Dolphins fall to 1-6

On a hot South Florida day against an opponent who came in with only one win so far in the season, the Dolphins should have gotten its second victory. Instead, mistakes once again led to the team's downfall. The Dolphins lost to the Green Bay Packers 34-24 to drop to 1-6.

Joey Harrington set a franchise record for most attempts in a regular-season game, 62, completing 33 of them for 414 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. The interceptions (and dropped passes) were pivotal in deciding the outcome of the game.

Brett Favre, who entered the game 18 touchdowns behind Dan Marino's career record, added two against Miami.

Dolphins narrowly lose to Jets

The Dolphins lost to the New York Jets, 20-17, when Olindo Mare missed a 51-yard field goal attempt with 33 seconds left that would have sent the game into overtime. Miami is now 1-5, barely clinging to playoff hopes with the season not even half over.

On the bright side, the offense got untracked late in the game after the team fell behind 20-3. Joey Harrington completed 27 of 43 passes for 266 yards, a touchdown, and 2 interceptions. Ronnie Brown got his first 100-yard rushing game of the season, gaining 127 yards on 22 carries with one touchdown.

Statiscally, the Dolphins outgained the Jets, 395 yards to 272. However, mistakes and turnovers led to an eventual loss.

Harrington to start against Jets

Nick Saban announced that Joey Harrington will get the nod against the New York Jets this weekend. Daunte Culpepper is out indefinitely while he tries to regain his mobility and explosiveness. Saban would not predict when Culpepper would return. It could be in two weeks, or it could be as late as next season.

Apparently, Culpepper wasn't ready to start the season, which could partly explain his ineffectiveness and the team's losses so far. I was happy that the Dolphins picked up Harrington during the offseason because I was afraid that Culpepper would be sidelined by injuries. Although a healthy Harrington isn't as good as a healthy Culpepper, having a starting quality QB take over provides a bit of comfort.

Harrington starts in loss to Patriots

In a surprise, Joey Harrington started in place of Daunte Culpepper, but the change did little to change the outcome of the game. The Dolphins lost to New England, 20-10, to slip to 1-4 (0-2 in the division). The team will have to pull out one of the great turnarounds in NFL history to make the playoffs and live up to preseason expectations.

Regarding Culpepper's benching, Saban said that he didn't look good in practice. In his place, Harrington completed 26 of 41 passes for 232, no touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. The run offense struggled once again, led by Ronnie Brown's paltry 39 yards on 17 carries. On the positive side, the defense held the Patriots in relative check, holding them to only 213 net yards.

Dolphins lose to Texans

Let's hope this loss is the nadir of the season, like last season's loss to the Browns. Otherwise, we may as well throw in the towel. But it's still too early in the season for that.

The Dolphins lost 17-15 to the previously winless Houston Texans to go 1-3 in this young season. How bad was it? The Texans had allowed an average of 484 yards per game to its opponents, but the Dolphins managed only 289 yards, with less than half of that (143 yards) coming in the first three quarters. The Texans had only managed three total sacks coming into the game but got five more after beating up on the Dolphins.

Last year's weaknesses, the offense line and the secondary, continue to suffer this season. Even the addition of Daunte Culpepper has failed to energize the offense. Is it time to wish for Ricky Williams' return in 2007? He has been the only offensive weapon for the Dolphins in the last four years!

The Dolphins visit the Patriots and Jets the next two weeks. The team had better wake up soon or this season will be D.O.A.