I’ll admit it. I did not believe in these Miami Dolphins.
I thought the Dolphins had talent — you can’t deny Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle leaving defensive backs grabbing at air every Sunday. And, for as much as I didn’t think Tua Tagovailoa was “special,” I could still acknowledge he was a plus starter; a guy who makes a real difference in an offense predicated on timing and erasing defenders’ angles quickly.
But there was something missing. Was it the mediocre defense? Was the Dolphins’ offense sustainable for an entire season?
Boy, do I feel terribly wrong.
Three weeks into the second year of the Mike McDaniel era, the Dolphins are a buzzsaw. They’re No. 1 in total offense, points per game (43.3!!!), and are already well over 1,000 passing yards. They’ve got the most efficient attack in the sport and look unstoppable. Hill and Waddle continue to prove unguardable. Tagovailoa has taken a definite step toward stardom with decisiveness best exemplified by an absurdly fast-throwing release. Raheem Mostert has continued showing he’s one of the NFL’s more underrated tailbacks. And Devon Achane is an electric sparkplug constructed expressly to embarrass defenders in the open field.
Oh, and that defense? While not a remarkable shutdown unit by any means, Vic Fangio’s players have surprisingly held up well enough in the absence of Jalen Ramsey. Besides, you have more leeway to gel together when your offense could break most relevant professional football records.
I don’t know whether the Dolphins will finally break through with another long-awaited Super Bowl by the end of the season. The AFC is a running gauntlet of superpowers, making it impossible to definitively predict who will even win the conference amidst a bloodbath.
But these Dolphins feel like they’ve got that magic touch. That distinction only the truly great teams possess.
At the very least, I can say I believe in their chances. Even if they don’t get it this year, I believe in Tagovailoa-McDaniel revitalizing football in South Beach and, one day, bringing that Super Bowl back. I stand corrected. They’ve got the goods, and I can’t wait to see how they continue to humiliate teams.
Here are For The Win’s NFL power rankings for Week 4 of the 2023 season, which appropriately feature these mighty Dolphins. — Robert Zeglinski