Dolphins Ready for Another Turnaround, the Case For and Against

Will it be deja vu all over again for the Miami Dolphins?

Are they ready for another major turnaround or was the victory against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday just a one-off, a momentary reprieve from a dreadful 2025 season?

The final 10 weeks of the regular season, including the bye that follows the game in Spain, obviously will reveal the answer, even though it admittedly is foolish to even suggest the Dolphins could sniff the playoffs the way things stand right now.

Except that it's just what the Dolphins did the last two times they got off to a disastrous start. No, the Dolphins didn't make the playoffs in 2021 after starting 1-7 or last year after starting 2-6, but they rebounded well enough to still be in playoff contention on the next-to-last weekend in '21 and all the way to the final Sunday last year.

So, while we understand the Dolphins very well could lose their next two games against Baltimore and Buffalo and we'll be right back where we were talking about a likely coaching change and the plan moving forward, we'll go that when the time comes.

For now, it's about the other possibility, the one where the Dolphins go on a run like they did in 2021 and 2024.

WHY THE DOLPHINS COULD MAKE A RUN

If you believe in karma or signs or whatever, it's absolutely worth noting that the Dolphins facing Baltimore in a Thursday night at the start of a turnaround is what happened in 2021 and now come the Ravens and Lamar Jackson.

The Dolphins had just defeated the Houston Texans for their second win of the season when the Ravens came to Hard Rock Stadium in that Thursday night game in 2021, and Miami made it two in a row with a 22-10 victory.

The Dolphins also defeated a quality opponent last year when they were 2-6, going to SoFi Stadium and handling the Los Angeles Rams, the same Rams team that would give the Philadelphia Eagles their toughest challenge in the playoffs during their Super Bowl run.

We have maintained all along the Dolphins were never quite as bad as their record indicated, emphasized by the fact they easily could have one, two, three more wins had they simply been able to come up with key plays at crunchtime, whether against the Patriots, Bills, Panthers or Chargers.

If the Dolphins can replicate what they did against Atlanta, with strong defense, a balanced offense and timely throws from Tua Tagavailoa, they can compete with just about any team in the league. Shoot, they were driving for a game-tying or potential game-winning (with a two-point conversion) touchdown when they faced the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo in Week 3.

And if we know one thing about the Dolphins under Mike McDaniel, it's that they can get on a roll. They had winning streaks of three and five games in 2022, two three-games streak in 2023, and another three-game winning streak last season.

The Dolphins don't have to win every game to make the playoffs, so they still have a small — very small — margin for error.

Let's remember that since the NFL went to a 17-game regular season in 2021, four teams have made the playoffs with a 9-8 record — one of them was the 2022 Dolphins.

WHY THE DOLPHINS WON'T MAKE A RUN

Let's start by pointing out that the Dolphins aren't going to be as efficient in their operation as they were against Atlanta because they hadn't been to that point this season.

Every team is capable of having that one dominating performance — well, almost every team — but what separates the good teams from the not-good teams is the ability to do it on a consistent basis.

And, again, are the Dolphins really that kind of team (the one that can do it on a regular basis)?

The immediate schedule also is problematic.

The Ravens don't have a very good record, but they're also very dangerous now that some of their injured defensive players have returned and, yes, Jackson is expected back.

And we don't need to tell Dolphins fans about Josh Allen and the Bills.

Again, just like the Dolphins could put themselves in a real position to make a playoff push if they can somehow win these next two games, it's just as likely they'll be done for good with two losses in those games.

Beyond the Ravens and Bills, there are other dicey opponents on the remaining schedule, namely the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New England Patriots, who are in the midst of a dramatic one-year turnaround thanks to new head coach Mike Vrabel and second-year quarterback Drake Maye.

The Washington Commanders are only 3-4 heading into their Monday night game against Kansas City, but they figure to have Jayden Daniels back at quarterback for the Madrid game, and he's an absolute game-changer. And the Cincinnati Bengals also will present quite the challenge in Week 16 if Joe Burrow is back from the foot injury that has sidelined him.

The Dolphins didn't exactly face a who's who of NFL powerhouses during their runs of 2021 and 2024, and they came up short each time whenever they were up against a playoff-caliber or playoff-bound opponent.

Until proven otherwise — such as another performance against Baltimore like we saw against Atlanta — we have no reason to believe the Dolphins are any better equipped to handle those tough assignments than they were before.

For now, the thought of a playoff run is a lot more interesting than all the talk about a potential coaching change — even if it's still in the unrealistic stage.

After the win at Atlanta, though, it's not in the impossible phase.

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