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The Miami Dolphins ended last year’s season with a 7-9 record, and shortly after things wrapped up, we were treated to a report that alleged the team was planning on tanking this year in an attempt to land a franchise quarterback.
Since then, we’ve been provided with plenty of evidence that this is indeed the case (despite what Roger Goodell may believe) as the team has repeatedly traded away some solid players while phoning it in on the field in an apparent attempt to get their hands on Tua Tagovailoa.
On Monday night, it looked like Miami might actually have a chance to win a game when they managed to take a 14-0 lead against the Steelers in the first quarter before managing to squander away their advantage in an impressive fashion thanks in no small part to one play that all but proves the tank is very real.
With less than 30 seconds left on the clock in the second quarter and the Steelers on Miami’s 45-yard line, the Dolphins took a look at all of their defensive options and decided the best move was to blitz eight guys.
It’s safe to say things did not turn out as they intended (or, perhaps, exactly how they intended).
.@Juiceup__3 takes this one in from 45 yards out 💨 pic.twitter.com/hOycSXjvmK
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 29, 2019
The Dolphins would fail to score for the rest of the game but the same can’t be said for Pittsburgh, which walked away with a 27-14 victory.
Brian Flores—who swore his team wasn’t planning to tank before the season started—was asked to address the play call after the game and stood by the decision, saying:
“The guys did a good job defensively getting pressure on ‘em.
We wanted to stay with it. I don’t have any regrets on the call. They made a play, just like we had made some plays prior to that defensively. We just move on”.
Congratulations to everyone who bet on the Dolphins to go winless this year—including the guy who stands to make $100,000 if they do—because it’s very clear they’re doing everything in their power to help you cash in.