The Miami Dolphins Are In Position To Win AFC East
The Miami Dolphins were coming into the 2020 NFL Season with hopes of improvement. They are well-coached, have a rookie quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa, and are in a prime position to make the playoffs just a season after allegedly tanking.
Coaching
One of, if not the, most important part of a football team is the head coach. Brian Flores is the right man for the job in Miami, the players play hard for him. The Dolphins defeated the Los Angeles Rams because of their defense and special teams, both phases of the game which are reliant on coaching.
Andrew Van Ginkel had a scoop and score touchdown in the second quarter after Jared Goff was strip-sacked. An 88-yard punt return touchdown then followed it up by Jakeem Grant. Jared Goff played a horrendous game as well. The Miami defense forced Goff into throwing two interceptions and losing two fumbles. That’s a combination of excellent coaching and players putting in the effort because they believe in their coach. The Miami Dolphins can only go up from here, and they have the right coach for the job.
Quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa made his first start on Sunday. While Jackson Law provided a grade on Tua’s performance, I feel that we do not have enough information to truly decide if Tua is the guy for the Miami Dolphins moving forward. Tua had the second-fastest time to throw in Week 8 with 2.27 seconds (Behind only Ben Roethlisberger at 2.26 seconds). While Tua only had 93 yards, a touchdown and lost a fumble while going 12/22, it’s impossible to conclude after one game. There are positive and negative signs; only time will tell.
Schedule
The Miami Dolphins have a solid schedule for the rest of the season.
- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Chargers, who are in sell mode at the trade deadline
- Denver Broncos, who are battling multiple injuries
- New York Jets
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Kansas City Chiefs
- New England Patriots, who are struggling
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Buffalo Bills
Most of those games are winnable, and the Miami Dolphins have a real shot at beating the Buffalo Bills in Week 17 and taking the division. The last time the Dolphins played the Bills, Buffalo won a very close game 31-28. Don’t be surprised if the result changes in a Week 17 AFC East showdown.
The Miami Dolphins are playing better than most people expected. The AFC East is wide open; the Bills are far from running away with it. The Cam Newton experiment has been a failure so far in New England, and this division is up for grabs, and Miami can snatch it.
