You want to talk about letting the narrative continue. The Dolphins loss yesterday to the Chiefs felt like one of the most frustrating games I have seen this team play since I became a fan in 1996 (And we've all been through some stuff with this team since then). Miami had every chance to get back into the football game but self inflicted wounds showed their ugly head, like every road game outside of LA, and Miami had to work back from 21 down because of those wounds. What's worse, in my opinion, is we have too many people making excuses for why this team doesn't show up in big games but the facts are the facts. Until Miami beats a team with a winning record, the narrative is going to be that they can't.
Fins Up - The Defense:
Credit where credit was due. This entire fan base has been waiting, some of us angrily, for this defense to turn around and it has in a big way. Bradley Chubb and Jaelen Phillips have been playing at a Pro Bowl level and the line backing duo of Jerome Baker and, more notably, David Long have been phenomenal as well. Miami finally had their full secondary back and they held Mahomes to 20/30, 185 yards, and a 6.2 average. Yeah they let up two scores but holding the Chiefs to 14 points is a win for any defense. Especially when you hold Kelce to 14 yards on 3 catches. Who would've thought just a few weeks ago that the defense wouldn't be the primary concern of this team?
Fins Down - Tua Tagovailoa
I love Tua, I hope Miami extends him and he is the Dolphins QB for a long time. But man, did he blow it yesterday. The last 4 plays of the game for Miami were about as bad as they could've been for Tua
- 1st & 10 at KC 31 (1:17 - 4th) (Shotgun) T.Tagovailoa pass incomplete short right to R.Mostert [C.Omenihu].
- Pass thrown way late and almost intercepted
- 2nd & 10 at KC 31 (1:10 - 4th) (Shotgun) T.Tagovailoa pass incomplete deep left to J.Waddle.
- Pass could've been intercepted
- 3rd & 10 at KC 31 (1:07 - 4th) (Shotgun) T.Tagovailoa pass incomplete deep left to C.Wilson.
- Miscommunication/Under throw/Who the heck knows what that was
- 4th & 10 at KC 31(1:03 - 4th) (Shotgun) T.Tagovailoa FUMBLES (Aborted) at KC 31, and recovers at KC 44.
- Tua needs to catch that snap, people are blaming Connor but that is 100% on Tua
You never want your punter to be on the field as much as Jake Bailey was yesterday but we have to give him some props because he had a very good game. 7 punts and 4 of them were downed inside the 20? We will take it.
Fins Down: Salvon Ahmed
I get that Salvon had a great camp, but he should be cut as soon as De'Von Achane is activated off of IR before the Raiders game. Salvon played a third of the Dolphins offensive reps yesterday (19) and produced a solid 5 touches for 12 yards. This performance brought his season averages to 2.9 yards per carry and 4.8 yards per catch. He played more than Jeff Wilson who had 32 yards on 3 receptions and only 2 carries for 6 yards. Like, what are we doing here? The screen pass to Ahmed for 3 yards on the 2nd drive is a walk in touchdown if Achane or Mostert are on the receiving end but Ahmed can't shake 1 defender and the Dolphins are forced to punt.
Fins Down: Fumbles/Turnovers /Drops
Miami has an issue with drops. Again. Tyreek dropped a dime from Tua down the right sideline and Jaylen Waddle lost track of a ball that was thrown in the perfect spot against double coverage that Waddle just for what ever reason couldn't find. Miami also has a fumbling problem. Again. Raheem Mostert put the ball on the ground again and if it wasn't for Chase Claypool, Miami wouldn't have recovered. Tyreek Hill fumbled a screen that led to a Chiefs touchdown. And Tua fumbled the last snap of the game. Yup. Great.
Fins Down: The Dolphins in Big Games on the Road
People hate when others say it but Miami has an issue in big games against some of the elite teams in the NFL, especially when on the road. Miami is 5-10 away from Hard Rock Stadium under Mike McDaniel with the wins coming against Baltimore, Detroit (who was 1-5), Chicago (who was 3-5), and then the Chargers and Patriots this year (which are good wins). But on the road? Here is how Miami has fared in big road games the last two seasons:
- @ 49ers 2022 - L 33-17
- @ Chargers 2022 - L 23-17
- @ Bills 2022 - L 32-29
- Vs Packers 2022 - L 26-20
- @ Bills 2022 WC - L 34-31
- @ Bills 2023 - L 48-20
- @ Eagles 2023 - L 31-17
- @ Chiefs 2023 - L 21-14