In one game the Dolphins saw injuries sideline quarterbacks Chad Pennington and Chad Henne, left tackle Jake Long, and linebacker Cameron Wake.
The injury to Pennington is almost certainly career-ending.
The injury to Henne is possibly season-ending
The injuries to Jake Long and Cameron Wake do not appear to be really serious, but I have a feeling that Long could be out for a month and Wake will miss this Thursday's game.
On top of that, right tackle Vernon Carey was shaken up against Tennessee but returned, cornerback Vontae Davis is playing with a right-knee injury, and free safety Chris Clemon's groin forced him to be replaced by Reshad Jones during Sunday's game because he didn't get enough time to practice during the week.
Yes, the Dolphins are, all of the sudden, forced to deal with a bunch of injuries in a short period of time. Almost any other week would have been better because they would have had more time to prepare, but that's not the case here. We can at least be thankful that we are playing the Bears instead of a division rival like the Patriots or Jets. Not that Chicago is a bad team, because they are actually pretty good, but they are not as good as New England or New York.
Despite all of the problems Miami is having with injuries, I am actually pretty excited about this game. We have found a great, young quarterback in Tyler Thigpen, and our offense appears to finally be able to make big plays with some consistency.
Thigpen's mobility will also be helpful because he may feel some extra pressure with Jake Long out for a little while. He will be able to avoid sacks that neither Chad would have been able to avoid themselves. Jake Long is probably the most irreplaceable player that the Dolphins lost due to injury against the Titans, but Miami should be able to come out alright because of Thigpen.
So, don't lose faith in Thursday's game just yet Dolphins fans. We still have a good shot at winning this game with Thigpen in.
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