The last week of the 2020 NFL Regular season is upon us, and no matter what the outcome of our game versus the Buffalo Bills is, I’m thankful for our Dolphins for giving us a great season. Whether we win or lose, make the playoffs or don’t make the playoffs, I think I’d be hard pressed to find a Dolphins fan that feels that this 2020 team didn’t exceed their expectations. This team had a bumpy start but once we got rolling, we have been an ultra competitive team. Our worst loss was the first game of the season against the Patriots losing by 10 points. Since then, our loss to the Seahawks in Week 4 was our 2nd worst losing by 8. Our seasons point differential is +96. We are the #1 scoring defense (points allowed) at 18.8 in the NFL. If I told any of you we’d be traveling to Buffalo Week 17 with a 10-5 record as the #5 seed in the AFC, there’s not one of you who wouldn’t be thrilled with those circumstances.
I’m not going to bore with you with last week’s theatrics, we won a game we had no business winning but we did win, and now we live to fight another day. Coach Brian Flores has already decided that Tua Tagovailoa is the starter. Is this decision made for this week or for the future as well? I’d say in some ways it’s probably both, but I also believe that Flores believes Tua is his best QB. I don’t think Flores is a puppet and no one is pulling his strings. He’s making the personnel decisions and he’s declared Tua is the QB. Once again, I mean absolutely no disrespect to QB Ryan Fitzpatrick but there is a fine line between Fitzmagic and Fitztragic. He’s a gambler, and as everyone knows, sometimes ya win and sometimes ya lose. I’m going to enlighten some of you here, so be prepared. Over Ryan Fitzpatrick’s career, his TD% is 4.4 and his INT% is 3.3. Tua Tagovailoa in his short career has a TD% of 4.3 and an INT% of 0.9%. This doesn’t tell the entire story, and there are many metrics to look at, but I think Flores wants a player that’s careful with the football, and Tua Tagovailoa is that guy. That doesn’t mean he couldn’t be better, he can, and hopefully Sunday he will be.
The Bills are 12-3 for a reason. The best teams in the NFL score points, and the Bills are the 4th best scoring offense at 29.7 PPG. Their passing offense is #2 in the NFL throwing for 4,398 yards. Josh Allen is having a monster year, completing 69.1 % of his passes with 4,320 yards with 34 TD’s and just 9 INT’s. The Bills defense is stingier giving up yards than our Dolphins as they are ranked at the #10 defense in the NFL but they are allowing nearly a TD more per game than our defense. Their rushing attack is on par with our own rushing attack and they have used a 1-2 punch with Devin Singletary and Zack Moss. They are 19th in the league rushing and we are 22nd. The problem is their rushing attack doesn’t stop with these 2. QB Josh Allen is a legitimate weapon with over 4oo yards rushing and 8 rushing TD’s. When they’re in the red zone, you have to account for the QB running as well.
On the injury front, we know that LB Elandon Roberts is OUT along with Jakeem Grant. Practicing on a limited basis were WR DeVante Parker, OL Solomon Kindley and S Bobby McCain. McCain is not a threat to miss the game. Both TE Mike Gesicki and G Ereck Flowers were both FULL participants. That’s good news. I think Elandon Roberts is done for the season and that’s unfortunate. He wouldn’t be getting as many snaps this week anyway because the Bills throw the ball more. Can we talk about a Dolphins defender who gets very little ink in NFL circles? #55, Jerome Baker is having a great season. He leads the Dolphins with 108 tackles, he has 11 QB hits, 7 tackles for a loss along with 7 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. This really is a no-name defense, with the exception of X who is known league wide. So many contributors including lesser known Zach Sieler, Elandon Roberts, Eric Rowe, Andrew Van Ginkel, rookie Raekwon Davis, Christian Wilkins, Nik Needham and a guy who leads the Dolphins in sacks, Emmanuel Ogbah. Hope Ogbah can be the first Dolphins defender since Cam Wake to have double digit sacks with a great game against the Bills. We need to take Josh Allen down! Hopefully Shaq Lawson can make it for this game, although AVG certainly made his presence felt.
In summation, I think it’s important to have the right perspective. The Dolphins are a team on the rise, no question about it. We have built a team so quickly it’s shocking. We are set up to have another strong draft and a top 5 draft pick which currently stands at #3. Once again we have TWO 1st RD picks and TWO 2nd RD picks, most likely 4 in the top 60. We also have a fair amount of cap space ($32M) as well to fill in Free Agency. The future looks so much brighter than we could have imagined. I didn’t expect us to be at 10-5 going into the last week of the NFL season. I didn’t expect our team to be this good, this fast. Whatever happens this weekend, the future is bright my friends, enjoy it!
GO DOLPHINS!!!!
Happy New Year!!
Finsmob Unleashed 
I’m glad they are gonna be out after this. Go Colts.
It’s still a good season to build on, but they’ve got some questions needing answers that I don’t think they planned on.
I’m shocked the Bills didn’t try to throw it deep there
I don’t get blaming Buffalo for kicking Dolphin ass. Seriously?
I don’t get Dolphins shitting the bed? Seriously?
We’re not close to finishing the rebuild, but hopeful.
Thank God this is only year one of the rebuild…
Now you finally got it right!
I finally understand what was really happening, lol
Nice touch pass by Tua.
We achieved well over expectations, lots of work to do in Off season ..
We’re a media darling at least as far as going forward. And I get why. One of the youngest teams in the league.
I think we had a very successful season.
Better than anyone expected for sure .. horrible way to wind it up /down though
How can you complain?
Piggy – I really feel like this was a Slattery’s type of game
Obviously, I’ve had much better experiences than you at slatterys
I’m going to have a hard time rooting for the Colts after this game. If this is what we do when the chips are down, I can only imagine further embarrassment next week in a rematch.
Tua — 35 of 58 for 361 yards, a 6.2 yard average with 1 TD and 3 INTs for a 62.5 QB rating.
You guys wanted more yards. 🙂
Would have been nice to have some when the mattered though 🙁
Toba – Suggestion for next FF season, have the playoffs Weeks 15 and 16. Week 17 is a bad week because teams rest starters and it’s kind of all up in the air.
Yes I realized that a week ago , that will be adjustment #1, QBs TDs for 6 instead of 4 will be 2 …. you guys like full point per reception? Or scale back to .5 ??
Whatever the rules are they are. Maybe I missed, but this year didn’t get had turned to PPR until was checking the game scores. But I’m cool with whatever.
https://twitter.com/theflyingpig44/status/1345843731380002816?s=21
Possible Fumble return TD Colts
Nope incomplete
Mike E that was a tough homer call to leave Diggs on bench.
I don’t even care about the Colts game. All that matters to me is securing that #3 pick.
Would sure like it if the Jags won…… but we are talking about just that. Unless the NFL has some rule where they can trot Trevor Lawrence in pre-draft. 🙂
One has nothing to do with the other. 🙂
I’m sure that relates to my statement somehow, I’m just not sure how, lol.
Kyle Murray injured former Blue Bomber QB darling Streveler in
I’m not going to get into too much detail but this game was… we faced a team way ahead of us and we did not play well in all three phases. Almost like we hit a wall. Let’s see how it ends.
The season has ended, imo. I have seen enough. Let’s get ready for next.
Unless the Colts get 4 turnovers, our defense ended up tied with the Steelers for #1 in forced turnovers. WOOOOHHHOOO FUCKING HOOO!!
lol the silver lining!
There is one to be found in every asswhooping, lol.
Actually, the turnover numbers I was looking at was prior to today, so we’re actually #1 by ourselves. Oh yeah
Colts game basically over…
Titans/ Texans tied at 3
Piggy,
I really like that draft. I don’t think Pitts will be available but I’d love to have him. Devonta is the surest bet in my opinion to start getting separation for easier throws.
Titans up 10-3
Toba – PPR is essential. Otherwise it diminishes anything other than the top players. PPR evens out the playing field. It makes players like Austin Ekeler able to compete against a guy like Nick Chubb.
NEW BLOG UP!!!
Our offense does need a lot of work. I’ve said all year the defense and ST’s was way ahead of the offense. That said, all phases let us down today. The bottom line is the Bills are really good. The last game they lost in their last 11 was that Murray/Hopkins Hail Mary play. The Bills are for real.
My favorite wife of a player at this point on this day.
Pick #3!!!!!!!!!!!
What a pass by Tanny! Wish he was still a Dolphin. lol