The Dolphins might have missed out on a possibility to maneuver into the motive force’s seat for the No. 1 seed within the AFC Sunday in a one-sided loss to the Ravens, however they nonetheless have loads left to play for this 12 months, having certified for the playoffs and remained in competition to win the AFC East.
That’s why it was so disheartening to see a star defender in exterior linebacker Bradley Chubb go down with non-contact damage late within the fourth quarter of Sunday’s recreation.
The damage occurred throughout a garbage-time possession late within the group’s decisive loss. With the Ravens’ backups in on offense, Chubb pursued veteran working again Melvin Gordon behind the road of scrimmage.
When Gordon carried out a juke transfer in an try and evade Chubb, the veteran defender’s momentum appeared to disagree along with his foot placement, sending him to the bottom, clutching his proper knee. The Dolphins’ sideline instantly rushed to his facet and ultimately carted him off the sphere.
It was sadly a predictable assumption, however phrase now’s that the Dolphins are fearing a torn ACL for Chubb, based on Mike Florio of NBC Sports activities. As is the conventional process, Chubb will endure an MRI Monday morning with the intention to decide the severity of the damage.
Whether it is certainly an ACL tear, Chubb will clearly out for the rest of the Dolphins’ season and their playoff run and will additionally miss the beginning of the 2024 NFL season.
Chubb was in the course of what many thought-about to be a Professional Bowl-worthy season. After failing to succeed in double-digit sacks within the 4 seasons since his rookie 12 months, Chubb had already tallied 11.0 sacks in 2023. He paired that with 11 tackles for loss, 22 quarterback hits, and 6 pressured fumbles, which is a career-high and presently leads the league.
If Chubb is unable to play from right here on out, Miami will probably be heading into the playoffs with out their prime two move rushers. The Dolphins protection has operated with out third-year exterior linebacker Jaelan Phillips after the 24-year-old suffered a torn Achilles tendon in a Week 12 win over the Jets.
These are two large blows for a group that has thrived with its move rush, which ranks second within the league in sacks.
Nonetheless, a part of the group’s success dashing the passer comes from having a number of contributors to their move rush. With disruptive inside defenders like Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler, in addition to versatile defenders like Andrew Van Ginkel and Emmanuel Ogbah, the Dolphins ought to nonetheless be capable to generate some stress within the weeks to come back.