The Miami Dolphins officially have their playoff destiny in their own hands. Raise yours if you would have believed that after the first seven games of the 2021 NFL season. They sat at 1-7, looking like a complete disaster. Now, however, they are absolutely rolling, or swimming, their way toward a potential place in the playoffs is extremely unlikely fashion following a seventh consecutive win on Monday night against the New Orleans Saints.
The 20-3 win over the depleted Saints, with rookie Ian Book under center, now has the Dolphins sitting at 8-7 and able to control their own destiny in the playoff push. This win was propelled by a strong defensive showing that saw the Dolphins ‘D’ sack Book eight times and picks him off twice. They also got a strong performance from wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, as he made ten catches for a touchdown and 92 yards. Tua was solid enough for them to win comfortably here, and the crazy part about all of this, apart from the fact they are one of the hottest teams going currently, is that they are only a game off the pace of the Bills and Patriots at the top of the AFC East. Might they even snag the division in incredible fashion? As for the Saints, they saw a two-game streak snapped and fell to 7-8. They are still on the hunt, but they have a lot of work to do and will also need some help to squeak into the postseason.
