The Dolphins have gotten out to a 2-0 start, but they need to close out games better if they hope to stay in the AFC East race.
The parity in the NFL means that one late touchdown, one muffed punt or an errant call can be the difference between making the playoffs and taking an early vacation. For teams like the Dolphins that are not talented enough to dominate, finishing games strong is the only way to finish the season with a winning record.
For example, the Bengals went 10-6 last year and won the AFC North despite having the worst point differential of any playoff team. They even were 30 points behind the Steelers, who missed the postseason.
How did Cincinnati do it?
In the first game of the season, the Bengals lost a heartbreaker to the Broncos on a last-second score by Brandon Stokley off a tipped pass.
The next week, the Bengals nearly allowed the Packers to come from behind, but escaped with a win.
Over the next three weeks, Cincinnati responded by winning in dramatic fashion all three tries, coming from behind and closing games out with a score as the clock ran down.
Even though they went 6-5 during the rest of the season, their fast start kept them atop the division. They certainly were not as talented as their 10-6 record would indicate, but by playing their best football during the closing minutes of those pressure-cooker games, the Bengals found themselves in the postseason.
Every season, there seems to be a similar story, where a team plays above its talent level and wins just enough close games. The Dolphins already look like the 2010 candidate.
Make no mistake about it: The Dolphins have improved greatly since last season, but they still have something left to prove, especially on offense. They outplayed the Bills in Week 1, but they should have put the game away earlier. They couldn’t score when it counted, and they couldn’t run out the clock toward the end, giving Buffalo unnecessary opportunities to steal the game.
Against the Vikings last Sunday, both Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams coughed up big fumbles, and Chad Henne only amassed 44 passing yards in the second half. The defense bailed them out again, but the law of averages says that if they continue to play poorly down the stretch, they will lose some of those games.
In the next two weeks, the Fins will face two huge tests against the Jets and then the Patriots. If the Dolphins improve their fourth-quarter play, similar to how the Bengals stepped up in Weeks 3 and 5 to win two key division matchups, Miami could find itself sitting pretty heading into their bye week.
But the Fins don’t have much margin for error against top teams like the Patriots and Jets, so if they fumble late in the game, or miss a field goal, or any other mistake, the undefeated Dolphins could easily fall to .500.
