The Dolphins have continued their strong play under coach Slip, getting out to a 7-3 start. The team is right in the thick of the surprisingly competitive AFC playoff race as well as fighting for the lead in the AFC with the Patriots. While the team's defense has not played as well as they have in previous seasons, this Dolphins squad appears to be the most well balanced of coach Slip's Dolphins squads. Offensively, the team is currently 12th in points scored and near (or in) the top 10 in both passing and rushing yards behind the continued strong play of QB Tua Tagovailoa, who has a 18-8 TD-INT ratio, 130 QBR, 80% completion percentage, and has only taken 4 sacks. By far his favorite target has been his college teammate Jaylen Waddle, who leads the team in all receiving categories including accounting for 921 receiving yards and 11 TDs. On the defensive side of the ball, it is difficult to pick out a single standout player. Instead, the #2 scoring defense can primarily attribute this season's success to strong play from multiple players at all levels of the field, including Jaelan Phillips, Roquan Smith, Jamal Adams, and Xavien Howard. Next up for the Dolphins is a primetime matchup against another familiar AFC contender, the Los Angeles Chargers.