After losing three straight games, the Miami Dolphins have finally broken their losing streak with a 24-21 win over the Seattle Seahawks this past Sunday. The Dolphins looked re-energized, ready to play, and ready to focus. It was not their best performance of the season on defense, but their offensive unit really stepped up their game.
The dynamic running duo of Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas returned in full force for the Dolphins. Bush scored a touchdown, his first since their game against the Indianapolis Colts, and Thomas carried 9 times for 60 yards averaging 6.7 yards per carry. This is quite a feat for the Dolphins, especially working against a defense ranked 12th against the run game.
As for receivers, Davone Bess had a spectacular game, while Charles Clay proved himself to be a valuable asset. Bess had some very agile catches during Sunday’s game and managed to haul in 7 catches for 129 yards. The best aspect of Bess is that he gains yardage after the catch and has the speed to outrun even the most pristine defenses. Clay, who was still just an unknown rookie to most Dolphins fans at the start of Sunday’s game, thrust his name into their minds due to his stellar performance. He had 6 catches for 84 yards and a TD. This put him above the Dolphin’s best receiver Brian Hartline, who only had 2 receptions for 17 yards in Sunday’s game. The question that still remains is who is going to be Miami’s “go to” wide receiver. They cut Jabbar Gaffney and have no prospects at the moment to replace him.
Ryan Tannehill had a solid performance in the Dolphin’s game against the Seahawks. He had a passer rating of 97.1 and was only intercepted once, although he would have been intercepted twice if it were not for a roughing the passer call that saved him from throwing a pick in the end zone. In total, he threw for 253 yards and had one TD.
The Dolphin’s defense failed to produce in the turnover category, but they were very effective against the Seahawk’s running game. They held Marshawn Lynch to only 46 yards on 19 carries. This should be the type of performance expected of a defense ranked 7th against the run. What they failed to do was produce turnovers, which help win games. They are lucky that the offensive unit brought their A-game or else the outcome of this game would have been different.
The Dolphins still have a shot at making the playoffs if they play with the same amount of passion and precision seen in Sunday’s game. They are currently in the hunt for a wild-card spot behind the Colts, Steelers, and Bengals, who all need to play well in order to keep their spots. As the season progresses we will see who continues to rise and who falls, but as of now, the Dolphins are back.
The Dolphins definitely won a huge game last Sunday and it was against a playoff caliber team.
I didn’t see the game but I saw the stat line and was impressed that the Dolphins held Beastmode to only 46 yards.
The biggest thing that stood out to me though was the performance that Davone Bess put on. I’ve always thought that this guy was a very good player and the Dolphins are finally figuring out ways to use him.
Next week will definitely be a tall order against the Patriots for the Dolphins. You never know though. The Bills and Jets each played them tough at least once each this season.