Fish On Thin Ice

The Dolphins’ high-stakes road game against the New England Patriots was in a way defined by who didn’t play in a game that could have clinched the franchise’s first postseason berth since 2016.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, left tackle Terron Armstead, cornerback Xavien Howard and outside linebacker Bradley Chubb, players to whom the front office devoted extreme salary cap space or draft capital, were all sidelined because of injuries. And yet, the Dolphins held a 14-7 lead after quarterback Teddy Bridgewater found running back Raheem Mostert for a 2-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.

It quickly unraveled, though, as the Dolphins allowed 16 unanswered points in an eventual 23-21 loss at Gillette Stadium that dropped them out of an AFC playoff spot. Miami (8-8) can still secure a postseason berth with a win over the New York Jets at home in their regular-season finale, and a loss or tie from the Patriots (8-8), who took over the third and final wild-card spot and play the Buffalo Bills on the road in Week 18.

But after a fifth consecutive defeat, the team is on the outside looking in. “It is definitely disappointing from my perspective, for the team, for the fan base, for everyone really involved, and you have to do something with it,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said “You have to understand how we got to this position and how we make sure that we don’t return to a scenario where we can’t stop the bleeding.”