Dolphins trying to give everyone heart attack in win over 49ers

When you are a winning football team on a five game winning stream facing a 1-9 team, you go up on them 31-14 and seal another victory.

When you are the Miami Dolphins, you crack that seal a little and let the 1-9 San Francisco 49ers climb back to 31-24, and to within two yards of tying the game as the clock runs out.

Why? Because you want to see how many heart attacks you can cause.

Last week, the Dolphins waited until six minutes remaining in the game before they scored two quick touchdowns to beat the Los Angeles Rams 14-10. The week before that, it took a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown to beat the San Diego Chargers 31-24 despite taking a lead into the fourth quarter. The week before that a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown with five minutes remaining in the game was needed to beat the New York Jets 27-23. The game before that, Miami needed two fourth quarter touchdowns to take the lead from the Buffalo Bills and hold on when they scored a touchdown at the end of the game, winning 28-25.

The only game of the team’s now six-game winning streak that was not close in the fourth quarter was the first one, an upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-15.

In 1980, the Cleveland Browns were known as the Kardiac Kids. The 2016 Miami Dolphins might give them a run for their money.

Every game of this win streak, no matter if Miami is outplayed or if they dominated all game long, seems to come down to the last drive - or the last play - before Dolphins fans can once again breath. Years are being lost off lives every single week.

And, yet, the Dolphins are now three games over .500. They should be tied for the second Wildcard position at the end of the day. They have six-straight wins in an NFL where that is an extremely tough feat. They have a passing offense and a running offense that can both carry the team when the other is not working. They have a defense that can dominate - and has become a master of the bend-don’t-break mantra.

Ryan Tannehill clearly took over the game on Sunday and willed Miami to the win. He absorbed the struggles of the running game, which say starter Jay Ajayi only pick up 45 yards on 18 carries (with a touchdown) struggle to find space against a 49ers defense that was stacking the box against him. He dealt with an offensive line that saw three-of-five normal starters land on the inactive list before the game due to injuries. He took all of that and was 20-for-30 for 285 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 130.6 passer rating.

The Miami defense struggled at times during the game, especially against the running from Carlos Hyde and Colin Kaepernick as well as late against whatever the 49ers wanted to do. They allowed 475 yards, 193 of which came on the ground, but they did not allow 477 yards - the difference being the two yards San Francisco needed to tie the game.

Those six feet will not be remembered down the road.

The sixth win in a row will.

As all of us as fans get catch our breath and get our heart rate back under control, the Dolphins are now 7-4 in a season that started 1-4 and was never supposed to be anything other than a first year under a rookie head coach as the team looked to rebuild. Now, it is turning into something special.

If we don’t all have heart attacks before it is over.