Like I’ve been saying for 45 years, if the Miami Dolphins want to look like the ’72 Dolphins, wear the uniforms of those Perfect Season Dolphins.
What, you have a better explanation after the Dolphins beat the Patriots, 27-20?
This wasn’t the team you’ve watched and loathed for so much of this season, Dolphins fans. That was pretty much clear Monday night by the time Jarvis Landry scored his second touchdown of the night to put the Dolphins up, 27-10, in the third quarter and celebrated by:
A) Administering CPR on the football on the ground to suggest a revived season, or …
B) Inflating the ball with a tire pump in a taunting gesture for the Patriots’ Deflategate history.
Who knew? In fact, who knew what to make of anything this night? Who saw any of it coming? Who can translate what it really means?
“This was one of the better games we’ve played in the last two years — all three phases,’’ Dolphins coach Adam Gase said.
"We've had a lot of good nights this year, and this was a bad night," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said.
The script flipped. The world turned upside down. Or maybe it really was those Dolphins’ throwback uniforms that took fans — at least those of a certain age — back to that Perfect Season in 1972. The Dolphins looked that perfect part Monday, too.
Even ’72 fullback Larry Csonka was tweeting Monday after ’17 cornerback Xavien Howard’s second interception of Tom Brady, “Man that was one of THE best interceptions I’ve seen!”
It might have been, too. And it was against two elites — Brady and Brandin Cooks, too. Howard had zero career interceptions nine days ago. He now has four after two against Denver and these two against New England. And he held Cooks — the Patriots elite receiver — to one catch for 38 yards.
But if Csonka’s tweet didn’t provide a snapshot to a night of surprise, the man who produced like Csonka — I can’t believe I’m typing this, either — did on this night, too.
That was Kenyan Drake. He wasn’t just the Dolphins feature back by default again this game. He was by full production. He had 25 carries for 114 yards and five catches for 79 yards. They all mattered, too, like his third-and-7 catch for 8 yards to the Patriots 5-yard line.
For the second time in three years, the Patriots may see their home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs go up in smoke in South Florida because of a pounding administered by a Dolphins team with a losing record. Again behind a very comfortable-looking Jay Cutler and an explosive and versatile Kenyan Drake, Miami won game two of its de facto playoffs, needing to win three more to get to 9-7 and have a shot of playing the first weekend of January. Meanwhile, Tom Brady fell to 7-9 lifetime at Hard Rock Stadium, an astounding number when one considers that the Patriots future Hall of Famer is 81-28 on the road against every other NFL team. (Omar Kelly, Steve Svekis) (Omar Kelly, Steve Svekis)
Next play: Landry scored scored his first touchdown. That put the Dolphins up, 13-7. That started the spread they barely looked back on until New England put up a too-late rally. What, did they miss suspended tight end Rob Gronkowski this much?
Better question: What’s got into this defense? The Patriots didn’t convert a third down in 11 attempts Monday. That means the defense has stopped 23 of 24 third-down conversions in the past two games. Who knew?
Or who saw Jay Cutler completely outplaying Brady? Another surprise. Brady looked like the 40-year-old Virgin Quarterback the way the Dolphins seemed to confound him. If it wasn’t Howard intercepting, it was two sacks and enough hoodoo in the scheme to keep him at bay.
Cutler, meanwhile, looked in command like he hasn’t much this year. He threw for three touchdowns and it would’ve been four if Jakeem Grant hadn’t dropped a deep pass that would’ve threatened to shake apart the stadium’s renovations with noise.
Grant already had a touchdown this game when he outjumped Pro Bowl cornerback Malcolm Butler. Grant entered the game with just three catches this year.
Throw in defensive tackle Jordan Phillips sacking Brady, and you saw development from players who just a few weeks ago were disappointments: Howard. Drake. Grant. Phillips. And DeVante Parker went through a game without causing an interception.
Sure, some experts will say they predicted all this. Despite the Patriots’ championship pedigree, despite their whipping the Dolphins two weeks ago in Foxboro, there was some glimmer of reason to see this coming. The Dolphins had won three of the previous four games against New England in Hard Rock Stadium.
That said, did you see this coming? And what does it mean? That the Dolphins are really this good? Or that it was the annual one-game tease that happens when the planets align and the ’72 uniforms are worn?
That’s beyond me after watching this team slog through this year. I can’t even figure out what Landry’s touchdown celebration signified.
CAPTION Miami Dolphins stun the New England Patriots, 27-20, at Hard Rock Stadium. Miami Dolphins stun the New England Patriots, 27-20, at Hard Rock Stadium. CAPTION Miami Dolphins stun the New England Patriots, 27-20, at Hard Rock Stadium. Miami Dolphins stun the New England Patriots, 27-20, at Hard Rock Stadium. CAPTION Miami Dolphins coach Adam Gase talks about his team's surprising win over the New England Patriots. Miami Dolphins coach Adam Gase talks about his team's surprising win over the New England Patriots. CAPTION Miami Dolphins running back Kenyon Drake says the victory over the Patriots was a game where everyone on the team showed up to play. Miami Dolphins running back Kenyon Drake says the victory over the Patriots was a game where everyone on the team showed up to play. CAPTION Miami Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler on the Dolphins' win over the New England Patriots. Miami Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler on the Dolphins' win over the New England Patriots. CAPTION Miami Dolphins receiver Jarvis Landry talks about the Dolphins' win over the Patriots. Miami Dolphins receiver Jarvis Landry talks about the Dolphins' win over the Patriots.
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