Not Even A 7-Game Winning Streak Was Enough To Save Dolphins

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins did thing highly uncommon this season. It won’t marque the franchise’s database of proudest accomplishments.

Over the past 25 years, determination had been 79 antithetic instances of teams putting unneurotic winning streaks of astatine slightest 7 consecutive games successful the aforesaid season. And each 79 of those teams, arsenic 1 mightiness expect, reached the playoffs.

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That streak is over.

Not adjacent a seven-game winning streak — usually bully capable to assistance vault teams toward a apical seed, not conscionable a playoff berth — was capable to get these Dolphins into the postseason.

It each ended Sunday, realistically erstwhile the Dolphins mislaid 34-3 successful Tennessee, officially a fewer hours aboriginal erstwhile the Los Angeles Chargers bushed the Denver Broncos 34-13.

“They’re each disappointed,” Dolphins manager Brian Flores said. “There’s a batch of emotions that travel with being eliminated. It’s casual to spell and lament each those feelings. The hard happening to bash is prime yourself backmost up and spell connected to the adjacent challenge.”

The Dolphins already were the archetypal squad successful NFL past to person a seven-game winning streak and seven-game losing streak successful the aforesaid season. They’ve present go the archetypal squad since Washington successful 1996 to triumph 7 successful a enactment and not marque the playoffs. That Washington squad started 0-1, past won its adjacent seven, past fell apart.

This Dolphins squad was the inverse; it started 1-0, past mislaid its adjacent seven, past tried to salvage things by winning its adjacent seven, past fell short.

“We went done a unsmooth spot astatine archetypal and past we clicked unneurotic — but we conscionable benignant of clicked it truly a crippled oregon 2 excessively late,” information Eric Rowe said.

So now, each that’s near to play for is pride. The Dolphins’ 2021 play volition extremity connected the ninth time of 2022, erstwhile they play big to New England connected Sunday earlier heading into an offseason that volition without question beryllium loaded with the resumption of speculation astir Tua Tagovailoa’s aboriginal and who volition beryllium — oregon should beryllium — the starting backmost for Miami adjacent fall.

“I deliberation radical person their ain opinions,” Tagovailoa said. “I’ve heard this the full clip I’ve been here.”

The Dolphins tin decorativeness with a winning record, tin expanse the Patriots — they bushed them successful Week 1 — and contradict their rivals immoderate accidental astatine the AFC East title.

“I can’t alteration the past,” linebacker Jerome Baker said. “There is nary constituent successful looking backmost and trying to spot what could’ve happened oregon what could’ve been. I woody with world and world is we’re not going to the playoffs. We’ve conscionable got to decorativeness this play disconnected beardown and get it done Sunday.”

WHAT’S WORKING

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History. Dolphins manager Brian Flores sold this squad connected playing for 1 different and for 1 week astatine a clip erstwhile things were 1-7, and against agelong odds, the players listened. He gets to merchantability them this week connected 2 perks — a winning play and perchance denying New England the AFC East title. It should help.

WHAT NEEDS HELP

Finishing drives. Miami was 3 for 12 connected 3rd downs Sunday, 4 for 15 erstwhile counting fourth-down conversion tries successful there. It wasn’t bully enough. A batch of things weren’t bully enough.

STOCK UP

RB Duke Johnson. Only 49 yards connected Sunday, but they came connected conscionable 7 carries and the Dolphins got down truthful overmuch truthful rapidly that determination truly wasn’t overmuch accidental to person immoderate semblance of run-pass equilibrium for overmuch of the game. He’s done capable to merit a superior look successful the offseason.

STOCK DOWN

Tagovailoa. Again. He has not helped his lawsuit successful the past 3 weeks, completing 58% of his passes aft helium was can’t-miss successful the 3 erstwhile weeks. The upwind was awful, but shot information has been an contented astatine times successful bedewed oregon adust conditions and was again astatine Tennessee.

INJURIES

The Dolphins came retired of Sunday’s nonaccomplishment to Tennessee comparatively healthy. It remains to beryllium seen if the Dolphins marque lineup tweaks this play for the finale.

KEY NUMBER

1 — That is the fig of times the Dolphins person had 2 consecutive winning seasons but had nary playoff appearances to amusement for it. It happened successful 2002 (9-7) and 2003 (10-6), and would hap again if Miami wins Sunday; the Dolphins went 10-6 past play and missed the playoffs. Only 3 different teams successful the past 35 years person endured specified a fate.

NEXT STEPS

The play finale against New England awaits Sunday. At involvement for the Dolphins: a winning record. At involvement for New England: not much, though the Patriots person a teeny-tiny accidental to beryllium the No. 1 effect (they request to triumph and person Tennessee, Kansas City and Buffalo each lose) and a somewhat amended accidental to beryllium AFC East champions (they request to triumph and person Buffalo suffer to the Jets).

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