Top Takeaways: Ramsey’s Impact And Tyreek For MVP
Oct 29, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey (5) reacts against the New England Patriots during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
On Sunday Miami continued to do what they’ve done all year, beat the teams they should beat. The Dolphins completed the season sweep against the New England Patriots and moved to 6-2 on the year staying in first place in the AFC North.
Let’s take a look at some of the top takeaways from the convincing divisional win.
Ramsey’s impact
The level of the impact that Jalen Ramsey provides the Dolphins goes beyond his prowess at cornerback. You could feel his presence in the stadium. He’s a star, a leader, and the sort of alpha that this defense has desperately needed.
In his first game of the season he grabbed the team’s 4th interception of the year(2nd by a defensive back) and reminded everyone of the sizable difference he makes. When Xavien Howard and Jevon Holland return, this secondary should be ready to take off.
Offensive line pushed to the brink
Miami’s offensive line suffered even more injuries today, leaving right tackle Austin Jackson the sole, remaining starter. First thought with the trade deadline two days away is to trade to pick up one if not two depth players.
With what line coach Butch Barry has been able to accomplish with this group is beyond impressive. Regardless of who plays, it seems you can count on them playing to their highest potential.
Achane sorely missed
The run game has come to a crashing halt the past two games putting up just 45 and 78 yards after averaging close to 180 per game in the first 6 contests. Devon Achane can’t come back soon enough. It may be easy to beat the New England Patriots without a sturdy ground game, but as we’ve seen all season, elite competition will require McDaniel to commit to and succeed at the run.
Tua is oozing resilience
In previous campaigns if Tua Tagovailoa threw a bad pass, made a bad read, or had a costly fumble it would put a dent in his confidence that would carry throughout the game, and sometimes further.
Coach McDaniel and his ‘You can’t change the last play so move on’ style is building up Tua on a weekly basis. He threw a bad interception today, and what happened right after? He drove them right down the field for a score without skipping a beat.
It’s a new Tua this year.
Fangio Effect
Adding one of the top 5 defensive minds in football has led fans and media to think this unit should be, at minimum, a top ten defense. In the first 6 games they couldn’t stop the run, they got nonexistent linebacker play, and had communication issues all while the Miami brass kept reminding us new situations take time. Perhaps that time is coming? The past two games they’ve turned a 180 and played exceptionally well all while still missing key pieces.
Tyreek Hill = MVP?
In the history of the NFL there has never been a wide receiver that has won the MVP! The last non-quarterback to win was Adrian Peterson in 2012. Hill is the first receiver ever to reach 1,000 yards in the first 8 games of a season, putting him on pace to be the first receiver to reach 2000 yards. The way he dictates how teams play Miami is unlike anything we see anywhere else in the league. There is currently no weapon like him anywhere in the league. It’s time to get loud about putting him in the MVP conversation.
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