The Miami Dolphins, who looked like an AFC juggernaut just a few weeks ago, have encountered a few not insignificant struggles heading into the final week of the season.
First off, in order to win the AFC, the Dolphins had to beat the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. The Ravens have looked like world beaters lately and Miami’s task was made all the more difficult by having to play Baltimore on the road.
The Ravens were not gracious guests and sent the Dolphins back home carrying the burden of a 56-19 loss. The 56 points Miami gave up were the second-most in franchise history. In 2019, the Dolphins surrendered 59 points — also to the Ravens.
The loss came with a big cost as well. Linebacker Bradley Chubb tore his ACL and is done for the rest of the year (and most of next year as well). Cornerback Xavien Howard injured his foot, which was no doubt a factor in the 321 yards and five touchdowns Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson threw against Miami on Sunday. To make matters worse, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa left the game with an injury to his throwing shoulder. However, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel wasn’t worried about his quarterback’s shoulder and said it won’t affect him moving forward.
And what about receiver Tyreek Hill? DouglasNow has tracked Hill’s pursuit of 2,000 receiving yards all season long. Just a few weeks ago, it wasn’t a matter of if he would get to 2,000 but when. Now, it’s going to take a miracle.
Hill went down with an ankle injury a few weeks ago and missed the Dolphins’ game — a blowout win — against the New York Jets. He returned to action last week and caught a few passes but he was way off the pace to keep his hopes of 2,000 alive. Hill needed to average 180 yards over the last two games to reach the milestone. Sunday against the Ravens, he came away with 76 yards to give him 1,717 for the year. Miami faces the Buffalo Bills on the road this weekend. The Bills are always tough and they’re fighting for a playoff spot. To hit 2,000 yards, Hill is going to need 283 receiving yards in a cold, hostile environment against a playoff-caliber team.
There is, however, another record Hill is chasing — Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving mark of 1,964 yards. He’s 247 yards way from that record — and it looks equally unlikely that he will reach that milestone.
It’s not impossible. If anyone can do it, it’s Tyreek Hill. He does, after all, have the league’s most prolific passer distributing the ball each Sunday. That said, it’s not very likely, either.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Miami has clinched a playoff spot. They’re still leading the AFC East. Though they’re beat up, they’re still in pretty good shape heading into the final week of the season. They need to heal up, win Sunday, and then get ready for a long march through the playoffs.
And Tyreek Hill is still leading the NFL in receiving yards. His 1,717 yards is 66 head of the Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb. Earlier this year, he was an MVP candidate. In order to win the MVP (something no wide receiver has ever done), he needed 2,000 yards. His 12 touchdowns is tied for the second-most of his career; he needs three more to tie his career best of 15 (2020). While it doesn’t look like he’s going to get 2,000 receiving yards, his hopes of leading the Dolphins to a Super Bowl win are still alive.
Coaches often invoke the tritest of trite cliches when they discuss overcoming adversity. This time, however, the cliche holds true. Hill and his Dolphin teammates have been handed a double shot of adversity over the last few weeks. Let’s see how they handle it from here on out.