Dolphins focus on finishing
DAVIE (AP) – Game after game, the Miami Dolphins have shown that they know how to win in the final minutes.
Now they enter the last game of their regular season on the cusp of their first playoff berth since 2001, in part thanks to their strong fourth quarters. The Dolphins (10-5) will face the New York Jets at the Meadowlands Sunday in a position that seemed so unlikely just one year ago.
One more win and they’re AFC East champions, and above 10 victories for the first time in seven seasons. One more win and they will complete their remarkable turnaround from the 1-15 finish of last season.
Ball control has been a huge part of their success. The Dolphins, who have won six times by a touchdown or less, held the ball 10:31 during the final quarter of a 21-19 win over Seattle on Nov. 9. They kept possession for 11:51 in the final quarter of a 17-10 win over San Diego on Oct. 5 and for 11:48 of the fourth quarter of their 26-17 win at Denver on Nov. 2.
“We’re finishing off games pretty good. Our close-game record is pretty good,” cornerback Will Allen said. “We’re finishing off well in the fourth quarter simply because of, I think, our attention to detail and the way guys are on the sideline when we’re making corrections.”
The Dolphins more than held their own in the fourth quarter of their 38-31 win at Kansas City on Sunday. With the score tied at 31 during their coldest game of the year, Miami mounted an 8 1/2-minute drive that covered 85 yards for the winning touchdown.
“In our heads, we just want to finish,” center Samson Satele said of the team’s approach to fourth quarters. “We want to finish it off. And look at us now, we’re 10-5.”
This year’s strong finishes are a welcome change from a year ago, when Miami lost six games by a touchdown or less.
“I think everybody’s pretty much like, ‘We’ve got an opportunity to win,’ and I think everybody feels like we’ve got to win this game and just got to take advantage of the opportunity,” running back Ronnie Brown said. “We’ve been here before and it’s nothing new to us.”
Coach Tony Sparano says he’s not surprised. It’s obvious the Dolphins do not like to lose, he said, no matter how much of it they did last year.
“They work really hard every single week. I think that that’s the thing that, right now, is what they know,” Sparano said. “They know that if we work hard and we practice well and prepare well, we’ll usually have a chance to play pretty well.”