The NFL has released schedules for all 32 teams. One team looking to advance further in the playoffs than last season is the Miami Dolphins. Miami enjoyed a hot 3-0 start in the 2023 season including a near historic 50 point victory over Denver. The Phins went 11-6 in the playoffs but lost in the Wild Card to the eventual Super Bowl Champs, Kansas City Chiefs. A big critique of Miami’s first 11 win record since 2008 was that they were 10-1 against teams with losing records and 1-6 against teams with winning records. This year is a critical year for Miami to defeat those demons and prove they can go toe-to-toe with the big boys of a tough AFC. Another reason is that this is the last year of Tua Tagovailoa’s rookie contract.
What contributed to the quick end of Miami’s playoff run last year was injuries to the defensive side of the ball. Heading into the game versus Kansas City, Miami lost four linebackers to injuries and their starting safety Jevon Holland had two vulnerable kneecaps. They already lost starting corner Xavien Howard to a season ending injury, and this offseason was dedicated to rejuvenating the depth on defense, starters and beyond. With Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips returning to the field, Miami signed Shaquil Barrett and drafted not one, but two edge rushers in Chop Robinson and Mohamed Kamara. Outside of injuries, Miami parted ways with three interior defensive linemen, Christian Wilkins, Raekwon Davis, and Emmanuel Ogbah. So, they signed a lot of veteran players to overfill depth at that position. The one biggest splash move they made was done after the Draft… Signing Odell Bechkam Jr. The Dolphins offense had been so reliant on Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle on the boundaries that they really needed a slot receiver to stretch the defense and take the underneath openings.
Safe to say Miami is all in this upcoming season. The first six games are against Jaguars, Bills, Seahawks, Titans, and Patriots. Bills and Titans are on primetime slots, Thursday and Monday nights, respectively. Buffalo has dominated Miami since they drafted Josh Allen and the Titans loss was the major blemish on Miami’s 2023 season. Tennessee was down 27-13 with five minutes left in regulation, and Will Levis led his team to score two touchdowns and game winning two point conversion to steal a victory on MNF. If Miami had won that game, they would have won the AFC East and got to stay in warm South Florida with the number two seed instead of freezing like ice cubes in their Wild Card loss to Kansas City.
After the bye week, Miami will play eleven games straight with the closest to a break being ten days after another Thursday game. First four games off the bye are Colts, Cardinals, Bills again, and Rams. Three of those games are on the road. The competition decreases in intensity with back-to-back home games against Raiders and rival Patriots. The final six games are a tough stretch for any team… Packers on Thanksgiving night, Jets, Texans, 49ers, Browns, and the Jets again. This is the year for Miami to prove that they can beat the actual good teams, win on the road in December, and that the man wearing the number one on his jersey is a true franchise quarterback that can win big.
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