Dolphins Will be Defined by Final Four-Game Stretch

Dolphins Will be Defined by Final Four-Game Stretch

Here come the Dolphins.

Similar to 2021 and 2024, Miami got off to a horrendous start to its season.

In 2021, Brian Flores’ final year, the Dolphins began at 1-7.

Last season, Miami stood at 2-6 heading into the trade deadline.

This year, they were actually in a worse position at 2-7 with rumors of a major fire sale on the way.

While Jaelan Phillips was ultimately moved, interim GM Champ Kelly and Head Coach Mike McDaniel steered clear of a complete teardown and held onto many other veterans.

That proved to be a shrewd move as Miami has reeled off four straight victories and finds itself back in the thick of the playoff race, which, like previous years, has been buoyed by the team playing similarly bad teams for a prolonged stretch.

Now comes the tougher part.

Can they replicate the success they had against other quality opponents?

Yes, Miami did stun its division rival, Buffalo, but the other three teams it has beaten during the win streak have a combined record of 9-30.

To finish the year, three of their final four opponents have a .500 winning percentage or better, while the lone team they face that does not is Cincinnati, which was without its starting quarterback for most of the season.

Last year, Miami won six of eight games to fight back to 8-8 before they ultimately lost their final game of the year, which could have sent them to the postseason.

In 2021, the Dolphins went from 1-7 to 8-7, largely due to them beating up bad opponents.