Dolphins Competitive with Defending Champs, Ultimately Fall 33-27

Miami Dolphins football. And on today's show, it's not the victory Monday podcast we've grown accustomed to over the last couple of months. But you're gonna get one tone from me today and one tone only, one of encouragement. The Dolphins make a lot of big plays in this game, leave a few out there, and that was just enough for the Chiefs to win their twelve game in thirteen tries this season. Dolphins fall to eight and five with

the thirty three seven loss. Will get my five takeaways, breakdown the individual performances, and welcome John can gem me into the podcast as we do on these recap pods. All of that and more on this Monday, December fourteenth edition of the Drive Time Podcast. A Dolphins Fans, the new year starts now at Auto Nation. Let's skip the rest of and get to big New Year's savings on your favorite Auto Nation Chevy's fours, Toyotas, Honda's Jeeps and more.

Shops safely at the Auto Nation store near you or auto nation dot com and save right now. Let's go ahead and jump right into the recap podcast here, because I'm a little bit fired up, you know, the middle part of that game, thirty to ten. I was hoping we would get the type of effort we saw at the end of the football game to make that one close. And that's what we got. So it lifted my spirits, lifted my moods. I have plenty to get to here on this Monday recap edition. Let's go ahead and start.

Go first with the stats. In this game, Dolphins gain three six d nine yards, so the Chiefs four forty six. Miami was out rushed only eight to nine four passing yards. Chiefs go three fifty two to Miami's two eighty nine third down conversions. This is gonna be a takeaway on the podcast. Dolphins were seven for fifteen, Chiefs just five out of eleven the takeaways. Miami had the four Chiefs had the one. Dolphins had three sacks. Tuga bal Loo

was sacked four times. Miami goes back down to their regular penalty yardage and penalties committed assessed against them three for thirty five after last week's eight. The Chiefs commit eight foils for fifty six yards and the Dolphins had the football for thirty one and a half minutes in this game. A couple of the storylines I was keeping an eye on heading into this game, where how would the Dolphins run the football. We learned on Saturday that

Miles Gascon would not be available to the team. He, Matt Brita, and Savan Akhmed all did not play in this game. So DeAndre Washington, who was acquired via a trade back at the trade deadline, comes in. I was curious to see how they ran the football. DeAndrea led the team thirteen carries thirty five yards rushing. Tunga by Loa had six for twenty four in the game. I

was also curious about the offensive line. Last week, we saw Eric Flowers go out with the ankle injury, leaves the field, doesn't practice this week, doesn't play on Sunday. They kick over Solomon, killing the left guard Jesse Davis fills in at right guard. Look, I like giving you guys a more responsible research answer here. Something's gonna be real with you I have. I'll have a much better idea once I look at the all twenty two on

the offensive line. So more on that on Tuesday. What do we do to help make up the absence of Kyle van noy, any Land and Roberts Both those guys missed the game this week, so those are gonna be the takeaways. Also, so will these final two things I was keeping an eye on. I wanted to pay a

close attention to the defensive calls. How did they decide to maintain or how to contain and defend Patrick Mahomes and the red zone and third down because I told myself on the preview podcast and convinced myself the Miami must win in those areas to win this game. So we'll go ahead and visit that. And with that, let's go ahead and jump right in to our first takeaway. And these first two takeaways are gonna get worried here,

but just stay with me. I think we can stop pondering whether or not this Dolphins defense is for real. If we even were at this point, and some will say that takeaways are a bit of a flukey stat

remember today's NFL. This is something I made a point I made on the podcast I don't know six weeks ago, when we're having two takeaways per game like we are right now at this stage, I talked about how takeaways are keen because the way the league's designed right now, the way all these athletic dual threat multipurpose quarterbacks with the rules geared towards more offensive production, with more defensive

penalties that are going to be called against. Then then the offense in this NFL, you're just not going to find a way to consistently come up with ten stops a game against a Patrick Mahomes type, against a Russell Wilson, against what Josh Allen is doing this season. They're not

flukey though. Turnovers when you generate them and create them pretty much in the same way each week, with pressures, tight coverage on the back end, bad things are going to happen to an offense when they are consistently being put in those situations and being we was to make critical decisions and quick plays against the pressure. This Dolphins defense can't create the Chiefs didn't score a point in the first quarter. They had just fourteen in the first half.

In total, they turned it over four times and punted four times. So you know, I had to go back and look at how many times that's happened this year, with eight combined possessions resulting in no points, no attempt at field goal, just a turnover or a punt. They punted it five times in a game twice this year and four times and two others. They never had more

than one giveaway in a game this season. In fact, why don't we go ahead and let coach Flora's tell you about the type of team this Chief's offense has, as they were able to score thirty points in those second and third quarters, no points in the first quarters, just three points in the fourth quarter. Let's go ahead and let Coach Flora's talk about what type of team this Chief's offense is and how the Dolphins had to

approach it. You know, they this is an explosive team, and they went on a little bit of a run there from the second half. Within the end of the second quarter, got the ball back, punched it in a return. I mean, it was just a quick spurt there. And that's that's kind of how you know they're want, they're built. You know they're going round, and they went on one there.

It's called the second in the second quarter. To be getting in the third quarter, we had to settle in and we collect ourselves, and I thought our guys did a good job of that. And you know, I had some play with some poison, got ourselves back in the game. And they'll limit those big plays and we weren't able to do that today. Ultimately, that was the difference you heard coach talk about the Spurts there. This is the same team that scored twenty eight points in a single

quarter last season. They are those Warriors teams and in the NBA with Steph and Clay and k D, they can hit fifteen three points in one quarter on you and put the game not if not out of reach. Completely changed the complexion of it. And we kind of saw that happen in this game. They go down score in the second quarter, they come out of the gates with a touchdown to open the third quarter. They come

right back with the pump return touchdown. And this is an offense that there is nobody out there within thirty yards of them. For the number two offensive spot in the NFL. There are thirty yards, give or take clear of Green Bay for yards per game. This offense is potent, it's dangerous. It's just uniquely built, like coach mentioned there, and so they're combined turnover slash punts in a game goes eight today from the Dolphins six, five, five, five,

five and the four. So they have a whole bunch of games where they just score on at least half their possessions pretty much. If you want to call an average of twelve drives a game, that's about what it is in the NFL, give or take. Most teams get six drives per half, six at the or twelve in the total game, so they're used to scoring on seven or eight of those drives. They scored four times today, five on that field goal there at the end, granted the punt return, which I know Flow will be pissed

as pisses anybody about that. But some perspective here, man, Like, we faced the NFL's most prolific offense in the two thousand two nineteen season opener. Remember what happened. Then, look at where this defense is after just fifteen months after that result. I mean it's it's unbelievable. And it's not just players, it's the game plan, it's the mixed coverages, it's different fronts, different personnel that can execute those different

fronts taking out their best weapons. And this started off well, but both Kelsey and Hill got going in this game. A buck eleven for Tyreek Hill and two touchdowns one thirty six for Travis Kelsey and a score. Sometimes hall of fame level players, which Kelsey is gonna be Tygreek

Hills on that track. Hall of Fame level players make Hall of Fame plays and they have Hall of Fame games sometimes in the first quarter, though Tyreek Hill for the first twenty three minutes of the game, actually into the midway part of the second quarter, before that thirty two yard touchdown run, he didn't touch the football. So

it looks good at the start. And the Dolphins were also limiting big plays early in this game and that opening start, and again in that fourth quarter, plays of two and three and six and one yards and those types of things where you don't allow them to eat up chunk yards, which again back to their spurts. They had the forty four yard touchdown passing to Tyreek hill, they had twenty five yards and a league pass out

to Clyde Edwards, a layer in the flat. If you can limit the big plays and keep them in those that range, and they did have some thirteen six fifteen yard plays at that time, but you don't get over the top of you. That allows you more plays, more opportunities to get in those situations where you create big places for yourself. And the Dolphins have just done that all season long with the mixed looks and execution, confusing the opposing offense, give them a short number of options

and try to make those options. They have to resolve your defensive puzzle the things they struggle with, and with Patrick Mahomes it doesn't really struggle with anything. But if you can push the protection and not let him break that initial surge, then you can force him into some of those off platform throws or maybe they get tipped because he's a little bit off balance and the ball

sales a little bit. Those are forced airs. And the Dolphins do it every single week, nineteen consecutive games with a takeaway, the longest active streak in the NFL. And how do they do that again by mixing their looks. There was a two man look. I saw it early

in the game. Cover two lookwards zone, single high safety back their three safeties on the field, A big nickel look where they have to do a switch because they run a natural roa up with Travis Kelsey and Tyreek Hill and they rub Xavier and Howard and try to get Eric Rowan Tyreek Hill. They switched that and handle it and cover it up well. There are all kinds of different looks as defense runs, all kinds of different fronts this defense runs and their ability to execute the

scheme that they want to play. We talked about this on a podcast lab I think it was two weeks ago, where Brian Baldinger talked about the vision of the team and building the team to a specific vision that you identify. The rush, contain, slash, big body, defensive vents off either edge, shack Lawson, Emmanuel Ogba. I talked about this un till I was blue in the face all off season long. They're not gonna rush past their tackle and go up

behind the quarterback. The worst place to be on a football field behind the quarterback because, like we talked about, the modern day athletic quarterback and move and ship to make plays and make you irrelevant back in that spot.

So they play through their man, they play through that power, the heavy hands, the surge play, the quarterback play, the run on the way to the quarterback, and that really helped kind of create confusion and create a limited option as far as the pucket for Patrick Mahomes in this game, and it forced some bad plays and some turnovers. So he has two picks in the first quarter of this game after entering the game with two picks on the entire season. You have to turn those big plays into

points the Dolphins, and they didn't. They got three points off those turnovers early on in this game. But you create those situations time in and time out, you're gonna win a lot of football games. And we've seen that over seven of the last nine weeks now after today's lost.

But a narrow defeat against the defending champs in a game, or you force four turnovers and force four point punts against that quarterback, that head coach, that offensive coordinator, that receiver, that tight end, I mean, it never ends, it never ends. And so to see Miami put forth that type of effort and that type of production, albeit in a losing effort,

Man this Dolphins defense looks legit. The second takeaway I have here and just as I believe are we have ourselves a bona fide defense on that side of the football? I sure do you think we have ourselves a quarterback?

And I've always believed that. You guys know what I thought about too as a prospect, if you listen to me on Drive Time over the summer, or if you listen to me on Locked on Dolphins for the past three years before that, from the first game he ever played as a college prospect, I thought this guy could flat out place in football. And speaking of that night back in Seen, it was national championship after seventeen season, the lights just never seemed to flash too bright for

this guy. And I think I think there's something to the way a guy is wired that way, and that the magnitude of certain moments either do or they just don't affect the way a player approaches things. I can speak from experience on this, and I don't want to get too much into myself here, but I played baseball and basketball from the time I could walk until through college, and then later played poker because I just had a

competitive drive. I had to always be playing when I was up against a big hand in poker, when I was called to make a big shot, I didn't like the way it felt. I got nervous. There are there are guys out there that get nervous and guys that don't. I just don't think that. I think this quarterback is unflappable.

We've heard about it so many times. And to see you on an NFL feel when they're down thirty to ten and they just keep fighting and just keep calling back and getting themselves back into position to make plays and to get points and to and to keep grinding and keep this game going when you've had to have points this season, I've had faith in that quarterback and I've been rewarded by that quarterback more times than not.

And the gotta have at moments in the Arizona game against the Rams, after those turners putting the ball in the end zone, against the Bengals last week, in the second half against the Chiefs down late in the game, had to have back to back touchdown drives. You got it both times, and I mean those drives to end the game. The Chiefs were just bringing relentless pressure over and over again, and so the way to a beat you.

They challenge Lynn Bowden Jr. Malcolm Perry, Adam Shaheen to beat that man coverage quickly and dialed up the pressure on the quarterback. And this is certainly no shot at those guys, not at all. But it's worth acknowledging that you today lost DeVante Parker, Jachem Grant and Mike g. Sicky in a game where the top three leading rushers

on the team didn't play. As far as running backs are concerned, I mean, oh yeah, and Presty Williams is down to that's literally your top seven in terms of skill per skill player production you have on the roster just not available, just not there for you. And we'll get to the guys who stepped in shortly. They deserve as much credit as too. In the offense, they were

great at that point of the game as well. But to be able to just hit that rhythm, to have that trust to make those critical decisions where Steve's bagnolo Chiefs d C knows that he has one job. It's to make your quarterback uncomfortable because at this stage of the game, the run game is just not an option. And since you can't go to the run game right there, right, you can't run the ball very much and you're down

by twenty points in the second half. Now, credit to Miami, they found some success at points where they could go to the run to help move the change, to help get drive started. That type of thing as you manage the clock in those situations, got to the line quickly snapped the ball and kept it going. But you get the larger point and the Chiefs are focused on sending pressure and trying to put the game away with a pick or a fumble, a sack that changes the game.

And he just stood in there and through the football to spots patient, didn't flinch against that that type of pressure, just read the action, found the leverage and deliver the ball time and time again. And as I watched from up high in the press box, I can't tell you

how many times. And we'll hear from him. In just one second, Me and con gem Me look at each other and say that receiver wasn't even even in the neighborhood when that ball was thrown, just throwing to a totally vacant area, and nobody's out of their break yet. And by the time the ball gets to the area,

that's when the receiver arrives too. It was it was just surging, like the way he attacked that aggressive Chief defense, And that was on top of the earlier parts of the game we saw in other parts of the game with the quick twitch we still see inside the pocket every week now he's making a play where he evades an initial rush, attacks a line of scrimmage and looks to uncork one and like the gas Can play last week, they got thirty five yards and led to that go

ahead touchdown drive like the shot to mac Hollins, we just missed on today. That oft script ability, Well, it's gonna pay off over time. It just will. And he continues to get you your offense into situations like that when sometimes the defensive play call wins, and sometimes it's up to quarterbacks and your best players to go out and make plays and to beat the call of the defense.

And I thought we saw a lot of that today when when things broke down, when the pressure got too hot, he just stayed calm and found a way to get around that. Those two traits, that anticipation and the ability to win both within and with outside of the structure to execute whichever game plan you want to ask of him the no huddle up tempo, hurry up, we gotta go, or more of a conservative plan to chew up the

clock and support a strong defensive effort and special team's effort. Man, I just like what we have because even among some of the rookie mistakes you might see on weekend, week out basis or today, and in fact, why don't we go ahead and just turn it over to two right here and let him talk about how it feels to come up short in this game and some of the mistakes that he thinks they could have cleaned up and had a better, better day of execution on the offensive

side of the football and ultimately found a way to win the game. Here, it's a lot to come up short. Like I said, you know what we want to do is we want to win the ball game. At the end of the game, we want to score one more point than the opposing team, which we obviously didn't, but I think the defense gave us many opportunities, not just in the third quarter so I'm in the fourth quarter as well, but offensively we didn't. We didn't execute the

way we we should have. And I think, well, not not that I think I know, a lot of that falls down on me with the leadership with these guys in the third quarter, Um, you know, not taking what the defense is giving me, just pretty much playing rookie mistakes, and you know you can't do that against the super

Bowl caliber team like like the Chiefs. So a lot of the execution really started from me, And I think our guys played their butts off offensively on the on the old line, they played their butts off, the receivers played their butts off. It was really just me executing with the guys. So there's two us take on the way the game went. Taking full accountability for the loss at the end of the day, and that's you know what you're starting, what you're starting quarterback should do. That's

how he should lead by example. But you heard him talk a little bit there about taking what the defense gives you. An what's funny about that was there was a point in the third quarter when the offense began to get cranking where he surveyed some options and the Chiefs are kind of playing off. We talked about maybe being a little bit less aggressive with the scoreboard more in your favor, and they kind of reacted that way and to it just went through the read, or at

least I thought he did. He stood there for a while and progressed. He saw his head moving around and just took the little short pass of the running back and picked up nine ten yards to get them into a third and one compared to a you know, possible third and tent situation. So to learn about that on the fly, to apply it, and to go out and make a couple of drives happened there. That was awesome. Even with those mistakes that he talks about, those are

gonna come with more experience. You're gonna get those corrected over time. But those aforementioned traits, maybe those are either there or they're not, and they're there with this guy. The third takeaway is the key third downs and red zone statistics I was talking about all week long. Miami winds up two for three in the red zone scoring touchdowns and seven for fifteen on third downs, and that got us back into the game. But I thought they had to do better to win the game. At the

end of the day. There was a very opening series of the game, third and nine to a drills one between two defenders and Jachim just can't quite come up with it there. That would have been a first down

if they execute that play as an offense. They then from there have that awesome drive where two agoes and complete three out of four converts two third down plays, a touchdown to Mike Gasicki thought that was a great touchdown pass from two to Gasicki, the awareness to find him once he got off that block and showed his numbers with the quarterback. But then the Dolphins after that go back to a little bit more struggles on third down.

There's a third and six on the plus thirteen. The throw to the corner of the ins into Davante Parker thought he might have had a chance to come down with that. We just can't quite finish that play. Another opportunity to not even not even extend to drive there, but to put you know, four more points on the board. If we can punch that in, then we have a failed third and seven. The pass that got intercepted the first in the career of tongue La now nine touchdown

passes compared to one interception in his career. But I thought that was a chance where Joachim was on top of the defender, the balls a little bit under thrown, he tries to come back to make a play on it. Maybe we try to get a personal dp I there, Maybe try to get a catch, maybe get a bigger play over the top. I just thought those three plays, those three third downs, those are the plays that if you can make them, if you can swing them and you can get the takeaways and play that strong defense

on Patrick Mahomes, you can beat the Chiefs. It can be done. But if you don't make those plays, it's gonna be a lot more difficult to overcome that. And we learned that in this game. So I thought those few third down key conversions, although being seven for fifteen at the end of the day was just enough to the difference for the Chiefs in this game to win the game, the number four takeaway the next man up

mentality will go through these quick here. Both linebackers he Landed Roberts and Kyle van Noy are such big losses because we know how much they mean to this defense and how good they are as players. But what do you get right away in this game? Andrew Van Ginkle goes to the ground, gets cut blocked, pops up and deflects a pass into the air that gets picked off by Byron Jones, the first of his career as a Miami Dolphin. Congratsed on that, Byron. But you get a

big play from Van Ginkle. Jerome Baker gets a thirty yards sack. We'll talk more about him here in just one second to pretty much end a drive and not just end the drive. A thirty yards sack. That's basically a turnover because you're flipping the field. Giraffe sic Lee on that play. So two linebackers in the wake of missing. Two linebackers come out and make big plays right away. The wide receivers go out. Lynn Bowden has a career day. Mac Hollins has a career day. What can you say

about those guys? I mean, Boden was shifting in space and making plays and making guys miss and catching a variety of types of passes. They tried to have him throw the ball a couple of times. I was excited to see what came out of that. Mac Hollins makes a couple of catches, make some guys miss in the open field in addition to his work on punt team.

So this team, fifty three deep man, we have guys that make plays, who can make excuses about who's out there, who's not out there, But those guys made plays off the bench today that was really cool to see. And guys that filled in for other guys that are not off the bench, but just guys that had to have their rep count turned up a little bit more made plays as well. And the fifth takeaway talked about Jerome Baker just seeing his value really popping off on a

weekly basis. His ability to spy, to rush, to cover, to do multiple things. He's been creating opportunities for other players all season long, and so today to see him get the splash play the two and a half sacks like give me men in the big thirty yard loss on that sack, his second down inten sack created a third and fifteen which then put the Chiefs into a punting situation. His sack with Christian Wilkins, the half sack

later in the game was on third down. Big plays for this guy, and you just the way he can disrupt the opposing offense without making those splash plays, which is why I'm so glad that he made them today, So he gets some appreciation. His ability to take those tight angles in the A gap when he mugs up there to show pressure, to show Blitz looks to force the running back to come into the middle of the formation and take the immediate pressure right. That's that's principal

number one for past protection and a running back. Get the inside first, work outside, because the most immediate pressure inside.

He forces those backs by beating the guards and centers inside with a quick move to quickly get in there and change the past protection to slide help away and create more chances for augball and loss and and Seeler and Wilkins off the edge and the sack just showcased his athletic ability, his true angling speed, change in direction, and then to finish the play by getting Mahomes with

the ground again thirty yard loss, basically a turnover. The second one on the open field has to throttle things down, stay in a passing lane, but then close on the quarterback. What a special trade to have an ability to affect both the past and the possible pass rush on the same play. I'm just so glad to see him step up and make a couple of big plays in this game, because I thought that he's been making a big impact on the defense but not showing that necessarily in the

box score with the big splash place. So I'm super happy to see his value show up in the box score in this game. On the topic of value, a guy that barely ever we've see in the box score because he's back there just running off routes and making open field tackles is Bobby McCain. I think you you leave this game with even more appreciation for what he brings.

He leaves the game after the first play of the third quarter and the Chiefs literally go up top the next play forty four yards to Tyreek Hill and a touchdown. When he left the field the first time to go to the blue medical tent. The chief score thirty two yard touchdown with Bobby McCain or with Tyreek Hill running through the secondary and gets into the touchdown there. So I think you really appreciate what he does, what he brings to this football team. So those are the takeaways.

A few more individual notes here on this Monday recap edition of the Drivetime podcast, part of the Miami Dolphins podcast network presented by Auto Nation. One of the throws I love looking at with two a tongue of Byla is when you have zone coverage to either side of the field where a cornerback is parked in a certain area and either falls back or drives based upon the route combo. And a lot of times you'll see a corner route go over the top and a flat route

underneath to put that defender in some conflict. And we talked about this. We had dan Orlovsky's video last week on the top News article where he shows you to us ability to influence the defenders with body position and not just the eyes, but the position of your fakes and the way you set up your hips and your feet, and the way you drive the ball to certain areas of the field or show motion like you're gonna throw

the ball to that part of the field. I thought he did so well on that area again today some of those layer throws over the top of that underneath defender into that corner part of the field. Really good accuracy, touch and timing on those. I just want to go ahead and add that note in there. Thought. DeAndre Washington had a couple of nice runs. The third and one where he leapt over the pile was a really just

smart and instinctive run. Had a nice seven yard game early in the game as well, he he shows a little bit of flash, a little bit of juice out there that I think can add some value to this backfield even when people get back, hopefully at the receiver position. Pretty incredible what this offense was able to get done when they were down so many guys at this position with Lynn Bowen and Mac Hollins. Jokim before he left the game had another twelve yard carry on a fly sweep.

I wrote that in the notes because he had two twenty plus runs or I guess receptions on plays like that last week. That's a cool feature of the offense at tight end. Gisicky man, this guy he got hurt in the game and left with the shoulder injury. But you know what, we'll see you with the stats on him next week. But he just continues to make plays

and his ability to flash. The numbers on that touchdown reception, the first one he's blocking and two of finds him as he just kind of comes off that block to not get like spook or drop the football there, catch it, get up field, getting the end zone. Solid work there from Ghisicky, as we expect pretty much every single week on the defensive line. I just continue to be marveled at ray Kwon Davis's strength, the ability to stack and work down for a run stop to get knocked back.

He had a great and one tackle was on Edwards Hilira. I think it was where he basically one arm tackle him to the ground. That was impressive to watch. I love the way shack loss and retraces and works to find the football on screens or swing routes out in the flat. We saw him have that coverage play on Brandon Allen last week. This guy just his motor never stops and he's he loves it. He gets after it, plays the way you wanted to, and Agba continues to

find that content. Just constant pocket push collapse that part of the of the tackle, and then if he tries to break outside or inside, he has the arms and the hands and the strength to be able to come off those blocks and make play without a few times in this game, talked about Van Giggle's tip on the interception, big time play there after getting cut blocked Baker with just a great pursuit, angles and speed and finishing plays.

Love that about his game. Byron Jones gets his first pick of the Dolphin and a forced fumble two takeaways out of your prime free agent signed there at the cornerback spots. A great job by Byron Jones. McCain continues to tackle really well in the open field. Eric Rod gets himself an interception. Brandon Jones. I had a note on him beating a right tackle Mike Remors. He beats him for a block for a tackle in the backfield. To get around that block from an offensive tackle, that's impressive.

I had Nick need him in great shape on a coverage route on a Baker sack on Tyreek Hill one on one out of the slot. So some wins individually all around, and then exaviing Howard. Of course, how can we go the entire podcast and not talk about that ridiculous interception one handed, the classic Odell type catch that we usually see receivers make. He gets one of those, and he is now one interception away from matching the

franchise record for ten interceptions by Dick Westmoreland. I'll repeat that Dick Westmoreland had ten interceptions in nineteen sixties seven, exaving Howard one pick away from time at two from topping the all time franchise mark. So he gets another one as he does pretty much every single week. Let's go ahead and finish up this podcast by welcoming on my guest, John con Jemmy of the Audible Podcast. Watched the game with him on Sundays right next to him.

Always great to get his take. Let's go ahead and welcome and John can Jemmy and joining me as he does every Sunday night to recap the Dolphins action for the day. Is the host of the Audible podcast here on the Miami Dolphins Podcast Network. John Conjemmy, John, how you doing this evening, sir? I'm doing okay. Even though the Dolphins came up a little bit short. I was encouraged the way they played, the way they started the game, and the way they actoutely grinded till the till the

very end. So it was it was disappointing, but but encouraging in the same breath. I have to make a note of this for the audience out there. And this is also revealing to you, John, because John called. I called John and he came onto the podcast. We didn't we didn't brief this whole thing. I opened the podcast John by saying, my in tone, this entire show is

going to be one of encouragement. So the fact that you use that word makes me so happy because I just wanted to get your general takeaway here with I mean, this podcast feels like we want If you didn't hear me talk about the score in the open, I talked very glowingly of this team. I just see a team that's on the right track, don't you I do. I see a team that that is competitive each and every week, and I see a team that doesn't want to do

lose or like to lose. Um. I just think that Brian Flores has done an excellent job and changing the mindset and the expectation of this team, and it's headed in the right direction. And you know, you have to find ways to win games like this at home, I think in the future, even though you might be outgunned or outmanned when you look at offense, defense and special teams, because things had to fall into place for the Dolphins

to have a chance. But I think more of the mental and physical aspects of the game that are starting to catch up with some of the teams that are elite in this in the NFL, and I think the Dolphins are closing the gap on where they started and where they are right now, seven team combined points in the losses to Kansas City, Seattle, and Buffalo. We'll go we'll get another crack at Buffalo here in week sevent. Team coming up. But competing with these teams like was

not the case not that long ago. So good to see. And you mentioned the press conference, you mentioned that the fact that these guys there's an expectation to win. I think we saw that in the postgame pressers. Everybody was pretty pretty down after the game. So that was, I guess good to see in that sense that they expect to win these types of games. So, John, with that, let's go ahead and get to your first takeaway from Chiefs thirty three Dolphins. I thought the game started perfectly.

Uh that That's really the way I saw it, because the Dolphins. In order for the Dolphins to win, they were gonna have to win in the turnover margin. They were going to have to find a way to to rattle the k C offense and Patrick Mahomes in that passing game, and they did that right from the start. When you get Byron Jones his first interception in a Dolphin uniform, right out right out of the gate in the first quarter, you don't cash in, you missed a

field goal, but it's set the tone. It really set the tone for the game. So I thought the game started just the way the Dolphins wanted to. They end up getting a second interception with Eric Rowe getting a tip pass um you go down and you you cash in, and you feel like, wow, it's ten nothing. This is the perfect storm for the way the Dolphins had to have its script to go for to get get something in the wind column. So I thought the games started perfectly.

Didn't end the way we wanted to, but in order for the Dolphins to to hang in and throw trade punch for punch, and had to start that way, and it did. And that has to give you faith in the Dolphins coaching staffs ability to put together a game plan and find a way to make Mahomes uncomfortable early, to find points early in the game and get off

of that ten zero start. John your second takeaway, I thought Kansas City had way too many explosive plays and and I'm I'm saying this with it with an offense that is known for their explosive plays, but I think that it was just with ease. It looked like when the Dolphins didn't get there, when they didn't get home with the blitz or the normal pass rush. It just looked like there was a lot of green grass for Travis, Kelsey and and Hill and the rest of the cast

of characters. The running game, that the checkdowns, that there was a lot of explosive plays that I counted very quickly, uh close to fifteen sixteen plays that Kansas City had that where either thirteen yards or more. And that that includes you know, the thirty two yards for a touchdown, forty five yard or for a touchdown, a sixty seven yard punt return for a touchdown, and also Travis. The way they scored it was quick drives. It was two

minutes and four seconds with four plays. It might have been nine plays, but only two minutes and fifteen seconds. These were the This is a lethal bunch that Kansas City Chiefs are, and they're so dangerous, and with a quarterback that has thrown multiple interceptions in a game and

hadn't happened in a long time. But for him not to bat an iron and not not to flinch and come right back and attack an aggressive Miami defense, I just thought there was way too many explosive places for as well as the defense played there was they made it easy for Kansas City and that middle part them the meaty part of the game, and that's that's really

where the game turned. Like you mentioned, because we talked about the thirty unanswered points they had at that stage, I was tracking the play distance as well, because my thought was the longer you keep these guys in the field, the more of a chance you have a field goal or possibly to takeaway. And we did see two takeaways

down deep in their own territory. So the Dolphins followed that script for a little bit, got away from it there in the middle, kind of ratchet back up there at the end, John, I believe your third takeaway has us at the end of the game. Maybe. Yeah, they kept grinding, you know, the team kept kept plugging away, kept you know, staying after what they were coached to do and what they've probably done all their careers, because I think we have that mindset, those types of players

on this roster. So they just kept grinding. You know, it was eight to ten, you know, then it's thirty to ten after the safety, but you know, you kind of blink and you know, I leave where I sit next to you. At some point early in the fourth quarter, I get up to the perch and I'm feel lot better. You know, Wilkins gets a sack and you find points exaving.

Howard gets an interception, uh Kausiki gets Hauls in a huge pass over Thornhill, and it's you know, thirty seventeen and the Dolphins are scoring again with a QB sneaks. So they found ways to keep grinding to keep Kansas City on edge to say, these guys won't go away.

And I think that's gonna hopefully hold true for the remaining games on the schedule, because next week is a is a must if the Dolphins are going to continue to save playoffs in the same sentence as Miami Dolphins, and that starts next week, like you mentioned, at home against the England Patriots, the penultimate game at the Las Vegas Raiders, and the finale up in Buffalo, up in Orchard Park, where I'm sure we're not gonna have to worry about going to this year, John, But in the future,

January trips to Buffalo maybe not our favorite avenue. Those are tough. Not this year, not this year. Maybe I'll look forward to in the future. That means we're playing good ball. That means we're a spot where we want to be. John con Jimmy, the host of the out Of podcast. John, I appreciate your time is always on the Sunday nights. We'll see you next week for the home finale. My friend sounds great, Travis, and so away he goes. You heard him mention it on the pod.

Here just three games left in this Dolphins season. We'll have you covered as we do every single day, both up on Miami Dolphins dot com and the Drivetime podcast until next time. That's gonna be my time you all. Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcast. Leave us a rating, leave us a review, Follow me on Twitter at Wingfield NFL. Follow the team at Miami Dolphins.

Check out John and Bows podcast, the Audible, check out SETH and o J, The Fish Tank Podcast, and of course Miami Dolphins dot Com, The Written Recap, the Sunday Spotlight taking a look at Jerome Baker. Both those pieces up on the site right now until next time. Fins Up