Dolphins still have something to prove whether they want to admit it or not

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel seems to be very aware of the narrative surrounding his team and the fact they have yet to beat a team with a winning record this season. It also seems to bother him as he instructed his players to respectfully tell any member of the media asking about it to "eff off." 

McDaniel might not like it, and the Dolphins might be tired of hearing about it, but until they actually hang with one of the NFL's top-tier teams it is going to be a talking point until they do something to change it. 

The good news for the Dolphins is they have three games to close out the regular season to change that narrative as they end the regular season with games against Dallas, Baltimore and Buffalo. Those are not only teams with winning records, they are three potential Super Bowl contenders.

The concern with Miami isn't just the fact it is 0-3 against teams with winning records this season, or that it has the lowest strength of victory in the NFL this season (their wins have come against teams with a combined winning percentage of .393 -- the only team in the NFL with an SOV under .400). It's that they have not even been remotely competitive against the good teams, and it is not a new development this season. 

In their three games against potential playoff teams this season, the Dolphins lost to Buffalo by 28 points, lost to Philadelphia by 14 points and lost to Kansas City on a neutral site by just seven points. Their high-powered offense also combined for just 44 points in those three games (just 14.6 per game). 

They also lost six consecutive games to playoff teams to end the 2022 season, including their 34-31 playoff loss at Buffalo. 

Going back to the start of the 2022 season the Dolphins are just 2-9 against teams that either made the playoffs a year ago or are likely to make the playoffs this season. They have also been outscored by nearly 100 points (330-239) in those games. It is worth pointing out that in a handful of those games a year ago they did not have starting quarter Tua Tagovaiola due to injury. But he has played in each of the three games this season, and even with him they are still only 2-6 against playoff teams over the past two years. 

You can only play the teams on your schedule, and the Dolphins deserve credit for stomping on the league's bottom-tier teams, but at some point if you are going to be a Super Bowl team you have to beat some of the upper-level teams. You don't have to beat them all. It is understandable and accepted that you will lose some. But you can't lose all of them and get dominated every single time. Right now, that is the reality the Dolphins are facing.   

Objectively speaking, if the Dolphins lose two of these next three games -- and do not keep them close -- and then go out in the first round of the playoffs how could anybody take them seriously as a top-tier team? You could not. The fact that McDaniel made it a point to address the narrative in his weekly press conference suggests he is very aware of it and doesn't like it. He might even be concerned about it. There is only one thing that makes it go away. Win these games.