Tag: Miami Dolphins

6 storylines to watch for during Bills at Dolphins

Here are six storylines to follow entering this weekend’s divisional battle between Miami and Buffalo.

The Buffalo Bills are coming off a disappointing loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 10. However, the team has a great chance to rebound against its divisional rival, the Miami Dolphins.

The Bills beat the Dolphins at New Era Field only four weeks ago, with Buffalo storming back to score 22 points in the fourth quarter in a come-from-behind victory.

Even though their games are only separated by just about a month, quite a bit has changed for both teams.

Here are six storylines to follow Week 11’s Bills-Dolphins matchup:

Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary. Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

Can the Bills score points?

There was much to be frustrated about last week for Buffalo. Even with a struggling offense, the team still had the ball in their hands with an opportunity to tie (or even win) the game on their final drive.

There was ample criticism with how the offense has struggled to take a major step forward this season, often relying on the defense to keep them close. There’s only so long that this defense can carry the load.

Fans and analysts alike will watch closely to see if offensive coordinator Brian Daboll can put together a more imaginative plan of action for the offense. The Bills are 25th in the league in scoring offense, averaging 19.3 points per game. This slots them as the lowest-scoring offense among prospective playoff teams. That’s not a promising sign for the Bills.

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Dolphins sign LB Jake Carlock to 2019 practice squad

The Miami Dolphins have added rookie LB Jake Carlock to their practice squad.

The Miami Dolphins have filled the vacancy on their practice squad as of yesterday. Miami filled the open spot by signing free agent rookie linebacker Jake Carlock. Carlock, a product of Long Island University, spent the first half of the 2019 season on the New York Giants’ practice squad before being cut. Carlock has not logged any regular season action to this point in his career, although he did announce himself on an NFL field during the preseason this past August against the New York Jets.

Carlock tipped a pass on the edge of the pocket, leapt up to intercept the football and ran it back for a defensive score — an impressive display of athleticism.

Carlock joins fellow rookie linebacker Terrill Hanks on Miami’s practice squad as undrafted rookie linebackers on the unit.

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Latest FPI projections from ESPN have Dolphins picking 4th in 2020

ESPN’s latest projection of the final standings courtesy of their Football Power Index forecasts Miami to hold the 4th pick in 2020 Draft.

The Miami Dolphins pulled off a stunner this past weekend in Indianapolis — aided by the Colts’ absence of starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett to an ACL injury. The win brought the Dolphins to 2-7 on the season and effectively ended the team’s hopes and dreams of landing the 1st-overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Dolphins now trail the Cincinnati Bengals by two games in the race for the top spot and each team is trending in opposite directions — Miami is surging with confident play, while the Bengals just got stomped by the Ravens in an embarrassing defeat.

ESPN’s Football Power Index agrees: Miami’s odds of walking away with the top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft are now pretty slim. Two weeks ago, the Dolphins were given 66% odds to land the first pick. Now? That number sits at 12%. The latest projection forecasts Miami to pick 4th: behind the winless Bengals, the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants.

No problem. Miami will have ample opportunity to do business with either Washington or New York to ensure they get a top quarterback prospect, should they feel it necessary to land “their guy”. And the deeper into the process things get, the more it seems LSU’s Joe Burrow is the emerging favorite to be the player who demands selection with the top pick this offseason.

Miami will have opportunities to win a few more games along the way: ESPN’s projection has the Dolphins finishing the season at 4-12 and even if the Dolphins went 5-11, Miami would fall no lower than 6th in the ESPN projections — losing ground to two more teams who already have young quarterbacks in the New York Jets (Sam Darnold) and Arizona Cardinals (Kyler Murray).

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The Dolphins are touchdown underdogs in Week 11 versus Bills

The last time the Miami Dolphins played the Buffalo Bills, a close game ensued. The sports books are expecting another close game this time.

If you have been willing to go against the grain with the Miami Dolphins and the sports books in recent weeks, odds are you’ve made yourself a nice bit of coin! The Dolphins have won two consecutive games as betting underdogs and have now covered the spread in five consecutive contests. Miami has generally been considered double digit underdogs unless facing the absolute worst of the worst this season — and Miami has delivered surprises ever since the bye week.

The bad news is the party may be over — as the sports books seem to be catching on. The Dolphins currently sit at  6.5 point underdogs for Week 11 according to BetMGM. The last time the Dolphins played the Bills, the spread was larger than two touchdowns before Miami blew a second half lead and fell 31-21. With the Dolphins at home this week, the South Florida climate could potentially bog down the Bills’ team — giving Miami a chance to play spoiler again.

The Dolphins are definitely going to be looking forward to their second crack at the Bills, as the Dolphins missed the opportunity to pin Buffalo down late in the 3rd quarter and things went off the rails courtesy of a Ryan Fitzpatrick interception in the red zone. Miami pulling off a third straight win outright would be a surprise — and now, thanks to Miami’s recent tear against the spread, getting a cover is no sure thing, either.

[Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.]

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Dolphins’ rise through NFL power rankings continues

The Miami Dolphins are on a two game win streak and as a result, the team continues to rise through the NFL’s power rankings.

The NFL’s power rankings all had a universal approach to the Miami Dolphins this spring and summer — toss them in the bottom and forget they even exist. The Dolphins stay in the cellar of the power rankings lasted throughout the first month of the season before a competent Dolphins team arrived on the scene and started taking teams like Washington and Buffalo down to the wire.

Fast forward another few weeks and the Dolphins are clear of the bottom four — as the latest NFL.com power rankings are out and Miami ranks 28th on the list courtesy of two consecutive wins against the New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts.

Here’s what NFL.com writer Dan Hanzus had to say about the Dolphins:

“That’s two consecutive wins for the Dolphins, who followed last week’s convincing victory over the Jets with a road win over a banged-up Colts team. Ryan Fitzpatrick continues a recent trend of playing within himself (not historically his bailiwick), and the Miami defense continues to improve. The Dolphins have forced five takeaways in their last three games after managing just two heading into Week 8. It’s all a very good look for first-year coach Brian Flores, who weathered the storm of his team’s historically inept first six games and now has Miami playing the role of frisky spoiler in the AFC.” – Dan Hanzus, NFL.com

Miami now ranks ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals, the Washington Redskins, the New York Jets and the New York Giants in the power rankings — an interesting development for what lies ahead this season for the Dolphins. Miami plays the Buffalo Bills this weekend before going on to play each of the Bengals, Jets and Giants before the season comes to a close.

Could a few more wins be on the way? How high could Miami finish the season’s power rankings? That will depend on a lot of variables — but we’re reaching the point where it is safe to assume Miami won’t finish the year where they started: in the cellar.

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Former Longhorn Malik Jefferson waived by Cleveland Browns

Former Texas Longhorns linebacker Malik Jefferson was waived by the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday

On Tuesday, former Texas Longhorns linebacker Malik Jefferson was waived by the Cleveland Browns.

Jefferson is in just his second year as a pro. He was drafted in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.

With the Browns in 2019, Jefferson only made an appearance in one game, and that game came in week one against the Titans. In that game, Jefferson recorded just one tackle.

Hopefully, we see Malik find a new home soon. After all, he was a third-round pick last year for a reason.

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NFL rooting guide: Who Jaguars fans should root for Week 11

As the No. 10 seed in the playoff picture, the Jags need some help to make the postseason and a loss for the Steelers would be a huge help.

With it being Week 11, the NFL playoffs will be here before fans know it. Of course, at 4-5 the Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the teams who are currently in the hunt, however, if they are to make the postseason they will need some help in addition to handling their own business. That said, here’s a recap on how the AFC playoff picture looks after Week 10 and a rooting guide on who Jags fans should watch on Week 11:

1. New England Patriots (8-1)
2. Baltimore Ravens (7-2)
3. Houston Texans (6-3)
4. Kansas City Chiefs (6-4)
5. Buffalo Bills (6-3)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4)

7. Oakland Raiders (5-4)
8. Indianapolis Colts (5-4)
9. Tennessee Titans (5-5)
10. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5)

Rooting guide

(Thursday Night Football) Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns – root for the Browns

Hardly ever will you catch Jags fans rooting for the Steelers and they will especially have a reason to root against them this week. After starting 1-3 during the first quarter of the season, Pittsburgh has clawed their way back to a 5-4 record by winning their last four games and have found themselves with the last wild-card spot. Needless to say, the Jags would gladly take some help from the Browns, who aren’t in the playoff picture currently but could spoil things for their divisional rival.

Sunday, 1 p.m. games

Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens – root for the Ravens

The Texans are the AFC South’s divisional leader with a 6-3 record and it would take a miracle for the Jags to catch them because they own the tiebreaker over them. However, Sunday’s game against the Ravens is the start of a tough stretch for Houston as they also play the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts afterward. That said, a skid can begin here for them as the Ravens are playing solid football as the No. 2 seed.

Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins – root for the Dolphins

The Jags have a rivalry with Buffalo (6-3) as it is, however, they will really have a reason to root against them Week 11 as the Bills have the first wild-card spot. That said, they would gladly take some help from their Florida rivals Sunday. With the Dolphins being a divisional rival of the Bills, this could be a close one as they are on a two-game win streak currently and have some momentum.

Sunday, 4 p.m. games

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Oakland Raiders – root for the Bengals

The Raiders (5-4) are knocking on the door of getting a wild-card seed as they are the No. 7 ranked team in the playoff race. However, with the Bengals (0-9) being the league’s only winless team, Jags fans would unfortunately be asking for a lot here. Still, as we witnessed Week 10, upsets can happen and teams need to bring it week in and week out.

WATCH: Quandre Diggs gets first interception with Seahawks

Watch as Seattle Seahawks defensive back Quandre Diggs gets his first interception with his new team

A few weeks ago, former Texas Longhorn defensive back Quandre Diggs was traded from the Detroit Lions to the Seattle Seahawks. Last night, Diggs saw his first action with Seattle in a clash between the San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers went into this Monday Night Football matchup as the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL. The Seahawks were able to stun the 49ers in San Francisco, winning in overtime by a score of 27-24.

About midway through the 3rd quarter, Diggs was able to intercept 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo with the score being 10-7 in favor of San Francisco. This interception led to a Seahawks touchdown, giving them the lead.

On the night, Diggs was able to tally two tackles, one of which was solo, a pass defense, and this interception.

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Should the Dolphins claim CB Vernon Hargreaves?

The Dolphins would be wise to place a waiver claim on the recently cut Vernon Hargreaves, a former 1st-round cornerback out of Tampa Bay.

The Miami Dolphins’ season has been filled with waiver claims, trades and acquisitions of former highly coveted players who haven’t been able to live up to the hype. The Dolphins’ additions of DE Taco Charlton, DL Robert Nkemdiche, QB Josh Rosen and DB Eric Rowe are just a few of the examples of high prized additions that came to Miami this season after failing to take the next step as players.

Should the Dolphins be investigating making another addition to the growing list of former high-prized draft picks?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers unexpectedly cut cornerback Vernon Hargreaves today — a former top-15 pick by the Bucs out of the University of Florida back in 2016. Tampa’s new coaching staff, led by Bruce Arians, hadn’t taken particularly well to Hargreaves — although Hargreaves himself has been a massive disappointment after being largely relegated to living in the slot as a nickel cornerback. His final transgression in Tampa? He was reportedly benched for a lack of hustle in the third quarter of Tampa’s win over Arizona this past weekend.

Should Miami kick the tires and make a waiver claim on Hargreaves? Absolutely. Hargreaves is still just 24 years old and clearly has talent. The Dolphins have ample cap space at their disposal and use defensive backs with such great frequency that Hargreaves would have every opportunity to get his act together and stick in the NFL with Miami.

The odds of Miami making a claim? It is hard to say. The Dolphins have a coach in Brian Flores who looks to create personal connections with his players, but so did Tampa with Arians and that didn’t seem to help matters. Yet sometimes a player just needs a change of scenery. Miami can provide that, without asking Hargreaves to go too far from home.

We’ll know by tomorrow afternoon whether or not the Dolphins made a claim; the waiver order mirrors the current NFL draft order, so if they want to get in on the action, the odds of them landing Hargreaves on waivers is pretty strong.

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1972 Dolphins will remain as only undefeated Super Bowl champions

The 1972 Miami Dolphins’ record will remain intact for another year, as the San Francisco 49ers fell last night to earn their first loss.

Here’s to perfection! The 1972 Miami Dolphins will see their status as the NFL’s only undefeated Super Bowl Champions live on for yet another season. Miami’s long standing record has been tested to varying degrees over the years, but thankfully 2019 will be a fairly uneventful season as far as undefeated threats go. The NFL’s final undefeated team, the San Francisco 49ers, fell last night in overtime on Monday Night Football to fall to 8-1 on the season, marking the end of an impressive run to start the season after finished the last two seasons under coach Kyle Shanahan a combined 10-22.

San Francisco’s comeback attempt at home against Seattle fell short, as kicker Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard attempt in overtime sailed wide and the Seahawks went on to kick a game winner of their own from 42-yards at the end of the overtime period.

For the ’72 Dolphins, life is good. They’ve seen the New England Patriots finish the season 16-0 before losing in miraculous fashion in the Super Bowl to the New York Giants to preserve the record. And the 1985 Bears were turned away from perfection thanks to a late season loss to Dan Marino and the Dolphins in primetime as well.

Without a serious contender to threaten the undefeated record, long-time Miami Dolphins fans (and player/coaching alumni) can kick their feet up and enjoy what remains of the 2019 season — perhaps even with a few more Dolphins victories along the way.

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