Head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Mike McDaniel, appears to be cognizant of the narrative around his team and the fact that they haven’t defeated a team with a winning record yet this year. He also seems to be bothered by it, as he told his teammates to politely tell any media person who inquires about it to “eff off.”
Even if McDaniel may not like it and the Dolphins may be sick of hearing about it, it will be a talking topic until they really get together with one of the best teams in the NFL until they do action to alter it.
The good news for the Dolphins is that they have three games remaining in the regular season—games against Dallas, Baltimore, and Buffalo—to alter that narrative. Not only do all three teams have winning records, but they are also strong candidates for the Super Bowl.
Not only is Miami 0-3 against winning teams this season, but it also has the lowest strength of victory in the NFL (its victories have come against teams with a combined winning percentage of.393, the only team in the NFL with an SOV below.400). These factors alone should raise concerns about Miami. The issue is that they haven’t even come close to competing with the elite teams, and this isn’t a recent phenomenon.
Not only is Miami 0-3 against winning teams this season, but it also has the lowest strength of victory in the NFL (its victories have come against teams with a combined winning percentage of.393, the only team in the NFL with an SOV below.400). These factors alone should raise concerns about Miami. The problem is that they haven’t even come close to being competitive against the elite clubs this season.
The Dolphins have lost by 28 points against Buffalo, 14 points against Philadelphia, and just seven points on a neutral field against Kansas City in their three games this season against teams that could make the playoffs. In those three games, their potent attack only managed a combined 44 points (14.6 per game).
To finish the 2022 season, they also suffered six straight losses to postseason opponents, including a 34-31 setback at Buffalo.
Since the beginning of the 2022 season, the Dolphins have only won 2-9 games against teams that had either qualified for the postseason the previous year or are expected to do so this year. In those games, they have also been outscored by almost 100 points (330-239). It is important to note that Tua Tagovaiola did not start in either of those games a year ago because of an injury. Despite his participation in all three games this season, they had only won 2-6 versus playoff clubs in the previous two years.
You can only play the teams on your schedule. The Dolphins should be commended for crushing the league’s weakest clubs, but you eventually have to defeat some of the better teams if you want to be a Super Bowl contender. It’s not necessary to defeat them all. It’s acceptable and understandable that you will experience some loss. However, you cannot lose them all and always be the one in control. That’s the current reality the Dolphins must deal with.
From an objective standpoint, how can anyone see the Dolphins as a premier club if they lose two of their next three games and fail to keep them close, then lose in the opening round of the playoffs? You were unable to. It appears like McDaniel is quite aware of the storyline and doesn’t like it because he made it a point to address it in his weekly press conference. He may even give it some thought. It can only be eliminated by one thing. Win these contests.
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