CBS4's Steve Goldstein looks ahead to the Dolphins, Browns match up
MIAMI - Looking for a fourth consecutive win, the Miami Dolphins host the Cleveland Browns this week.
Led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's stellar error-free play, the Dolphins are riding their second 3-game winning streak this season. All 6 wins have come when Tua plays the full game. The 3 losses, when he didn't.
The Dolphins have scored 30 points in consecutive games for the first time in six years.
It's There For The Taking
The AFC division title is up for grabs and every team is in the mix.
Buffalo is 0-2 in the division with losses to the Dolphins and Jets, who are tied at 6-3, a half game behind the Bills. The Patriots have gotten their game together and are a factor as well. It creates great drama for the second half of the season and is fun for fans to watch the scoreboard. It is the first time in AFC east history all teams are above .500 after 9 games.
Top Level Tyreek
"I'm like a kid in a candy store."
Tyreek Hill is having a ball, literally and figuratively, in his first season as a Dolphin. He set an NFL record for most receiving yards through the first nine games of a season. Hill has a shot at the league's first ever 2,000 yard season. He is just a few hundred yards from setting the Dolphins' yardage record held by Mark Clayton, 1,389 in 1984.
Tyreek is a legitimate MVP candidate and his intensity has filtered through the entire team.
Top Level Tua
Like Hill, Tagovailoa is having a great season. He leads the NFL in passer rating. In half of his games, he's thrown for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. Most importantly he is 6-0.
Tua's command of Mike McDaniel's offense and the efficiency he runs it with is remarkable to watch. Tagovailoa has also cut out the mistakes and rarely throws balls that are even close to getting intercepted. Like Hill, Tua is an NFL MVP candidate, something most people didn't see coming.
The fact that after the game he truly didn't know who they play next shows how dialed in and focused he was on the Bears game. Once again, when Tua plays, the Dolphins win, end of story.
D Up Early
The defense has played complementary football the last few weeks, coming up with stops when absolutely necessary late in games. The big plays have coincided with the offense slowing down late in games and that's what "team" is all about. But the starts are troubling, in the last two games both Detroit and Chicago moved the ball and scored easily.
Injuries have been a factor and the unit has recovered to preserve wins. Down the stretch, the defense will need to tighten up to begin games, especially on the road where it's been a big struggle all season. McDaniel looks at it partly as the ebb and flow of NFL games, as units can't dominate for a full game.
Table Is Set
With the Browns and Texans at home the next two games, with a bye week in between, the Dolphins are in great shape for the playoff run. They've been terrific at Hard Rock Stadium, the offense is rolling and the bye week gives a chance for rest and recovery.
They still need to come up with the wins, there are no gimmies in the NFL, but 8-3 heading into December is a probable outcome. Four of the final six games will be on the road, with two in California and trips to Buffalo and New England. It is imperative to bank these wins over the next few weeks.