If we have learned anything about the Joe Philbin, RT-era Dolphins, it's that they make inconsistency a way of life. Last year we started the season with an upset of the Pats. Two years ago we upset the Pats and the Steelers down the stretch and were primed to win a playoff spot. We didn't do it. This team has been capable of beating the class of the NFL one week and losing to a winless team halfway through the season the next. Our record versus playoff-bound teams has been amongst the best out of non-playoff teams in the league. Despite that, we've had maybe few games in the Philbin era I can remember as blowouts (Oakland and, well, Oakland). What happens on week is rarely an indicator of what will happen the next, because simply put this team plays to the level of every opponent.
I promised myself after beating NE and then seeing this team lose to Buffalo and the Jets to lose our playoff spot that I wasn't ever going to be too excited about the results of any individual game, and stuck to this last year after NE to see it game true. So I'm realizing right now that even if we had won 38-7, I would have scarcely felt better about our chances of wining next week. I think we've got a solid chance to beat Jacksonville, but I'm certain that the game is going to involve this team failing to leverage in game situations to their advantage, taking points off the board by making poor decisions in scoring situations, letting the opponent have a good run on offense by missing tackles and committing stupid penalties that extend drives, and seeing our QB miss a scoring throw or two where a defender has no chance at all to defend a well thrown ball.
At the end of the day, I just want enough wins to get to the playoffs. Here's one.
I promised myself after beating NE and then seeing this team lose to Buffalo and the Jets to lose our playoff spot that I wasn't ever going to be too excited about the results of any individual game, and stuck to this last year after NE to see it game true. So I'm realizing right now that even if we had won 38-7, I would have scarcely felt better about our chances of wining next week. I think we've got a solid chance to beat Jacksonville, but I'm certain that the game is going to involve this team failing to leverage in game situations to their advantage, taking points off the board by making poor decisions in scoring situations, letting the opponent have a good run on offense by missing tackles and committing stupid penalties that extend drives, and seeing our QB miss a scoring throw or two where a defender has no chance at all to defend a well thrown ball.
At the end of the day, I just want enough wins to get to the playoffs. Here's one.