The undefeated Miami Dolphins are heading into New England to take on the Patriots this Sunday. What would losing this game mean for the team?
If the Miami Dolphins lose in New England this weekend, it will mean nothing and that’s exactly why it means everything. A loss is the status quo. Same old Dolphins, same old Patriots. Sure they knocked off the Titans, Jets and Raiders, but who cares; they’re just the Dolphins. That narrative is precisely what this franchise wants and needs to change. It’s been the narrative for far too long.
I’m in no way saying, if the Dolphins lose this game, then the season is over. As a matter of fact, no matter what happens they will still lead the AFC East and are, in all fairness, a seven-point underdog.
The issue is they, always lose this game and they need to be sick of it being expected. The Dolphins haven’t been expected to win much in the post-Marino era and rightfully so. A loss here would be further conformation of an assumed mediocrity.
A loss in New England is typical not only of Miami, but pretty much every team — so a loss shouldn’t be this crushing, but it will be. Especially if they go in there and just get beat up. I can’t remember a regular season loss that would be more disheartening than this one would be in the past decade.
I’d have to go back to a brutal Week 17 loss to the Pats in 2002 that knocked Miami out of the playoffs. Ricky Williams was running wild and it looked like the game was in hand. But old Norval Turner decided it was a good idea to stop doing what was working and to allow Jay Fiedler to throw the game away when all they needed was a first down.
So yes, a loss would kind of feel like that — a kick below the belt.