3-0 and a two-game lead in the division. Say that out loud a few times! A month ago I would’ve never believed it.

Phins come from behind and take down the Raiders 28-20. We showed toughness, grit, and resilience despite some real tough injuries. Let’s recap the Raiders game and watch some film, shall we?

HIGHLIGHTS and LOW-LIGHTS FROM THE RAIDERS GAME

(as usual, keep your sound on)

RYAN TANNEHILL

Tannehill (10-1 in his last 11 starts, which is better than any other QB) gets his own section AGAIN this week as he’s been the hot topic and is on FIRE! Ryan played his best game of the season and is certainly trending in the right direction!

Let’s start with this: I don’t care if you believe in him or not, but if this clip doesn’t get you pumped, you’re not a true Phin fan!

And as if that wasn’t enough, quit questioning his accuracy, this is IMPRESSIVE:

Still not sold? Watch him move/freeze the safety with his eyes then drop a BOMB to Parker:

Tannehill is playing at a pro-bowl level right now and is the #1 reason Miami is doing so well (although his teammates deserve a ton of credit).

THE OTHER POSITIVES

Vincent Taylor and Davon Godchaux continue to stake their claim in the middle of our defensive line. It hurt big time to see William Hayes go down for the season, but all hope is not lost with these two (and Phillips). Watch this highlight reel of them dominating the Raiders!

And speaking of DOMINATING, has anyone been more impressive this season than Xavien Howard? Dude is balling and wracked up 2 ints from Carr and the Raiders! Check out what could be the play of the game and what a solemn Jon Gruden had to say about it:

Other positives from the game were:

Baker and McMillan are playing better. Not GREAT yet, but better. It’s good and important to see those two progressing.

Our offensive line continues to hold their own in terms of decent pass protection (most of the time)

Our WRs are great and consistent across the board. I cannot imagine another group of 5 WRs as solid as this one.

THE NEGATIVES

Bobby McCain had a tough day. Jordy Nelson, the wily veteran, straight up abused him. Here is just one example, although this was more of a communications breakdown:

Other negatives from the game:

We couldn’t run the ball. At all. Our offensive line, although decent against the pass, struggle to maintain their blocks on run plays… especially the big 3 in the middle. This MUST improve.

Picking up stunts continue to be an issue for our OL and communication in this area must be a key coaching point moving forward.

Minkah Fitzpatrick didn’t look nearly as good at safety as he does at nickel corner. Hopefully Jones comes back this week!

RANDOMNESS FROM THE GAME

The “play design of the year” award goes to Adam Gase (although he credits Mike Martz) for this beauty that results in a TD. Listen for something you may not have noticed:

I rarely comment on the refs as they have a very difficult job, but they were terrible in this game. Here are just two examples that crippled our momentum going into halftime:

THIS WEEK VS THE PATRIOTS

A lot of people are calling this a “big game” for Miami. I disagree… I call it a “BIG OPPORTUNITY.” This is a “big game” for New England as their backs are against the wall and cannot afford to fall any further behind the Phins in the division. This is a “BIG OPPORTUNITY” for Miami because we could make a statement here that the Patriot’s reign is coming to an end.

Look for a preview article on DolphinsTalk.com from me on Saturday or Sunday with a lot of detail about this weekend’s matchup!

Prediction: Phins win and start a new era; 30-20.

Fins Up!

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