With a shot at entering the final week of the regular season in the driver's seat for the AFC's first-overall seed in the postseason, the Dolphins defense took uppercut after uppercut to the face in a 56-19 loss to the now undisputed first-seed champion, Baltimore.
If you were taking part in New Year's Eve festivities in lieu of watching the clobbering, we'll get you caught up on what went down and all that's at stake in the Dolphins' critical game next week against the Buffalo Bills, which will decide the AFC East division winner.
The Good, the Bad, and Then the Ugly
Sunday afternoon began as if Miami might be on the cusp of a special win. Tua Tagovailoa marched the team down the field for an opening drive score, a Cedrick Wilson touchdown reception, and a 7-0 lead.From there, things got messy, including on the team's next drive, which should have also ended in a Tua touchdown pass if not for a crucial drop by Tyreek Hill that changed the course of the game.
The Dolphins would kick a field goal to take a 10-7 lead, but it was a lost opportunity to stay on serve in a game where the offenses were trading punches. The Ravens started to pull away after another critical play that didn't go the Dolphins' way: a 4th & 7, 35-yard touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson to his tight end Isaiah Likely.O No!!! HUGE, uncharacteristic drop by Tyreek Hill. Cost the Dolphins 4 points. Hopefully this does not impact late game scenarios. #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/QaLpx7pBwF
— Josh Moser (@TheMozKnowz) December 31, 2023
By halftime, the Ravens had locked in a 28-13 lead.
The second half would start with the Ravens returning the opening kick all the way back inside the Dolphins' 10-yard line before Likely scored again to push the lead to 35-13.RAVENS GET A 40 YARD TOUCHDOWN TO ISAIAH LIKELY ON 4TH AND 7
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) December 31, 2023
LAMAR JACKSON IS YOUR MVP
pic.twitter.com/CFKNzBDwkz
And that was that. Only further pain would remain, figuratively and literally.
The literal pain came as Pro Bowl defensive end Bradley Chubb, who led the Dolphins in sacks this season, injured his knee, possibly tearing his ACL, during garbage time. Following the game, coach Mike McDaniel regretted having Chubb still on the field but pointed to the Dolphins' miraculous comeback win against the Ravens last season as the reason to have him out there battling to the bitter end.
Tagovailoa left the game in the fourth quarter as well with a reported shoulder injury, compounding the loss of cornerback Xavien Howard, who went out in the first half with an apparent foot injury and never returned.
Mike McDaniel on Bradley Chubb still being in the game so late: pic.twitter.com/A7RJu8Nh9v
— King of Phinland🐬👑 (@KingOfPhinland) December 31, 2023
What's Next: AFC East Battle Royale
While the Ravens game was a heavyweight bout with a lot on the line, the Phins' next game, a season finale tilt against the Bills, is a true title fight — an AFC East title fight, specifically. With Buffalo winning against the New England Patriots and Miami losing in Baltimore, next Sunday's game at Hard Rock Stadium becomes a winner-take-all match-up for the division. Win, and the Dolphins receive a comfy seeding in the postseason with two home games if they make it deep enough into the playoffs. Lose to Buffalo, and they're a Wild Card team with a string of road games and a difficult path to the Super Bowl in Vegas, with a who's who of conference foes standing in their way.Difficult to overstate the importance of next Sunday's game. If Dolphins lose against Buffalo, Miami -- barring upsets -- would need to win in KC, then in Baltimore, then in Buffalo to advance to Super Bowl. Ravens, in this scenario. would be their second playoff opponent. https://t.co/SbFDtsVTIw
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) January 1, 2024
The Dolphins' possible first-round opponents include the Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars, or the Bills (for the second week in a row). If the Dolphins lose against the Bills in the final game of the regular season, they will face the Chiefs in Kansas City in the first round; if not, the Phins' initial playoff opponent hinges on the outcome of several games.
The Dolphins last won a playoff game in 2000 against the Colts and have made it to the postseason five times since, including this year. Last year, they were dispatched in short order in the Wild Card round by the Bills via a 34-31 loss.
If you're new to being a Miami Dolphins fan, don't worry. We're right on script to get you all caught up on how the saga tends to end.
