The Good

The Dolphins, as a team, played up to the competition, facing a red-hot Seahawks team that was 3-0 going in and was blowing up the scoreboard. For the most part, the defense did it's job and helped keep the game close. The offense chewed up a lot of clock to keep the Seahawks offense off the field. I take this as a sign of development by a very young team that has a lot of growing to do.

Devante Parker continues to play through those nagging injuries that used to keep him sidelined. He contributed 10 catches for 110 yards.

Emmanuel Ogbah was a beast, contributing 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss and 2 QB hits.

Xavien Howard had a nice pick in the endzone, preventing a Seahawks score. It's his second week in a row with a pick.

Great day for kicker Jason Sanders. Of course a great day by a kicker usually means a bad day for red zone offense...

The Bad

As good as the defense played most of the game, they made key mistakes at the end of the first half and the end of the game. Some busted coverages showed up, allowing the Seahawks to make big plays.

As good a job as the offense did eating up block, the redzone offense was atrocious. The Dolphins had 5 field goals and 1 touchdown.

The Ugly

You never know what you are going to get. Fitzmagic or Fitztragic. 2 interceptions says this was a Fitztragic game, even though the offense was able to move the ball. 25 total first downs and 7-13 on third downs is usually praise worthy. But when the quarterback throws two mind-boggling interceptions, it's easy to pinpoint why the offense didn't do more. Question for Miami Dolphins fans, can Ryan Fitzpatrick read the middle of the field? It seems anytime he goes for intermediate throws down the middle, defenders get their hands all over the ball. His penchant for staring down receivers and not reading the middle of the field are why the Dolphins will not go far with Fitzpatrick at quarterback.

Overall

As I stated before, this is a game where you look at the positives. Dolphins players are playing harder. The defense is beginning to gel. Young players are improving. That's the type of season we're in. This team still has some glaring holes, both in the middle of the defense and the middle of the offense and at quarterback. But some of the young players drafted the past couple of years are beginning to show signs of development. If you are playing the long game, this is a welcome development.

Next week should be another tough one against the 49ers. Expect the Dolphins to find themselves at 1-4 when that game is done. 

I'm not abandoning my general concerns about the team after a win over Jacksonville. No flippity-floppity just yet. I will however give a tip of the cap to Thursday's win. The coaches wisely game planned to run the ball and set the tempo. Ryan Fitzpatrick and the receivers will get the credit but Myles Gaskin was the unsung hero in this game. He helped Miami jump to a comfy lead forcing Garden Minshew to have to throw Jacksonville to a comeback. Minshew Mania is the younger version of Fitzmagic. To quote both Forrest and Mama Gump, "ya never know what yer gonna git." The coaches went after Jacksonville's weakness in a manner that would make Brian Flores's mentor crack half a smile (that is all you get from Belichick). The defense settled down after disastrous showings in previous contests and at least played like a unit that can compete with more than the bottom feeders of the league. The coaches went in with a strategy, the players executed and Miami walked away victorious over a team that previously looked good versus quality opponents. Why is this important? Look at Miami's next nine games.

The Dolphins and we fans will more than likely come back to earth next Sunday against Seattle. Russell Wilson is playing on a level that is inexplicable and he is your clear leader in the MVP clubhouse. Miami is coming out as the underdog by 6.5 points per the odds from Sports Betting Dime, however, Seattle's defense is statistically unimpressive but they faced three high-powered offenses and have forced seven turnovers so far. After Seattle, Miami has a long list of winnable games.

San Francisco should not be easy but the injury bug has bitten them and it is difficult to say how strong of a team they are with victories over cupcakes like the Jets and Giants. They lost Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas for the year. Jimmy Garropolo, who would normally be a priority fantasy team starter against Miami, is nursing a high ankle sprain that doesn't simply go away after a few weeks. What should have been an L in the record column is suddenly a winnable game. Then you face the injury decimated Denver Broncos, a rookie led LA Chargers, an unpredictable Arizona Cardinals, and two teams struggling mightily in the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals. Not mentioned in that group are the Los Angeles Rams because I expect them, in their current state, to roll over Miami without an issue.

Everything can change in a flash and injuries could deplete Miami to the point of being a pushover. You also have the whole "Any Given Sunday" which is what makes this sport so much greater than its competition. But you cannot discount that Miami may have been gifted a streak of very winnable games from the usually evasive Lady Luck. If Miami can win six of those nine games then they would be looking at a 7-5 record after three-quarters of the season. That is not a typo, folks.

I really hope Brian Flores and company embrace this opportunity. Please do not go back to Fitzpatrick throwing the ball 30 plus times per game. Please put a huge emphasis on improving your rushing defense. Make these young, opposing QBs try to air it out. Let the big money secondary earn those dollars with interceptions and quality defended passes. Let the pass rushers pin their ears back. If Myles Gaskin gets banged up then get Matt Breida and/or Jordan Howard more involved. Finally, please start pursuing a winning attitude. I love that Fitzpatrick keeps his teammates loose and promotes having fun, I just worry that too much of it leads to complacency. Teams that get too loose suffer a lack of discipline and that will cost the Dolphins victories if they aren't careful. Have fun, but go for the throat and demand overachievement from everyone. As I said last week, this is no longer the band of merry misfits. Lady Luck is giving the Dolphins a chance to finally avoid the second year curse we witnessed under the Saban, Sparano, and Gase regimes. Let's go, Miami!

The Good

Ryan Fitzpatrick almost pitched a perfect game. He completed 90% of his passes and threw two well-placed touchdowns. He also rushed for 38 yards. Call it a "clean and efficient" game.

Devante Parker didn't have a staggering statistical game, but he toughed out a hamstring injury that in the past would have probably sidelined him for weeks. Good to see he has developed some toughness.

8 different receivers caught passes. So while the numbers on passing offense were not staggering, the versatility was.

Good to see 4 sacks out of this defense. 

The Bad

However..... the defense still struggled to stop the run. The only reason there were 72 rushing yards allowed was because Jax had to go to the pass to play catch up. Short yardage defense also loses more often than it wins.

The Ugly 

While the offense line did a decent job of creating a pocket for Fitz, the run blocking didn't create any lanes for the running backs. This continues to be an issue. This offensive line is probably another season away from being a good unit.

Overall 

Good job by the coaching staff on a short week. The Dolphins came in an thrashed the Jags in Jax. Next up is a tough game against the Seahawks. The Dolphins will need to build off their win to have a chance against the Hawks. The run game will need to get going against a tough run defense. It's a lot to ask given what we've seen so far.