Category: Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins’ slim playoff chances are getting slimmer and could go down to zero by the end of Week 15’s games. After the results in the league’s Sunday slate, the Dolphins are now facing elimination from postseason contention in their Monday night game against the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6). They must win to keep their hopes alive. If Miami was to lose, falling to 6-8, it would only have a chance to catch the Houston Texans, who currently hold the final playoff spot in the AFC at 9-5. That would take three Dolphins wins to finish the season and three Texans losses. But even then, the...

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It was a very businesslike Miami Dolphins locker room after Sunday’s dominant 34-10 victory over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.  That’s because no one was surprised by what happened on the field. The resurgent Dolphins, a team with a four-game winning streak, an emerging physical presence, a consistent running game and a big-play defense, expect to win nowadays. That type of confidence is huge, and it stems from one thing. “Belief, man,” linebacker Jordyn Brooks said. Their steadfast belief is now being rewarded. The The Dolphins (6-7), who remain playoff...

Here’s a look at how the Miami Dolphins (5-7) and New York Jets (3-9) match up in six key areas ahead of Sunday’s Week 14 game at MetLife Stadium (1 p.m., CBS): When the Dolphins run: Miami goes the way of its run game. In the stretch of four wins in five games, the Dolphins have rushed for at least 141 yards in the games won and at least 164 during the three-game winning streak. Running back De’Von Achane is on a tear of 100-yard performances that have now put him at 1,000 yards on the season. Rookie Ollie Gordon II and second-year back Jaylen Wright are now both being used sparingly...

MIAMI GARDENS — Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane became the fourth running back in franchise history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in 12 games in Sunday’s 21-17 victory over the New Orleans Saints. And, yes, he thinks about his possible contract extension at the end of the season and his future with the team. He told me as much a few days ago in the Dolphins (5-7) locker room. “A little bit,” said Achane, who has a career-best 1,034 yards rushing this season. “I mean, it’s not something you can’t think about. Like you said, it’s my future. But we’ve got to see what goes on, see...

You can recount the weekly heroics of running back De’Von Achane, or this week’s heroics of safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. You can wonder how the Miami Dolphins wavered in those final few minutes, but appreciate how they ultimately held it together. The view from field level is they made the biggest plays like Fitzpatrick’s two-point conversion interception and a fourth-down stop to beat the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. But this season began to be more about the view from 30,000 feet a while ago and so Sunday again brought this wide-angle question: What’s wrong with Tua...

Bernie Kosar doesn’t start with, “Hello,’’ on the other end of the phone. He starts “It’s almost not believable — it’s Disney-type stuff.” He’s on the ninth floor of University Hospital in Cleveland, and tells how he was being discharged last Sunday when told they finally had a liver for him. A 21-year-old Cleveland Browns fan, Ryan Dunlap, who was following Kosar’s wait for a liver transplant, had died in a medical emergency. His family agreed to donate Ryan’s liver to Kosar. “The odds of his liver matching me is like you or me hitting the Lotto,’’ says Kosar, the former Browns, University...

For the second consecutive week, I couldn’t be happier for the Miami Dolphins’ players. Those guys earned Sunday’s gritty, hard-fought 16-13 overtime victory against the Washington Commanders in Madrid, one week after earning an unlikely 30-13 win over the Buffalo Bills, through sweat, commitment and belief. I’ve always pointed out that this Dolphins team has an unbreakable fighting spirit. I admire that quality. These guys won’t quit, they won’t tank, and they won’t give up. All of that, and more, was on display Sunday. I’m not certain that this team can win, say, four or five of its last...

What an odd win. What a strange ending. What a … What the … What was Mike McDaniel thinking? That’s the question that keeps rattling around Sunday after the Dolphins’ 16-13 overtime win against Washington in Madrid. It’s not the normal question after a win, especially a second-consecutive win in a 4-7 season that could be used to buoy hope of salvaging pride, jobs, momentum — something from this season. There were some Sunday heroics to talk about, too. Cornerback Jack Jones had the overtime interception to set up the win. Running back De’Von Achane, once again, carried this offense. The...

MIAMI GARDENS — Hugs and handshakes were abundant among the Miami Dolphins’ higher-ups in the late stages and immediate aftermath of Sunday’s shockingly refreshing 30-13 victory over the Buffalo Bills. This was a significant win, and the joyous locker room and exuberant scene on the field were testaments to its magnitude. Coach Mike McDaniel and interim general manager Champ Kelly had hearty congratulations on the field shortly after the final buzzer. Minutes earlier Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, president and CEO Tom Garfinkel, and Brandon Shore, the senior vice president of football and...

Six years ago, when the Miami Dolphins shouldn’t have tanked, they foolishly and unsuccessfully decided to tank before the season even began. Today, when they are 2-7 and might as well tank, they foolishly and incomprehensively receive an edict on how they need to win to save jobs from team owner Steve Ross. Or, if not exactly win, they need compete. Challenge. Try really, really hard? It’s not really clear. Let’s fold that demand into recent events: The Dolphins fired general manager Chris Grier (finally), traded their best pass rusher in Jaelan Phillips (smartly) and tried to trade most...