Monday Morning Blitz: Dolphins win another crazy game at home, stunning Bears 31-28

The Miami Dolphins 2018 season is not for the faint of heart.  All they did Sunday was ask their backup quarterback, Brock Osweiler, to beat the NFL’s top defense with the  All-World linebacker, Khalil Mack.  The Dolphins managed to pull off the upset (they were 7 point underdogs at kickoff) by sticking together in all 3 phases of the game.  The Dolphins defense shutout the Bears in the first half and took a 7-0 lead to halftime.  The offense sputtered and even turned the ball over at inopportune times, but made some big plays when they needed them.  Special teams did a good job in coverage, gave the Dolphins an edge in the field position battle….and were responsible for the game-winning field goal at the end of overtime.

This team has won some crazy games this season and seem to rise to the occasion more often than not, when facing adversity.  In the overtime period, we experienced all of the emotions of being a Dolphins fan.  They got the ball and drove down the field before Kenyan Drake fumbled at the Bears 1 yard line, just before crossing the goal line for the would-be game-winner.  Then, as expected, the Bears drove down the field against an exhausted Dolphins defense, setting up the ending we all dreaded: Cody Parkey (ex-Dolphin) kicking the game winner to tear all of our hearts out of our chests.  But he missed. He missed!  The Dolphins gave the ball to Kenyan Drake, showing their commitment to him, and he helped move the Dolphins down into field goal range.  Jason Sanders, the rookie kicker the Dolphins decided to keep instead of Parkey, drilled the game-winner as time expired in overtime.  The Dolphins won and moved to 4-2, holding on to a tie for first in the AFC East.

Here are our quick thoughts:

• Great job by Matt Burke and the defense.  Yes, the second half got away from them and they let up 28 points.  They bent but didn’t break AND they forced some key turnovers at the most important times.  For the second week in the row, the Dolphins defense held the opponent scoreless heading into half time.
• No, there shouldn’t be a QB controversy. Ryan Tannehill should re-take his starting spot once he’s healthy.  HOWEVER, Brock Osweiler did a good job filling in.  All he did was throw for 380 yards and 3 TDs against the NFL’s top defense.  This from a guy who many thought would’ve/should’ve been cut before the season started.  Great job by him being ready to step in when needed.
• Frank Gore is a beast.  He runs hard, doesn’t get dropped for many negative plays, and has been exactly what the Dolphins needed to compliment Kenyan Drake.  His experience and leadership doesn’t show up in the box score, but you can be sure he’s taken a mentoring role with young Kenyan.
• I can’t believe I’ve made it this far without a shoutout to……………WILSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!  Albert Wilson is everything the Dolphins hoped he would be.  He is the swiss army knife that Jarvis Landy couldn’t be.  ANY time he touches the ball he could take it the distance, as we saw yesterday.
• TJ McDonald’s interception in the end zone was the game-changer in my mind.  The Dolphins were down 21-13 in the 4th quarter and were in the red zone.  McDonald jumped up and snatched the interception when the Dolphins needed it most.
• Laremy Tunsil is playing at an elite level right now.  He and the Dolphins offensive line did a great job of shutting down a fierce Bears’ defensive line.  They gave up a total of zero sacks on the day.  Did Khalil Mack even play?
• Kenyan Drake’s reaction to his fumble at the 1 yard line is exactly how every Dolphins’ fan felt.  The good news?  1. The Dolphins fed him the ball in overtime, showing they have confidence in him, and 2. That type of mistake is something he’ll remember and will do his best to keep from repeating again.
• Kiko Alonso is also playing at a very high level.  The guy just makes plays, whether it’s forcing fumbles, recovering them, or grabbing a much-needed interception, he’s doing all the right things right now.
• Has anyone seen Mike Gesicki? How about DeVante Parker?
• Does anyone want to see more of Torry McTyer?  I mean every time I blinked I saw the Bears completing another long pass against him.
• Jason Sanders was the man Darren Rizzi wanted to replace Cody Parkey with.  Well, we saw Parkey miss wide right from 53…then moments later we saw Stone Cold Jason Sanders kick the game winner.  This is also where I note that the Dolphins rookie kicker hasn’t missed a field goal attempt this year.
• Vincent Taylor is another young Dolphins defender that stood out. He’s taking the reps that used to belong to Jordan Phillips.  He’s much more consistent and shows the type of motor you want to see in a defensive lineman.

So the Dolphins got off the mat and sit at 4-2.  They might be without Ryan Tannehill for the game Sunday against the 2-3 Lions.  BUT, if they can find a way to win, they’ll move to 5-2 with a quick road trip on Thursday to Houston to face the 3-3 Texans, before returning home to host the 3-3 Jets. None of these games will be easy, especially if Tannehill misses 1 or more games.  However, with 2 of these next 3 at home, the Dolphins could make some serious progress in their playoff push if they could end up at 6-3 or better by the time November 5th gets here.

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