CLEVELAND — The Miami Dolphins entered Sunday’s recreation at Cleveland needing to win each of their remaining video games and needing Denver to lose subsequent week at Kansas Metropolis.
They took care of 1 a part of that equation by defeating the Browns, 20-3, on Sunday.
Now, the Dolphins (8-8) might have probability to earn their third consecutive playoff berth subsequent week on the New York Jets (4-12).
Quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley, the Hallandale Excessive Faculty alum, led the way in which Sunday at Cleveland with a passing and speeding landing and rookie left sort out Patrick Paul performed the second half, a lot of it towards Cleveland defensive finish Myles Garrett, the youngest in NFL historical past to document 100 sacks.
The Dolphins additionally reached .500 for the primary time since falling to 1-1 earlier this season.
Listed below are some extra takeaways from Sunday:
Dolphins get spectacular win
Sunday’s win at Cleveland, a recreation the Dolphins wanted to win to maintain their playoff hopes alive, was one of the vital spectacular victories of the coach Mike McDaniel period contemplating quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (hip) missed your entire recreation and left sort out Terron Armstead (knee) missed the second half.
The Dolphins, who’ve at all times had a string combating spirit, confirmed a number of grit.
No, it wasn’t fairly – Miami misplaced two challenges in three performs within the third quarter – however the Dolphins gutted out the victory behind Huntley and rookie left sort out Patrick Paul.
The Dolphins additionally put themselves in place to have their fifth consecutive successful season and third consecutive playoff berth. — Chris Perkins
Accidents, accidents and extra accidents
Sunday, with Tagovailoa lacking the sport as a consequence of a hip harm, served as yet one more reminder of the risks of relying closely on gamers with an harm historical past.
Certainly one of common supervisor Chris Grier’s notorious quotes got here in January 2023, throughout his season wrapup press convention after the 2022 season, when he was discussing buying gamers with an harm historical past.
Take word that Grier talked about Armstead, working again Raheem Mostert and edge rusher Bradley Chubb, all of whom battled harm issues this season.
“I feel you possibly can’t be scared with (harm) stuff,” Grier mentioned. “Speak about Terron. He’s a Professional Bowl left sort out and the influence he had with us by way of management and what he did on the sphere for us.
“Raheem is one other man folks talked about being harm and had a profession 12 months and every thing he had completed by way of management and stuff once more. In case you’re scared — like Bradley once more. He’s one other one that folks mentioned was a superb participant and good particular person.”
You ponder whether the Dolphins, who will doubtless stay in “win now” mode subsequent season, will break from that development of relying so closely on injury-prone gamers.
Wanting forward, Tagovailoa, proper sort out Austin Jackson (ankle, knee) and edge rusher Jaelan Phillips (Achilles, knee) are young-ish gamers who now have an harm historical past. The Dolphins shall be rolling the cube as soon as once more in the event that they purchase a couple of veterans in that very same class.
Tua’s absences
The Dolphins are actually 3-8 document in video games Tagovailoa misses within the McDaniel period (since 2022). Tagovailoa, counting Sunday’s absence, has missed 11 video games within the final three seasons and a few of these absences are late-season, when he’s wanted most.
The Dolphins are actually 2-2 in December-January video games Tagovailoa has missed.
Jonnu Smith ties document
Tight finish Jonnu Smith had an uncharacteristically quiet evening (three receptions, 26 yards, one landing) however he had as landing within the fourth quarter, his seventh of the season, which tied the Dolphins single season document for touchdowns by a decent finish. Anthony Fasano (2008) and Keith Jackson (1994) additionally had seven. Smith has subsequent week’s recreation on the New York Jets to determine a brand new document.
Smith has already established single-season data for receptions by a decent finish (76) and receiving yards by a decent finish (802).
Dolphins on the street in December
The Dolphins are well-known for struggling in December street video games within the McDaniel-Tagovailoa period. They’re now 2-5 on the street in December having defeated Washington final 12 months and dropping to San Francisco, the Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo in 2022, and dropping at Houston this season.
Jason Sanders does it once more
Kicker Jason Sanders hit a 54-yard discipline aim within the first quarter to increase his streak to 9 consecutive discipline targets of fifty or extra yards. He additionally prolonged his team-record streak to 25 consecutive discipline targets when he hit a 39-yard discipline aim on the halftime buzzer.
Penalties aplenty
Flags have been flying towards the Dolphins early. They’d 4 penalties (pointless roughness on proper guard Isaiah Wynn, false begin on fullback Alec Ingold, holding on middle Aaron Brewer and holding on cornerback Storm Duck) for 35 yards within the first quarter. The Browns declined a holding penalty towards vast receiver Tyreek Hill.
The Dolphins ended with 9 penalties for 79 yards. That was their highest penalty yardage whole since having 98 yards in Week 4. It was their worst displaying since having 10 penalties for 75 yards at Inexperienced Bay.
Tua stays concerned
Tagovailoa, wearing grey sweats, was energetic serving to counsel and encourage his teammates on the sideline Sunday. He wasn’t overbearing, relatively he was concerned reminiscent of when Huntley went to the sideline, Tagovailoa would sit on the bench and go over issues with Huntley and quarterback coach Darrell Bevell.
He was seen speaking to left guard Robert Jones and left sort out Patrick Paul as they got here off the sphere at halftime. It appeared Tagovailoa was encouraging and providing instruction.
Armstead battles proper knee ailment
Armstead, the 33-year-old five-time Professional Bowl choice, requested out of the sport late within the second quarter after apparently battling a proper knee harm your entire first half. You marvel if Sunday was Armstead’s final recreation with the Dolphins.
Armstead, who contemplated retirement after final season, has a $22 million wage cap hit subsequent season and the Dolphins would most likely favor to develop rookie Patrick Paul, their second-round decide.
Armstead, a Professional Bowl choice and crew captain in all three of his seasons with the Dolphins, requested out of the New York Jets recreation 4 video games.
Dolphins Deep Dive: Miami continues to battle. Breaking down win over Browns, Tua’s harm | VIDEO
What kind of probability do the Dolphins must make the playoffs?
The underside line: The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs should defeat the Broncos in Denver for Miami to make the playoffs with a win on the Jets subsequent week. Nevertheless, the Chiefs, who’ve clinched homefield benefit all through the AFC playoffs, will virtually assuredly be resting Patrick Mahomes and quite a few different key gamers. The final time the Chiefs encountered an analogous scenario the place they’d homefield benefit locked up earlier than the regular-season finale was in 2020. Then, a 6-9 Los Angeles Chargers, with not one of the make-the-playoffs motivation the host Broncos will possess, rolled into Arrowhead Stadium and dominated a Chad Henne-led 14-1 Chiefs 38-21. A participant named Darwin Thompson began at working again in his last regular-season NFL recreation, so that provides you an concept of what Andy Reid’s mindset shall be. The Chiefs misplaced within the Tremendous Bowl that 12 months, 31-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. — Steve Svekis
Tua Tagovailoa’s fragility dwarfs all different NFL quarterbacks’
With the missed begin on Sunday, it marked the seventh time an harm has induced Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to overlook at the least one begin within the 79 video games since he was named the starter in 2020. Amongst energetic quarterbacks, that quantity is way forward of the next-least-durable quarterback’s, with the Steelers’ Russell Wilson, the Browns’ Deshaun Watson, the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott every having incurred 4 accidents that every necessitated at the least one begin on the shelf because the starting of the 2020 season. The quarterback the Dolphins handed on with the fifth choice within the 2020 draft, Justin Herbert, has had one harm that has induced him to overlook at the least one begin, being compelled out of 2023’s last 4 video games.
The Superb Calais Campbell replace
By hauling down Dorian Thompson-Robinson for a 3-yard loss, the unimaginable 38-year-old defensive sort out, logged his 11 sort out for loss this 12 months, marking his tenth NFL season with greater than 10 TFLs.
De’Von Achane is on the verge of Dolphins franchise rarefied air
Solely two gamers within the crew’s historical past have ever piled up greater than 1,450 whole yards in a season: Ricky Williams twice (2,216 in 2002 and 1,723 in 2003) and Tyreek Hill (1,814 in 2023 and 1,742 in 2022). With 73 whole yards towards the Jets, second-year working again De’Von Achane would develop into the third such participant, passing Delvin Williams’ 1,450 yards in 1978.
The 2025 opponents are set in stone
Together with the home-and-home video games towards the AFC East’s Buffalo Payments, New England Patriots and New York Jets, the Dolphins are slated for residence video games towards the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers and street visits to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts. A seventeenth opponent is slated to be the Washington Commanders, although the expectation is the sport shall be performed at a impartial discipline.
Once more, what was Chris Grier pondering at backup quarterback?
Within the 5 video games Tua Tagovaiola hasn’t began, the Dolphins offense has scored 60 factors (12.0 per recreation), with solely 5 touchdowns.
On deck: New York Jets, MetLife Stadium, Saturday or Sunday, TBA
You might have gotten steep odds within the preseason that neither crew on this matchup would have a playoff spot clinched by New 12 months’s Day, however right here we’re. For his or her half, nevertheless, the 4-12 Jets have led within the fourth quarter of six of their seven residence video games, and have been tied 20-20 towards the Payments within the different residence recreation. Six of the Jets’ seven residence opponents have been nonetheless alive for the playoffs getting into Week 16, with a mixed document of 57-49, a .538 win share.
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