I’ll start off with an honest prediction that this game will be something like 38-3 for the Bills.
Our starting QB has had six appearances to make his presence known, and in every single case, he’s shown merely a basic skill set that is uninspiring and unexplosive. I don’t see him leading us into hostile Buffalo to beat the Bills nor their snowball-tossing hooligan fans.
Our defense plays well when the offense gives them a chance. The offense doesn’t need to score repeatedly, but they have to move the ball at least, to give our D a rest. This was the formula in beating the Jets last week. Although the offense only accounted for three FGs and zero TDs, we got the ball into Jets territory often, so that was enough for our D.
Our defense does not fare so well when we turn the ball over, or go three and out, etc. And that is step one for my analysis on how the Dolphins can possibly win this game.
Step 1. Win the turnover battle in a big way. It will be cold, but BOTH teams will be playing in that cold. A RB with chilly hands, or a QB whose hand slips on an icy ball just before his release, or a punt returner who lets a slippery ball go through his arms. Those things can happen to any team, and our first hope is that it happens to the Bills several times.
Step 2. Some explosive plays. Mike McDaniel has done a poor job with his backup QBs in getting big plays. While Tua seems so at ease hitting Waddle over the middle for 15 yards at a time, it seems like every pass that Teddy or Skylar throw is a struggle. They don’t have time to begin with, combined with no one being open. There’s some disconnect there, and we can only hope that McDaniel fixes it and designs some new wrinkles for the Bills. (Think about the first Wildcat game at Foxboro, if anyone can remember that. The Pats were absolutely boggled all day long. If we ran our base offense that day, we would have gotten killed.)
Step 3. Stay focused mentally. The Dolphins will have Josh Allen in their grasp, more than once, only to see Allen escape and run for 20 yards. It will happen, and that is a fact. He does that to everyone. The key here is to re-focus immediately for the next down. Can’t get discouraged and distracted. A spy on Allen helps. But after throwing a horrible red-zone interception again last week, Allen’s confidence in his own arm will be shaky. He and the Bills will never admit it, but he is a run-first type of QB, so when he busts some runs, then we just forget it and stay sharp for the next play.
Step 4. Score more points that the Bills. I thought I’d throw this one in here. It’s simplicity is its genius. All the analysis in the world comes down to just outscoring them. A tough task, but if we stay sharp as a team, ya never know.
Bills 48-Fins 13. I say we get one Touchdown and one or two FG
This is the time where, usually, a bunch of us chime in and think you’re crazy and say the Dolphins will win. “No way will the Bills score 48!!” But this time, I say you are not wrong. If you’re bored during the game Jimbo, come to this site and click the live chat button. We’d love to have you gab with us in real time.
Does the chat work with iPhone or do I need a laptop/pc?
It works on iPhone, but your screen name may show as “anonymous.”
Also, I don’t have faith that Skylar will escape this game in tact. I think we’ll see mighty journeyman Mike Glennon at the helm before the game is done. A guy who’s literally had a week to learn the offense. 68-3 might be more like it.
Wasn’t that the score in Marinos last game!
Jeez, I still have nightmares of the Jags running up and down the field at will. I was at Don Shula’s last game in person, watching the Bills blow us out on an icy day. 🙁
I’m pretty sure the score was 62-7 for Marino’s last game in Jax!
In skylars defense Hill and Waddle have been hampered by injuries so that hasn’t helped much but hopefully they are almost full speed. One thing that has been an issue since the 49s game is that both of them are getting played really physically at the line (something I wish the dolphins did more of rather than the 18 yard cushion opposing receivers seem to get) it would be nice to see McD get back to using at lest hill in presnap motion more this game and get some free releases off the line for skylar to hit. Unless skyler has an all pro day this game will probably be over quick. I think it all depends on the offensive play calling. If it’s the same old playbook you can turn it off in the 2nd. I’m with you Admin, the playbook needs to be as different as that wildcat game Tony sprung on Billy! Or we need to see one of our RB show up with some Ricky Williams dreds and run for 200+ yards! We need several guys to earn a big payday and one of them HAS to be McDanials! Realistically I see the Dolphins scoring 13 and the Bills blowing the top off of this.
Yeah, the defenses hitting them is a great strategy that has worked. McD has not countered that by running them in motion like you said. We haven’t seen any new wrinkles in the offense since the losing streak began. I do see a RB blocking in the backfield a lot on passing downs…the max protection that I like. But last Sunday, despite the extra blockers, Skylar didn’t seem to have any time. With Mostert out, I expect Jeff Wilson, Gaskin, and Ahmed to all suit up. Maybe one of them turns into the next playoff MVO hero like Lamar Smith.
Check this video out the guys not wrong every media person is shutting down Tua. Lots of pressure on the Fins to keep sitting him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4v0ntRZlfE
As per the game I never rule anyone out I’m actually more concerned with the oline than QB. Sky should be a little more comfortable now and has the wheels to take off if nothing is open. I’d be rolling him out either way all day. Nothing there take off and slide. First play put Waddle and Hill wide on opposite sides of the field and go deep wherever the safety vacates. Show Buf that they can’t stack the box. Gaskin should be in the lineup but they moved Perine off the practice squad not sure why Gaskin isn’t getting a shot he was their best RB last year?
Yes I think that as soon as I heard that they put Tua in the concussion protocol after the Packers game I went back to find the “Hit” that he took that knocked the hell out of him. Sorry I couldn’t find it. I found the one they were referencing but highly doubt that scrambled his brains! Of course I heard the “Experts” say that he had a concussion in the Bangles game and that maybe he was brought back to soon. Well that could make some sense if they had played the Bengals game like a week or two earlier, it makes no sense when they played the Bengals like 10 weeks earlier! As soon as I heard that I felt like this was almost the same thing as when you found out Ed Hochuli would be the ref in the game and you knew he was going to penalize one team out of the game. It got so bad at the end of his career that most people were on to it and comparing the NFL to WWE so they had to stop that crap but now we have this. I knew Tua wouldn’t be back this year. I’m not saying Tua doesn’t have a concussion but I’ve played football and I’ve had concussions and I couldn’t imagine that he’s “…..still in concussion protocol.” That’s BS…. after two weeks hes getting some serious testing done and their looking at ending his career. Now maybe it truly is super serious and Tua already made that decision to end his career. If that’s the case I don’t blame him one bit. Now for clarity if you or I get a concussion the effects can last a long time. Like 3-4 months. For professional athletes? Nope – 7 to 10 days tops. If you don’t clear after 10 days it is super serious. Tua has been sidelined for almost twice that amount of time (19 days as of me writing this). What treatments are they doing because if it isn’t gone after 10 days it’s not going away without treatment which I’m sure they started day one anyhow, they probably had some treatment like hyperbaric therapy going since the Bengals game so it’s all so odd. Side note here, I have seen guys relapse weeks after recover which from what I understand is not out of the realm of possibilities and maybe that’s what we are seeing, but thats not what anyone is saying. They are saying he was hit during the Packers game, suffered a concussion and is in the concussion protocol. That is BS. He either had reoccurring symptoms from the Bengals game (Uncommon but not unheard of) and if so at this point he is done. From what I know and have experienced his brain wont heal. OR He did get hit a little during the Packers game and is not healing from that which at 19 days later hes going to be done his brain isn’t going to heal. OR he did get hit a little during the Packers game and he was fine in a few days but the NFL is not letting him play again this year and the Dolphins have no say in it. My guess is the latter of the three options.
On another note (and yes I know I’ve been harping on this and more than Likely your all sick of me talking about this so I’ll make this my last post on the subject) we heard this bombshell today!
Dolphins general manager Chris Grier on Monday expressed confidence that the pair of concussions quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was diagnosed with this season won’t be an issue moving forward. Grier also reiterated comments head coach Mike McDaniel made on Sunday, saying that Tagovailoa will be the team’s starting quarterback in 2023.
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nfl/miami-dolphins/article271243017.html#storylink=cpy
So that settles it in my mind….. Tua could have played but the NFL wouldn’t let him! The NFL took away our ability to beat Buffalo plane and simple! Absolute and total BS.
Yes that bothers me as well something smells. Nfl is concerned about their rep quite possibly the Fins were a victim of this. Totally stinks….
Yeah, I don’t know about all these conspiracies, but the NFL certainly didn’t help matters. They allow Buffalo to walk away in the middle of a game they were losing, but they won’t allow the Dolphins to let Tua play, even after the independent doctors cleared him?
And now the Bengals have to go TO Buffalo, in a game that should be played in Cincy.
This is the point Admin way too much shady business going on. They’re making Tua jump through hoops but guys like Pickett play the following week with no issues even after two concussions.