MIAMI — You can be forgiven for writing off the Miami Dolphins‘ Week 9 win against the Houston Texans. Thursday night’s win against the Baltimore Ravens, though? Not a chance.
The Dolphins entered the game as 8.5-point underdogs but left on a two-game win streak, the second one against a team considered to be one of the best in the AFC.
And they celebrated like it.
“Oh it’s turned up in [the locker room],” safety Jevon Holland said after the game, still in full pads and out of breath.
The rookie was the first Miami player to speak Thursday night, his emotions high after the first winning streak of his NFL career.
He said the team needed the win against Houston that stopped a seven-game losing streak, and its win against Baltimore proved as much.
“It’s spring-boarding us forward, giving us confidence when we need it,” Holland said. “You all saw it out there. We put our heart on the field, and that’s what we plan on doing every night.”
The Dolphins now sit at 3-7 with a favorable schedule moving forward. They travel to play the New York Jets (2-6) in Week 11 before playing host to the Carolina Panthers (4-5) and New York Giants (3-6). After a Week 14 bye, they get the Jets at home. Those four opponents have a combined 9-17 record, which is why Miami has the second-easiest remaining schedule in the NFL.
If this winning streak carries into a Monday night showdown with the New Orleans Saints in Week 16, Miami will be a .500 team with an opportunity to sneak into a crowded AFC playoff hunt.
Cornerback Xavien Howard, whose scoop-and-score on a fumble he forced all but sealed the win Thursday night, said he gathered his teammates in the locker room after the game and reminded them to “remember this feeling” that the Dolphins can compete with any team in the NFL.
“You know, winning is fun, so we just got to keep that going and just try to control the things we can control,” Howard said. “Go back in the lab. Look over the stuff that we did wrong or messed up on and just try to get better each week.
“I’ve been feeling like that even when we were losing. I was feeling like we could compete with some teams. During this week Coach [Brian Flores] had mentioned, ‘Don’t be surprised.’ You know, a lot of people were shook that we ended up pulling this W off.”
There are signs the Dolphins’ level of play can continue.
Since Week 8, Miami is allowing 15 points per game, compared to the 29.6 points per game it allowed in the first seven weeks of the season — a mark that ranked second-worst in the league during that span. It’s also allowing just 309 yards per game since Week 8, which is a stark drop from the league-worst 415 yards per game it allowed in its seven previous games.
Flores said Miami played well Thursday night, but must focus on its upcoming schedule rather than dwelling too long on its latest win.
“It’s always good to get a win. I try to just take things one day at a time,” Flores said Friday. “I’m going to continue to watch the film here this morning and try to build on this and build on some of the things we’re doing well, and try to improve in some of the things we’re not doing well. Just try to prepare for our next opponent and help this team as best I can.”