It’s been 22 years since the Miami Dolphins won a playoff game. Miami has only been to the playoffs twice in the last two decades, as this has generally been a mediocre team that never seems to hit rock bottom. The Dolphins decided to shake things up three years ago by trading away a lot of their players for draft picks, and that helped lead to consecutive winning seasons for the first time since the 2002 and 2003 campaigns. If Miami had a solid quarterback, the Dolphins would be a legitimate Super Bowl contender, but it doesn’t seem like Tua Tagovailoa fits the bill.
Miami Dolphins Season Win Total
Over 9 Wins +100
Under 9 Wins -120
2022 Miami Dolphins Schedule
| WEEK | MATCHUP |
| 1 | Vs. New England Patriots |
| 2 | @ Baltimore Ravens |
| 3 | Vs. Buffalo Bills |
| 4 | @ Cincinnati Bengals |
| 5 | @ New York Jets |
| 6 | Vs. Minnesota Vikings |
| 7 | Vs. Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 8 | @ Detroit Lions |
| 9 | @ Chicago Bears |
| 10 | Vs. Cleveland Browns |
| 11 | BYE WEEK |
| 12 | Vs. Houston Texans |
| 13 | @ San Francisco 49ers |
| 14 | @ Los Angeles Chargers |
| 15 | @ Buffalo Bills |
| 16 | Vs. Green Bay Packers |
| 17 | @ New England Patriots |
| 18 | Vs. New York Jets |
Miami Dolphins Offense
This is a put up or shut up season for Tua Tagovailoa. The Alabama standout was taken with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and the other two quarterbacks taken early in that draft (Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert) have gone on to be stars. Tagovailoa hasn’t been terrible in his two seasons under center for the Dolphins, but he hasn’t been a difference maker either. He completed just 67.8% of his passes for 2,653 yards with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2021, and he failed to make much of a difference with his legs. If Tagovailoa fails to have a breakthrough season, it’s likely that Miami will look for other options in 2023.
The front office is giving Tagovailoa every chance to succeed though. Miami selected Jaylen Waddle with the No. 6 overall pick in last year’s draft, and the team finally added a solid running back in free agency by signing Chase Edmonds to a two-year contract. The biggest move they made though involved the Dolphins’ blockbuster trade for Tyreek Hill.
Miami sent five draft picks to the Kansas City Chiefs for Hill and then proceeded to sign him to a four-year, $120 million contract extension with $72 million guaranteed. That deal made Hill the highest-paid receiver in NFL history, and he is one of the most explosive receivers in the game. The tandem of Hill and Waddle has the potential to be exceptional as Hill shines as a speedy deep threat, and Waddle is a superb underneath receiver.
Miami Dolphins Defense
This defense was solid for each of the last two seasons under Brian Flores. However, Miami surprisingly parted ways with the head coach this offseason, giving defensive coordinator Josh Boyer full control on this side of the ball.
Miami has a decent defensive line as Christian Wilkins has been a solid run stuffer up front, and Raekwon Davis is a quality nose tackle. The Dolphins signed oft injured linebacker Melvin Ingram III in hopes that he can provide depth, but there aren’t a whole lot of playmakers in this position group.
The secondary was supposed to be one of the best in the NFL after Miami gave a king’s ransom to both Byron Jones and Xavien Howard and drafted Noah Igbinoghene in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. However, this unit was simply above average last season as neither Jones nor Howard proved to be a lockdown cornerback.
Prediction
Mike McDaniel is the new head coach of the Miami Dolphins. McDaniel was previously the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, and the team hopes that he can help Tagovailoa improve. Unfortunately, it’s hard to bank on that happening, and things could go south for Miami in a hurry. The Dolphins have a tough first month of the season that will test their resolve, as Miami has a real chance of being 0-4 after its first four games. This team is likely to hover around .500, so the under is the pick.
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