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Go ahead and exhale if you wish. The Dolphins won Sunday a game they desperately needed and they did it in a way that could have a big impact on their season.
They did it with the defense. Regroup. Reworked. Refocused. Re-energized.
And with resounding success.
How else can you win a 13-6 win over the New York Jets? After yielding 74 points and 884 yards in their last two games, after failing in so many different ways, the Dolphins may have achieved their most inspirational defensive performance of the season, getting sacks, forcing turnovers, all the necessary adjustments, then punctuating the whole with a choice 6 by the rookie linebacker Jerome Baker with just under 11 minutes.
This is how you breathe new life into a season. That's how you reach 5-4 in total, 4-1 at home and you finish the ball of the season with your longtime rivals. That's how you make a statement. a statement that screams what they have shown over the past two games is not what this defense is, nor what it expects to be. There is no doubt that the Jets' offense is not as formidable as that of the Lions and Texans or, on the other hand, what the Packers will be next Sunday.
But you catch four passes – including three in the fourth quarter – you save four sacks, you put a 2-of-13 team in the third and you make rookie quarterback Sam Darnold look like a rookie quarterback (31.8). ) and yet impressive regardless of the opposition.
"They played well together on all three levels," said coach Adam Gase of Defense. "That's what we are looking for."
Do you remember defensive? The problems? Worries? Ugliness against Lions and Texans? Not that day, the dolphins held the Jets just 73 meters away.
It was like that everywhere. Cam Wake he escaped from a crisis early in the season with two sacks. Kiko Alonso had his third interception of the season. T.J. McDonald and Walt Aikens He stopped the fourth quarter with interceptions and, of course, Baker played the game of the day, beating the half-tight Eric Tomlinson and running 25 yards in the race with a time remaining at 10:48 with what's turned out to be the only touchdown of the match.
Baker had struggled in the last two games. That moment, this performance, this game that rocked the game – the first Pick 6 of a beginner linebacker Dolphins since a player named Zach Thomas did it 22 years ago – was so important for growth and the trust of that player.
"I did it," Baker said. "I had my first choice. I hope it is only the beginning. "
No, it's not a complete game at all. The Dolphins 'offense struggled to do a lot of things, having failed to make a touchdown, averaging 2.4 yards per run, similar to the Jets' third try (3 of 16). ) and finishing with a total of 168 rushing yards, the lowest of the season. Now, there are potentially more injuries on the offensive line with both tackles Ja'Wuan James and Laremy Tunsil, go out against the Jets.
These offensive problems must be solved. We must start with Brock Osweiler better play in Ryan Tannehill's absence. When he has a chance to make a big game, like when Danny Amendola opened early in the middle of the field against the Jets, he has to throw.
"No apologies," Osweiler said. "It's up to me to play. Hat low for our defense.
Hat low indeed. It was a tough week before the match, a week of careful evaluation and I'm sure I'll ask questions in this defensive boardroom. Changes had to be made, tasks adjusted, roles more clearly defined.
We have seen clear signs of this situation against the Jets, mainly in high school where the first choice Minkah Fitzpatrick played a much bigger role, starting from the corner angle before moving on to safety. Fitzpatrick had played about 75% of the plays. I do not think he missed a game against the Jets.
But other factors have contributed. We've seen some of the younger plays used more often, players like the rookie cornerback Cornell Armstrong play in nickel defense and second-year corner half Torry McTyer used some in the base.
And then there is the odd case of veteran's security Reshad Jones, who seemed inexplicably out of the game after a few sets, remaining on the sidelines for the rest of the match, with no helm in sight.
"I do not know what happened," Gase said.
A strange season takes yet another strange turn. I'm sure we'll learn more in the days to come.
But where are the dolphins from here? So difficult to predict. The season has been in many ways a roller coaster of 3-0 at 4-2 and now at 5-4. With seven games left, we have an injury-ridden attack, which is still waiting for Tannehill to return, and a ten-day defense that went from six touchdowns to Texans and none to the Jets. Try to understand that.
"Let's hope that," said Cam Wake, "we can create more games like this."
It must be the mentality. It was important to beat the Jets. Important for so many reasons. But what's more important is what they do from here, starting Sunday in Green Bay.
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