Avoid Self-Inflicted Wounds

One of the biggest topics of discussion this off-season has been on penalties. Fans, myself included, lost their collective minds at the start of the preseasons when flags galore flew enforcing the new helmet-to-helmet contact rules. Cries that the game was being “ruined” were abound. However, the last two weeks of the preseason slate have shown us that those fears were largely unjustified. Penalties settled down tremendously.

What didn’t settle down, however, was the Dolphins’ tendency to shoot themselves in the foot with penalties. Those issues were particularly pronounced in the Dolphins second preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, but persisted throughout the entirety of the preseason.

Even if the Miami Dolphins front seven can shut down Derrick Henry and the Titans running game, and even if Ryan Tannehill and the offense click early, it’s not going to mean anything if they can’t put points on the board. Penalties are a drive killer, and it’s imperative the Dolphins play a clean game today to escape with a win.

On paper, the Dolphins shouldn’t win this game. They’re the underdogs in their own stadium. However, if the team can execute effectively, they stand a great chance of starting the season 1-0 and tied for the early-season lead in the AFC East.

It’s game day, folks! Let’s get it on!