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Game Summary:
Three on the trot.
The Miami Dolphins rattled off their 3rd straight victory on Sunday, with a 39-17 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 10. The Dolphins are now 7-3 on the season, and have full control of the AFC East in 1st place.
Here’s three reasons why Miami was able to take down Cleveland:
Reason 1: Elite Quarterback Play
Week after week after week, Tua Tagovailoa continues to prove the doubters wrong.
In a game where Tyreek Hill and Jaylen went relatively under the radar, Tua still managed to put up elite numbers, shredding apart a talented Cleveland defense by throwing to the likes of undrafted wide receiver Trent Sherfield and fullback Alec Ingold.
He finished the game with 285 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, a passer rating of 135.0, and completed 25 of his 32 pass attempts (78%). In fact, Sunday marked Tua’s 3rd consecutive game with 3 touchdowns, over 275 passing yards, and a passer rating above 135. The only other player in NFL history to do so? Kurt Warner in 1999, who went on to win the NFL’s MVP award that season.
Reason 2: Won The Trenches
On both sides of the football, the Dolphins completely dominated the trenches in Week 10.
The Dolphins’ offensive line had their best game all season, allowing just one sack and two quarterback hits on Sunday. On the ground, they were arguably even better, creating wide-open lanes all day for Miami’s running backs to take advantage of. In total, the Dolphins’ offense finished the game with nearly 500 yards of offense, in large part due to stellar offensive line play.
On defense, the Dolphins not only managed 3 sacks, but had a whopping 14 quarterback hits, their highest tally of the season. They also contained Browns running back Nick Chubb to just 63 rushing yards, his 2nd-lowest tally of the season. Win the trenches, and you’ll win football games, and the Dolphins did exactly that on Sunday.
Reason 3: Stellar Running Game
Raheem Mostert. Jeff Wilson Jr. Enough said.
The Dolphins pounded the HECK out of the football on Sunday, and running backs Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. deserve their flowers. Mostert finished the game with 65 yards on 8 carries, while Wilson racked up 117 yards on just 17 carries, and each added a touchdown. Wilson’s patience behind the offensive line was particularly impressive, as he made plenty of positive runs by waiting for holes to open up in front of him. As a team, Miami put up season high numbers in both rushing yards (195) and rushing attempts (33).
The pair complement each other perfectly, and are quickly developing into one of the league’s best 1-2 punches on the ground.
Game Preview:
The Dolphins have their bye week next week, providing much needed rest for a fairly banged up team. After that, a Week 12 matchup at home against the 1-7 Houston Texans.
What did you think of the Dolphins’ win in Week 10 over the Browns? Are the Dolphins a Super Bowl contender this year? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
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