There was quite a bit of early season hand-wringing in the quiet, little football town of Miami, Florida - despite a season-opening destruction of the vaunted New England Patriots, losses in three of the next four games revealed a variety of issues, including a potential rift between offensive players and first-year coordinator, Bill Lazor and talk of a possible benching (h/t to NFL.com) of franchise quarterback and former first-round pick, Ryan Tannehill.
But thanks to a now effective offense, a defense that's turned itself into possibly the best overall unit the league has to offer, and despite Sunday's loss to the Denver Broncos, the Dolphins are no longer a question mark and have instead turned themselves into an exclamation point - a definitive statement of both excitement and surety.
Yes, the defense let up and allowed the Broncos to come back and win a game they very much had in their grasp on Sunday. No, Tannehill has not suddenly become a world-beater, ready to take on all comers and put the team on his back and drag them to victory. Yes, they are still missing some key pieces - namely a few more offensive playmakers.
But the Dolphins have many of the necessary components in place to become a perennial contender under head coach Joe Philbin.
An offense led by a still-maturing Tannehill - he managed a 26-for-36, 228 yard and three touchdown performance against the Broncos - and which features sure-handed rookie receiver Jarvis Landry and underrated tight end/fullback/h-back Charles Clay, and is working to employ many of the tricks and principles Lazor was able to glean in his year with Chip Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles, has looked more and more comfortable and efficient as the season has worn on.
In Miami's last four games, Tannehill has gone 103-for-142 for 963 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions for a passer rating of 127.7, according to Kevin Nogle of The Phinsider. They entered the game against the Broncos with a banged up offensive line and the 30th ranked red zone offense in the league, but managed to go 5-for-5 from in close on Sunday.
Add to that a defense that boasts a reinvigorated Reshad Jones, a still-extremely-effective Cameron Wake and a Pro-Bowl worthy Brent Grimes, that has found its way to being one of the most consistent groups in the NFL despite the collapse against Denver - they're currently giving up the fourth fewest passing yards (211.7), the 11th fewest rushing yards (104.2) and the seventh fewest points (19.9) per game in the league, according to ESPN - and the Dolphins as an organization are certainly on an upward trend.
If they can find a way to close games out and keep Tannehill and the offense from turning the ball over, the Dolphins won't just be a good team with the chance to win every Sunday - they'll become a great team expected to win every Sunday.
The remaining schedule seems pretty favorable for Miami - two games against the New York Jets and a game against the Minnesota Vikings should all go in the Win column, which would give them nine victories on the season.
If they can find a way to at least split their games against the Ravens and Patriots, the Dolphins, with a 10-win record, could very well find themselves in the postseason and, with a roster seemingly built for playoff football, potentially ready to make some serious noise.
