On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins persevered and came out on top with their 11-6 win over their rival New York Jets in the regular season finale, thanks in large part to rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson who stepped up in the face of injury adversity.
After Buffalo defeated the New England Patriots, the Dolphins will now be heading into the NFL wild-card round next weekend and have a chance to prove that they can keep up their high level of play as contenders for a playoff berth.
“Jason Sanders, to come through the way he did and have all the points, you have to be built different for that,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said after the game.
“I’m very, very happy with the entire locker room, the entire building, and I feel they wanted no part of this season to be over, and it’s not.”
What to Expect From Jacoby Thompson?
After coming into the game as a replacement for an injured Teddy Bridgewater last Sunday, Jacoby Thompson stepped up to the plate to start his second game of the season with team fortunes riding on his shoulders.
However, with Tua Tagovailoa still being questionable due to another concussion, Thompson may have no choice but to take on a bigger responsibility in keeping Miami’s playoff opportunities alive as they face the Buffalo Bills who open as 10-point favorites to oddsmakers.
Despite this difficult task ahead of him, he will face no easy feat against Buffalo next weekend in the first round of the playoffs. With the two earlier bouts proving that homecourt advantage played a huge role in deciding those outcomes in the splits series, visiting the dominant Bills would need more than an A performance from the Fins.
Fins Still Need Tagovailoa
Miami’s offense has struggled without Tagovailoa at the helm. While their defense has been able to keep them in games, having Bridgewater and Thompson as starting quarterbacks has limited their ability to maximize the offensive potential to put up more points.
The recent 4.7 yards per play against a defense with Hill and Waddle is significantly lower than the Dolphins’ season average, indicating that they need better quarterback play if they are going to realize their true scoring potential in the wild-card round. McDaniel might be able to conjure some points through his scheming, but it will be an uphill battle without Tagovailoa on the field.
With the uncertainty about Tagovailoa’s status, the Fins open as 10-point underdogs on the FanDuel sportsbook and BetMGM sportsbook.