The Dolphins have been in ‘playoff mode’ for roughly a month, but what exactly does that mean?
The Miami Dolphins have had the same mind-set for weeks.
“While our record certainly isn’t what we want, I told the guys like, ‘if you thought we were a playoff team coming into the year, then raise your hand,’” Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said in mid-November. “I was like, ‘well, the playoffs just started a little bit sooner for us.’”
Weaver’s statement alluded to the obvious: Miami can’t afford to lose another game for the rest of the season if the postseason still remains their goal. And while they have lost one game since then, the Dolphins must go perfect to end the year. Arguably their most difficult test will be Sunday against the Houston Texans, a young team with a stellar pass rush and a dangerous offense that will certainly be hungry after their brief taste of playoff success in 2023.
“Got to be a dawg,” wide receiver Tyreek Hill said of the team’s mindset as they prepare to travel to Houston. “I feel like each and every week, that’s kind of been the mentality. Unfortunately, things haven’t gone our way, but everybody knows what’s at stake and it’s going to be the same mentality that we had on our final few drives against the Jets. Guys have got to approach the game that way. Like we don’t want to end in January and stuff like that, so I’m expecting the best.”
That ‘dawg’ mentality extends far past the on-field product on Sundays. It also shows up in how the Dolphins prepare each week.
“Every detail matters,” defensive tackle D’Shawn Hand said. “Before, you might miss something in practice and you’ll be like ‘Alright, I’ll get it by the game.’ Now, it’s like you don’t even want to put yourself in that position because that might cost you in the game. We don’t got no more games to lose. The magnitude of everything is heavier now so you just have to approach it like that.”
Despite the high stakes nature of Sunday’s game, the players appeared more loose than ever. Tua Tagovailoa cracked jokes during his portion of media availability on Sunday. The laughter in the locker appeared a little bit louder. And even coach Mike McDaniel seemingly felt comfortable enough to tangentially discuss his love for the film “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.”
McDaniel ultimately attributed the looseness to preparation.
“I think our team has been extremely focused in the nuts and bolts of the game plan and within that comes some confidence that I think, when push comes to shove at this stage of the season, you know the stakes and all you want is teammates’ conviction and ownership of what the plan is, what you’re doing,” McDaniel said. “I think the locker room is feeling the totality of that.”
Added McDaniel: “We’ve grinded through a lot of the season, learned a lot of lessons, had some success, had some failures that lead to the ability to, case in point, win last game on the heels of some plays made in all three phases. I think over the totality of the season, the team is really fired up in the moment of truth to be able to be prepared going into it.”
As McDaniel mentioned, the Dolphins have seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in 2024. From the team’s arguably best player being detained just hours before the season opener to Tagovailoa’s concussion-related stint on injury reserve to the three-game win streak, this season has been one to remember. But as McDaniel likes to say, losses are fine as long as there’s a lesson to be learned. And maybe, just maybe that lesson results in a win over the Texans.
“Just the mental fortitude I think the guys have, it’s been in that playoff mode,” Tagovailoa said. “But I think having those reps have definitely gave guys epiphanies, like ‘a-ha’ moments in which it’s like, ‘man, yeah, I felt like because this was a big game that I needed to do more than what my job asked me to do when really, all I need to do is go back to the basics and fundamentals of what we’ve been doing in OTAs, what we’ve been doing in training camp because that’s what’s gotten us here and that’s what’s helping us win games.”
This story was originally published December 13, 2024 at 3:28 PM.
