Miami Dolphins – Hard Rock Stadium – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by YES Market Media
The Miami Dolphins lost 27-17 to the Indianapolis Colts, who were 0-3, by the way. The Dolphins moved the ball as if it were a heavy boulder on an incline until a late awakening and two fourth-quarter touchdowns made the final score almost respectable.
For the fourth week in a row, Miami looked dreadful, unable to do anything for the majority of the game until it was completely out of hand.
“We played bad across the board,” coach Brian Flores put it bluntly. “Offense, defense, kicking game, penalties, turnovers — across the board. There’s a lot of things that are not connecting. Lack of focus. Lack of concentration. Lack of attention to details…”
The Dolphins remain fearful of throwing downfield. Miami’s meager 203 total offensive yards came mostly from those two late drives.
Miami has now been outscored 62-17 in two home games. This third straight loss means Miami is facing a 1-3 start to the season.
In nostalgic news, the stadium was packed with former Fins players for Alumni Weekend, as well as festivities to honor the memory of the great football coach, Don Shula. Every one of them had to feel slightly embarrassed by what they were seeing and hearing. The booing from home fans would get louder as the game dragged on.
64,571 tickets were distributed, while the crowd was much smaller.
At one point during the halftime events honoring the late Don Shula, Nat Moore, current vice club president and former great receiver, said “Wow! What an amazing weekend of events!”
For the pregame coin flip, the honorary captains were 1972 Perfect Season stalwarts Larry Csonka, Bob Griese, and Larry Little, joined by our more recent heroes, Dan Marino and Dwight Stephenson.
Dolphins cheerleaders wore jerseys numbered ‘72. The end-zone and midfield logos were expansion-era late ‘60s designs. White towels from the way-back machine were waved throughout the crowd.
Former players and Shula’s family took the field for the halftime ceremony honoring the classic glory days coach who passed away in March 2020 at age 90. A separate Celebration of Life event for Shula was held at the stadium on Saturday, fulfilling a weekend dedicated to the iconic coach.
The Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday in a Week 5 NFL game, which is a rare case of early-afternoon football for a Bucs team that is soaking in plenty of prime-time exposure as they attempt to defend their Super Bowl LV title. The Dolphins visit is only one of two 1:00 home games on Tampa Bay’s schedule for 2021. The next one does not come until Week 18.
There is no telling that the return of Tua Tagovailoa in the next few weeks will fix this offense, especially since there are larger issues than just the Dolphins quarterback.
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Chris began his writing as a hobby while attending Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Today he and his wife live in the Orlando area with their three children and dog.
