Week 9 Miami Dolphins

Week 9 Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins offense returned to unstoppable form on Sunday with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa looking back to his very best, with one of his best performances in a Dolphins uniform. Dolfans are hoping the trend continues in week 9.

The Dolphins had started the season 3-0, overcoming tough opponents in the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills, but hit a wall without Tua in the line up losing all three games in his absence. The Fins have now won back-to-back games since his return, and his record is starting to look pretty remarkable. The Dolphins need another win in week 9.

Tua is now 11-2 in his last thirteen starts for Miami, and 12-1 in the last thirteen he’s been able to finish without exiting due to injury. He was near perfect on Sunday with 382 passing yards, completing 29 of 36 attempts in the game. Tua now leads the NFL in quarterback rating, posting a 112.7, ahead of Patrick Mahomes in second with 109.5. Not bad for being in week 9 of NFL action!

You can’t help but feel as a Dolphins fan that the franchise has finally done right by their franchise quarterback. Mike Mcdaniel’s play calling has been near perfect with Tua in the lineup. Setting him up for success and making sure he is as comfortable as possible throwing the football. The offensive line still needs some work but Tua is able to get the ball out so fast he’s avoiding some hits, and of course, the addition of Tyreek Hill helps too…

Explosive…

Tyreek had another 188 receiving yards on Sunday, marking his fourth 160+ yard receiving game this season. He’s recorded four of the top ten receiving yard games in the NFL so far this season, while Jaylen Waddle has one too. So the Miami Dolphins, who haven’t had an explosive offensive player for literally years, now have five of the top ten individual receiving yard games this NFL season.

Offensively, the Dolphins were cooking on Sunday against the Lions. Okay, Detroit might not be the greatest team in the league, but Miami fought from behind for three quarters, stuck with it, and never wavered. They drove down the field time after time and Tua found the end zone three times, but it should have been four. Trent Sherfield clearly crossed the plane on a catch over the middle. But, it was ruled short. Miami punched it in with fullback Alec Ingold on the next play.

The struggle on Sunday was a poor defensive performance. Yet, there will be added help in week 9!

Defensive Reinforcements for Week 9 and Beyond

The Miami Dolphins did a good job keeping Kenny Pickett and the Steelers at bay on Sunday Night Football, but they came out really slow against Detroit. Jared Goff was throwing the football all over Miami’s defense throughout the game.

Of course, the lack of Byron Jones has been a factor all season, with the expensive cornerback being sidelined all season following surgery on his Achilles early in the offseason. The Dolphins still have no timeline on a likely return for one of their highest-paid players, and since then they’ve lost both Nik Needham and safety Brandon Jones to season-ending injuries of their own. Eric Rowe was a healthy scratch on Sunday, leading to undrafted rookie Verone McKinley III getting some reps at safety. McKinley played alongside Jevon Holland at Oregon and the two were reunited on the field at the weekend for the first time.

The Dolphins were lacking pressure up front, and with a secondary torn apart by injuries, that needed to be fixed. Emmanuel Ogbah has not had the impact the Dolphins wanted him to this year, he has just one sack, while Jaelen Phillips leads the team with three. 15 sacks in total for the Dolphins this year is not enough to force turnovers and help the offense back onto the field, so the Dolphins went out and fixed it at the buzzer before the trade deadline.

Trade Facts

The Miami Dolphins traded the first-round pick they had inherited from San Francisco, a fourth-round pick, and running back Chase Edmonds to the Denver Broncos in exchange for outside linebacker Bradley Chubb in one of the biggest in-season trades of the season. The Dolphins will sign Chubb to a major extension that will see him committed to Miami for several years, but most importantly, reinvent their defensive front.

The addition of Bradley Chubb will complement Jaelen Phillips’ game on the opposite edge. Miami has another genuine threat that’ll need to be accounted for by opposing offenses. Chubb has 5.5 sacks so far this season and 26 in the first five seasons of his career.

Miami also traded for running back Jeff Wilson. Wilson will reunite with Mike McDaniel and Raheem Mostert having been part of that running game in San Francisco. Miami cut ties with Chase Edmonds halfway through his first season with the Dolphins. Mostert emerged as the front-runner. Jeff Wilson will now complement that run game having proven himself every time he’s had the opportunity with the Niners.

Miami Dolphins @ Chicago Bears Week 9 – 1:00pm EST

The Dolphins now head to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears on Sunday with a 5-3 record and more importantly, the momentum of two straight wins behind them.

The Bears are 3-5 and have struggled to piece together consistent offense all year. Justin Fields is the most sacked quarterback in the NFL. A combination of poor offensive line play as well as receivers not getting open quickly.

Chicago is clearly rebuilding and traded away two of their best defensive players before the deadline. The Bears sent pass rusher Robert Quinn to the Eagles. The Bears followed that up by sending disgruntled linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens. They did however go out and get some offensive help for Justin Fields. They traded a second-round pick for Chase Claypool formerly of the Steelers.

Bears Rushing Attack Must be Stopped in Week 9

The Bears best weapon this season has been running back Khalil Herbert. Many believed Herbert was playing so well he might make David Montgomery expendable. The Bears held onto Montgomery, but Herbert is the guy who has shown he can be explosive, offering the offense a spark.

Herbert is averaging 6.2 yards per carry so far this season and has at least 60 yards rushing in each of his last three games. When the passing game is struggling, the Bears have relied on their budding star to be a difference-maker in the ground game.

Miami will need to watch Justin Fields and the threat of allowing him to run. Lamar Jackson had over 100 yards rushing against Miami’s defense earlier this year. Josh Allen picked up 47 rushing yards on just eight attempts the following week. Fields loves to run and won’t hesitate to take off. So, shutting him down will be imperative in getting the defense off the field.

If Miami can do that and control possession on offense. There is no reason for this game to be too much of a contest. The Dolphins need to retain the momentum they’re building. They need to continue to gain confidence offensively week after week. This Miami offense with a healthy Tua and his group of running backs and receivers is as strong as any offense in the league. So far, no team has been able to shut down Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and the Dolphins held onto Mike Gesicki through the trade deadline too.

The Dolphins should have an efficient day on the road and take care of business in Chicago. I’m picking the Dolphins for a 37-14 win in week 9.