Wins have something in common
Fast starts were keys to both of team’s victories
There has been a common theme in both the Miami Dolphins’ wins this season — and it’s a byproduct of the flashes of FitzMagic provided by Dolphins starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
The Dolphins (2-3) have benefited from starting fast on offense, with touchdowns on their first two drives in wins against Jacksonville and San Francisco. The early leads have allowed players on both sides of the ball to quickly settle into their game plans.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys on both sides of the ball so having that feeling of confidence early and knowing that we’re going to play well, I think that really helps out, especially with some of the youth and inexperience that we have on the team,” said Fitzpatrick, the lone Dolphins player older than 30 (well over 30 at 37 years old).
“I think that’s really important for us maybe more so than in past years around past teams. I think that momentum helped us [against the 49ers].”
Fitzpatrick is hoping another fast start Sunday against the New York Jets (0-5) at Hard Rock Stadium (4:05 p.m., CBS) will help the team reach .500.
Fitzpatrick led the Dolphins on touchdown drives in three of their first four possessions at San Francisco. They built a 30-7 halftime lead en route to a 43-17 blowout win over the Super Bowl runner-ups.
“It helped out a lot. Just
coming out fast, that puts fear into defenses,” Dolphins leading receiver DeVante Parker said.
Against the Jaguars in Week 3, the Dolphins scored on their first three drives, taking a 21-7 lead into halftime and cruising to a 31-13 win.
It certainly helps when Fitzpatrick is hitting on all cylinders. His 99.1 quarterback rating against the 49ers was the highest mark among all NFL quarterbacks who played through
the first five weeks of the season, while his 97.2 QBR against the Jaguars ranks fourth.
But the Dolphins have also played well defensively in those two games, producing three interceptions, two fumbles lost and nine sacks. And their kicker Jason Sanders hasn’t missed a kick all season.
“When all three phases are clicking, you can’t be stopped,” safety Bobby McCain said.
“I think with any team —
young, old — when you play well, you build confidence. That’s part of the reason you always want to start fast because if you play well early, you’re confident in the game plan, you’re confident in your teammates,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said.
“Conversely, if you don’t play well [early], then you could potentially start pressing and doing things outside of your role or your responsibility. I think it’s important to start fast. I don’t think it guarantees that you’re going to finish strong. I think that’s a whole other entity to the game.”
And that’s the next step in the Dolphins’ evolution during Flores’ second season with the franchise.
Fast starts surely help, but they’re not sustainable. Opening-game drives are scripted every week by NFL teams, but a bad play on first down, a hiccup on second down and/or a failed conversion on third down causes early doubts as Flores referred to.
But Flores stressed the importance of overcoming poor starts.
The Dolphins were able to cut their Week 1 deficit to three points in the fourth quarter at New England but lost by 10.
Miami took a 20-17 lead early in the fourth quarter in its 31-28 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 2.
But the Dolphins were unable to slow Russell Wilson late as he quickly turned a 17-15 deficit to a 31-23 victory in Week 4.
Flores knows when the Dolphins master the aspect of closing games, especially during crunch time, they could take the next step in their extensive rebuild.
“If we can get going early, we want to and that’s always a good thing, but we’ve got to be ready to play any type of game, and we’ve talked about that as a team,” Flores said.
“You’re up, you’re down, it’s a back-and-forth, it’s a defensive game, it’s an offensive game. We’ve got to be able to adjust and we try to play any style because every week it’s a little bit different based on your opponent, based on a lot of factors. But starting fast has always been something we put a lot of emphasis on.”