The Dolphins are currently in position to win their division for the first time since 2008. How is this possible? What's different about this year?
Written by: Chaim Cohen
30 November 2022
As of right now, the Dolphins are second in the AFC at 8-3 and are one of the most surprising teams this season. If anyone is to take credit for these successes it has to be first-year head coach, Mike McDaniels. Before this year Tua has been extremely underwhelming and many were already giving him the label of a bust. McDaniels coming off his time with San Fransisco decided his first move to make Tua great will be trading for an elite receiver. Acquiring Tyreek Hill wasn't cheap but it was a necessary move for the Dolphins' Tua and his offense. Many were skeptical of the move for two different reasons. The first reason is that Tyreek Hill is coming from Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs' offense. While everyone agrees that Hill has played exceptionally in the last 5 years, some would argue he is a product of the Mahomes and that he won't be able to create as much separation in an offense without other superstars. The other concern for Hill was that he and Tua wouldn't be compatible. Tyreek Hill is best known as a deep threat with incredible speed who likes to catch the ball in stride which was a perfect fit for a gunslinger like Mahomes. Tua on the other hand has a reputation for having a weak arm and last year failed to take advantage of Jaylen Waddle's speed. Even though this is all true this is not McDaniels' first time with a speedy receiver in a "bad" QB situation. Last season Deebo Samuel's role as a gadget player is what made him #19 on the NFL's top 100 list for 2021. This move for Hill has been nothing but a positive and has really opened up the field for the entire offense. Tua has been put in great situations and most importantly has also started playing with a lot more confidence. This season he has really stepped up as a passer with a league-high115.7 passing rating. Having two of the fastest players in the NFL on the same team is deadly and it's already led to almost 2,200 combined yards with 1,233 (league-high) coming from Hill and 963 (5th most) from Waddle. Sadly their defense is not looking as strong as it did at the end of last year but due to this new offense, the Dolphins have been able to win games and make up for their defense. Coming off of last week's win against the Texans the defense seems to be getting back to looking like what it was last year so if they keep this up I would expect the Dolphins to get their first playoff win in 22 years.
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