The Miami Dolphins’ heartbreak of 2020 won’t be one that is soon forgotten. Never, in the history of the Wild Card era, has a team finished the season with 10 wins and finished as the AFC conference’s No. 8 seed — until last year when the Miami Dolphins achieved that feat. And, of course, even amid an expanded playoff field, that meant no postseason action for the Dolphins; extending a drought without a playoff win that is creeping closer and closer to a quarter-century.
And so Miami went to work this offseason to better their roster from the finished product last season. There’s little question as to whether or not they were successful — but every year is a new year and Miami isn’t guaranteed to have only leveled up from last year; there are new challenges, new teams and new players to account for. The List Wire has conducted a record-prediction for each of the NFL’s 32 teams; hoping to forecast the year to come with all of those factors in play.
The good news, Dolphins fans?
Barry Werner has forecasted the Dolphins to finish the year with a winning record, which would make it the first time since 2002-2003 that the Dolphins finished consecutive years with a winning record. They went a combined 19-13 over those two seasons (Ricky Williams’ first two with Miami) but missed the playoffs both seasons.
The bad news?
Werner has the Dolphins missing the playoffs once again at 9-8. The projections has Miami finishing third in the AFC East behind Buffalo and New England and well out of range of the three Wild Card slots; missing out not just on tiebreakers this time around but also by a full game. Werner appears to be low on Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa:
“The Dolphins’ record will depend on Tua Tagovailoa and the young QB erasing the doubts surrounding him. There is no more Ryan Fitzpatrick to save the day. That role would fall to Jacoby Brissett, and the guess here is the former Colt eventually sees a lot of action. Miami should scramble with New England for second or third in the AFC East. Record: 9-8″ — Barry Werner, The List Wire
Allow it to serve as the latest reminder that Tagovailoa has plenty of skeptics. And those who are down on the team are likely there in part because of the second-year quarterback. So if you’d like to outperform these expectations, that starts and ends with Tagovailoa rising to the occasion.