Dolphins Live to See Another Day

DOINK! That was the sound heard in Cincinnati last night that seemed to signal the end of the Miami Dolphins’ slim playoff hopes. 

With 2:43 left in overtime, Bengals kicker Cade York shanked a 33-yard field goal off the left upright, seemingly ending the race for the final playoff spot in the AFC. The Broncos needed only to win or tie to claim the final spot, ending the Bengals, Dolphins, and Colts playoff aspirations. As a Miami fan sitting there and watching, I thought, of course, that’s how it ends for the 2024 Dolphins. 

But, as fate would have it, in what seems to be the norm in the NFL these days, Sean Payton mismanages the play calling, running just 13 seconds off the clock in what should have been a playoff-clinching drive, only to give the ball back to Joe Burrow and the Bengals with plenty of time left in the game. 

Burrow did what he’s been doing all season this year and took Cincinnati down the field and, instead of leaving it up to the kicker, hit Tee Higgins at the left pylon for a game-clinching touchdown. The Bengals’ win put the paddles to the Dolphins’ hearts and resurrected a faint pulse going into Sunday. 

For those of us Dolphins fans who still do want to see the Dolphins make the playoffs, our desire took a big blow on Sunday when ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news that Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s injury status was downgraded to doubtful on Sunday. This came as a shock to most, if not all, Miami fans as there seemed to be no inclination of this coming out of last week’s win against San Francisco. 

Many opinions are floating around as to whether this was some kind of ploy to get ahead of a narrative for sitting Tua the rest of the season should the Broncos have won yesterday. Schefter’s report also stated that “Tagovailoa still is pushing to play Sunday.” 

In a season that has more ups and downs than most fans can take, it’s no surprise that Miami’s playoff hopes may now be in the hands of Tyler “Snoop” Huntley. 

As a 40-plus-year Dolphins fan, I know that as much as some things change, some things just stay the same!