Another week, another rally
Down 14 in last quarter with sub QB, ‘This team finds a way to win.’
MIAMI GARDENS — In normal times, you’d look at the fact that the Dolphins are about to play a Baltimore Ravens team that has owned them the past nine years and be concerned.
If Sunday proved anything, it’s that these are anything but normal times.
Down 14 points, down 17 points — it doesn’t seem to matter to these Dolphins, who on this day lost their quarterback (and several others) but didn’t lose their cool, stunning the New York Jets 31-28 at Hard Rock Stadium.
You could say things looked hopeless with 13 minutes left and the Dolphins trailing 28-14, but that would only mean you were forgetting what happened a week earlier, when the Atlanta Falcons found out how worthless a 17-point, second-half lead can be against Miami.
This team hasn’t learned how to win.
It’s giving weekly clinics on how to do it.
“I mean, it’s crazy,” said Cody Parkey, whose 39-yard field goal with 22 seconds left decided matters. “This team finds a way to win. Last year I was on the Browns and that was kind of where we lacked. We couldn’t find a way to win in the third and fourth quarter and this team just seems to — we’re down 14 points and no one’s batting an eye.”
Jay Cutler goes down and could miss two or three weeks with possible cracked ribs? Shrug. The offensive line has only a couple of healthy bodies? Whatever. The game is tight? This team has now won a ridiculous 12 consecutive one-score games, so are tight spots supposed to faze anybody?
“Regardless what we’re down, regardless if we’re, up, down, no matter what it is, we’re going to keep playing,” cornerback Bobby McCain said. “That’s what we do here.”
And if the opposition cares to hand over a gift, they’ll gladly accept. That’s what McCain did when Jets quarterback Josh McCown tried to force a pass despite being pinned in his own end with 47 seconds left and overtime looming.
“He’s always around the ball,” defensive end Cameron Wake said of McCain. “Little scrappy little Mighty Mouse, we like to call him.”
McCain’s easy interception gave the Dolphins possession on the 27-yard line to set up Parkey’s kick.
Linebacker Rey Maualuga likely summed up what many were thinking about the roller coaster of emotions with McCain’s interception: “It shifted from, ‘Man, we’re (bleeping) coming back to holy (bleep), we’re about to win this game, man.’ It’s just a great feeling.”
Bleeps and blips, nothing matters. Matt Moore relieved Cutler early in the third quarter and completed 13 of 21 passes for 188 yards. McCown, meanwhile, entered this one 2-0 against Miami, 23-66 against everybody else. He had thrown three touchdown passes against coordinator Matt Burke’s defense, which hadn’t given up more than 20 points all season. It appeared the Jets would sweep the Dolphins.
“We got a lot of cursing and yelling from coach Burke,” Maualuga said. “Obviously, he doesn’t like to give up big plays and that many points. But you can only do so much yelling and eventually someone’s got to flip the switch.”
A handful of players did the flipping, holding New York to seven points in the second half, along with 27 passing yards and 81 total yards. Wake had 2.5 sacks and three quarterback hits.
The offense got in gear as Jarvis Landry had 93 yards receiving and extended his streak to three games with a touchdown reception. Kenny Stills caught touchdown passes of 28 and 2 yards in the fourth quarter. Tight end Anthony Fasano, who hadn’t had a reception all season, caught a 4-yard touchdown pass.
Parkey’s 39-yarder was a feat, too. The University of Miami had played at Hard Rock on Saturday, and coupled with all the rain, the footing was poor enough that even an equipment guy slipped.
“It’s vital to go out there and kind of survey the land a little bit and make sure that the 3-yard area you’re working with is good enough,” Parkey said.
Picked up off waivers just before the season, Parkey has now made the game-winner in three of the four victories by the Dolphins (4-2), who kept pace among the AFC’s winningest teams. Pressure?
“I’m absolutely hoping the game’s on me,” Parkey said.
The last time the Dolphins won consecutive games after trailing by 14 or more points in a second half was a three-game streak against the Bengals, Falcons and Saints from Sept. 14-28, 1980. Sounds like decent momentum with which to face a Ravens team that is 6-1 against Miami since 2008.
“I wish it wouldn’t have to be this way,” Landry said of the dramatics. “But it came down to that the last couple of weeks. It says a lot about these guys in here, about this staff and everything that we’ve been able to overcome along this road to get to 4-2. It’s an amazing feeling.”