Why the Dolphins want to ‘set the tone’ for future matchups vs. Patriots in finale
The New England Patriots have somewhat done the impossible.
In just two years, they have rebuilt and become an AFC powerhouse, sitting just one victory and a Denver Broncos loss from the No. 1 seed in the AFC. On the other side sit the Miami Dolphins, a rookie quarterback in tow with seemingly nothing to play for outside of incentives and the proverbial eye in the sky that never lies. That would make Sunday a very low-stakes game – at least on the surface.
“We have the opportunity to go win a game and not be swept within the division,” coach Mike McDaniel said, later adding “as far as it relates to moving forward, this team just needs to finish the season defining itself by the response mechanisms and the resiliency that you can by going and trying to earn a victory as opposed to just putting forth anything short of their best, most convicted effort. I think if the season is ending before you want it to, you better make sure that your last outing is what you’re capable of. I think that’s the most important thing is to go against a 13-win team and not back down, step right at them and try to go win a football game.”
Sunday represents an opportunity to get bragging rights over a team that, alongside the Buffalo Bills, could vie for the top of the division for the near future.
“This game means a lot,” rookie defensive tackle Kenneth Grant said. “Not only is it a divisional rival, it can set the tone for next year. A win right now can boost us into next year with confidence.
That’s because the Dolphins lost a close, 33-27 contest to the Patriots in Week 2 — despite being hailed as the favorites prior to kickoff. Specifically, Miami could be considered one poor kick coverage away from a win.
“We almost beat them,” Grant recalled, “but almost doesn’t count in this league.”
A lot has happened since then. Tyreek Hill, for one, suffered a horrendous, left knee injury in Week 4. The apparent regression of Tua Tagovailoa, whose 15 interceptions still rank second in the NFL behind the Las Vegas Raiders’ Geno Smith, led to a quarterback change in Week 16.
Bad losses to the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns ultimately doomed the season while victories against the Buffalo Bills and, more recently, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers injected a sense of hope in yet another season without a playoff win. Make that 25 years for those counting.
And yet, the Dolphins come into Sunday fresh off of the high that comes along when a rookie quarterback in Quinn Ewers flashed in a 20-17 upset over the Bucs. The Patriots, of course, present a bit of a different animal — Mike Vrabel-coached teams have always given the Dolphins problems as of late — yet there’s a belief among many players that they have just now begun to play their best ball, especially considering the swagger that Ewers brought to the team.
“The offense embodies the personality of the head coach and of the quarterback, so I just want to instill the confidence in each play that I announce to the O-line and to the skill players,” Ewers said. “I want to speak confidence in them from the very jump, which I think is important each and every play. There’s not a specific time that it started or anything, it’s just something I like to carry with me.”
Miami, for example, was just one week removed from the loss of 40% of their starting offensive line — namely James Daniels and Austin Jackson — during the Week 1 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The run-first identity that had been established in the subsequent games was nonexistent during the initial matchup against the Patriots. On the other side of the ball, Grant and fellow rookie defensive tackles Jordan Phillips and Zeek Biggers had yet to even begin to gel. Biggers, specifically, was still a weekly healthy scratch.
“Just considering it was early game, we got better throughout the season,” Grant said. “We’re looking to have a good game and better than the first game to be honest.”
The bottom line is this: a new team will walk into Gillette Stadium to face the Patriots. And while the potential loss of Pro Bowl running back De’Von Achane should not be overlooked, the same could be said for the growth of not just the rookies on both sides of the ball but the overall team. Just ask Rasul Douglas, a nine-year veteran who has proven to be worth far more than measly $1.5 million that he signed for just two weeks before the start of the season.
“You want to end it off on a good note,” Douglas said. “You want to end the season however you want to be remembered.”
