By Sylvester “Nunnie” Robinson
The final score, 31-17, shouldn’t mislead anyone. In defeating division and conference rival New England for the second time this season, the Fins conquered a determined, proud and improved football team riding the waves of an upset victory over the Buffalo Bills, the pre-season favorite to win the division, the same Bills that pulverized our Dolphins earlier in the year. Although the Dolphins had a solid 24-10 lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Patriots scored with 8:30 left in game on a TD pass from Mac Jones to Ju Ju Schuster, making the score an uncomfortable 24-17. With that much time left and the unpredictability of pro ball, I did feel a tightening of the gut, an unease if you will. The Dolphins, however, answered the Patriots’ score with their own time-consuming Tua led 75 yard drive, culminating in a 31 yard touchdown pass from Tua to Jaylen Waddle. With 2:43 left in game, the 31-17 final score closed the door on any possible New England comeback.
Tua finished with 324 yards passing and 3 touchdowns, one each to Tyreek, Jaylen, and Cedric Wilson, his first as a Dolphin. Tyreek’s incredible speed and catching ability has enabled him to amass over a 1,000 yards receiving in 8 games, something that hadn’t been done since 1961 (1,014). Gifted counterpart Jaylen Waddle’s 121 yards receiving marked the first time this season he had gone over a 100. With the Dolphins receiving corps, the possibilities are infinite.
Defensively, the Dolphins held the Patriots to 13 first downs, 218 total yards and 1-of-9 on third downs.
Ramsey’s timely debut (a key interception near goal line) contributed to another dominant display despite the absence of Xavien Howard and Javon Holland. Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips dominated the edge both in the run and pass game combining for five QB pressures and seven stops while stalwart defensive lineman Christian Wilkins’ sack of QB Mac Jones gave him 4.5 for the year.
Dolphin head coach Mike McDaniel responding to media question in post game interview about Jalen Ramsey’s performance stated, “Well, he totally disappointed me. He called that he was going to come back and have a pick six, not a pick field goal. (laughter) He did phenomenal.”
Now it’s on to Frankfurt, Germany to face the defending SB champion Kansas City Chiefs, an intriguing matchup that will tell us a lot about our Dolphins’ prospects for a potential Super Bowl run. The game will air Sunday at 9:30 am on the NFL Network.
Go Fins
