The Miami Dolphins win their first game of the season, defeating the Jets 26-18

Miami Gardens, FL – It finally happened. We saw the Miami Dolphins win their first game of the season, and of course, it came against their bitter rivals, the New York Jets, coached by former Fins coach, Adam Gase. He didn’t see it coming, but Walter Mercado did! RIP. For what it’s worth, I don’t care what anyone says, nobody wanted to see an 0-16 Miami Dolphins season for the sake of tanking for Tua, or blowing it for Burrow. One loss, sure. That’s not so historic. No one remembers how bad those teams were, or who they are.

That being said, if you’ve been paying attention to the Fins this season, you had to know it was only a matter of time before they got their first win. Head coach Brian Flores has emphasized disciplined football and Miami has seen a huge reduction in penalties. In fact, through week 9 the Fins rank #1 in team penalties per game at 5.6. The 319 penalty yards this season thus far is also the best mark in the NFL.

Somewhere in the world, @djkhaled is saying #AnotherOne, while watching the @MiamiDolphins score as many points in the 2nd quarter vs the @nyjets as they did in the entire game vs Buffalo, the most they’ve scored all season. #Fitzmagic to @Thresort made it 21-7.#FinsUp pic.twitter.com/d08RnaSc18

— Lemon City Live (@LemonCityLive) November 3, 2019

That stat alone proves that players and coaches are not tanking, regardless of what the front office is doing. This was a great team win. Winning certainly solves most issues and the players are happy to get that monkey off their back. Rookie DT Christian Wilkins, who recorded his first NFL sack, spoke about the difference between the past losses and this win, saying that they “finally put together a 60-minute ballgame.” Miami was competitive in their previous three losses, and actually held the lead in each of those games, but came apart in the 2nd half of each.

Against the New York Jets, the Fins once again put together a strong 1st half, leading 21-7 at the half, and holding New York to only two field goals in the 2nd half. Sam Darnold was sacked three times! Still seeing ghosts, I guess. Miami’s won five out of the past six games versus the Jets, so this was a great opportunity to get over the hump against a bad franchise. They did just that, winning 26-18 in front of a fired-up Miami Dolphins fanbase that was excited to see some progress.

How many ghosts did Sam Darnold see today?
A Baker’s Dozen.#FinsUp #MIAvsNYJ pic.twitter.com/r2UfkrxGf7

— Lemon City Live (@LemonCityLive) November 3, 2019

The young guys are beginning to show what the future might look like should they continue to show improvements. 2017 Dallas Cowboys 1st round pick, DE Taco Charlton has recorded four sacks this season, which leads the team going into the Jets game and is a career-high for him. Mike Gesicki recorded six catches for 95 yards. The kid’s got great hands and should be utilized more often moving forward. Preston Williams ranks #1, tied with Washington’s Terry McLaurin in receptions amongst rookies after week 9. His 428 receiving yards are fourth and his three receiving touchdowns are tied for fourth among rookie wide receivers. Williams posted five receptions for 72 yards and two touchdowns in Miami’s win, but sadly his season is over due to a knee injury. Miami placed him on Injured Reserve.

Next up, the Miami Dolphins travel to Indianapolis to face the 5-3 Colts who are fighting for the top spot in the competitive AFC South. Colts QB Jacoby Brissett has held it down after the retirement of Andrew Luck, following a string of injuries that affected his confidence. Miami head coach, Brian Flores will be coming off his 1st ever NFL win as a head coach, looking to continue trending in the right direction. Miami has the 7th easiest schedule moving forward, so don’t be surprised if the Miami Dolphins win another one or two more games.

Brian Flores gets his 1st win as @MiamiDolphins head coach, beating the @nyjets 26-18.
Already much better than Cam Camron. #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/VBrkH7H43y

— Lemon City Live (@LemonCityLive) November 3, 2019

Fins Bulletins

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick recorded his 1st Miami Dolphins win. He needs two TD passes to reach 200 in his career.
WR Albert Wilson needs seven receiving yards to reach 2,000 receiving yards for his career.
WR DeVante Parker has scored a TD in four out of the last five games for the Fins.
RB Mark Walton has been suspended for four games by the NFL stemming for a failed drug test before his time with the Dolphins.

Photo Credit | Edwin Garcia