With the month of August here, the start of the coming 2025 NFL campaign for the Miami Dolphins is now only a stone’s throw away. The Dolphins are set to kick off their 17-game slate with a road matchup against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 7.
Miami will aim to get back in the playoffs after it won just eight of its 17 games a season ago and finished with a record below the .500 mark. The team will also try to snap a lengthy playoff victory drought and not only qualify for the playoffs but win its first playoff contest since the year 2000.
There are a few scenarios that could result in the Dolphins not achieving either of those goals, however. Let’s look at five ways the Dolphins’ 2025 campaign could come unglued.
1. Tua Tagovailoa gets hurt again
Tagovailoa’s injury woes might have been the biggest reason why Miami underperformed a season ago, and poor injury luck from him once again could spell a similarly disappointing campaign for the Dolphins.
The Dolphins have historically been a hard team to beat (at least in the regular season) with Tagovailoa in the lineup and leading their offensive attack. After all, across the 62 regular-season games Tagovailoa has started at the highest level, the Dolphins have an impressive 38-24 record.
Tagovailoa knows as well as anyone that he needs to take care of one part of his body in particular, and that’s his head. The signal-caller has sustained several concussions over the course of his football career and suffered one against the Buffalo Bills early on in the 2024 season.
The 27-year-old has proven how impactful he can be when he’s able to stay on the field, as he’s led the NFL in passing yards and completion percentage at different points of his pro career.
2. The Dolphins fail to take advantage of Weeks 1-8
The Dolphins will have a manageable first eight weeks to open the upcoming season. Sure, Buffalo has long been a thorn in Miami’s side in the AFC East division, and the Los Angeles Chargers are dangerous, but Miami is set to face off against plenty of teams that could miss the playoffs in Weeks 1-8.
For example, the Dolphins have contests against the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns in this part of their schedule. None of those squads won more than five contests last season, and the Browns finished in a tie for the worst record in all of football at 3-14.
The Dolphins could be in a world of trouble if they drop some games in that span against inferior competition, as they have a very difficult portion of their schedule after Week 8. Miami will play the Baltimore Ravens, Bills and Washington Commanders in three straight games starting in Week 9. Each of those teams won 12-plus games in the 2024 season.
Miami should shoot to win at least five of its first eight games of the campaign. That way, the Dolphins could pick up a loss or two during their toughest stretch of the season and not have it be a crushing blow to their playoff hopes.
3. Culture issues remain
A criticism of the Dolphins at times under head coach Mike McDaniel has been that the team has culture issues. Dolphins defensive end Bradley Chubb indicated not long ago that the team might be turning a new leaf in that regard, but it’s possible the team will continue to lack discipline and toughness in the 2025 campaign.
Some indicators that the team’s culture hasn’t improved could include a lack of accountability, a continued inability to play in cold weather and more struggles against quality teams. The Dolphins have been woefully ineffective against teams with records above the .500 mark ever since McDaniel took over the team’s coaching reins.
The Dolphins’ culture could be put to the test early on in the campaign when the team takes on a Bills squad that’s had its number in recent years on Sept. 18. Buffalo has won the past six matchups between the two squads, and Miami’s most recent victory over the Bills came in September of 2022. Aren’t the Dolphins tired of that?
McDaniel’s squad doesn’t necessarily need to win this game to send a message, but a strong performance on the road would be worth something before the teams meet again later in the season.
4. The secondary gets exposed
The Dolphins’ secondary looks very different now compared to the 2024 campaign.
Cornerback Jalen Ramsey is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers after a trade; safety Jevon Holland left in free agency to sign with the New York Giants; cornerback Kendall Fuller was released by the Dolphins (and is still looking for a home); safety Jordan Poyer remains an unsigned free agent; and cornerback Kader Kohou is set to miss all of this season with a partially torn ACL.
With the team’s entire secondary from last season not suiting up for Miami in the 2025 season, the Dolphins have a lot of question marks in that area of the field going into the new campaign. The fear has to be that the secondary will get exposed, causing the team to take a step back on the defensive side of the ball.
Miami might not be able to afford a noticeable regression on the defensive end if the team wants to make the playoffs, as the Dolphins allowed the 10th-fewest points per game of any team in the league last season and still missed the playoffs.
5. The receiving game doesn’t carry its weight
Tight end Jonnu Smith was also part of the trade that sent Ramsey to the Steelers, and Miami dealt him after he had maybe the best season from a tight end in franchise history. He racked up a career-high 884 receiving yards with the Dolphins last season after he never totaled more than 582 in any season prior.
Newcomer Darren Waller could be a solid replacement for Smith, but he’s also coming out of retirement, and it would be unrealistic to expect him to replicate Smith’s level of production from last season. The Dolphins could certainly feel the impact of Smith’s departure in the coming campaign.
It’s also possible that wide receiver Tyreek Hill will struggle to bounce back from his subpar 2024 campaign in which he finished with under 1,000 receiving yards. Miami might need Hill to play at the level he did in his opening two seasons as a Dolphin in order for the team to have an elite offensive attack.
