Week 10: Playoffs Begin Now For Dolphins (7-6) - sixzero's Dynasty

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Week 10: Playoffs Begin Now For Dolphins (7-6)

Posted on November 30, 2010 at 09:04 AM.

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Miami Dolphins linebacker Karlos Dansby leads the celebration late in the fourth quarter of the Dolphins' 21-17 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Miami breaks losing streak with a 4th quarter miracle and a successful formula of a max-protection defense covering for an embarrassing 1st half.

KANSAS CITY -- In a routine that was becoming far too frequent, the Dolphins offense jogged from the field Sunday after multiply unsuccessful drives in the 1st half.

So many times already -- whether with a 3 and out, two interceptions, a fumble recovered that went for a touchdown (but was challenged and reversed) or a fourth-down stop -- Miami's defense bailed out its counterpart with a critical stop at a critical time. Now, the offense needed help once more.

``When you talk about adversity, you're usually talking about a couple of plays,'' coach Don Shula said. ``But this time, it was a must win. We were in an adverse situation the whole game.''

Could they really lose another game, especially with Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady leading what would have been a game-leading drive? The running back committee was starting to show some signs of fatigue, leading to a few moments of vulnerability.

``At that point,'' Shula said, ``I felt really confident in our defense but concerned with our offense.''

At this point, after a 21-17 win fueled by the inspirational performance of a very young secondary, it might be time for everyone else to start feeling the same. For the 1st time in 4 weeks, the Dolphins' defense has become the unexpected catalyst for Miami big win.

Despite a flawed performance on offense -- which included two pick 6's by Tom Brady and -- the defense still sent a shot that is likely to be heard by every one of its future opponents.

``We're a young group but growing fast,'' Clemons (FS) said. ``We want to get that mentality out there. We're not going to lay down for anybody. We're going to battle our asses off. Just because you get the ball on the 5-yard line, we're not going to let you score.''

Playoff Atmosphere

For the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs this was sudden death. You wouldn't expect to read about the Playoffs with 3 weeks left in the season but frankly with both teams sitting at 7-6, that's exactly what it was. Win or go home was the theme for this heavy weight fight in Kansas and early on it looked as if the Miami Dolphins were excepting the fact that they would miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The 1st two Dolphin possessions results in interceptions for touchdowns. The 1st half ended with a missed field goal attempt from 55 yards. Half Time score 14-3.

The Miami Dolphins dominated the time of possession with over 17 minutes and only 6 minutes for the Chiefs.

In the 3rd quarter, it was make or break time and the Fins could only squeeze a field goal while cutting the lead to 8 points. The 4th quarter miracle was orchestrated by Tom Brady, Brandon Marshall, and player of the game J. Davis (RB).

In the last significant drive for the Miami Dolphins, trailing in the 4th quarter James Davis broke a 47 yard run for the game-leading score. James Davis is a rookie running back that split carries with C.J. Spiller in Clemson. Apparently he wasn't as flashy as Spiller to get attention in the draft but after receiving a tip from a Dolphins undisclosed "source" the Miami Dolphins picked him up from Free Agency. Since then he's done nothing but secure his place on the Fins roster.

When Sunday ended, it didn't matter that Miami's defense carried the offense to victory. The Dolphins pulled out a win against a team that was battling for the wild card; against a team with heart and fight.

So a week after some figured the loss against the Patriots was the end, the Dolphins continued to build their case for legitimacy with a miracle in Kansas City.

Now, it's time to take a shot against the Eagles.

``This is a heck of a win for us right now,'' Shula said. ``We get to go home, regroup and get ready for the next ball game.''