Are Dan Campbell’s Dolphins really a playoff contender, or is this all a mirage?

Danny Kelly: So how about those Dolphins? All but left for dead after five weeks, Joe Philbin got fired and his replacement, Dan Campbell, has breathed new life into a talented but previously underachieving group. Now, after two straight impressive wins, Miami looks like a playoff team. They administered such an ass-kicking last Sunday that those of us working the desk on Sunday were digging into the record book to find the biggest blowout of all time, just in case that game was going to eclipse it.

It didn’t, but the Dolphins had five touchdowns before the Texans had picked up five yards. They jumped all over them and didn’t let their foot off the accelerator until after halftime, racking up 41 points and almost 400 yards before Houston could retreat into the locker room at halftime to regroup. Miami coasted in the second half, but when their play makers are on they look like a really dangerous team.

Ryan Tannehill was ridiculously efficient, completing 18 of 19 passes for 282 yards and four touchdowns, and a guy who’s quickly becoming one of my favorite players to watch, Jarvis Landry, had a beastly catch and run for a touchdown (he actually scored two, but his 50-yard score was ridiculous, and makes you completely forget that he put out such a crappy performance at the combine). Lamar Miller’s touchdown was honestly awe-inspiring as well. This is a team that can suddenly be really, really fun to watch. They’ve got some juice right now.

Now, I know you’re a defensive line guy, so let me ask you about Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake. These two guys combined for four sacks on Sunday. Suh finally felt like the $100-million-dollar-man that the Dolphins thought they were getting. How did Suh and Wake dominate so well in this game? Do the Dolphins have the horses on defense to keep this run going?

Stephen White: So, I know I’m reaching player hater of the year territory now, but I’m still not buying this Dolphins turnaround. They beat two shitty teams, the latest one pretty handily, but I don’t feel like all of a sudden everything is fixed. Oh, I give Cam Wake plenty of credit -- now that stupid teams keep single blocking him, he is making them pay. But if other teams had blocked him the way the Titans and Texans chose to, he would have double-digit sacks by now.

Ndamukong Suh got off the schneid to record his first two sacks. Whoop de damn doo. As I pointed out two weeks ago the one thing that still stands out to me is that he no longer possesses that devastating bull rush anymore. So, great he got a sack on a TEX game with Wake and another on the next play when the right guard decided not to block him. I give him credit for those plays, no doubt, but I still think when he plays a competent offensive line he will have trouble generating pressure if he can’t get back to knocking guards into the quarterback’s lap on a regular basis.

Offensively, the Dolphins getting the ball into the hands of Lamar Miller more has been simple, but very effective. Anything that gets the ball out of their quarterback Tannehill’s hands without him having to think too much is probably going to be a plus. That is definitely an area that their old coach, Joe Philbin, neglected to commit to, I think because he wanted to be able to depend on Tannehill a tad bit too much.

Tannehill had some truly awful throws against the Titans that turned into interceptions. Against the Texans he was throwing on time and getting the ball out fast, which helped keep his streak of completed passes going, even as most of them were of the shorter variety.

What Jarvis Landry has done the last two weeks has been amazing as well. Getting the ball to your play makers is an offensive plan that will never steer you wrong.

So, yeah, I guess I would say they’re a little better offensively, if for no other reason than big picture approach. And technically the defense is playing better. But do I think they are suddenly a playoff contender?

HEEEEEELLLLLLL NOOOOOOOOO

And I know I’m setting myself up to eat some major crow here, but the film don’t lie. They just so happened to have played much shittier teams the last couple of weeks, doesn’t mean all of a sudden they are world beaters.

Danny: I love that you’re sticking to your guns on the Dolphins. The NFL is a week-to-week saga, and it’s so damn easy to get sucked into the hype a team will create just based on what they did in any given game. I fall victim to it all the time, and I have to admit, the Dolphins are making me a believer -- or rather, I always tend to buy into teams that can manufacture that grotesque of a blowout, even if it’s against a bad team. These are all NFL teams and parity is so strong, that when someone gets their ass kicked that badly, it makes me sit up and really notice. But, it’s a long season, and you may be right about them.

The good news is that we don’t have to wait too long to see if this hype train derails like The Fugitive. Miami gets a short-week, division rivalry game on the road against probably the best team in the NFL right now. If they win, I say this team is for real. Hell, even if they make it competitive, that’s a good sign. But if it’s a blowout for the Pats, there will be no crow to eat for you. Let’s just say it might be a litmus test as to whether they’re legit or simply crappy-team-beating frauds.