No, the 2025 Miami Dolphins season isn’t over despite an 0-3 start

There probably isn’t a team in the NFL that has been more underwhelming to begin the 2025 season than the Miami Dolphins. Miami has a head coach and core of players who know what it takes to win at a high level (at least in the regular season), yet the team currently owns the league’s worst record at 0-3.

But if one doesn’t focus so much on Miami’s record, there are some positive takeaways to glean from the team’s play of late. For example, the Dolphins put up a solid fight against a tough Buffalo Bills team on Thursday. After all, the score was tied at 21 apiece at one point in the fourth quarter, and Miami was in the game up until the final minutes.

It’s evident that the Dolphins aren’t as bad as they looked back in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts. And if you look hard enough, there are reasons to believe a turnaround is possible. Let’s break down why exactly the Dolphins’ season isn’t over just yet — even despite the fact that they have yet to get in the win column — and see what Miami needs to do to save its season.

Step 1: Go 4-1 over the next five games

Fortunately for the Dolphins, their schedule is looking very manageable over their next five contests. Of Miami’s five upcoming opponents, only one team has a record above the .500 mark, and that’s the Los Angeles Chargers.

Sprinkled around what projects to be a tough game for the Dolphins against Los Angeles are bouts against the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons. Those four teams have a combined record of just 1-7, and the Jets, Panthers and Browns are all still looking for their first wins of the season, just like the Dolphins.

Maybe asking for Miami to go 5-0 in that span would be unrealistic, especially with that Chargers game looming. But a 4-1 record seems very attainable, and if the Dolphins were to do just that, they would hold a 4-4 record heading into what is the toughest part of their schedule spanning from Weeks 9 through 11.

Step 2: Survive Weeks 9 through 11 by stealing a single win

After a stretch that will see the Dolphins face off against some of the NFL’s bottom feeders, the level of competition will ramp up in a major way for their following three opponents. Miami will do battle against the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 30, face the Bills again on Nov. 9 and wrap up the brutal stretch with a Nov. 16 contest against the Washington Commanders.

All three of those teams are on the heels of making the playoffs a season ago and have highly talented quarterbacks, but Miami just needs to survive Weeks 9 through 11 by stealing a lone win in that three-game span.

If there’s one reason to be optimistic that the Dolphins won’t go winless in that stretch, it’s that two of those contests will be home games for Miami at Hard Rock Stadium. While Miami, of course, hasn’t won a home game this year, the team has historically been a tough out when playing on its home field under head coach Mike McDaniel.

To sweeten the deal, the one game away from home during that stretch won’t be a true road game for the Dolphins, as they will meet the Washington Commanders in Spain in Week 11.

A single win for Miami in Weeks 9 through 11 would give it a 5-6 record going into its bye week and a pulse heading into an easier part of its schedule to end the campaign.

Step 3: Let it rip across the final six games

Now, to be clear, even if the Dolphins were to accomplish the first two steps, they would still have plenty of work to do in order to get back to the playoffs.

If they were 5-6 coming out of their bye, they’d have a lot to accomplish over the final six weeks. Thankfully, there are plenty of winnable games on Miami’s schedule to wrap up its 17-game slate, including a matchup against a Cincinnati Bengals team that might not have quarterback Joe Burrow due to a turf toe injury.

The other games will come against the New Orleans Saints, Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots.

The Dolphins winning four of their final six games would put them at 9-8 to end the campaign. Of course, there’s no telling if that record would be good enough to qualify for the playoffs, but Miami would seemingly have a solid shot at the very least. To really improve their chances, a 10-7 finish would go a long way.

What can’t be denied is that it would be quite the accomplishment for the Dolphins to finish with a record above .500 after their sour start to the season, regardless of whether they were to make the playoffs.