Can the Dolphins Prove Doubters Wrong?
Photo Credit: Jim Rasso, Palm Beach Post
Wild Card Weekend is here and the Miami Dolphins may be the biggest wild card out there. They have been an exciting team to watch all year, but many wonder how they will fare against playoff level competition.
The Miami Dolphins started the year strong with a record of 9-3 and had a 3-game lead in the AFC East with only 5 games left. They finished off the year going 2-3 including a crucial loss to the Buffalo Bills to fall to second in the AFC East and to the sixth seed in the AFC playoff picture.
So how did it all go wrong for the Dolphins? Some may argue that it was never right, the Dolphins record looked impressive on paper at 9-3 but they had the fourth lowest strength of schedule this year. Additionally, the Dolphins ended the year with a record of 1-5 against teams with a winning record. The 4-13 New England Patriots and 4-13 Arizona Cardinals both ended the year with more wins against teams over .500. The Dolphins only win came from beating the Dallas Cowboys 22-20 in Week 16.
In the Dolphins defense, they did have a fairly good season. 11-6 is still a good record and it earned them a playoff spot. The Dolphins averaged 30.1 points per game (PPG) this season (second in the NFL), but a lot of people are still not sold on this Miami Dolphins team in the playoffs and for good reason. When you take a closer look at the numbers there is a glaring concern when it comes to their performance against playoff caliber teams.
In games against teams with a winning record this year, the Dolphins:
· Were outscored 197-106
· Averaged 17.7 PPG
· Allowed 32.8 PPG
· Averaged 1.5 turnovers per game
In addition to the overall team struggles, there are also statistics that point out the struggles of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Against teams with winning records, Tagovailoa had an average quarterback rating of 48.8 which would rank 22nd in the NFL and a passer rating of 84.9 which would rank 32nd among eligible passers this season.
The sample size from these games is small, but these statistics directly reflect their performance against playoff caliber teams and these struggles were extremely costly last week.
The Dolphins headed into Week 18 with the second seed in the AFC playoff picture and in control of first place in the AFC East. The loss to the Bills costed them more than just the AFC East. Now the Dolphins must go to Arrowhead to play two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the reigning Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. If the Dolphins would have won against the Bills, they would have clinched the second seed and hosted the seventh seed Pittsburg Steelers in Miami.
The loss to the Bills could end up costing the Dolphins a deep playoff run, as they have not been able to consistently hold their own against high level opponents. The Chiefs are a familiar opponent as the two teams faced off in Germany in Week 9 with the Dolphins losing 21-14. A similar result is expected this upcoming week as the Chiefs are currently favored by 3.5 points.