#miami-dolphins

#miami-dolphins

MADRID - The Miami Dolphins are coming back home from Spain with some momentum. Cornerback Jack Jones intercepted the first pass of overtime and kicker Riley Patterson kicked the winning 29-yard field goal as the Dolphins' trip across the Atlantic Ocean for the NFL's first game in Spain was a successful one, topping Washington, 16-13, early in the extra period. Miami (4-7) has strung together two consecutive wins for the first time all season after last week's scintillating 30-13 win over the Buffalo Bills.

"The way the National Football League is, is you have an outcome, you have different things - the trade deadline right next to a major move from the front office standpoint - and from the outside looking in, it could appear that that's a recipe for distraction. What I can go off of is my feet-on-the-ground observation and relying upon the leaders and the captains of this football team to show me where they're at."

And so in a week where the priority clearly wasn't winning, the owner said the priority is winning starting Sunday against Buffalo at Hard Rock Stadium if jobs are to be kept, starting with coach Mike McDaniel's. Let's fold that demand into recent events: The Dolphins fired general manager Chris Grier (finally), traded their best pass rusher in Jaelan Phillips (smartly) and tried to trade most anyone else on the roster but found no takers (talk about deflating).

Conner was a feel-good story as a rookie, making the team as an undrafted free agent in 2022, Miami's first season with coach Mike McDaniel at the helm, along with offensive coordinator Frank Smith and tight ends coach Jon Embree. Conner was a converted college wide receiver out of Idaho State and seen as a developmental prospect with potential. He played 13 games as a rookie but mostly on special teams and was only targeted three times that season, without a catch.

The Dolphins (2-7), which have had a Pop-A-Shot mini basketball hoop in the team's locker room at the practice facility all season, had the arcade-style game missing Thursday. Earlier this season, the Ravens removed a Ping-Pong table and other games from their locker room at 1-5 and have since won their last two, including winning in Miami last week. The Dolphins, though, previously maintained that the Pop-A-Shot was not a distraction.

The Ravens and Bills can offer the Dolphins lessons in the value of being able to win in more than one way, the importance of the trenches, the role of physicality, and the significance of being able to win on the road. The Dolphins' next incarnation should prioritize all of those things in the same fashion that Baltimore and Buffalo have prioritized them. The Dolphins (2-7) must make major changes in strategy and philosophy.

And the Dolphins can understand the additional trouble they're in by looking at their salary-cap hell. But the full view of their trouble didn't come in focus until Tuesday's trade deadline blindsided everyone with this conclusion: You'd rather be the stinkin' New York Jets right now than the Dolphins. Just typing that previous sentence makes me think it's suddenly very hot in here. Is this what a panic attack feels like?

MIAMI GARDENS - The Miami Dolphins played their most complete game of the season in Sunday's 34-10 victory at Atlanta. The run defense finally lived up to expectations. The offense, playing without tight end Darren Waller (pectoral), put up a season-high in points and was aided by offensive coordinator Frank Smith being on the sideline instead of upstairs in the coaches box. Special teams had two field goals and a punt placed inside the 20-yard line.

"Well, it's not slow and passive. I can tell you that," Smith said. "It's just like all players are looking for in the moment. They want clarity. Clear, concise, consistent communication. You're seeing what they're experiencing in real time, you live with it. "I always felt my job as a position coach, I played the game with them. So every ounce of my energy was, I know the play, I'm in there with them, I'm experiencing with them, I'm able to help them with them,

Phillips has seemingly become one of the top players available across the NFL ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline. The Dolphins fell to 2-7 following their loss to the Ravens on Thursday and parted ways with their general manager on Friday, raising the speculation that they could be trading players in the coming days. Phillips hasn't been the reason for the Dolphins' poor play, logging a sack on Thursday and two sacks in the last three games.

"Concussion protocol,"

Dave Hyde, Columnist What happened in Atlanta stayed in Atlanta. The Dolphins got back to their identity of mistakes, turnovers and untimely penalties in losing to Baltimore. Chris Perkins, Dolphins Columnist Well, things are back to normal for the Dolphins in the 2025 season after a brief respite in last Sunday's 34-10 Atlanta victory. The Dolphins got pounded Thursday thanks to a few key self-inflicted errors. Things could get ugly next week (Buffalo) and the week after in Madrid (vs. Washington).