The Dolphins suffered more than just a lopsided loss to the Ravens Sunday, as they’ll now be without another top pass rusher for the remainder of the year.
27 year old Bradley Chubb suffered a non-contact injury late in the 4th quarter in his team’s 56-19 loss to Baltimore. Additional testing revealed that it was a torn ACL in his right knee, ending his season as Miami begins to gear up for the playoffs.
In the hours following the game, criticism from fans and media came in fast and furious regarding head coach Mike McDaniel’s decision to keep his starters in despite the uneven score.
“I mean, in hindsight, I would absolutely not have wanted him out there if I would’ve known that he was going to get hurt. … It doesn’t look very smart at all. The players wanted to go back in and play and finish the right way heading into next week,” McDaniel told reporters afterwards. “And I have the ability to tell them no on everything in this situation. There’s plenty of decisions that I’ll cross examine…I would like a time machine, for sure.”
Chubb currently leads the Dolphins with 11 sacks this season, and will be a huge hole to fill on defense, especially given Miami’s loss of Jaelen Phillips in Week 12 to a torn achilles tendon.
The Dolphins’ beat up defensive unit got a brief bit of good news Sunday as safety Jevon Holland made a return to the lineup following a multi-week absence due to MCL sprains. But that reprieve was short lived as CB Xavien Howard exited the contest on Baltimore’s opening drive due to a foot injury and did not return.
The injuries couldn’t be piling up at a worse time for the Dolphins as they head into the final week of the season with a massive divisional showdown against Buffalo on January 7th. With Buffalo riding a 4 game winning streak, the Bills now sit just a game shy of Miami for the division lead at 10-6.
While Miami currently sits 2nd in the AFC with an 11-5 record, a loss in Week 18 means they’ll go from enjoying home field advantage in the playoffs, to playing on the road. Barring any ties, Miami is essentially down to the following scenarios:
-If the Dolphins lose, they’ll be travelling to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Chiefs.
-If the Dolphins win, they’ll host a playoff game against one of Pittsburgh, Buffalo, or Jacksonville.
The number 1, 3, and 5 seeds are all currently locked in for the AFC with Baltimore securing the top seed in the AFC by virtue of their dismantling of Miami on Sunday. Kansas City will be the 3rd seed regardless of what happens in week 18, and Cleveland has secured the 5 seed.
Photo: Elbert Hampton. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.