Mandich's Take: Dolphins pull off a win in hostile territory
A win Sunday against Jets would give Dolphins "a terrific start"
6:49 p.m. EDT, September 19, 2010
The Miami Dolphins pulled out another terrific win in hostile territory.
Sunday's 14-10 victory over Minnesota wasn't pretty, which is this team's style. But it'll certainly do. However, at times in the second half it appeared the Dolphins were trying to gift the game to the Vikings.
Ricky Williams fumbles the ball away at the 1-yard line, leading to an easy score in the third quarter for Minnesota's only touchdown.
Ronnie Brown coughs up the ball late in the fourth quarter on a fumble, giving Minnesota excellent field position to pull off an upset. But the defense held firm, and that's been the story of this Dolphins team so far.
The defense had three interceptions against Minnesota, and that didn't include the pick that was nullified by a penalty.
Cornerback Jason Allen had two of them, and his story in itself is a remarkable one considering he'd long been forgotten about. But this former 2006 first-round pick is proving he can play at a high level on this level. It's safe to say Allen looks like an NFL starter these days.
The biggest plays of the game were those fourth down stops. Adrian Peterson's one of the most physical tailbacks in the NFL and Karlos Dansby and Vontae Davis stopped him from breaking into that goal line, allowing Minnesota to take the lead.
That play sends a statement to the rest of the league. The Dolphins won't be pushed around.
Those fourth-down stops are like a turnover. If you add them to the interceptions then this team got five takeaways against the Vikings. That's the only way this team is able pull out a victory with 226 yards of total offense.
The offense's approach was ultra conservative. I'm not sure if that was a byproduct of the coach reading the tarot cards of the game and determining it was best to play it close to the vest. But it doesn't matter now.
Unlike recent seasons, where the start has been slow, and the team's bust playing catch up, the Dolphins are leaving Minnesota 2-0 and face a New York Jets team at home on Sunday night in what's going to be a delicious atmosphere.
A victory would give the Dolphins a tremendous start to 2010, and there have been few of those this decade.