Last week, the Miami Dolphins were eliminated from playoff contention after a loss to the Tennessee Titans and a win by the Los Angeles Chargers. Heading into Nashville, the Dolphins won seven straight games after starting the season with a record of 1-7. During the win streak, everything looked perfect. The defense played well and everything began working out on the offensive side. Going into Week 17 — the penultimate week of the regular season — the Titans’ record sat at 10-5, while the Dolphins rebounded back to 8-7. The Titans were a much stronger team offensively, and with equally matched defenses, any Dolphin fan knew this would be an uphill battle.

The game started off well for the Dolphins defense, not allowing a score for several drives; however, following this, they allowed 17 points in the first half alone. The scene proved far worse on the offensive side — the Titans’ defense held the Dolphins to just three points for the entirety of the game. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw an interception, fumbled and the running game looked as bad as it had been during the team’s losing streak. 38-degree weather in combination with the rain-streaked, ungroomed field did not help the Dolphins either. In the second half, the defense allowed the opponents to score another 17 points, with the Titans crushing the Dolphins in a final score of 34-3.

Despite the loss, the Dolphins still had a chance to sneak into the playoffs, but they would need to rely on the outcomes of several games. Dolphins fans saw a mathematical chance to make it, but many knew that the season had most likely come to an end for the Miami team. The first step to keeping their hopes alive was for the Denver Broncos to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers. Unfortunately for Miami, the Broncos had several injuries to their roster, and the Chargers simply outplayed them. Los Angeles won by a final score of 34-13, which officially eliminated the Dolphins from playoff contention for a fifth straight season. 

Many questions have been raised over the offseason. Two notable players, tight End Mike Gesicki and Defensive End Emmanuel Ogbah, are free agents heading into the next season; however, another issue remains: the Offensive Line. The Dolphins Offensive Line is ranked last in the National Football League this season, causing a lot of trouble for the team’s potential. The offensive line plays a valuable role in the game as its role is to protect the quarterback. . With this in mind, many fans have not been pleased with the first years of Tagovailoa’s career, and there are rumors that the Dolphins may attempt to trade him for Texans QB Deshaun Watson, a pending legal case. One thing that has been made clear this season is that the Dolphins have a solid baseline for a playoff team, but they certainly need some work in order to be true competitors in the years to come.