You want to hear something wild? On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins—the same franchise best known for a bullying scandal and talking to Tom Brady since Dan Marino’s retirement over two decades ago—polished off their fourth straight win against Bill Belichick’s once-dynastic New England Patriots. It was the Dolphins' seventh win in the past 10 meetings with the Pats and marked the first time in Bill Belichick’s storied NFL career that any team has beaten him on four consecutive occasions.
The game was sloppy for both teams, with the Patriots coughing up the ball three times, including once on the Dolphins’ goalline and once on their own, but the pivotal play came late in the first half with the Dolphins leading 10-0. Facing a fourth-and-seven on the Patriots’ 42-yard line with 24 seconds left in the half, the Dolphins had a couple of options, none of them very good. They could have punted it deep and taken the lead into halftime; tried a long field goal, potentially giving the Patriots good field position with time to move into field-goal range; or gone for it, accepting all the risk that comes with that. It was the first major call of head coach Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins’ tenure, and he got it absolutely right …
The play put the Dolphins up 17-0 at the break and, given the way the Phins 'fense was playing, effectively iced the game. Afterward, new star wide receiver Tyreek Hill was asked about the playcall, and he delivered one of the all-time NSFW quotes in Week 1 history.
We’ll need to see a heck of a lot more than a single busted slant on fourth down to declare the Dolphins offense well and truly potent, but the chemistry is clearly there. The personalities are gelling. The scheme is in place. The cojones are swinging low, sweet chariots. Grab those wheelbarrows, fellas. LET’S RIDE.
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