Playoff push begins this week for Dolphins

By Jeff Dickinson  |   Wednesday, October 22, 2008  |  Comments( 14 )

Miami Dolphins
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The race to the playoffs starts this Sunday for the Miami Dolphins, who host the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills in a game that is a must-win if the former wants a shot at the postseason. The 2-4 Dolphins trail the 5-1 Bills by three games in the division, and a loss on Sunday would dig a hole so deep that it would be difficult to get out of over the last nine contests of the year.

More importantly, if the Dolphins want to have a shot at a wild-card berth, they need to make up some ground on those teams that are leading that race. That group of clubs starts and ends with the New England Patriots. If the playoffs started right now, New England would be one of the wild-card teams at 4-2. The second would be either Jacksonville, Indianapolis or Baltimore, all of which are 3-3.

Two games below .500, the Dolphins are still in the race. But Miami has to turn around its recent misfortunes that have resulted in a two-game losing streak if the playoffs are going to be within reach.

The Dolphins only need to look to one aspect of their football team if they want to bounce back from the losses to Houston and Baltimore. When Miami was on its two-game winning streak earlier this year (victories over New England and San Diego), rushing was at the heart of its offense.

Miami ran for 216 yards against New England and 167 versus San Diego. Guess what the Dolphins didn’t do in the losses to Houston and Baltimore? That’s right. They didn’t have success on the ground.

Against Houston, the Dolphins only gained 96 yards on the ground. In last week’s 27-13 loss to Baltimore, things were even worse. Miami gained a paltry 71 rushing yards. The lesson here is that if the Dolphins are successful running the ball, good things are going to happen. If opponents shut down Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, then a big “L” is likely to be put up in the standings.

In the Dolphins’ two wins this season, they averaged almost 192 rushing yards per game. In the four losses, that average plummets to 72 yards per contest. Even if you’re not a football coach, those numbers should reach up and smack you in the face.

As a result, here is the game plan for the Dolphins against Buffalo (cover your eyes if you are a Bills fan): 1. Run the ball; 2. Run the ball; 3. Run the ball.
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About Jeff Dickinson

I have been writing and editing professionally for 18 years. I spent the first three years of my career as a sportswriter for a daily newspaper in Alabama and got to cover sports and get paid for it! It was great until I got married and then it wasn't too much fun being away from my wife every...
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