By Byler Henry
Currently sitting at 6-3 the Dolphins are now on a five-game winning streak and ln second place in the AFC East. Once again, the defense and special teams played a good game yesterday, setting the tone with a blocked punt, interception, and executing the game plan. Currently Xavien Howard has 5 interceptions, which is the second most this season, while Emmanuel Ogbah is tied for 4th with 8 sacks . After the game Howard offered his thoughts on the pass rush and coverage going hand in hand. “That’s the way the coaches – (Head Coach) Brian Flores and the guys – that’s how they want us to play and be aggressive no matter what. With everything working together and everybody making plays, that’s what it’s all about on the defense.” From the opening kickoff until the end of the fourth quarter, this defense is playing like a well-oiled machine. The Dolphins are in good positions to win when the defense plays well.
With his third start of the season, Tua is now 3-0 and riding the wave of the defense. He had another good game overall, although he did make some dangerous throws that could’ve been knocked down or intercepted. He completed 15 of 25 passes for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns. Slowly the coaches are adding more and more to his plate. With time under center I think Tua will continue to develop and get better.
The Dolphins drafted him with their 5th overall pick to be their long-term solution, and so far, he seems to have promise. The running game also worked well, with the Dolphins totaling 111 rushing yards as a team. Salvon Ahmed led the way with 85 rushing yards and a touchdown. Head Coach Brian Flores offers his thoughts on Tua’s performance. “It looked like he made two pretty good decisions. It looked like there were some throws there that he got into some tight windows. I’ll watch the tape as far as … We’ve talked about this. We have a lot of confidence in all our draft picks, that they’re going to develop and improve,” he says. “He’s no different. That’s what we’re trying to do: develop, improve, take it week-to-week and not make grand, ‘Hey, this is, you know’ … We’re not going to make any grand … We’re not going to talk about any player and say, ‘Hey, you’ve arrived and you’ve done it.’ Everyone has got to improve and get better. The players, coaches, everybody. So, nobody has all the answers. I certainly don’t. It starts with me, and hopefully we just improve really at every position, including with the quarterback.”
With a half the season played, the Dolphins are in good shape at 6-3 to grab a wild card spot. The Ravens are nipping at their heels with the same 6-3 record. Looking at the remaining schedule, I can see the Dolphins finishing the season at 5-2 over the next 7 games. Their next game is a road game against the Broncos who are currently 3-6 and coming off a loss to the Raiders. Although this a road game, I expect the Dolphins to win. I also expect the defense to come up big and put pressure on the quarterback.
We’ll see what happens. Sunday.
