Chris Perkins: Finally! The Finesse Dolphins Ran The Ball, Got Physical With Patriots, And Won

Sometimes old-fashioned muscle and physicality are needed to win NFL games, even in this current highfalutin passing era. And sometimes, we’ve now learned, the Miami Dolphins can play that style of football. We saw a new, angry side of the Dolphins’ in Sunday’s 15-10 victory at the New England Patriots. We saw coach Mike McDaniel’s good-natured, mild-mannered team dig deep to re-discover its animalistic nature. This is significant. The Dolphins (2-3) used a gutty, fourth-quarter, 15-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that was fueled by 10 punishing carries for 60 image-changing yards to take control of Sunday’s game against the hapless Patriots. The Dolphins showed they can play aggressive, big-boy football, the type that wins rugged road games in December and January.