Not exactly a new lesson six weeks into the season but today reinforced the top takeaway: People who want a stress-free Sunday afternoon should latch onto a different team for this season or, if that offends your sensibility, just don't watch. It's great that they're already halfway to a double-digit win total for the season but they just continue to lack the ability roll teams even when the chance is presented as if on a diamond-encrusted, 24-karat gold platter.
10 - 3 going into the fourth quarter with a top-5 collection of talent on offense is hideous.
A considerable amount of the blame for the impotent attack falls on the OL as they had easily their worst performance so far this season. That Cousins was only sacked three times is a testament to his ability to get rid of the ball because Miami very well could have finished right behind the Purple's six takedowns.
Cousins, Jefferson & Cook did enough to secure the win but at least 75% of the credit goes the way of the defense. In addition to the six sacks, Harrison Smith & Patrick Peterson showed their hall-of-fame guile in taking two of Teddy Bridgewater's passes away. Cam Bynum also had a great showing on the back-end with fumble recovery of H. Smith's strip while Za'Darius Smith & Patrick Jones kept the heat on at the line. If the defense can replicate today's second half with any sort of consistency over the course of full games going forward then that will take even more pressure off Cousins & the offense. Most teams will not be as porous along the offensive lines so the sacks & turnovers will rarely be as abundant but they can impose their will on the opposing offense without necessarily getting those stats. For example, a 10-hurry day would be about on par with finishing at four sacks.
At this point in the season there may not be a significant amount to learn about the team which hasn't been seen previously. With two weeks before their next game and then two games before the showdown against the best team in the American Conference there still needs to be much improvement for them to be taken seriously across the country. Right now they are a nice story that might get a segment on the four-letter. If they want to be regarded as true title contenders they will need to show they can go for all four quarters they way they finished today's victory. There's no bigger fact to glean from this game than that!
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