3 Takeaways from Dolphins' Week 14 Loss

It may be hard to describe a defeat as a "statement loss," but that is exactly what we got out of the Miami Dolphins in Week 14.

Brian Flores' team proved it could play with the Kansas City Chiefs for a majority of four quarters Sunday, and it showed remarkable fight until the final second.

Although the Dolphins lost 33-27, they have to leave the matchup thinking they can win a game or two in the postseason. Miami's defense looked impressive for stretches, and Tua Tagovailoa is developing chemistry with a few different targets ahead of the postseason.

The Dolphins still have work to do to clinch a wild-card position, but they are in good shape at 8-5 with the chance to eliminate the New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders in the next two weeks.

Defensive Turnover Machine Got to Patrick Mahomes

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

Miami's defense has been a turnover machine in 2020.

The Dolphins forced four turnovers Sunday, which tied their season high, recorded in Week 8 against the Los Angeles Rams.

Eric Rowe, Byron Jones and Xavien Howard came up with interceptions, and Kamu Grugier-Hill recovered a fumble for a defense that forced multiple turnovers in each of its past four games.

Miami's offense turned those turnovers into 10 points, but unfortunately it conceded a safety two plays after Grugier-Hill's fumble recovery.

Usually when the Dolphins earn more than one takeaway, they are on the winning side of the scoreboard, but Mahomes did enough with the ball for the Chiefs to pull ahead in the second half. Miami is 5-2 when it forces multiple turnovers. The only other loss came to the Denver Broncos in Week 11, when it managed only 13 points.

If the Dolphins keep up their defensive tenacity, they will be a force to be reckoned with in the AFC postseason and could spring a first-round upset over a division winner.

Mike Gesicki Is a Vital Offensive Piece

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In the past three weeks, Mike Gesicki has turned into one of the most important pieces of the Miami offense.

The tight end out of Penn State caught a pair of touchdown passes in Sunday's loss to extend his scoring streak to three games.

Tagovailoa has displayed trust in Gesicki, especially in red-zone situations, and their growing connection paid off twice Sunday. Unfortunately, Gesicki left the game in the second half with an apparent shoulder injury. No official update on the severity of the injury was available on Monday morning.

Gesicki was able to torture defenses across the middle and come up with key third-down and red-zone catches in the wins over the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals.

If the Dolphins lose Gesicki for any of their remaining games, they will have to once again look down the depth chart for help—something they have had to do multiple times with running backs and wide receivers this year.

Dolphins Continue to Find Contributors Further Down Depth Chart

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The Dolphins deserve credit for weathering all of their offensive absences to reach eight wins.

On Sunday, Lynn Bowden Jr. and Mack Hollins were Tagovailoa's top targets. Bowden led the team with seven receptions on nine targets and 82 yards. Hollins produced 66 yards on five catches.

The contributions of the two unlikely offensive stars were a welcome sight with DeVante Parker and Gesicki suffering injuries Sunday.

At running back, DeAndre Washington chipped in 35 rushing yards and caught a pair of passes in place of Myles Gaskin, who is on the COVID-19/reserve list.

Miami does not have a 500-yard rusher, and only two Dolphins have more than 600 receiving yards, but the team is still sitting in the final AFC playoff position going into Monday.

Flores and his coaching staff should be commended for having the players further down the depth chart ready to perform when the team's stars go down.

If Gesicki, Parker and Gaskin are out in the coming weeks, the Dolphins will have to rely on the same combination of players to beat out the Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders for the No. 7 seed.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.