Ryan Fitzpatrick somehow gets off the pass to set up the winning field goal against the Raiders.

Pressure Point: FitzMagic saves Dolphins, but don’t give up on Tua

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Leave it to Miami Dolphins fans to turn a heart-stopping, season-saving win into a quarterback controversy.

If only in their minds.

Immediately after Ryan Fitzpatrick came off the bench Saturday night to lead an improbable comeback to a 26-25 victory over the Raiders, coach Brian Flores said rookie Tua Tagovailoa will remain the starter when the Dolphins roll the final dice for the playoffs next week at Buffalo.

Much to the consternation of a segment of the fan base that in rapid order went from longing for the Dolphins to draft Tua to already writing him off because:

  • He’s not lighting up the stat sheet like retired legend Dan Marino or fellow rookie Justin Herbert, who the Dolphins could drafted instead.
  • He doesn’t have the mastery of Chan Gailey’s offense like Fitzpatrick, who has run it in the past and has 16 years overall in the league.

Meanwhile, overlooking that the Dolphins are 6-2 in games Tagovailoa has started — though, obviously, Fitzpatrick gets credit for pulling off the Day After Christmas Miracle.

Fitzpatrick serves an instant classic

Fitzpatrick’s heave down the sideline to Mack Hollins while his head was being twisted in the opposite direction by a Raiders defender to set up the winning field goal immediately earned a prominent place in Dolphins lore.

Up there with the Duriel Harris-Tony Nathan hook-and-lateral, the Marino fake-spike “clock” TD toss against  the Jets and the 2018 Miami Miracle win over the Patriots.

“They call him ‘FitzMagic’ for a reason,” observed Tagovailoa, who was reduced to spectator in the fourth quarter as Fitzpatrick led three scoring drives (a touchdown and two field goals).

You’ve gotta love Fitz, for who he is and for what he’s done and meant to the rebuilding Dolphins the past two seasons.

He certainly is a luxury item at this point and a valuable ace in the hole to play in situations like the Dolphins were in needing a spark to keep their playoff chances alive.

Flores: ‘Whatever we need to do to win’

On Sunday, Flores was asked if he is utilizing a two-quarterback situation with Fitzpatrick as a closer.

“I don’t want to put any labels on it. The label is we’re going to do what we’ve got to do to win,” Flores said. “I owe that to Dolphins fans, to players in our locker room, to people in this organization, so that’s what we’re going to always do.

“Whatever we need to do to win, that’s what we’re going to do.”

There are plenty of voices out there shouting that the objective would be better served by starting Fitzpatrick next week at Buffalo. While others will continue grumbling that the Dolphins messed up by drafting Tagovailoa instead of Herbert, who is having a historic rookie season for the non-contending Los Angeles Chargers.

Even though Tagovailoa outplayed Herbert in the Dolphins’ 29-21 win over the Chargers in November.

Rap on Tua

And while overlooking that Tagovailoa’s struggle against the Raiders aren’t indicative of his season overall.

Tua did have a similar subpar performance against the Broncos, also on the road, which prompted another fourth-quarter relief appearance by Fitzpatrick. But he followed that up with back-to-back Rookie of the Week efforts.

“Tua has brought us a spark in a lot of other games. I think people just forget that. We just remember the last thing,” Flores said Sunday. ”I think Tua has played well.  I think he’s made a lot of improvement over the course of the season. I think he is developing.

“Tua has done a lot of good things for this team. He knows that, this team knows that.”

Dolphins fans have been fixated for so long on the quest for a franchise quarterback that some of them are having trouble appreciating one of the most remarkable seasons in franchise history.

A year ago, after tearing down the roster and starting 0-7, they were being called one of the worst teams in NFL history.

Now they are 10-5 and one win away from the playoffs.

NFL teams aren’t built in a single draft. Yet the Dolphins, under Flores and GM Chris Grier, have already constructed a playoff-caliber defense and improved the offensive line. They have four picks in the first two rounds of the next draft and one of them may again be in the top five.

Tua here to stay

The offense will look different next year. There will be more playmakers and Tagovailoa will already have the experience of playing in a playoff race — potentially of playing in the playoffs, depending on how next week goes.

The Should-Have-Drafted-Herbert crowd isn’t going away. Neither is Tua.

He has a lot of improving to do. The same could have been said about plenty of Hall of Famers during their rookie year.

Look at Drew Brees, whose tools are similar to Tua’s. In his first season as starter, Brees threw 17 touchdown passes with 16 interceptions while completing 61 percent of his passes. The next season he had 11 TDs, 15 picks and a 57.6 completion percentage.

It wasn’t until his third season that Brees took off with 27 TDs, seven picks and 65.5 percent completions.

Josh Allen, who in his third season is putting up MVP-type numbers while leading the Bills in quest of the Super Bowl, as a rookie had 10 TDs and 12 interceptions while completing 52.8 percent.

Tagovailoa, coming off a career-threatening injury at Alabama and with no preseason, has completed 65 percent with 10 TDs and two interceptions. Yes, there have been a number of would-be picks dropped, including another Saturday.

His receivers have dropped quite a few on-target throws as well.

There are valid criticisms. Tua tends to hold the ball too long in the pocket and hasn’t had much success hitting longer routes.

Offensive coordinator Gailey’s play-calling often isn’t suited to what Tagovailoa does well — as if he’s keeping the training wheels on him.

Nonetheless, Tagovailoa’s rookie year has shown he can be a winning quarterback. Because, well, they’re winning with him now.

Flores looks at a broader picture than fans and media members, and he gets the last word on the matter:

“Speculation on whatever people want to speculate about as far as what we should or shouldn’t do, based on [Saturday] night, I think I wouldn’t do that and forget the body of work over the course of the season to include however many games Tua has been starting,” Flores said Sunday.

“I think he’s played fairly well. People may disagree, but we’ll just have to just agree to disagree in that instance.”

But if things aren’t going well at Buffalo, don’t be surprised if Flores resorts to another dose of FitzMagic  one more time.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for four decades. Follow him on Twitter @CraigDavisRuns

Tua Tagovailoa celebrates with teammates after scoring one of his two touchdowns in a 22-12 win over the Patriots.

Pressure Point: Dolphins deliver joy to fans, so enjoy it

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Mike Gesicki, DeVante Parker, Jakeem Grant out. Rookie quarterback vs. a Bill Belichick defense with extra time to prepare.

Big problem?

With his receiving corps decimated by injuries, veteran offensive coordinator Chan Gailey had the ideal remedy for a 22-12 victory the Miami Dolphins had to have Sunday to keep playoff hopes alive.

They ran the hell out of the ball.

A mediocre rushing offense averaging 95 yards a game stuck it to the New England Patriots for 250 yards on the ground to eliminate Belichick’s dynasty from the postseason for the first time since 2008.

Some Dolphins fans will lament that Tua Tagovailoa only threw for 145 yards and forced a pass for an interception on perhaps the most ill-advised decision of his rookie season.

Dolphins run wild in second half

Give it a rest. Tagovailoa did what he was asked to do in leading three second-half touchdown drives. The order of the day was to run, and Tua ran for two of those scores, including a nifty scramble for the touchdown that put Miami ahead to stay.

“Today we ran it effectively, so we just kept running it,” coach Brian Flores said.

You want stats? Rookie Salvon Ahmed became the first Dolphins 100-yard rusher in two seasons with 122 yards on 23 carries. Matt Breida wasn’t far behind with 86 yards on 12 carries.

A young offensive line with three rookie starters took control of the game and wore down the Patriots defense. When rookie Solomon Kindley left with an injury, second-year guard Micheal Deiter stepped in and they kept grinding.

But here’s the prime stat: The 9-5 Dolphins have clinched a winning record in Flores’ second season after beginning 0-7 in his first. They are 14-9 since then.

“I think we’ve got a mentally tough, physically tough, resilient group that knows how to deal with adversity, that doesn’t go in the tank, keeps fighting, keeps working,” Flores said. “Whatever the situation is these guys just work.”

Those qualities will be tested the next two weeks as the Dolphins continue to fight for a wild-card spot with remaining games at Las Vegas and Buffalo.

“We battle for each other. We’ll continue to do that,” Flores said. “That’s one thing I know that everyone is going to continue to work hard.”

As they did Sunday in a must-win situation with an injury-riddled offense that had six rookies starting.

One other thing of interest that Flores said after getting his second win against his former boss:

“For Dolphins fans — we’ve got great fans who are lifers and they love this team. So we’re happy to bring some joy to our fans. Because they deserve it.”

Even to those who are hung up on whether they drafted the right quarterback, drooling over the gaudy numbers amassed by Justin Herbert, taken one pick later than Tagovailoa by the Los Angeles Chargers.

So much for rookie QBs vs. Belichick factor

Much was made about of Belichick’s 21-7 record against teams starting a rookie quarterback.

The network analysts were all over it at halftime, with the Dolphins tailing 6-0 and Tagovailoa’s interception in the end zone standing out as the pivotal play of the half. Boomer Esiason talked about how Belichick’s scheme was making the rookie uncomfortable and received a knowing nod from Bill Cowher.

Safe to say that any quarterback will feel uncomfortable with all of his best receivers sidelined with injuries.

Funny how that storyline faded in the second half as the Dolphins ran the Patriots into oblivion while the defense performed as it has for the most of the season in limiting New England to four field goals.

Tagovailoa, for his part, executed the short-passing game, completing 20 of 26.

He also showed better wisdom when he scrambled out of pressure to score rather than forcing a pass as he had in the first half.

Tua exhibited his athleticism to get out of trouble and into the end zone with a juke on the last defender, prompting a question about whether he has been working on his moves.

“I tried to do everything I could to get in the end zone. I’ve just got to work a little bit more on some other dance moves I’ve got going,” he said with a laugh.

Dolphins winning with Tua

For those fixated on passing totals, Tua’s numbers will improve after the Dolphins add talent to the receiving corps through the draft and free agency.

For now, the vital number on Tua is the Dolphins are 5-2 with him as starter.

While Herbert has 27 touchdown passes, his Chargers are 5-9 and got crushed 45-0 by these Patriots a few weeks back.

Indications are both of these rookies are headed for stardom. The Dolphins are already winning with Tua, which is the objective.

As a rebuilding team, they have come farther, faster than was reasonable to expect. Flores has already built a quality defense that Dan Marino never had behind him as he tried in vain for a second shot at a Super Bowl.

The defense gave the coup de grace to New England’s playoff hopes with an exclamation point sack of Cam Newton by Emmanuel Ogbah.

With a developing offensive line, a running game like Miami put together Sunday would further serve its young quarterback. Look what having Derrick Henry has done for Ryan Tannehill with the Titans.

It figured to take at least two drafts for the Dolphins to address all the needs. So Flores and his team have brought some joy a year sooner than expected, especially considering those sorry first seven defeats of 2019.

However this season plays out, just enjoy it, Dolfans. Enjoy the joy.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for four decades. Follow him on Twitter @CraigDavisRuns

Dolphins Chargers Win

Houtz Special: Five Things to dish about before Sunday’s matchup vs New England

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I don’t know what to call this article.

After all, it is Saturday and I’m chasing two Rugrats around the house–a day after sucking up more snow than former offensive line coach Chris Foerester– after Mother Nature dropped a bunch of powder in central PA.

Yes, I live in PA.

(Note: And yes, I am thankful for what Ethan and the Miami Dolphins have allowed me to do in 2020. After all, I’ve been able to cover this team in a way I never could imagine. Most importantly, I’m thankful for all of you. Thank you, and Happy Holidays!)

The Franchise

Now back to the point. There’s a lot going on right now and instead of trying to pick and choose what to talk about, I’m just going to throw together a bunch of mirepoix, protein, herbs, spices, a little duck fat, a strand of saffron, and a drizzle of truffle oil and throw it all in a crockpot. Or, for those of you that aren’t classically trained chefs, I’m going to throw together a bunch of crap CHOPPED style, and somehow, someway, hope it turns out tres bien!

So without further ado: 5 Things I really want to talk about heading in to Sunday’s matchup vs New England.

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Justin Herbert vs Tua Tagovailoa

I will never understand why this has to be one or the other. Truth is, I liked both quarterbacks very much. But I will never, EVER, say I wanted Herbert more–because that simply is not true. Furthermore, what I don’t understand is why after six games of watching Tua winning games in Miami and Herbert lighting the world on fire in Los Angeles (with some, admittedly, coming in garbage time) we are ready to call this contest?

I know that’s not how this industry works. Hell, Colin Cowherd changes his takes about as much as he changes his under pantalones.

And let’s not pretend this was ever like comparing apples to oranges.

Herbert was always the guy that compared nicely to Josh Allen and that was BEFORE Allen turned juggernaut. Tagovailoa has always been compared to Drew Brees. A guy who despite his lack of a rocket arm (Jakeem Grant still should’ve caught that 55-yard dot.) makes up for it with his football IQ, ability to work the pocket, picture-perfect mechanics, and lettuce not forget, that gd accuracy. He’s also pretty mobile too.

Herbert is playing out of his mind, no one can argue that. But I’m not ready to call this thing, not even close. Tua continues to get better and I think we will have a much better idea of what these two teams are next season. But again, it’s never going to change for me.

The Dolphins have a very good rookie quarterback who has the potential to be a superstar.

Start Lynn Bowden in Fantasy Football this weekend?

I’ll give a shoutout to my dude David Friedman (@TacoBoutSports), because he did call his shot on Lynn Bowden last week on the Business YouTube Page (PLEASE SUBSCRIBE HERE). But truth is Bowden is a versatile player that most Dolphins fans probably already had stashed on their Dynasty and Devy rosters, or were keeping close tabs on in re-draft. He was also a hell of a play in FanDuel and Draft Kings. (Yes, I paired him with Tua in FanDuel and won some cash money) Nevertheless, he’s made an impact in the passing game and as you saw vs the Kansas City Chiefs, the Dolphins reminded the entire world that Lynn Bowden once played QB.

Bowden was targeted 13 times over the last two weeks, catching 11 targets for 123 yards. He’s also starting to earn trust in fellow rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa when others on the roster may not. I think he continues to prove he belongs over the next three weeks. But it’s not exactly a straight-forward decision.

I mean, obviously, if you’re playing in the fantasy playoffs, you may have better options. But I think as we saw over the last two weeks, he’s going to need to be a factor if the Dolphins want to knock the New England Patriots out of contention and continue on their improbable run.

Fire up Lynn Bowden this weekend, especially in DFS and full-point PPR leagues (FLEX).

Tua Tagovailoa named NFL Rookie of the Week

For the second consecutive week, Miami Dolphins’ fans did the lord’s work and voted quarterback Tua Tagovailoa as the Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week –after his career day vs the Kansas City Chiefs. Tua set career bests in completions, (28) attempts, (48) yards, (316) and total touchdowns.(3).

Congrats, Tua Tagovailoa.

Want to see every dropback from Tua vs Kansas City? 

Dolphins vs New England Patriots

There’s a lot riding on this game. In fact, the Dolphins can eliminate New England from playoff contention with a win this week. And how awesome would that be after the twenty years of pure hell that franchise has put us through. Nevertheless, this is a big-time game and as we’ve seen before, there’s no one more capable of attacking rookie QBs than Brian Flores…well, maybe Bill Belichick 🙂

And according to a bunch of really smart people, Belichick hasn’t lost to a rookie quarterback in his last 9 tries.

So, last week we got to see Patrick Mahomes vs Tua Tagovailoa and now this week Bill Belichick vs Tua Tagovailoa. Let’s not forget Tagovailoa said before he was named starter he would watch film every week with Flores to get an understanding of NFL defenses from his point of view. We will see how well these film sessions pay off, as he faces arguably the greatest coach in NFL history. (It will always be Shula for me)

The Miami Dolphins currently hold the series lead with a 56-54 record.

Who: Miami Dolphins (8-5) vs New England Patriots (6-7)

What: BIG AFC EAST GAME!!!

Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida. TV broadcast: CBS

When: December 19, 2020

Why: Football is good

Prediction: Dolphins 27 Patriots 10

I think the Dolphins stop the run much better than they did in week 1 with Zach Sieler and Raekwon Davis playing a larger role. I also think this team realizes that the Patriots are one-dimensional. And if you can stop the run and force Newton to beat you with his arm, that’s the recipe for success.

Nothing will come easy and we know Belichick takes great pride in his ability to confuse rookie QBs. But as we saw from Tua throughout his first six games, some of his best football comes when the defense is applying pressure. Sunday, Flores and the Dolphins have a chance to put the dagger in New England’s 2020 season. And in doing so, remind the Patriots that the next 10-15 years in the AFC East will be much different than the last.

What they said:

Brian Flores on his time in New England:

“I learned so much. I started in personnel. Scott Pioli hired me there as a scouting assistant. Those four years in personnel were very valuable. There are a lot of guys in that department who have gone on and done well for themselves – Jon Robinson, Thomas Dimitroff, Matt Russell, Marvin Allen was on the staff there when I was there. Lionel Vital. So I learned a lot from that group. Then going into coaching, working on special teams with Brad Seely who just recently retired and Scott O’Brien who retired a few years ago as well in the kicking game. Going over to offense, working with Bill O’Brien. When I went over to defense, obviously working with Bill (Belichick), Matt Patricia, obviously Josh Boyer, Pat Graham. A lot of really good coaches on both sides of the ball. I would say one of the guys who I learned as much about coaching as anyone is Dante Scarnecchia. I know he’s the o-line coach over there, but just the relationships he built with players and how demanding he was. I think I’ve tried to take a lot of what he did because he had a lot of success. Then just team building and being around a lot of very good players, very good coaches. I had some great experiences there.”

Dolphins team captain Kyle Van Noy on the differences between the two teams since Week 1:

“I think it’s better communication. Just playing better. I think we are comfortable with where we’re at and we’ve got to make strides to get better each time we take the field. I think as an older guy, just playing better and having everybody play better helps as well. I think it’s a lot of different things and I hope we do our best to slow it down. They are really, really good. I think they are third in rushing in the league. Their o-line is amazing. (Offensive Line Coach) Cole Popovich does a really good job getting those guys ready to go. That rookie (Michael Onwenu) is playing really well and (Jermaine) Eluemunor is playing well. The backs – Damien Harris is playing really well. Sony (Michel)’s still got juice, obviously James White is just all-around amazing. Then you’ve got Cam Newton who still runs the ball really well. He’s doing a lot of things well. They do a good job. You can splash in the receivers too. They all run the ball pretty well too when they get the ball on sweeps and different things like that. (Head Coach) Bill (Belichick) has them playing hard and he’s a really good coach and they are doing a really good job running the ball.”

Matt Breida on Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores:

“He treats every player the same, no matter how good you are or if you’re on the practice squad. He expects great things out of you. He’s a great coach. He’s going to be coaching for a very long time in this league. It’s rare that you’re around coaches like him who are fairly young, understand what it takes to win and just what goes into this game. Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen nothing but great things about him and I love that he’s my head coach. I think all the guys on the team feel the same way. We all want to play for him and go out there and players lay it on the line for him, and he does the same for us. He’s just a great head coach.”

This article was written by world-renowned Miami Dolphins’ beet writer Josh Houtz. Follow him on Twitter @houtz

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Please take the time to read Jon’s story and remember, any donation helps!

Dolphins tigh tend Mike Gesicki scored two touchdowns before suffering an injury.

Pressure Point: Dolphins show resilience in loss, but injuries hurt

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The Dolphins can walk away from Sunday’s 33-27 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs with only one major lament.

That would be the injuries to key players on an offense that was already hamstrung by health issues.

In particular, the loss of tight end Mike Gesicki, who left with a potential serious injury to a shoulder or collarbone on the possession after his second touchdown of the day which came on a spectacular catch under tight coverage.

Otherwise, there was a lot to like about the resilience shown by the Dolphins in a 17-point fourth quarter rally.

Certainly no complaints about the defense, which had four takeaways including three interceptions of Patrick Mahomes, tying a career high for the former MVP.

The toll on an already limited offense doesn’t bode well for the 8-5 Dolphins’ playoff hopes with the gauntlet of Patriots, Raiders and Bills still to come.

Coach Brian Flores didn’t offer any information about Gesicki’s condition. But quarterback Tua Tagovailoa implied that his favorite receiver may be out for awhile.

“I told him my thoughts and prayers are with him,” Tagovailoa said. “The rest of the team is praying for him. … You just hate to see that for someone like him.”

Receiver corps decimated

Wide receivers DeVante Parker and Jakeem Grant went out with injuries in the first half. The offense came into the game missing the top three running backs on the depth chart and the starting left guard.

Nonetheless, Tagovailoa led the comeback with two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter on the way to his first 300-yard passing day in the NFL. Notably, he did some of his best work with what amounted to the junior varsity following Gesicki’s exit and kept it interesting until a last-ditch onside kick failed in the final seconds.

“We’ve got a resilient team. They don’t quit,” coach Brian Flores said.

Injuries aside, the day confirmed what was already apparent: The rebuilding Dolphins need quite a few more skilled pieces on offense to be able to match up against the top teams in the league.

With four picks in the first two rounds of the 2021 draft, they will have an opportunity to upgrade the receiving corps and give Tua an array of playmakers like he had at Alabama.

They won’t need to address the quarterback position, even though Tua has emerged as a polarizing figure in some outposts of the fan base for whatever reason.

Tagovailoa shows ‘good stuff’

Tagovailoa is 4-2 as a starter with nine touchdowns, one interception, 62 percent on completions and a 95.2 passer rating.

Oh, and Tua is now ninth in the AFC in passer rating, just ahead of fellow rookie Justin Herbert.

His first career interception came Sunday after avoiding the rush and tossing a deep ball to Grant that was slightly underthrown and hung up long enough for Chiefs cornerback Rashad Fenton to deflect it to Tyrann Mathieu.

A better receiver than Grant might have caught that ball. But go ahead, put that pick on Tua.

There have been plenty of drops of balls that Tua has put in catchable spots, including a touchdown Parker let slip through his hands in the back of the end zone in the second quarter.

Tony Romo, former quarterback turned network analyst, noted some instances when Tagovailoa held the ball too long. Romo also pointed to a problem of receivers not getting open.

He highlighted a third-and-8 play with three receivers stacked on the left and none of them get gained any separation from defenders. Tagovailoa had to scramble short of the first down.

But where some fans see cause to quibble about Tua, Romo said near the end of the broadcast, “Lots of good stuff I saw out of Tua today.”

Tagovailoa was critical of his own play, particularly in the third quarter when three possessions ended in punts and another in a safety on a sack.

“Not taking what the defense is giving me is pretty much plain rookie mistakes,” he said. “You can’t do that against a Super Bowl-caliber team like the Chiefs.”

Dolphins defense shines with big plays

Meanwhile, there was plenty of good stuff from the Dolphins’ defense, despite Mahomes’ 393 yards passing and the Chiefs’ run of 30 unanswered points in the middle two quarters.

Not all of that was on the defense. Ultimately, a 67-yard punt return and the safety loomed large in the outcome.

Cornerback Xavien Howard continued his remarkable season with his ninth interception on a one-handed grab and started the Dolphins’ fourth-quarter rally.

Linebacker Jerome Baker had 2.5 sacks, including chasing Mahomes into a 30-yard loss.

Nobody has found a way to stop this Chiefs offense cold all day. The hope on defense is to make enough plays to give your offense an opportunity to put up more points.

It’s a tall order, but the Miami defense did that Sunday.

The offense doesn’t yet have a complement of playmakers that scare an opponent like Mahomes and his compadres.

Tua needs more polish and a better hand of cards to play.

But as Romo’s trained eye attests, the rookie has shown enough good stuff that Dolfans should chillax and feel encouraged about the future.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for four decades. Follow him on Twitter @CraigDavisRuns

Tua vs Mahomes could be the beginning of something special

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For the first time since 2003, the Miami Dolphins are 8-4 and currently hold the No.6  seed in the AFC.

Which is crazy, isn’t it? I mean, when you think about how far this team has come in such a short amount of time, it should give fans everywhere a reason to be excited.

After all, it seems like only yesterday when ESPN’s Mike Greenberg begged the league to punish the Dolphins for deliberately tanking. (OH THE IRONY!) But then things started to come together. And Brian Flores and his team were playing pretty damn good football towards the end of last season. This had many wondering whether or not the Dolphins had won too many games to get a franchise-altering quarterback.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

The Dolphins drafted Tua Tagovailoa with the 5th-overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. And while some fans and experts are debating whether Tua will be a superior QB to Justin Herbert or Joe Burrow, there’s a much bigger question at play.

Can Tagovailoa become a generational quarterback capable of going toe to toe with the NFL’s elite?

We’re about to find out.

The Franchise

Tua Tagovailoa vs. Patrick Mahomes

First, let me start by saying that I know quarterbacks don’t directly faceoff against one another. This isn’t an opening tip-off in basketball. Or a penalty shot in hockey. Football is a team game. We all know this. And yet somehow, we sit here and view Sunday’s matchup between arguably the greatest QB to ever play the game and Patrick Mahomes… I’m kidding. But you get the point. Tua is not going up against Mahomes; he instead has to execute vs. Kansas City’s defense.

But all we continue to see is Mahomes vs. Tagovailoa.

And that’s not uncommon.

“He’s probably a left-handed Patrick Mahomes,” said one scout. “He does the same things Mahomes does. He gets out of the pocket. He doesn’t need to set his feet. He can throw the ball the length of the field,” the NFL scout said, via The Athletic. “Take a look at the LSU game. He had never been in that situation before in his life and he brought them back. … He does have inconsistent mechanics. He needs to square up and set his feet more. But left-handers do things differently.” 

Now, I’m not going to sit here and compare anyone to Patrick Mahomes. Well, maybe Dan Marino. But I’m not ready to compare Tagovailoa to Mahomes, and that’s okay. Nevertheless, Sunday’s matchup would be a huge step in the right direction. Moreover, it’s something that this fanbase, this football team, and this city deserve.

Listen to what Mahomes had to say about Miami’s young signal-caller

Now some might take what Mahomes said and dissect it, only to find out he was being sincere. I don’t think he meant anything bad by the “game-manager” comments. Because Tua himself would tell you this defense has played a huge part in the team’s success. And he hasn’t been asked to go out there and make the same plays as a Patrick Mahomes–not yet anyway. That will all change on Sunday, and Tua and Miami’s offense will be ready.

“I think we’re going to need to execute every time we go out there offensively. I don’t think we need to do anything new. We’ve just got to go out there and have all 11 guys playing together and being on the same page, really. We’ve just got to be able to go out there and execute, do that and in the red area, I know (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey) has something really good for us. But we’ve got to execute offensively. I believe we have the plays, just not executed the way we had done it in practice. It’s all about execution and you can only take it a play at a time and just don’t worry about anything else.”

Tua went on to praise Patrick Mahomes for the type of generational talent he is.

 

But please, temper expectations!

We’re going to have to continue to remind ourselves on Sunday that this is only year two of Brian Flores’ rebuild. And let’s face it, Andy Reid is one of the top coaches in all of football. Everything he touches turns to gold, and paired alongside Mahomes; it’s going to be a tough task. But Chiefs’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo could ultimately be the deciding factor. Not only is he one of the top defensive minds in all of football, but he knows how to get after the QB. It will be up to Chan Gailey and Miami’s young offensive line to not only get the team in the best position to succeed but to keep their franchise signal-caller upright.

Because let’s face it, if the Dolphins want to have any chance on Sunday, they’re going to have to get a superstar performance from Tua Tagovailoa.

You can still vote for Tua Tagovailoa for Rookie of the Week!

Final Yard

 

I don’t know that we will ever see another quarterback as talented as Patrick Mahomes. I think he’s that damn good. But football is a team sport. And with an elite defense by his side and all the tools to go toe to toe with the NFL’s elite, why can’t Tagovailoa outshine Mahomes in Miami? Why can’t Brian Flores do to the Chiefs defense–exactly what he did to them back in the AFC Championship game in 2019? Quite frankly, why not Miami?

If the Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa hope to play meaningful football games well into January (any time soon), they’re going to have to get through Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs consistently.

Sunday’s matchup is just the first of what could become the next great QB duel. And I, for one, am here for it. Now, all Chan Gailey and the Dolphins offense has to do is #LetTuaCook.

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Pressure Point: Final 4 weeks true test for feisty Miami Dolphins

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As the NFL playoff race approaches critical mass, there’s not much to be learned by combing through the debris of the Miami Dolphins’ ugly win against the Cincinnati Bengals.

It was a game that featured two dustups, including a bench-clearing shove fest, five ejections, 14 penalties totaling 116 yards and multiple injuries for each team.

A thoroughly ugly and interminable affair of football. The outcome was significant for the Dolphins, 19-7, which boosted them to 8-4 for the first time since 2003 and kept them in the thick of the AFC race.

Not to make too much of defeating a downtrodden opponent that hasn’t won on the road since 2018. The Dolphins played down to the Bengals’ level for a half, then put the hammer down in the third quarter.

They did what they needed to position themselves for a meaningful December, which has been a rarity for Miami the past two decades.

The next four weeks will give a truer read on where this Dolphins rebuilding project stands than anything that has transpired so far.

Tough stretch to the playoffs

The gauntlet to the playoffs begins next Sunday at home against the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. That is followed by a visit from the New England Patriots, who have reawakened from the seeming ashes of their dynasty by winning four of their past five, including a 45-0 thrashing Sunday of the Chargers and that rookie quarterback some Dolfans inexplicably think the Dolphins should have drafted.

The season concludes with visits to Las Vegas against the playoff-contending Raiders and Buffalo for a potential showdown for the AFC East title.

Are these Dolphins, currently holding the sixth of seven playoff spots, ready for the rigors of a genuine playoff race?

Steve Kornacki, MSNBC’s superstar election numbers cruncher, brought his big board to Sunday Night Football for a breakdown of the NFL playoff picture. Kornacki put the Dolphins’ chances of making the playoffs at 51 percent.

But they must navigate a minefield to get there, through those final four games and with several challengers on their tail: 8-4 Colts (currently holding the final playoff spot), 7-5 Raiders, 6-5 Ravens and 6-6 Patriots.

Notably, Kornacki gave the Ravens, now ninth in the race, a 47 percent chance of making the playoffs, virtually the same as Miami’s.

“Baltimore has the easiest stretch run schedule in the league,” Kornacki said. “Miami, meanwhile, they’re playing Kansas City next week, so they’ve got a much tougher schedule.”

Will 10 wins be enough?

Figure the Dolphins can afford to do no less than split the final four games, but even 10 wins is no guarantee of emerging from this crowded field. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, this is the first time since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger that one conference has had as many teams with a winning percentage of .667 or better through Week 13.

If defense is the foundation of championship runs, the Dolphins can point to their No. 2 ranking in average points allowed of 17.7, just behind Pittsburgh’s 17.1.

Except for one stumble on a two-yard out that turned into a 72-yard touchdown, the Dolphins could claim another immaculate day of defense Sunday. They held the Bengals to 30 total yards in the second half, finished with six sacks and two interceptions.

But the premise that defense wins has been knocked off-kilter in this age of highfalutin offense. Putting the kibosh on recent practice-squad graduate QB Brandon Allen didn’t prepare the Dolphins for dealing with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, who will be aiming to reprise their recent success at Hard Rock Stadium earlier this year in Super Bowl 54.

For any chance against Kansas City, Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins offense must reprise the effort they mustered at Arizona in winning a shootout against Kyler Murray and the Cardinals.

It’s a tall order against the Chiefs, who by the way are allowing only 21.2 points a game.

Tua quiets critics

But that’s why it was incumbent on offensive coordinator Chan Gailey to loosen the reins on Tagovailoa in the second half. Also why the rumblings about benching Tua at halftime were ludicrous, especially those expressed by network analysts who should have a much better grip on the big picture of where these Dolphins are and what they are trying to become.

Can that nonsense be put to rest now that Tua is 4-1 as a starter and has thrown for seven touchdowns with zero interceptions?

As Matt Infante of ThePhinsider.com noted on Twitter, only three rookie quarterbacks in NFL history have won at least four of their first five starts while posting a passer rating of at least 95: Dan Marino, Ben Roethlisberger, Dak Prescott and Tagovailoa.

Yes, Tua was off the mark and out of sync during the first half. But he finished with 296 yards and would have easily recorded his first 300-yard game if Jakeem Grant hadn’t dropped a deep ball delivered in stride.

Tagovailoa is far from a finished product. He is also leading an offense short on playmakers, which will be addressed in the next draft.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins have given themselves a legitimate chance at the playoffs this season even while a work in progress.

These next four weeks will reveal just how much work is still to be done.

But one thing for certain is these Dolphins won’t be a pushover at crunch time as so many of their predecessors have been.

Flores: ‘These are my kids’

That was evident Sunday when coach Brian Flores led the charge at the Bengals’ bench after Grant got flattened for the second time while waiting to field a punt.

“Look, I’m going to stick up for my players,” Flores said. “I’m just going to be honest, these are like my kids.”

Flores lamented that his emotional reaction was receiving more attention than his team’s dominant performance in the second half. But the impact of the coach standing up for his players will serve the team far longer than thumping an inferior opponent.

“It just means a lot. He’s not just a coach out there. If his guy gets hurt, he’s not going to let it go. He stands up for us as a team,” Tagovailoa said. “You got to see, not just him, but other guys going in there trying to defend Jakeem [Grant] and whatnot. But I think it’s a testament — although it happened the way it did, it’s also a testament to how close we are as a team.”

These next four weeks will tell how close these Dolphins are to being the team they aspire to become.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for four decades. Follow him on Twitter @CraigDavisRuns

Dolphins Broncos

Dolphins: The Cheesecake Factory of NFL Backfields

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By Michael Christian

 

POTENTIAL HOT TAKE: The Cheesecake factory is one of the most overrated restaurants!

Their menu has what seems like hundreds of entrée options and none of them really blow you away. Instead of specializing their entrée’s and creating some signature dishes, they decided it would be best to have a bunch of options to make give everyone a choice, but they all are mediocre at best.

The Miami Dolphins running game has sort of become the Cheesecake Factory of NFL backfields.

The backfield currently consists of five running backs with very similar skill sets and body types. The problem is that none of them truly excels. At least that is what it seems like 11 games into the season.

Let’s look at their stats:

 

Anybody stand out to you? No? Didn’t think so.

There is no consensus on which of these running backs is best. Throughout the season each running back has had moments where you got excited and want to see more but then they fumble, allow a sack, or drop a crucial pass.

The Dolphins, under Flores and Grier decided that a Cheesecake Factory like approach to their backfield was their best bet. Instead of investing heavily in one running back, the Dolphins decided to spread the wealth and hope that one of them was the answer.

Gaskin was a seventh-round draft choice, Breida was acquired for a fifth-round pick, Washington was traded for mid-season, and Ahmed and Laird were both undrafted.

None of these options cost much in terms of resources, and it shows in the performance of the run game each week.

At this point in the season the Dolphins are contending for a playoff spot, and no one has a clear picture as to who the lead back is. I’d argue that the Dolphins aren’t even sure as proven by the constant rotations and minimal running in the Jets game.

I would give Washington the most touches as he is a better pass blocker and seems to have a bit more wiggle to his game, but he is currently limited with a hamstring injury. Due to the injury, and just the way Flores likes to run his team, I expect the lead running back will be a fluid situation featuring whichever running back practiced best that given week.

The Cheesecake Factory approach, when it comes to running backs, has not uncovered a gem for the Dolphins so far this season. Now, we just have to hope that one of the five guys will be enough to help keep our offense moving forward, and our quarterback standing up long enough to make it to the playoffs.

Brian Flores makes it clear that Tua Tagovailoa will be the Miami Dolphins quarterback when he is healty. (Craig Davis for Five Reasons Sports Network)

Pressure Point: If Tua is healthy, he’s the Dolphins’ QB—as he should be

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The main conclusion about the Dolphins’ 20-3 win Sunday against the hapless Jets (0-11) is Miami did what was needed to hold serve against the worst team in the NFL.

They got the result that was expected. Combined with losses by Las Vegas and Indianapolis, the 7-4 Dolphins moved into the sixth seed (out of seven) in the AFC playoff race.

Individually, cornerback Xavien Howard (seventh interception) and kicker Jason Sanders (two more field goals longer than 50 yards) reaffirmed their status as super stars having All-Pro seasons.

What Sunday’s result didn’t do was ignite a quarterback controversy, though some short-sighted observers are sure to stoke the embers.

Coach Brian Flores nipped that in the bud postgame, asserting that Tua Tagovailoa (thumb injury) will be back at the controls as soon as he is healthy.

Flores: Tua is the guy

“Yeah. If he’s healthy he’s the guy. I don’t know how many different ways I’ve got to say that. You keep asking, I’ll keep answering the same way,” said Flores, adding that Tagovailoa was close to being able to play Sunday.

“He’s dealing with something with the hand. We’ll take it day to day. He’s a tough kid, he wants to be out there,” Flores said. “Thankfully, we have other guys who stepped up.”

Veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, in throwing for 257 yards and two touchdowns, provided what any team would hope to get from its backup quarterback.

“It’s good to have Fitz,” Flores said. “He’s obviously a leader on this team. He’s been that for awhile. He’ll continue to be that for this team.”

As Flores pointed out, Fitzpatrick gave a competent, veteran performance. He was particularly effective in utilizing his best receiver, DeVante Parker — something Tua needs to improve at — who had eight receptions for 119 yards.

Fitzpatrick was good enough, not spectacular

But let’s not overstate Fitzpatrick’s performance. He didn’t exactly light up a Jets defense that ranked 30th in the league (29th in pass defense).

He had a run of 10 consecutive completions in the first half. But in the second half his accuracy was erratic.

Notably the Dolphins’ first five possessions in the second half went punt, punt, fumble (Matt Breida), fumble (Patrick Laird), punt. Fitzpatrick finally put together an 80-yard touchdown drive, aided by 32 yards in penalties, to put the Jets out of their misery and one step close to a chance to draft Trevor Lawrence.

The Jets are playing for the future. Frankly, so are the Dolphins.

Granted, Flores has the rebuilding Dolphins in playoff contention much faster than it was reasonable to expect.

They may actually get there, riding the backs of a defense that has blossomed into a high-end unit.

Flores was quick to credit defensive coordinator Josh Boyer, saying, “He’s done a great job the entire year. I think often times people give me too much credit.”

But let’s face it, these Dolphins aren’t constructed to vie with the top teams for a serious run in January. Not with an offense so lacking in playmakers.

Aside from Parker, there is little to fear in the receiving corps, particularly with Preston Williams out for the year and Albert Wilson opting out due to the coronavirus.

Receiver is Dolphins’ biggest draft need

The Dolphins will a chance to address that deficiency in the next draft. Wide receiver should be right at the top of the shopping list. Running back should be another priority, though DeAndre Washington showed some promise with some tough running in the fourth quarter that helped close out the victory.

The lack of depth at receiver is apparent regardless of the quarterback. But Tagovailoa can take a lesson from Fitzpatrick in making better use of Parker, who has the ability to beat defenders for contested balls. And he will.

Remarkably, a surprising number of fans were ready to toss Tua overboard after a poor outing at Denver. That despite leading wins in his first three starts while throwing for six touchdown and zero interceptions.

Some went so far as to suggest the Dolphins made the wrong choice in taking Tagovailoa over Justin Herbert. Even though Tua outplayed Herbert in beating the Chargers the week before.

No question, Fitzpatrick is more poised and in command of the offense than Tagovailoa at this point. He’s been doing it for 17 years.

Tagovailoa has four starts under his belt after having no preseason to aid in getting a grip on playing at this level.

Dolphins must look beyond 2020

Does Fitzpatrick give the Dolphins the better chance to make it to the playoffs? Maybe.

But it’s no certainty. And Flores made it clear that is not the way he is assessing the situation.

“We’ll take this one day at time, try to improve and get better on a daily basis,” Flores said, reiterating the mantra he has recited since Day 1. “I’m actually saying that very sincerely. So to get into a playoff this or that, I’m not really into that. I’m into, let’s get better tomorrow. Let’s prepare for the next opponent.”

So it’s not playoffs 2020, or bust. For Flores, it’s about preparing to make an impact in the playoffs when the ingredients are present to make it happen.

The objective is for Tagovailoa to lead the way. Unfortunately for Dolfans, who have waited so long for an impactful playoff team, that will require a bit more patience.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for four decades. Follow him on Twitter @CraigDavisRuns

Tua Tagovailoa experienced his first NFL loss and benching on Sunday. (Craig Davis for Five Reasons Sports Network)

Pressure Point: Tua one of many Dolphins who played poorly in loss to Broncos

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This will go down as Tua Tagovailoa’s first NFL defeat after wins in his first three starts.

Also, his first time pulled from a game for ineffectiveness.

All of which he summed up succinctly as: “It just sucks to lose.”

A lot of blame will be directed the rookie’s way in the Miami Dolphins’ 20-13 loss Sunday at Denver which ended a five-game winning streak.

But the Dolphins were beaten the old fashioned way in this one. They got soundly whipped up front.

This was a big change from what we’ve seen throughout Miami’s streak. The Broncos were too physical on the line of scrimmage. On offense and defense.

That was evident in the difference in yardage, 459 to 223, advantage Denver. And in the Broncos’ six sacks to zero for a Dolphins defense that has been so impressive in applying pressure in recent weeks.

Miami’s offensive line, featuring two rookies starting and three seeing action — rookie Solomon Kindley left with an injury and rookie Robert Hunt came in at tackle with Jesse Davis moving to guard — had its poorest game of the season.

Dolphins offense struggles

Often Tagovailoa had no time to set up. When there was time, Tua often took too long to find a receiver. That was due in part to receivers struggling to get open — the absence of Preston Williams, on injured reserve, is apparent.

Coach Brian Flores mentioned the trifecta of inadequacies — Tagovailoa, the line and the receivers.

He made the switch at quarterback to Ryan Fitzpatrick with 10:44 remaining because, “At the end of the day we weren’t moving the ball effectively and I just felt like we needed to give ourselves a spark.”

Flores said Tagovailoa wasn’t injured (he’d been on the injury list with an undisclosed foot issue during the week). He also nipped any quarterback controversy in the bud.

Tagovailoa will start next week against the Jets. As well he should.

Without a doubt, the rookie quarterback played poorly Sunday. The Dolphins punted on six of eight possessions with Tua. The only touchdown drive was 22 yards, set up by Xavien Howard’s interception.

“I felt like I was holding the ball a little bit too long,” Tagovailoa said.

Fitzpatrick provides spark but throws clinching interception

Veteran Fitzpatrick came in and provided a spark, leading the Dolphins to a field goal. Then, after Andrew Van Ginkel forced a fumble at the Miami goal line, driving the Dolphins from their own 1 to the Denver 15.

It was vintage Fitzpatrick. The ol’ gunslinger can come in and lead a dramatic comeback or he can take you to the brink and throw the interception that seals defeat.

The later is what happened as Denver free safety Justin Simmons read Fitzpatrick’s intention on a post to DeVante Parker and cut across to pick it off.

It was a bad day all around for the Dolphins in Denver.

Adding to the frustration, a win would have pulled them even with the Bills atop the AFC East at 7-3. It would have been Miami’s best start in 19 years.

Sure, it’s disappointing. But it’s going to happen on the road in the NFL that a team playing well gets outplayed by one that has been struggling.

Dolphins outplayed, outcoached

The Broncos, now 4-6, not only outplayed the Dolphins, they outcoached them.

Broncos coach Vic Fangio is a heck of a defensive mind. His game plan appeared to confuse Tagovailoa and his defense outmuscled Miami.

Tagovailoa finished 11 of 20 for 83 yards. He still has not officially thrown an interception in the NFL. A penalty negated one Sunday.

The accuracy that Tagovailoa had shown in previous games wasn’t there. When he did look deep, he overthrew speedy Jakeem Grant three times.

His most impressive completion of the day was the three-yard fade to Parker for the only Miami touchdown in the first quarter. Tua has been very good in the red zone. But he was unable to get them there again.

Tagovailoa said the right things about his fourth-quarter benching, saying he recognized it was for the good of the team.

Flores said he isn’t concerned about how the loss and benching will affect Tua: “He’s a confident kid. … I think he’s dealt with a lot of adversity. I think he’s fine.”

Tua said he viewed it as a learning experience.

“It’s one way hearing from Fitz when I come to the sideline. … It may seem like [a receiver is] covered to you. It’s another seeing him going out there and kind of doing it.

“For me, a lot of the time I’ve seen guys were covered but they’re not necessarily cover, if that makes sense. Just being able to see a lot of what Fitz was doing when he got in … a lot of it [was] learning lessons for me.”

Reality check for Dolphins

It was also a reality check for a Dolphins team that perhaps is not as good as it may have appeared during the winning streak.

But for perspective, it was the first loss in two months for a rebuilding team that wasn’t considered ready to compete for a playoff spot this year. And Miami remains very much in the race with winnable games the next two weeks.

Also a reminder that a rookie quarterback in his fourth NFL start, no matter how highly acclaimed, has a lot of learning to do and growing pains to go through.

It could be worse. The Cincinnati Bengals, who play the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium in two weeks, lost prized rookie quarterback Joe Burrow to a season-ending knee injury on Sunday.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for four decades. Follow him on Twitter @CraigDavisRuns

Houtz Special: Yes, you should use a waiver claim on Dolphins’ RB Salvon Ahmed

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Miami Dolphins RB Salvon Ahmed has looked impressive in Myles Gaskin’s absence. Here’s why you should pick him up in fantasy this week.

Most years, I strut around my fantasy leagues like Connor McGregor, knowing damn well I’m the big dog at the top of the mountain.

But not in 2020. I’ve done terrible this year. Maybe I can blame injuries or unexpected illnesses, but at the end of the day, I just suck.

Which brings me to my point.

I don’t care if you’re in first or last place. PPR or a Tyrannosaurus standard league.

The Franchise

STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING!

Go to your nearest fantasy league app and search the name ‘SALVON AHMED’. Then decide who on your roster is the weakest link, and smash that claim button without hesitation. Now do this for all of your fantasy leagues.

(NOTE: For those of you who are in dynasty leagues, you probably should’ve picked him up last week. But if you mistakenly passed on him, it’s probably not too late.)

Sure, there are a few other players you could consider.

Chargers fans would suggest Kalen Ballage. And though I do think he’s playing better, I’m not falling down that rabbit hole again. Some other free agent running backs to consider are Rex Burkhead and Devontae Booker. Obviously, every league is different. But you should be able to acquire one of these players, and Ahmed happens to be at the top of my list. (surprise)

But this isn’t rocket science.

If you’re a contender, who knows what might happen where you might find yourself in need of a running back down the stretch.

And if you’re not a contender, why not pick up one of these players to prevent one of your opponents from getting help down the stretch?

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather make things difficult for others than sit by the wayside and watch the weeks slowly pass by. Again, I’m not saying completely burn a nice waiver spot. But if you have the chance to improve your team AND make life difficult for those around, please do. There’s also a very good chance if you’re reading this, you’re a Dolphins fan, which gives you even more of a reason to make a move.

Salvon Ahmed is playing well.

Last week, Ahmed carried the ball 7 times for 38 yards–which was the best we’ve seen from a Dolphins’ rookie running back in his NFL debut since Jay Ajayi in November 2015. Ahmed then followed that up by playing 44 (76%) of the team’s offensive snaps vs. the Chargers, on his way to 22 touches for 90 yards and his first career NFL touchdown. What’s most exciting to see is how quick and decisive he’s been with the football in his hand. Yes, Matt Breida could be back this week, and De’Andre Washington might get more involved in the passing game, but as we saw last week, Flores continues to ride the hot hand.

Miami’s RB coach Eric Studesville had nothing but praise for the rookies’ work habits.

Final Yard

In the end, this Dolphins backfield is hard to predict from a fantasy perspective. Some would say it reminds you of the stable of backs in New England and how they can attack you in a number of different ways. And I’d imagine that’s exactly the way Flores and his staff want it. So, while we all sit here and wait for the inevitable rookie running back in 2021, let’s enjoy what we have.

If you’re a fantasy football contender, put a claim in for Salvon Ahmed. If you’re not, you should too.

It should also go without saying, but if you have Myles Gaskin stashed on your roster, you should add Ahmed as a handcuff. No questions asked.

You can ultimately decide when and where to put Salvon Ahmed in your fantasy lineup, but this late in the season with very few options, he’s worth a dart throw for the Dolphins and your Fantasy football team.

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