take a seat, rest up, and take extra time to gameplan for one of the most significant games of the season. Yes, a game against the lowly Indianapolis Colts is vital to the Miami Dolphins playoff hopes.
Every winnable game until Tua Tagovailoa is under center is crucial, and that’s what the Dolphins have over the next two weeks, so thank you bye week!
Tagovailoa is eligible to come off of Injured Reserve for the Arizona Cardinals game. Still, judging from the latest comments from head coach Mike McDaniel, it seems more likely that they’ll have him wait another week for the game against the Buffalo Bills.
In the meantime, the Dolphins will roll with Tyler Huntley under center, who gives Miami their best chance at a win or two over this next stretch. With a full two weeks to prepare for the Colts, Huntley could put his positive stamp on the season with a win, going 2-1 in his tenure if Tagovailoa ultimately returns next week.
The Dolphins got to put their feet up and watch the rest of the league over the weekend, and to my surprise, got them a little boost amongst most of the media.
A win over the Patriots and the bye week allowed for some of the pressure to be released, but it also opened the window of speculation on Tua Tagovailoa’s return. Mike McDaniel indicated Monday that Tagovailoa wants to continue playing football and even playing this season for the Dolphins, adding, “But where that is exactly, we’ll let the process continue.” Tua won’t be out there this weekend against the Colts, but he could be activated from injured reserve as early as Oct. 23. A win at Indianapolis would get the Dolphins to 3-3, and they have the currently 2-4 Cardinals the week after that prior to a big showdown at Buffalo (the opponent back in Week 2 when Tua sustained the concussion that put him on IR). The Dolphins aren’t out of the race yet, but they need to hang on these next few games to have much of a shot. If they lose two straight, would Tua want to come back to pilot a 2-5 team? Hard to say.
“Coach Mike McDaniel said as much following a win over the Patriots in Week 5. While the Dolphins’ offense has sputtered without QB Tua Tagovailoa, their defense quietly ranks fifth in yards allowed per game (285.4) and leads the NFL in third-down percentage (25.5%). In its first year under coordinator Anthony Weaver, Miami’s defense has been a lone positive in a largely disappointing first six weeks of the season. However, it won’t mean much until the Dolphins’ NFL-worst scoring offense improves.” *—...
