https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=u5FzgiSpD9-1093900-7498&format=json&offsetx=0&offsety=0&floatwidth=400&floatposition=bottom-right&float=on
The Miami Dolphins entered Week 17 of the 2020 NFL season needing a win to secure their first playoff bid since 2016. The Dolphins, entering the game at 10-5, had plenty of optimism on their side as the Buffalo Bills decided to sit a trio of critical defensive starters and Miami saw the return of a number of starters of their own. And when Sunday’s contest began, there was more room for optimism — despite the Bills’ decision to start QB Josh Allen and others, the Dolphins intercepted Allen early on thanks to a spectacular play along the sideline by CB Byron Jones, setting up the Dolphins on a short field early on to take a lead and wrestle away control of a game that meant little to the Bills entering postseason play.
That’s about where the optimism ended. And it’s about where the positives for Miami concluded. Because Miami’s opening possession, off the turnover, flushed a snap doing the toilet with an errant snap and were forced to settle for a field goal. And the Buffalo Bills proved to not care about the lack of leverage in Week 17, pouring yards and points on the Dolphins in the second quarter with their starters still in the game for a full-court press to chase the Dolphins from the game.
You’d have thought Miami was the team that had little to nothing to play for, as they played overly conservative throughout the course of the first half before finally taking the training wheels off their offense in the second half — and by then it was too little, too late.
The Dolphins cut the lead to 28-13 in the second half and forced a Bills punt once QB Matt Barkley too over for Buffalo, but rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa’s pass was intercepted by veteran CB Josh Norman for a pick six to push the score to 35-13. From there, the race was on.
Miami, whose proud defense carried them at stretches of this season, seemed to run out of hope that Miami’s offense could make any degree of a push back into the football game. And it showed. The Dolphins, with their season on the line, fell apart at the seams, losing by a final score of 56-26 that featured three interceptions from Tagovailoa and little optimism to close out what has been a magical year for Miami coming off the heels of a 5-11 campaign in 2019.
From here, Miami must hope for an upset in the 4 PM slate that sees the Jacksonville Jaguars defeat the Indianapolis Colts or else their season is over. And even if the Dolphins make the playoffs to extend their season, what next? Miami’s passing offense has looked to be playing in cement the last few weeks and the defense appeared gassed this afternoon while trying to keep pace with Buffalo, even after the backups were inserted into the game for the Bills.
Whenever the season ends, Miami must put their program under the microscope and ask themselves some difficult questions. What does Tua Tagovailoa need to take the next step as a quarterback? Is Chan Gailey the right play-caller for this team beyond this season? What is the best direction for Miami to invest their surplus of early 2021 NFL Draft capital on? These are critical questions. And they’re ones that will determine what direction Miami’s dramatic rebuild swings: either towards better days ahead or more disappointing reminders that the Dolphins aren’t among the NFL elites.
Today was as sobering reminder as Miami has had all season of exactly that.