Miami stays hopeful despite late collapse
MIAMI GARDENS — Mistakes and penalties doomed the Dolphins in Sunday’s 24-14 loss to Dallas.
And now everything this struggling team seemed to be fighting for a week ago — long-shot playoff hopes, and the fate of interim coach Dan Campbell — is slipping away.
“Too many mistakes,” Campbell said.
The Dolphins, who allowed 166 yards rushing while playing without starting linebackers Jelani Jenkins (ankle) and Koa Misi (abdomen), committed too many errors to win, especially in the fourth quarter.
But you also can’t discount the blunders early in the game, such as quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s interception that was returned for a 12-yard touchdown by linebacker Rolando McClain in the second quarter, or going 1-for-10 on third down conversions.
“We shot ourselves in the foot,” Campbell said.
The Dolphins ran the ball only 14 times for 70 yards and committed nine penalties for 74 yards. So despite winning the turnover battle, 2-1, the Dolphins lost largely because they couldn’t limit their own mistakes.
In the final quarter the Dolphins were outscored, 10-0, had a special teams blunder on a kickoff return, got flagged for two costly penalties, and made a decision to punt down 10 with 6:37 left that will likely be second guessed.
Campbell, now 3-3 as head coach, believes the Dolphins’ playoff hopes remain alive.
“We’re still in it,” Campbell said.
Linebacker Kelvin Sheppard backed his coach, saying the Dolphins, who have lost three of their last four, could still win their six remaining games.
“We’re going to finish 10-6, and somehow fight and claw to get in these playoffs,” Sheppard said.
Dallas, which entered on a seven-game losing streak, welcomed back quarterback Tony Romo (18-of-28, 227 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions) after missing seven games due to a broken collarbone.
Tannehill completed 13-of-24 passes for 188 yards and threw two touchdowns and an interception.