NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
Well, the moment Miami Dolphins fans have been waiting for has arrived. Tua Tagovailoa is returning to the field Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. Even though the defense has looked great this year, the offense is a shell of its former self. Will Tua elevate the Dolphins back to dominant form?
Offensive Surge?
The Dolphins struggled to get playmakers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle involved in the offense in Tua’s absence. This won’t be a problem once QB 1 is under center. There’s plenty of tape to prove that Tua, Tyreek, and Waddle are all on the same page. Aside from that, this will be the first time we see, to some extent, the full power of the Miami Dolphins’ weapons on the same field at the same time. Whether it was Mostert, Tua, Achane, or OBJ at one point or another each of the players listed has missed time throughout the first 6 games. There could be a chance that the Dolphins finally get the rotation and see how explosive all these weapons can be but will it be too late to jump on the hype bandwagon?
Dominating Defense
Miami hasn’t been terrible on defense. Unfortunately for them, their defense has been struggling with limited breaks due to the lack of offense. It’s hard to keep up with opponents when they’re getting guys refreshed and you’re constantly trotting your defense back on the field. With that being said, the injury bugs have moved on to the defense. Storm Duck, Calais Campbell, Kader Kohou, Jevon Holland, and Emmanuel Ogbah have landed on the early injury report or continue to show up on it. Their defense is close to the top of the league statistically. Will the injuries decimate their chances?
Maybe the Miami Dolphins luck out. At the end of last season the injuries derailed the second half of their season. Maybe this year they got them out of the way early and can go on a run to finish the season and get their first elusive playoff win in 24 years.
If that’s to happen, the Dolphins have to buckle down on a lot more than injuries. It’s not just backup QB play that’s hurting Miami. The lack of discipline and penalties are killing their drives. So far there appears to be no accountability other than someone acknowledging the mistakes. Miami is playing some of the sloppiest football we’ve seen in a while and if they can’t clean it up, there’s no need to even think of the word “playoffs'”
