You have to go back to 2000 to find when the Miami Dolphins last won a game in the National Football League (NFL) playoffs. You have to continue scrolling through the years to 1984 to find the Miami Dolphins competing in a Super Bowl and back to 1973 to see the year the famous Dolphins last lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Why is it then that Miami Dolphins’ long-suffering fans are already buying Super Bowl LVIII tickets when the 2023 season is only five weeks in?
Miami Dolphins fans have had a tough ride over the past 20 years. Since reaching the Divisional Playoffs in 2000, in which they lost 0-27 to the Baltimore Ravens, the Dolphins have only navigated their way to the playoffs four times and have never progressed deeper than the Wild Card round. Yet here we are in 2023, knowing that selecting the Miami Dolphins to win American Football’s biggest prize is one of the best online Super Bowl Bets you can make right now. And here is why.
Mike McDaniel Has Transformed the Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins started the 2021 season with a 1-7 record but won eight of their final nine games to finish with a winning record for the second consecutive year. Despite guiding the Dolphins’ comeback, Brian Flores was relieved of his duties as head coach a week after the regular season concluded. The Dolphins senior management began their search for a new head coach and settled on Mike McDaniel.
McDaniel spent five seasons with the San Francisco 49ers as the run game coordinator, then one year as the 49ers’ offensive coordinator. McDaniel’s appointment took many by surprise, but Dolphins fans are delighted with how their team is performing under McDaniel’s stewardship.
The Dolphins finished with a 9-8 record in 2022, reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The team lost five of its last six fixtures, but the Dolphins were without their star quarterback during those games, while other key personnel were missing, too.
Under McDaniel, the Dolphins have developed into a team with an explosive offence, with McDaniel coming up with creative plays that are often high-risk but that reap massive rewards. The Dolphins are playing exciting football, and judging by the early form in 2023, everything is gelling together at the Hard Rock Stadium.
The Dolphins Start 2023 Like a House on Fire
One of the first tasks McDaniel completed was backing his under-fire quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. There was much talk about the Dolphins looking for a new starting quarterback when McDaniel began his reign, but he nailed his colours to the mast and backed the inconsistent Hawaiian. Tagovailoa repaid his coach’s faith in his ability by putting up career-best figures in 2022, and the former Alabama Crimson Tide star has started 2023 in scintillating fashion.
Through the first five games of the 2023 regular season, Tagovailoa has completed 119 of 166 pass attempts (71.7% completion rate), thrown an almost unbelievable 1,614 yards, and 11 touchdowns. The Dolphins gain a staggering 9.7 yards per passing attempt with Tagovailoa in the pocket. Tagovailoa is in the form of his life, and that has resulted in this Dolphins team amassing more yardage than any team in NFL history through five games.
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill has been the main beneficiary of Tagovailoa’s confidence and form, racking up 651 yards and five touchdowns, while Jaylen Waddle is already on 245 yards and one touchdown despite playing only four of the Dolphins’ five fixtures.
Then there is the Dolphins’ running game, which has seen the team reach 929 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in only five games. Raheem Mostert has 314 yards and three touchdowns from 58 carries, but De’Von Achane’s figures are even better than Mostert’s.
Achane joined the Dolphins after the Miami outfit drafted him 84th overall in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Achane fell down the draft due to his size, but McDaniel took a chance on the former Texas A&M man due to his blistering pace. Achane has enjoyed 38 carries across four games. During those 38 rushes, Achane has gained 460 yards for a 12.1 gain per rush average, a ridiculous number. The rookie already has five touchdowns to his name.
Can The Dolphins Continue Their Incredible Run of Form?
The coming together of the Dolphins’ exciting offence has resulted in the team winning four of their opening five fixtures. A close 36-34 victory of the Los Angeles Chargers got their Dolphins’ season off to a winning start. They then defeated the New England Patriots 24-17 on the road before taking on the Denver Broncos at the Hard Rock Stadium on Week 3.
The Dolphins were incredible against the Broncos and ran out 70-20 winners, becoming only the third franchise in NFL history to reach 70 points in a single game.
Week 4 saw the Dolphins brought back down to earth with a bang, with the Buffalo Bills turning them over 20-48. McDaniel went back to the drawing board, and the result was a 31-16 win over the struggling New York Giants in Week 5.
Next up for the high-flying Dolphins are the winless Carolina Panthers, a game that looks on paper to be a very one-sided affair. The biggest tests for McDaniel’s men come on Week 7 and then Week 9. A trip to last season’s losing Super Bowl finalists, the Philadelphia Eagles, is the first significant test for the Dolphins, with a journey to Frankfurt, Germany, against the reigning champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, scheduled for Week 9. Come out of those games unscathed, and the Dolphins will not fear any opponent right up to facing the Buffalo Bills in the final round of the season.
Conclusion
It is hard to make a case for the Dolphins not reaching the playoffs despite their abysmal record over the past two decades. McDaniel has an offensive unit that will cause trouble for even the tightest defenses in the league, and such a talented offence gives you every chance of winning games.
Much of the Dolphins’ possible success boils down to keeping Tagovailoa fit and healthy because Skylar Thompson and Mike White are nowhere near as talented as him. Everything positive about the Dolphins goes through Tagovailoa. Keep their star quarterback fit, and anything is possible for Miami this season.
