Ailing Dolphins With Backs Against Wall On Short Week

Alright, time to move on.

Thursday night's game is simply too big, and too important to continue dwelling on the Detroit game.

In my opinion, this game is Miami's season. Plain and simple. If you remember, two weeks ago, ahead of the San Diego game, I said this:

Somehow, someway the Dolphins have to come out of this three game stretch with two wins. I don't care who it's against, I don't care what it looks like, but they have to head into Denver wit at least six wins.

Two weeks later nothing has changed.

Yes, the Dolphins had that game. Yes, they were a few first downs, or one defensive stand, away from sitting at 6-3 in the AFC. But, like so many times before, they came up short. It happened. It was frustrating. But it's over with now.

On to Thursday night. On to the anti-christ  Buffalo Bills.

Everything is on the line here. Mike Wallace said it best today: We can't get swept, especially in the division. Especially not two years in a row.

No, you can't. Not when so much is at stake. Not when there is such a stark difference between 6-4, and 5-5, in a muddled, competitive, cluster you know what of an AFC.

Miami needs this game more than they've needed any other game in this entire season.

They need it for tiebreaker purposes. They need it to keep pace with Kansas City, and Baltimore, and Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. They need it, maybe most importantly, for morale purposes, because this team just hasn't been able to beat these Buffalo Bills.

Not in their first meeting last season. Not in their crucial second meeting. And definitely not earlier this year.

Ryan Tannehill and Joe Philbin are 1-5 against the Bills. Miami hasn't beaten them since a meaningless game in December two years ago.

That MUST change Thursday night. Somehow, someway, this team has to find a way to win this football game.

Players have to step up, and step in.

Ja'Waun James must be a rock at left tackle. No excuses.

Somebody, whether it be Dallas Thomas, or Shelly Smith, or Nate Garner must fill in at right tackle.

Jamar Taylor and/or Will Davis must fill in for Cortland Finnegan across from Brent Grimes.

Damien Williams and Daniel Thomas must do better filling in for Lamar Miller.

You see, this team is ailing right now. Even Ryan Tannehill, arguably the teams toughest player, is on the injury report this week with both ankle and shoulder injuries.

Combine all of this with a short week, and a division game, and a must win game, and the defensive line of the Buffalo Bills, and you get a grim set of circumstances.

But it can all be fixed, albeit temporarily, with a win.

A win, and it all goes away.

A win, and you're smack dab in the thick of the AFC playoff race. A win and you're a game back of New England (for the time being) with one game still to play in Foxborough.

A win, and you've finally exiled those demons that have been hanging around for over a year now.

If this team wants to make December matter, then winning this mid-November showdown is a must.

If this team wants to play in January, and there is absolutely no reason why they cannot, than losing Thursday night is simply not an option.

I said it last month, and I'll say it again now:

Somehow, someway, the Miami Dolphins have to find a way to win this game.

And they have two days to figure out how.