Miami Dolphins doing both the concrete and abstract things that make teams good

There’s still a lot of season to be played and much work to be done. And what the Miami Dolphins did on Sunday in their 24-0 whipping of the New York Jets came against the NFL’s only winless team.

So there you have it. That’s it.

That’s every caveat anyone can possibly deliver to explain this Dolphins victory. That’s all the rain anyone can conjure to dampen the shine on what the Dolphins are accomplishing now.

But neither explanation nor rationale can change the facts about where the Dolphins find themselves both tangibly and with the abstract stuff that also determines the course of NFL seasons.

The concrete stuff is easy to understand. The Dolphins have reached the milestone .500 mark with a 3-3 record and they’re in second place in the AFC East as they head into their bye next weekend.

The other stuff?

It’s more impressive. And maybe more important.

The other stuff is tight end Adam Shaheen scoring Miami’s Dolphins touchdown on a four-yard catch in the first quarter. And when fellow tight end Durham Smythe catches his own four-yard pass in the end zone, on a play Shaheen was also open, the first one mobbing Smythe to celebrate his teammate’s first career score was, that’s right, Shaheen.

“We’re all so happy we’re putting points on the board,” Shaheen said afterward, “however they come.”

The other stuff is the Dolphins playing without Kyle Van Noy because he’s nursing a foot and groin injury that caused him to remain inactive. And then losing backup Andrew Van Ginkel because he left the game with a concussion in the first half.

And you know how much the defense seemed diminished by the absences?

They collected three sacks and more hits on veteran New York quarterback Joe Flacco than he’ll probably remember on Monday morning. The Dolphins had Flacco bailing out of his throws off his back foot much of the game because he was obviously aware he was about to get pummeled.

“We got contributions from a lot of different guys,” coach Brian Flores said. “A lot of guys made plays. I’m proud of that effort.”

That other stuff was watching rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa get into his first NFL game. And the Dolphins sideline cheering him rabidly when, really, nothing he was about to do in a blowout was going to change the game’s course.

That was starter Ryan Fitzpatrick celebrating as much as anyone when Tagovailoa replaced him and completed his first pass. And his second. And finished the game 2-for-2 for 9 yards in his NFL debut.

“We were all excited to see him get out there,” Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick later joked with reporters, imploring them to ask him more Tua questions.

That other stuff is running back Myles Gaskin swatting away the idea he was inspired to have his best professional game -- 91 yards on 18 carries -- because the Dolphins flirted with signing running back Le’Veon Bell last week.

And then promising better days ahead.

“I can do a lot better,” Gaskin said. “For myself and for this team.”

This kind of stuff isn’t visible on a stat sheet. This stuff is about players fighting for one another and loving one another and the game.

It’s abstract. But it matters if the Dolphins are going to be a good team this season.

The Dolphins building this chemistry and this bond is just as important as them doing the fundamental work that adds yards and touchdowns for the offense and sacks or turnovers for the defense.

And, oh by the way, Miami did that concrete stuff that glows in neon in the game book as well.

Xavien Howard collected his fourth interception of the season. And the somewhat reserved cornerback explained why he’s leading the league in those takeaways, just as he did in 2018.

“The ball finds me, man,” Howard said.

Defensive linemen Emmanuel Ogbah got two sacks and Christian Wilkins added another and those kinds of performances made the fact the Jets won the turnover battle, won the time of possession battle, and ran more offensive plays than Miami, seem completely moot.

So stuff is starting to take shape for this team, folks.

“We’re still a work in progress but we’re definitely headed in the right direction,” Fitzpatrick said. “We brought in a lot of new guys this offseason and I think we brought in the right kind of guys. And everybody has really meshed well.

“Even a couple of weeks ago, sitting at 1-3, not really feeling sorry for ourselves but continuing to work and now to get a couple in a row and sitting at 3-3 going into the bye, it’s a good feeling for us and I think we’re coming together as a team.”