If you are one of those Miami Dolphins fans who may have bought plane tickets to the Phoenix area for the second weekend of next February for this event called Super Bowl LVII, it might be time to check on the refund policy.
It was just three weeks ago that the Fins had their chest puffed out with a fifth straight win (all over teams with losing records) and what was an 8-3 record before embarking on a three-game road trip with hopes of maybe...just maybe...finishing the regular season as the top seed in the AFC playoffs.
Fast forward to the present moment and the Fins are limping into the final three weeks of the season with an 8-6 record after the team's second three-game losing streak of the season. Those hopes of hosting a home playoff game are vanishing quickly with Miami holding a one game lead on the final spot in the playoffs.
In a period of just three weeks, all that goodwill the Dolphins seemed to have racked up has evaporated and has people wondering what the heck took place to make a team that was once unstoppable look almost pedestrian.
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Does it start at the quarterback position? At the risk of offending the "TuAnon" army on social media, Tua Tagovailoa has seen himself going from discussion about being the NFL's Most Valuable Player to throwing two interceptions against San Francisco, just 145 yards against Los Angeles and barely completing 50 percent of his passes against Buffalo.
Is it the coaching of first-year leader Mike McDaniel? In Saturday's loss to the Bills, the Dolphins failed to convert three times on third downs of less than three yards in the second half. Each time, the Fins tried to pass the ball instead of handing the ball off to running back Raheem Mostert - who had 150 all-purpose yards in the first quarter alone.
Is it the defense bending and breaking? Through the first 11 games of the season, Miami had allowed 30 points or more in just two games. In the last three games, the Dolphins gave up 33 points to San Francisco and 32 points to Buffalo.
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Maybe, just maybe, it's the fact the the Dolphins aren't as good as people thought they were. Don't get me wrong, this team has shown much more promise in the 2022 season than in previous years, but this team isn't even close to being in the conversation for a spot in the Super Bowl.
Miami's final three games will be a test of who wants it more. The Dolphins host a Green Bay Packers team on Christmas Day who has struggled this season (but still has this guy at quarterback named Aaron Rodgers) before finishing off with divisional foes New England and the New York Jets - two of the teams right behind them in the playoff standings.
Can the Dolphins finish the season knowing they will be back in the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season? If you're asking fans now, that answer might be a lot different than it was three weeks ago.
