Category: NFL

MIAMI GARDENS -— Tired? “Fatigued,” Jalen Ramsey said. Happy? “I’m that, too.” The face of victory held a tired smile sitting at his locker, ice packs on both knees, nearly an hour after his second interception ended the Miami Dolphins’ 20-13 win against the Las Vegas Raiders. “That’s just what I do,” he said. Is this who they are, too? Has their identity changed when no one was looking? Coach Mike McDaniel was talking about a changed strategy — punting on fourth-and-short late in the game — with the way this defense played. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was making the larger point in saying the...

Here’s a look at how the Miami Dolphins (6-3) and Las Vegas Raiders (5-5) match up in six key areas ahead of Sunday’s Week 11 game at Hard Rock Stadium (1 p.m., CBS): When the Dolphins run: This game could mark the return of rookie phenom De’Von Achane, as he’s back practicing following his minimum four-week absence from injured reserve placement, plus a bye week for extra recovery. If he’s back, look out, as the speedy home run threat is averaging 12.1 yards on his 38 carries. If Achane isn’t in the backfield, the Dolphins still have Raheem Mostert to shoulder the workload, with Jeff Wilson...

MIAMI GARDENS — Momentum is a fickle and sometimes unpredictable presence. The Miami Dolphins lost momentum the last time they took the field, a 21-14 loss to Kansas City in Germany two weeks ago. But they gained momentum when AFC playoff favorites Buffalo, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Jacksonville and the Los Angeles Chargers all suffered losses this past week, the most meaningful being Buffalo (5-5). The Dolphins (6-3), who have lost two of their past three games, enter Sunday’s 1 p.m. home game against the Las Vegas Raiders (5-5) with a more firm hold on first place in the AFC East than they had...

MIAMI GARDEN — Sitting at his new locker, both knees on ice, Jalen Ramsey was handed the phone of teammate DeShon Elliott with a video rolling a half-hour after Sunday’s win. Several other members of the secondary leaned closer to the scene. “OK, let’s see,” Ramsey said. This wasn’t to watch his dramatic introduction to the Miami Dolphins (6-2), Sunday’s game-changing interception of New England quarterback Mac Jones just before half. That football that now sat in his equipment bag beside the shoulder pads with an under-plastic $5 bill attached to them. “That’s me,” he said about the bill, meaning...

MIAMI GARDENS — Tip your hat to the Miami Dolphins’ offensive line. Again. And again. And again. They deserve it. These guys continue to amaze. By now you probably know the offensive line is my favorite unit on this team. What many might not realize, however, is this Dolphins offensive line is good. Admit it.  It’s true. A two-decade wound has found some salve. Credit the Miami Dolphins’ offensive linemen above anyone else. They’re a humble, hard-working group that aren’t looking to collect flowers at this point or issue any “I told you so” proclamations. “We just do what we do on a weekly basis,”...

MIAMI GARDENS — One game with the Miami Dolphins, one interception for Jalen Ramsey. The new Dolphins cornerback intercepted New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones in the second quarter of Ramsey’s debut with his new team Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium, a 31-17 divisional victory. “It felt good,” said Ramsey, who called his shot that he would have an interception in his first game back after a three-month recovery from a torn meniscus in his left knee. “I told the whole team I was going to get a pick today. I’ve been telling the whole team for a couple weeks that I was going to get a pick my...

Miami Dolphins star cornerback Jalen Ramsey is reportedly set to debut for his new team Sunday. According to an ESPN report Thursday night, the Dolphins plan on activating Ramsey for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium. Ramsey, however, swiftly denied the report. “So this is why I just got a crazy amount of texts,” Ramsey posted in response on X. “Well, this is news to me. … (expletive) don’t care about being right, they care about being first in today’s media. That’s sad.” Ramsey added further context in an ensuing post minutes later. “Full transparency, there’s...

MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins had 12 carries for 45 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles. You decide which number is more objectionable. Miami’s inability and/or reluctance to run resulted in a one-dimensional, predictable offense, and the Eagles took advantage in Miami’s 31-17 loss on Sunday. “Probably the biggest opportunities we squandered happened to be in the run game,” coach Mike McDaniel said. The bad thing is Miami entered the game No. 1 in rushing at 181.8 yards per game. Philadelphia sacked quarterback Tua Tagovailoa three times (he’d only been sacked six times in the previous...

PHILADELPHIA — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa almost seems like a completely different person in a second season under coach Mike McDaniel than he was his first two NFL campaigns with Brian Flores at the helm. Ahead of Sunday night’s prime-time showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles, Tagovailoa opened up this past week in an interview with NBC about the freedom he’s operating with in McDaniel’s system and how it transcends to happiness on and off the field. “I would describe the place that I’m at professionally as fun and happy,” Tagovailoa said in the interview. “Fun because I’m...

To keep up with the real-time observations of the goings-on from Lincoln Financial Field by the Sun Sentinel coverage team, check out their social-media coverage by clicking below: Dave Hyde Dolphins go on the national stage in Philadelphia and can show the NFL that winning football can be fun, too. My column: https://t.co/bC4j83pzn2 — Dave Hyde (@davehydesports) October 21, 2023 Chris Perkins Miami Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill should be NFL MVP | Perkins https://t.co/ubqz7EJCPP — Chris Perkins (@chrisperk) October 19, 2023 David Furones Tua was reminiscing today on time at Alabama — and,...