Five things we learned from the Miami Dolphins' Week 8 victory

The Miami Dolphins (5-3) appear to have steadied the ship after their Week 8 victory against the Detroit Lions (1-6). Sunday marked Miami's second consecutive win after losing three in a row.

With this win, Miami pulled into a tie for second-place in the AFC East. More importantly, the Dolphins have put themselves back into the playoff conversation heading into Week 9.

Miami Dolphins' defense continues their predictable pattern

Josh Boyer's defense has been up-and-down all season, but they always tend to improve from the first half to the second half of the game. On Sunday in Detroit, the defense once again found its stride in the second half.

Miami Dolphins went into halftime down 27-17, but the defense tightened and did not allow any points in the second half. Week 8 was the second consecutive in which the defense pitched a shutout in the second half.

While it's great to see the Dolphins' defense finishing games strong, they need to do a better job of keeping points off the board in the first half. Miami's secondary is still banged up, which is certainly one of the reasons the defense has struggled in general this season.

That being said, they have proven that they have the ability to play better as the game goes on, which means the team needs to come into games with a better gameplan. If Boyer and his crew continue to drop the ball early in the game, it could lead to bigger issues as the season progresses.

Tua Tagovailoa has officially shaken off the rust

Tua Tagovailoa returned to the field last week and helped guide Miami Dolphins to their fourth win of the season. Despite playing well at times, Tua looked rusty overall, and his timing was off for the majority of the game. This weekend in Detroit, he was on the money from start to finish.

Tua finished the game completing 29 of his 36 passes (80 percent), for 382 yards, and three touchdowns. He also added 19 yards on the ground, including a big 18-yard rush in the second half.

This season, Tua has 12 passing touchdowns and an NFL-leading passer rating of 112.7. If you take out the Cincinnati game (in which he did not finish the game), Tua is 11-1 over his last 12 starts. At this point, it's nearly impossible to say that the Dolphins are not a better team with No. 1 behind center.

Penalties need to be cleaned up ASAP

Week 8 started with a penalty when the Miami Dolphins' defense was flagged for taunting. That 15-yard taunting penalty helped lead Detroit to a touchdown on their opening drive.

The rest of the first half was littered with yellow flags, with the majority of them going against Miami. The Dolphins had nine penalties accepted on Sunday, with another seven being declined.

Through eight games this season, Miami has committed 55 penalties, while their opponents have only committed 35. The +20 differential is currently the largest in the NFL.

On Sunday, the majority of the Dolphins' penalties were mental miscues. Things like lining up in the neutral zone, illegal shifts, false starts, and taunting penalties are all things that can be cleaned up with a little more discipline.

Coming into Week 8, Miami Dolphins were ranked 19th in the NFL in points scored per game. One of the biggest reasons for this is the impact that penalties have played.

The Cheetah and the Penguin are nearly unstoppable

Calling Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle unstoppable isn't nearly as hyperbolic as some might think. Week 8 saw the dynamic duo put up over 200 yards once again, with Hill gaining 188 yards (on 12 catches) and Waddle gaining 106 yards (on 8 catches). Waddle added two receiving touchdowns to his ledger this week, while Hill added seven yards on the ground.

Heading into the late games on Sunday, Hill led the NFL in receptions (69) and receiving yards (961). Waddle (42 receptions for 727 yards) is third in the league in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns (5) heading into the late games on Sunday.

Opposing defenses have struggled consistently this season with Hill and Waddle and it doesn't appear as though it is going to change anytime in the near future. Even when Tua Tagovailoa was out, both receivers still managed to put up decent numbers.

Miami Dolphins' secondary needs help and making a trade makes sense

The Miami Dolphins have dealt with numerous injuries this season and while some parts of the team are getting healthy, the secondary isn't going to be one of those.

The secondary has already lost Trill Williams, Nik Needham, and Brandon Jones for the season. It is literally anyone's guess as to when (or if) we will see Byron Jones this season. The rest of the corners on the team have had their own injury issues over the first eight games of this present campaign.

This all adds up to the fact that Miami Dolphins need help in the secondary and trading for a corner might make the most sense for them. One of the biggest issues with the Dolphins' defense this season has been how ineffective their zero-blitz has been.

One of the biggest reasons for this is that they don't have a secondary that is capable of holding up under those conditions right now. If Miami wants to make a push in the playoffs, the defense is going to need to play like it did in the second half of last season.

If the Miami Dolphins want their defense to return to proper form, they are going to need to do something to fix the secondary for the remainder of the season.