The Miami Dolphins were able to come away with another must-win victory. They have now won six games in a row after beating the New York Jets in Week 15, 31-24.
This was a must-win game for this Miami team and they came out and found a way to win despite it being ugly at some points. They were down 10-0 early on in this contest but they were able to score 17 unanswered points and walk away with a much-needed victory. The game got close again in the fourth quarter but Duke Johnson was able to have a long run and set up a DeVante Parker 11-yard touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa.
With this win, Miami now moves to 7-7 on the season, they were able to do this after starting the year 1-7. No matter who they played, and how they were able to come away with these victories, it is impressive. Winning one game in the NFL is hard enough but winning six games in a row is certainly not the easiest thing in the world to do. They have shown the fight and passion throughout this entire process and that has caused them to finally play football the way that fans and people around the league expected them to.
Let's take a look at four takeaways from the Dolphins' impressive Week 15 win over the New York Jets.
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Dolphins Week 15 Takeaways
4. Defense stepped up when they needed to
The Dolphins' defense didn't exactly do everything that they needed to do on Sunday but they were still able to only give up 17 points due to Miami throwing a pick-six.
This means that the Miami Dolphins defense now has seven games in a row that they have given up less than 20 points on the defensive side of the ball. If they can continue defending at a high level, their path to the playoffs is going to be much easier than it was in the early part of the season. They're going to need to win their next three games and if they want to make the playoffs, that's all going to be dependent on how well the defense can play. The defense has been a major reason why they have won six games in a row.
3. 6 in a row
That is now six victories in a row for the Dolphins after starting the season 1-7. Everybody knew that this team was not a 1-7 team in terms of talent and they have proved that with their play throughout the six-game win streak. They're starting to finally get contributions from everybody on the field and Tua Tagovailoa has finally been healthy which has certainly been one of the most important reasons why the Dolphins have been able to find this type of success.
Winning six games in a row in the NFL is certainly impressive as every win is tough to come by. They have continuously shown how bright their future can be and it's an exciting time down in Miami.
2. Tua didn't look great, but still not bad
Tua didn't exactly have his best game as a quarterback on Sunday but he still was able to throw for two touchdowns and 196 yards. At the end of the day, he was able to lead his team to a win, and with the help of Duke Johnson, Miami was able to walk away with a much-needed victory. There are still clear areas that Tua needs to improve on and even he recognizes that. He has proven throughout the six-game winning streak that he's going to be a very good quarterback in the NFL and him having one down game should not change the fans' minds about what he has done for them this season.
1. Playoffs are right there
It's not going to be easy for the Dolphins to sneak into the playoffs. Their losses against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons could very well come back to haunt this team. Miami didn't take care of business in the early part of the season and now they have to live with the consequences of that. They do have three games remaining on their schedule and not one of them is going to be easy. They have to take on the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans, they then take on the Tennessee Titans, and New England Patriots the last two weeks of the season. If they want to make the playoffs, they're going to have to play their best football and certainly have to play better than they did on Sunday.
Miami has a lot on their plates in the coming weeks but they have shown they can win when it matters so expect the same out of this team.