Here were some of the comments from Monday that stood out, along with some perspective:
"We gotta keep working hard and win these next two games."
— Tackle **Laremy Tunsil** explained in very simple terms the mood of the Dolphins players Monday, which basically is to worry only about they have to do to finish the season with victories against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Buffalo Bills.
"Just finish strong. You never know what can happen."
— Rookie linebacker **Jerome Baker** emphasized the need for the Dolphins to not get distracted by the standings and focus only on the task at hand. The Dolphins will need help to make the playoffs, but the first step for them has to be winning their final two games. That's the only thing they can control and therefore what should be the only thing about which they concern themselves.
"Open. Wide open. Those guys did a great job up front. We practice this all the time. I see the hole, I hit it and was fortunate enough to score."
— Running back **Kalen Ballage** described what he saw on his 75-yard touchdown run, giving credit to his offensive linemen. Ballage did make a nice cut to his left to get behind guard **Jesse Davis** after he pushed aside a Vikings defender. Once he got into the open field, Ballage used his speed, which is unusual for a running back his size, to get into the end zone for the longest Dolphins run since 2015.
"That's just been the sad story of our road woes this year is not finishing the way we needed to."
— Running back **Kenyan Drake** bemoaned the fact the Dolphins weren't able to finish the comeback they began after being down 21-0 against Minnesota and closing the gap to 21-17. The Dolphins had the ball twice on offense with a chance to take the lead or tie the score, but couldn't produce any points and Minnesota eventually put the game away in the fourth quarter.
