The Miami Dolphins had a chance on Sunday to wrap up the AFC East and further solidify their playoff positioning, giving themselves a chance to earn the No. 1 seed in the conference. All they had to do was defeat the Baltimore Ravens.
Alas, that didn’t happen. Miami was blown out by Baltimore 56-19, with Lamar Jackson torching the Dolphins for 321 yards and five touchdowns on 18 of 21 passing, while backup Tyler Huntley also threw a touchdown pass and Gus Edwards and Melvin Gordon each ran for a score.
Because the Dolphins lost and the Buffalo Bills simultaneously defeated the New England Patriots, next week’s division matchup will determine which of Miami and Buffalo wins the AFC East. The Dolphins have a one-game lead at the moment, but a Bills victory next week would mean the teams are tied in the standings, with the Bills owning the head-to-head tiebreaker. The winner clinches the conference’s No. 2 seed.
Worse yet, the Dolphins suffered a spate of injuries on Sunday that could leave them incredibly shorthanded for the showdown with Buffalo.
Cornerback Xavien Howard suffered a foot injury during the Ravens’ first offensive drive of the game. He was taken to the locker room on a cart and initially deemed questionable to return before later being downgraded to out. On Monday, head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters that he doesn’t expect to have Howard available for Week 18 and is considered “week to week.”
Later in the game, Tua Tagovailoa suffered a shoulder injury and was also deemed questionable to return. He was replaced in the lineup by backup Mike White and did not return, presumably due to the lopsided score. Tagovailoa said after the game that he was “just sore,” so it doesn’t seem likely to keep him out of next week’s game, though any injury to a quarterback’s shoulder does carry some degree of concern.
The Dolphins, however, suffered a devastating injury late in the…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/dolphins-will-be-without-bradley-chubb-likely-xavien-howard-for-week-18-clash-vs-bills-to-decide-afc-east/
Author : Jared Dubin
Publish date : 2024-01-02 14:05:27
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