Dolphins let win slip away to Seahawks, start season 0-1

What a stressful, defense-filled, game. This game was tough to watch - for both teams and on both sides of the ball. No one seemed to want to win it, and it took nearly the entire game until someone finally did figure out how to put more than a couple of field goals on the board.

The Dolphins finally took the lead late in the fourth quarter on a Ryan Tannehill quarterback draw. And then the stress level went up even more.

Seattle immediately drove down the field and took the lead again with a touchdown, but missed the extra point. And the stress level continued.

In the end, the Dolphins could not do anything with the ball on their final possession, needing to somehow get into field goal range in 30 seconds. It did not happen and Seattle won 12-10.

Logically, we know this is just one game. This was a game in Seattle, which was going to be tough no matter what. This was a game in which the Dolphins did not get blown out, and actually played fairly well, especially along the defensive line.

But, this is not about logic. This is about being a fan, and, being a fan, that game sucked. There were just so many punts. Matt Darr kicked the ball seven times for Miami, while Seattle’s Jon Ryan had six punts. That says the offense struggled, but the defense was good. And, that pretty much summed up the game.

Look, we all know the team will head back to Miami and look to fix the things that did not work. This year is all about making progress and looking like a team heading in the right direction. On Sunday, the did look like they were making progress - but it is hard to take comfort in that right now. This game was there for Miami’s taking, and they could not do it.

Ryan Tannehill drove the team down for the lead late in the fourth quarter on a 7-play, 86-yard drive. Jarvis Landry showed up on that drive. The team started clicking. The problem is, it was late in the fourth quarter. That rhythm was not around early in the game. The receivers dropped sure touchdowns. The running game disappeared for a while (Arian Foster finished with 13 carries for 38 yards). Things that have to be fixed quickly showed up throughout the game.

Today is going to be rough. Tomorrow might be a little better. Try to tell yourself it was one game, and the Dolphins only lost by 2 points to a team most consider to be a much better team this year. Tell it to yourself again.

I know I am trying to repeat it non-stop, because right now, this hurts.