Thank you, Miami Dolphins, for a little unexpected holiday joy | Editorial

As the year ends, the Miami Dolphins are giving us something to cheer about, while also giving us a lesson in resiliency — and making sports history, too.

It’s a welcome distraction in this COVID-crazy world — and so unexpected.

On Sept. 12, the Dolphins won their season opener against New England. They would not win again until Nov. 7, when led by then-embattled quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, they beat Houston. With seven loses, the season was pretty much over.

For fans, the only glimmer of hope was an early draft pick, plus more talk of whether Tagovailoa had been a bad bet.

Then something happened. That thing that slips into place with players going through adversity, under attack by South Florida sports radio and having to face disappointed fans: They came together and clicked on the field. The embarrassed, humiliated and beleaguered Dolphins began to win.

At first, fans thought it was a fluke: they won one game, two games, three games. Ultimately, they strung together seven wins.

After Monday Night Football’s performance, the Dolphins are now 8-7, making the once-out-of-reach AFC playoffs attainable. Two more tough games to go, yes, but fingers crossed. These Dolphins now know anything is possible.

The victory over the New Orleans Saints also made sports history. It turned the Dolphins into the first team in the NFL to have a seven-game losing streak immediately followed by a seven-game winning run in the same season. A record as likely unattainable as the Dolphins 1972 perfect season has proven to be.

Talk about rising from the ashes. We must credit Head Coach Brian Flores with making a sinking ship float again and Tagovailoa for not being “embattled” anymore.

This was just the joy we needed this holiday season.

This story was originally published December 28, 2021 at 7:22 PM.