Before the 2016 NFL season, I thought there was a realistic chance that the Miami Dolphins could start out 0-7. I figured Cleveland and Tennessee were toss-ups, but the rest were losses. Surprise! The Dolphins actually started 3-4, mostly because Cleveland is awful and Pittsburgh played like garbage.
In any case, the Dolphins recently went on a five game win streak. But is it due to their schedule, better execution or Ryan Tannehill playing like he’s worth his big time contract? Let’s take a look.
Schedule
The combined record of Miami’s last five opponents is 21-29. Yeah, not great. An easier schedule, they opened with Seattle and New England, has definitely helped them.
Execution
It’s probably no coincidence that Jay Ajayi started racking up yards beginning with that Pittsburgh win. He topped 200 yards in back-to-back games, cracked 100 yards in another and still managed 4+ yards per carry in the remaining two. Having a running back capable of that type of performance makes winning games a bit easier.
Ryan Tannehill
Oh Ryan Tannehill. My feelings about his contract and leading the Dolphins to a Super Bowl are well documented. Is his performance winning games, or is it more that he isn’t costing the team games?
Personally, I would say that of the five wins the one against San Diego can be attributed to Tannehill. He finished with a completion percentage of 70.8 for 240 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. In the other four wins, it looks like standard Tannehill. A couple of one touchdown, no interception games with average yards per completion in the five to six yards range.
Where does that leave us? Miami’s win streak probably has more to do with an easing of the schedule and Jay Ajayi’s performance than anything else. Which, honestly, was the formula I always thought the Dolphins needed to employ with Tannehill at the helm. Strong running game, aggressive defense and a quarterback that’s decently mobile and doesn’t make too many mistakes. Yes, that often means a razor-thin margin of error, but other teams have followed that path with great success.
Luckily, Miami’s remaining opponents currently have a combined record of 26-33-1 so they have a good shot at riding that formula to success for the rest of the season. Hopefully, Ryan Tannehill does his part of managing games.