Miami Dolphins’ playoff dreams remain alive, but so many “what ifs”

On December 23, 2024By Littum

MIAMI GARDENS — As the Miami Dolphins’ season-saving 29-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday was winding down, CBS’ Tony Romo talked about how big the winning side will be next season.

They get guys back! Romo exclaimed.

Wait until next year isn’t here yet.

If the Dolphins beat the Browns and the Dolphins beat the Jets and the Colts lose to the Giants or the Jaguars and the Broncos lose to the Bengals and the Broncos lose to the Chiefs…

Why does it have to be like that?

Which brings us to what if.

What if Tua Tagovailoa didn’t miss four games and Bradley Chubb didn’t miss all the games and Jaelan Phillips didn’t miss many games…

Why does it always have to be this way?

After the game, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross could be seen jubilantly celebrating, and he certainly didn’t look like a guy who was going to fire everyone.

Will Dolphins owner Stephen Ross bring back GM Chris Grier?

General manager Chris Grier is sure to pull out his long list of “what ifs” as a defense for returning.

After this one, Tyreek Hill drew his own what if.

What if Hill hadn’t taken all those veteran rest days?

“I need those valuable reps with Tua,” Tyreek said. “Those vet rest days are starting to show.”

Would Hill have hauled at least one of those two balls into the end zone, as he didn’t on Sunday?

He definitely would have caught whoever hit him in the stomach.

“You just can’t show up on Sunday,” Hill said. “You have to be able to prepare.”

Tyreek Hill takes some of the blame for the shaky 2024 Dolphins season

After the match, Tua agreed that they need more training time together.

So after the game coach Mike McDaniel said they can have it!

Adjustments will be made as late as we are in this troubling campaign. And so, yes, Tyreek Hill’s wrist has hurt. But he said honestly that the rust in the game has a lot to do with missing training in midweek.

It hasn’t been a good season for Hill, voted by his peers as the NFL’s No. 1 overall player before this season.

There were heroes on Sunday.

Kader Kohou had a clutch interception by Brock Purdy in the fourth quarter.

De’Von Achane had a game-sealing 50-yard touchdown run.

If a bunch of crazy things happen, five things to be exact, then another Miami miracle would send the Dolphins to their third straight postseason appearance under McDaniel.

In all likelihood, the Dolphins season will officially end next Sunday.

But we’ll see.

Of course, if the Dolphins finish 9-8 or even 8-9, there will be good arguments for McDaniel, but even Grier, to return for another season.

If only… but… what if…

What if, what if, what if, always Dolphins what-if

What if guard Isaiah Wynn had been able to play this season before Week 16?

Wynn jumped Achane in the rarely seen big race.

All teams have injuries. The dolphins always seem to have a lot more than most.

Is that an indictment of the older, more injury-prone roster Grier has built?

Or will Ross simply chalk it up to another dose of bad luck?

Will Tyreek Hill practice more this week and run all the routes that haven’t worked this season over and over and over?

And should he have run more of those routes throughout this season?

What if.

Always plenty of what ifs to go around with this team.

Joe Schad is a covering journalist Miami Dolphins and NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe’s Free Weekly Dolphins Pulse newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.