10 Weeks until the Dolphins Regular Season Opener
Year in and year out it feels as though the duration from the Super Bowl to the start of the new season takes forever and a day. This year feels no different, but we’re now just 10 weeks until the Dolphins regular season opener.
It has been a busy and exciting offseason for the Miami Dolphins to say the least. They started out re-signing some key players that helped get them to the playoffs last year. In addition, they brought in talent to help improve the defense, including using the majority of their picks in the NFL Draft on that side of the ball. Just 10 weeks from today, we’ll get our chance to see how well their moves paid off.
Okay, “just” may be a bit of a stretch, but consider today Ja’Wuan James day with 70 days remaining until the Dolphins host the Tampa Bay Bucs in the season opener on September 10th. With this being the 4th of July weekend, there is a lot to be excited about building up to the start of the season.
Miami’s training camp will start later this month, followed by the Dolphins first preseason game. The team will host the defending NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons on August 10th at Hard Rock Stadium, exactly one month before the start of the regular season.
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Unlike other sports that feel like they are year round, the NFL’s offseason feels like an eternity sometimes. It’s no wonder people get excited for the NFL Draft. Any excuse to talk about football is a good excuse. Even 10 weeks may be considered too far away now, but it’s a sign that the season is edging closer and closer. Training camp and the preseason right around the corner proves that.
Miami has had a tendency in the past to start seasons even later than September with their horrific starts. They made the playoffs last year, but it was no exception to starting the season slow. The team had to climb out of a 1-4 start by winning 9 of the next 10 to clinch the final playoff spot in the AFC. Looking at the season schedule this year, it’s very important that the Dolphins get off to a good start.
The first half of the season on paper looks to be a favorable one. If we’re comparing teams to how they finished last season, Miami has the opportunity to get off to a really good start. Within the first seven games, the Falcons (Week 6) are the only opponent to have reached the playoffs last year. The Titans and Bucs are the only other teams to finish above .500. These teams are likely to improve from last year (excluding the Jets), but looking at the schedule now, Miami very well could start the season 6-1 or better.
That would go a long way if the Dolphins are to clinch another playoff spot, and hopefully, make a deep run. The schedule gets tougher the rest of the way, but it will be a good challenge to see how resilient this team can be. Many are already writing Miami off this year, claiming they overachieved in Adam Gase‘s first season as head coach. That’s fine; Personally, I prefer it when others count out the Dolphins immediately. In just 10 short weeks, Miami will get their first crack at proving the doubters wrong.