Dolphins not dwelling on Week 6 loss, focused on Sunday matchup with Bears
DAVIE, Fla. -- As the regular season began for the Miami Dolphins in early September, there was hope and maybe even some optimism from the organization and the fans that this year would finally represent a significant turnaround from the previous years of disappointment.
More leadership and overall growth from quarterback Ryan Tannehill was to be expected. Big things were expected of Mike Wallace in his second year in Miami and the rest of the receiving corps. New teammates needed time to come together and acclimate themselves as well. A playoff berth appeared to be an achievable -- and necessary -- goal with the talent the Dolphins assembled.
That was then and this is now. They're deep into the season and own a middling 2-3 record that could easily have been a winning record had they executed down the stretch against the Green Bay Packers. But make no mistake, there is no injustice with where they are in the standings. How they will respond on the road against the Chicago Bears after such a disheartening loss will be just one of the many subplots to keep an eye out for on Sunday.
"There's always a sense of urgency every time we line up and play a football game," said head coach Joe Philbin. "You only get 16 of them and the players invest a lot of time and effort into it. The staff does, the people in the building do. There's certainly a sense of urgency about it. Plus the facts are this is an opportunity to get to .500 and that's important."
Cornerback Brent Grimes, who struggled along with Cortland Finnegan against the Packers' size and won't get a break this week against talented receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, insisted the team had already moved on from the Packers game that represented a golden opportunity to build upon their impressive win against the Oakland Raiders in Week 4.
"This week is preparing for the Bears," said Grimes. "That's what this week is. We're talking about the Bears. You can't really dwell on it. After the game, of course, everybody is upset. We lost. But after that, you just go on to the Bears."
Their record represents the past and it is justified, but what will they do about the clear and present danger that the Bears represent on their home turf at Soldier Field? One glaring deficiency has been their coverage in the red zone and it's something the Dolphins have been diligently working on this week.
"One year, we led the league (in red zone defense) and, the other year, we were fifth or sixth," said Philbin. "We were pretty good both years in a row. Right now, I think, in Buffalo, we played really good red zone defense, but it hasn't been quite as good. It's definitely an area we need to improve upon."
In the locker room after Thursday's practice, several of the players also spoke of the need to protect their end zone.
"Stats don't lie," said linebacker Jelani Jenkins. "We have to do a much better job on the red zone. When they get down there, we have to hold them to field goals and if we do that, we have a lot better chance to win the game. So we're making that an emphasis lately -- the red zone coverage -- and just buckling down to keep guys out of the end zone."
With each passing week comes another opportunity for the Dolphins to get it right and to play up to their abilities. Their job now is to screen out the criticism and disappointment from the bitter loss last Sunday and focus on the task at hand.
"I don't think it means anything for the season," said Grimes. "It's one game we've got to win. It's just how you approach every game this year, approach the game that you want to win. There are still a lot of games left this year, we just need to win a game."
You can follow Surya Fernandez on Twitter @SuryaHeatNBA or email him at SuryaFoxSports@gmail.com.
