Last Dec. 9, as I drove from Gillette Stadium to my hotel in Boston’s Copley Place on a cool Sunday night, I called my editor to talk about the following week’s assignment. Unlike that day’s compelling showdown between the undefeated Patriots and playoff-bound Steelers, there was no obvious must-see game on the upcoming Sunday’s schedule, and we tossed around a couple of options.
Finally, I suggested, “What about Ravens at Dolphins?” To my editor’s credit, he didn’t burst out laughing. Baltimore had lost seven games in a row to drop out of contention, while Miami was 0-13. “I know it’s a little different, but it’ll be a cool story,” I told him. “Because the Dolphins are going to win.”
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