Why the Dolphins Got 5 Primetime Games This Season

You have your “A storyline” in that Tua Tagovailoa, who is a polarizing figure that people have strong opinions about. That is an interesting character to have on your TV in a national spotlight game.

You have your “B storyline” in the quirky, funny, oddball, eccentric head coach, Mike McDaniel. If he is “mic’d up,” you never know what he will say. It’s always interesting when he talks to the sideline reporter in the game and does something silly.

Then, you have your “C storyline”, Tyreek Hill. The man is nuts. He is the car accident you can’t look away from and must slow down and take a peek at.

So, if you’re a network executive at Amazon or ESPN, you could put on Minnesota with JJ McCarthy, who is about as interesting as dry white toast, vs. the Houston Texans with young sensation CJ Stroud. It would probably be a great game between two playoff teams that won double-digit games last year.

But the characters are milk toast, the coaches are milk toast, there is no sizzle there.

But you put on Miami and all of the juicy storylines it provides, playing a Steelers team with no quarterback at this moment, it may be Aaron Rodgers by the time we get to that game, (even more Drama if that’s the case). Or a Jets team that just isn’t very good—ever! But the Jets are the team you can point and laugh at, and are always good TV because, like Miami, a bit of a hot mess express.

Now we’ve got some drama playing out on our televisions.

Minnesota vs. Houston may be high-caliber football, but it’s boring and doesn’t have many interesting characters if we are being honest. Not saying they don’t have good players, they do and that is a different conversation. They just aren’t very interesting. And that matchup will put America to sleep at halftime.

Put Miami on in primetime, and you may see Tyreek do something that will get him fined or just flat out do something amazing on the field (or you may see him quit in the middle of a game).

You may see goofy Mike McDaniel say something crazy to a sideline reporter that will get you laughing and keep you engaged, keeping you up for all four quarters well past your bedtime on a work night.

The Dolphins may not be a great team, but they are great for TV.

The Dolphins are a bit of a circus, making for great TV.

Sure, with Tua, there is always a risk of putting Miami on, and you are stuck with Zach Wilson as the starter, but again, even if that is the case, that gives you 4 quarters of fantastic speculation by the announcers about Tua’s latest injury and his future and how Zach Wilson hasn’t lived up to being the #2 overall pick of the draft.

Again, the NFL is in the storytelling business, and the Dolphins, whether good or bad on the field, are interesting with interesting characters.

The NFL is not in the let’s get a classic football game on in every primetime spot, even if it’s between two boring organizations that have no sizzle.

If you’re a Dolphins fan thinking the NFL put them on in primetime five times because they think the Fins will be “good,” I think you may be looking at this through the wrong lens.

They put them on five times because they are a team you can’t take your eyes off, whether good or bad, on the field.