Tough, hard nosed defense. A conservative at times but opportunistic offense. And wins. The 2020 Miami Dolphins are winding back the clock by about two decades with their recent stretch of success — an impressive 5-game winning streak now positioning the Dolphins to their best start to a season after nine games since…you guessed it, 2001. The 6-3 Miami Dolphins of 2001 reached that mark despite having 26 turnovers through the first nine games and failing to pass for 300 yards at all (they wouldn’t eclipse that mark on the season, either). As a matter of fact, the 2001 Dolphins, who would finish 11-5 on the year, surpassed 350 total yards of offense just five times in the entire season.
Compare that to what we’re seeing in 2020. The Dolphins have dialed back the turnovers on offense in a big way — the team has just three in the three starts by Tua Tagovailoa. But the offensive yardage output is still unimpressive in the grand scheme of the NFL: Miami’s offense has produced 145, 312 and 280 yards in their three wins with Tagovailoa at the helm.
But football games aren’t won with yards, they’re won with points — a mantra both the 2001 Dolphins and 2020 Dolphins could live by. Perhaps the biggest difference between the 2001 Miami Dolphins and the 2020 edition of the team is the forecast from here. Both teams offer strong defensive play: all of the 2001 team’s best players resided on the defensive side of the football.
- Jason Taylor
- Patrick Surtain
- Sam Madison
- Zach Thomas
- Tim Bowens
- Brock Marion
The list goes on and on. And while Miami’s best players are probably Xavien Howard, Emmanuel Ogbah and others on defense, the long-term forecast for the 2020 team is certainly more optimistic than the 2001 squad. Because we think we’ve got ourselves a franchise quarterback in the here and now with Tua Tagovailoa. The poise, the communication, the accuracy, the athleticism — we’ve seen glimpses of why Trent Dilfer once referred to Tagovailoa as an “assassin”. So while the 2020 Miami Dolphins have the longest stretch of 21+ points since the 2001/2002 team and have equalled the 2001 Dolphins for the best 9-game record (6-3) that Miami has seen this millennium, there should be plenty of hope that these Dolphins avoid the same long-term fate and are able to piece together a legitimate contender before it is all said and done.
But in the meantime, finishing the season in the same fashion as the 2001 team, at 11-5, would be a swell start to whatever lies ahead for these Dolphins in 2020 and beyond.