The Miami Dolphins arguably have one of the most talented rosters in the entire NFL, but that hasn’t led to playoff success recently. At the moment, it seems many fans and experts around the country don’t take the Dolphins seriously as Super Bowl contenders.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel wants the Dolphins to embrace that reputation and use it.
Dolphins have a jarring 4-10 December/January record in Mike McDaniel era. Miami addressing winter struggles early this offseason to avoid “choking” again.
From @nflnetwork The Insiders on Dolphins who need their 1st playoff win in 24 years to avoid a disappointing 2024 season. pic.twitter.com/ueinZCXdT1
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) June 1, 2024
“He said Mike McDaniel has made it clear to them already in the offseason that they’ve gotta embrace the fact that they have a negative nature on them,” Cameron Wolfe said of Raheem Mostert. “This is a team that doesn’t want to be considered a video game team that scores 70 in September and then collapse in January.”
By most metrics, the Dolphins had a successful regular season in 2023. They started out hot, winning five of their first six games. However, as the season progressed, cracks started to show.
In the final five weeks of the regular season, the Dolphins went just 2-3. A Week 17 blowout loss at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens didn’t inspire much confidence. A Week 18 loss against the division rival Buffalo Bills was also disappointing.
Most importantly, that Week 18 loss contributed to the Dolphins entering the playoffs as a wild card team. That designation sent them to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. They lost that game in a cold-weather drubbing.
This season, it stands to reason that McDaniel and the Dolphins want to do everything in their power to earn at least one home game in the playoffs. That would help them in their pursuit of going deeper into the bracket.
In the upcoming season, earning a home playoff game is going to be a hefty task for Miami. The AFC East should be more competitive this season with New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers slated to return.
Beyond that, the Dolphins finish the season playing four out of their final six games on the road. The two home games during that slate will come against Rodgers and the Jets in Week 14 and the current NFC champion San Francisco 49ers in Week 16.
That stretch of games could be a make-or-break run for the Dolphins. If they want to make good on their high aspirations for this season, they’re going to have to make sure that they can get the monkey off their back and start winning big games when it matters most.
If they can accomplish that goal, they should be in a good position to enjoy success in the postseason.
