There have been some amazing moments in the history of the Miami Dolphins franchise in its 57th season. Two Super Bowl titles, three other appearances in the title game, Don Shula’s record breaking 325th career win and countless memories from legendary quarterback Dan Marino’s MVP season in 1984 are all on that list.
What took place Sunday inside M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland will be on that list for years to come. Well, what took place in the second half will be on that list for years to come.
Miami took the field against the Baltimore Ravens knowing they were going to get much more of a challenge than they got in the season opener over a New England Patriots team on the downside of their dynasty era. They went into the locker room at halftime down 28-7 after a magical performance from Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and were wondering if the other shoe had dropped.
In 30 minutes of play that silenced at least some of the critics, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa led Miami on five touchdown drives in the second half – including the final score to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle with just 14 seconds left – to shock both the Ravens and much of the football world who didn’t think the Fins had it in them.
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Tagovailoa’s six total touchdowns passing and 469 yards passing set career records for the player in his third season - and set off his ‘TuAnon’ social media fanbase of supporters in a frenzy acting like he is the best Dolphins quarterback of all time. (For the record, Marino threw for more yards on three occasions in his career and threw for six touchdowns in a game once.)
What took place Sunday is the reason the Dolphins picked Tagovailoa despite his injury concerns in the 2020 NFL Draft. It’s the reason for all the moves to get back in the top 10 and select his former Alabama teammate Waddle one draft later. It’s the reason they traded all those picks to the Kansas City Chiefs this past offseason to acquire wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
Hill’s 190 yards receiving and Waddle’s 171 yards along with their four combined touchdowns is the kind of highlight numbers that fans of the Dolphins haven’t seen much of over the past few decades. Getting a win over a perennial playoff team that has actually won a Super Bowl in the last decade is what gives Miami the confidence that this time, it might be for real.
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There is still plenty to have concern about. The defense gave up its most points in a game since Week 5 last season against Tampa Bay. Tagovailoa threw two first-half interceptions, and the special teams unit gave up a 103-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff of the game.
At 2-0 for the first time since the 2018 season, Miami now prepares to host a Buffalo Bills team at home next weekend who many experts think could not just make it to the Super Bowl but win the title. It was a game many wondered if the Dolphins would be competitive in.
After what took place Sunday in Baltimore, it wouldn’t be so smart to count the aqua and orange out.
