All signs pointing the right way

The pieces continued to fall into place as the Dolphins arrived at their bye and it’s no longer crazy to think this team could make a run for the playoffs

- Alain Poupart

Because of their reshuffled schedule, the Miami Dolphins arrived at their bye week after they disposed of their former head coach’s mess of a team.

And it was a shame, really, that the bye had to come after the 24-0 whooping of Adam Gase’s Jets, which followed an equally convincing victory at San Francisco because the Dolphins most definitely were on a roll as they left Hard Rock Stadium on the evening of Oct. 18.

The Dolphins arrived at their bye with a 3-3 record and, believe it or not, ahead of the New England Patriots in the AFC East.

But more than that, it’s the way the Dolphins progressed through those first six weeks that was the biggest reason for optimism.

Put simply, this is a team that absolutely looked to be on the rise.

To the point that, yes, it’s actually OK to start thinking and talking about the “p” word.

Now, we’ll understand if some — even many — pull a Jim Mora and start going, “Playoffs? Playoffs?”

But let’s examine the facts.