All three Dolphins’ rivals lose key players

By Hugo Guzman  |   Tuesday, September 27, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

Miami Dolphins
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The Miami Dolphins' prospects for the 2005 season got a lot better after Sunday's win over the Panthers, but it had nothing to do with anything the Dolphins players or coaches did.

On Sunday, the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and New York Jets lost key players to injury. Now nobody wants to see players get hurt, and I am not insinuating that we should secretly root for injuries so that we can improve our outlook in the AFC East, but the fact remains the injuries that were suffered by our divisional rivals were fairly significant and could put Miami Dolphins in a great position if they continue to do their job and win games.

Let's start with the Patriots. First and foremost, they have lost safety Rodney Harrison for the season with a severe knee injury. He tore the ACL, MCL, and PCL on his left knee. Although they didn't show it in a close win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, they will miss Harrison's nasty attitude, veteran leadership and penchant for making big plays. The Pats also lost offensive lineman Matt Light, but it is unclear how much time he will miss due to his injury. He was carted off the field after injury and was seen wearing a soft cast after the game, so chances are that he will be sidelined for a while.

Moving on to the Bills, their defense was already struggling against the run, and now they will have to finish the season without Pro Bowl linebacker Takeo Spikes. He ruptured his Achilles tendon in the home loss to the Atlanta Falcons. That loss along with the struggles of QB J.P. Losman could spell doom for the Bills as far as this season is concerned.

Finally, we reach the plight of the New York Jets. Reports out of the Big Apple have quarterback Chad Pennington missing the entire season after re-injuring his rotator-cuff. He will get a second opinion, but chances are that he will be shelved for the year. On top of all this, backup quarterback Jay Fiedler also injured his shoulder and could also miss significant time. The Jets will likely find themselves in the free agent market for backup quarterbacks such as Patrick Ramsey or Billy Volek.

Of the three teams, I believe that only the Patriots will be able to withstand their injury issues and continue to dominate in the NFL. In any case, these major injuries will put the Miami Dolphins in a position to go for the jugular when they face these wounded foes later in the season.
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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