As the chant went up from the crowd — slowly, but steadily intensifying during Sunday’s 39-17
victory over the Cleveland Browns at Hard Rock Stadium — there was no question what the
people thought. “MVP! MVP! MVP!”
Tua Tagovailoa said he heard it, admitted it’s a possibility, but the Miami Dolphins quarterback, when speaking after the game, said it’s too early to talk about such honors.
Instead, his job is to help the Dolphins continue to win games. So far in the AFC East, the team stands 7-3 and leads the division, ahead of the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, and New England Patriots. In the entire American Football Conference, the Dolphins are in second place, behind only the Kansas City Chiefs.
I, too, would say it’s too early. Tagovailoa is in a perfect position, yes. But let’s remember whom we’re talking about. Throughout his college career and his first few pro seasons, he was subject to injury.
But I’m optimistic. And the Dolphins right now are a happy team. That feeling has spread through their fanbase at the stadium, their followers elsewhere and fans everywhere.
There’s something about rooting for sports teams — the wins, the losses, the occasional ties.
When your team wins, you feel good. My team has won four games in a row, defeating the Steelers, Lions, Bears and Browns. To keep that streak going, the Dolphins must handle the Texans at 1 p.m. on Nov. 27; the 49ers at 4 p.m. on Dec. 4, and the Chargers, 4 p.m. on Dec.11. After that, they’ll face the Buffalo Bills at a time to be determined on Sunday, Dec 18. As the Dolphins are on a streak, they’ll likely be favored in all of those games.
And they have Tagovailoa.
I’d say he had an average day against Cleveland. He completed 25 passes to eight different receivers for 285 yards and three touchdowns. His rating was 135.
Tyreek Hill stood out, but not by much. He caught five passes for 44 yards and one touchdown.
Jeff Wilson, more of a running back, had 17 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown on the ground, and a pair of catches for 24 yards. Raheem Mostert had eight carries for 65 yards and a
touchdown. He also had four catches for 22 yards.
Jaylen Waddle, per usual, caught four passes for 66 yards. Other players also caught four passes, including Trent Sherfield, 63 yards and a touchdown, and Alec Ingold, 45 yards and a
touchdown. Mike Gesicki caught a pair of passes for 31 yards, while Cedric Wilson caught a pass for seven yards.
This might be close to how it must have felt in 1972, when the Dolphins went undefeated through the season and playoffs. It feels good to be a Dolphins fan.
