A meaningless game? Dolphins attempting to make most of season finale vs. Patriots
A win won’t atone for last week’s embarrassing loss. It won’t make up for the fact that a postseason berth is no longer attainable. But it has been business as usual this week for the Dolphins (8-8), who wrap up their 2021 NFL season against the New England Patriots (10-6) at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.
“I would say our guys are still coming out to practice, still coming to work with a good frame of mind,” quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said. “I think that’s one of the most important things is everyone knowing that we got to finish this last game strong, and no one has really checked out yet.”
When the Dolphins lost to the Tennessee Titans in Nashville last Sunday and were shortly thereafter eliminated from contention for the AFC playoffs, their final game of the season became a lost cause to many, with nothing more to decide other than whether the team could finish with a winning record for the second consecutive season. In terms of magnitude, the outcome of the game is much more consequential for the Patriots, who still have a chance at winning the AFC East.
Few players and coaches have been willing to fully reflect on a season that was remarkably salvaged after a 1-7 start, opting to wait until their season officially concludes. Coach Brian Flores, asked multiple times if he would use a final game with no playoff implications to get an extended look at young players who have sparingly seen the field this season, gave no impression that he was ready to do so.
“The goal is to win the game,” Flores said. “So, we’re going to play the guys we feel give us the best opportunity to do that. If that’s a younger player, that’s who it is. If it’s a vet or someone who has played majority of the season, then that’s what it’s going to be.”
When the Dolphins, who haven’t swept the regular-season series between the Patriots since the 2000 season, take the field at 4:25 p.m. Sunday, there will be a bevy of subplots taking place, like the pursuit of history for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, who needs three catches to break Anquan Boldin’s rookie reception record.
With just 37 players under contract for the 2022 season and more than $70 million in cap space expected in a significant offseason for the franchise, it could be the last hurrah for several players in a Dolphins uniform. Key pending unrestricted free agents such as tight end Mike Gesicki and defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah gave no indication of whether they expected it to be their final game in Miami.
There’s Tagovailoa, whose trying second season in NFL will come to an end in front of a home crowd that has stood beside him throughout injuries, on-field shortcomings and trade speculation. Tagovailoa earlier in the week said he hasn’t given thought to the re-emergence of quarterback trade talks in the offseason after the team pursued a deal for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson earlier in the season.
Even a bit of redemption could be in place for a defense that sparked the team’s seven-game winning streak but fell short against the Titans, allowing a season-high 198 rushing yards.
“Every week you come out and of course, we pride ourselves on being the best run defense in the NFL, period,” linebacker Elandon Roberts said. “Like I said after Sunday, you’ve got to tip your hat to Tennessee. But we turned the page. We turned the page, we made the corrections and one thing about it is we’ve got another opportunity to go back out there this Sunday and show everybody that we are ready to go.”
Maybe more than anything, the rarity of NFL games and the nine-month vacation that awaits them before the next meaningful game will serve as enough motivation for a team that, on paper, doesn’t have much to play for.
“I feel like if you’re a competitor, whether it’s for playoffs or not, whether you’re in the game, you’ve still got to put out good tape,” safety Eric Rowe said. “Me personally, I’m just a competitor so it doesn’t matter what type of game it is, what type of status it has, I’m going to get out there and play, because me, I want to make my opponent look embarrassed. That’s just me, personally. I feel like everybody on the team is a competitor so no one is going to take it like, ‘Oh why am I here? It just don’t mean nothing.’ I know we’re all going to play hard.”
This story was originally published January 7, 2022 at 12:52 PM.
