Dolphins still have everything to prove despite saving season with win

Slow down, Miami Dolphins fans.

The season hasn't turned around yet. Sure, Tyreek Hill believes it's about to flip, and Calais Campbell gave the team something to believe in with his postgame speech, but the fans need to be smarter. This isn't the Kool-Aid you want to start drinking.

Being a "Negative Nancy" isn't fun, but sometimes reality punches you in the gut and you realize you got your hopes up only to have them ripped out of your chest with a smile and a tip of the hat.

Miami is 2-3 and one game out of the division lead in the AFC East. Mike McDaniel's team is one game from turning the season back to .500 and potentially one game away from having Tua Tagovailoa back behind center. That sounds like hope to me, but it doesn't sound like the season has been saved. Perhaps it has just been postponed.

Dolphins still have everything to prove despite Week 5 victory

The Dolphins didn't beat the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, or any other NFL franchise with more than one win. The Dolphins defeated the New England Patriots. They are the worst offensive team in the NFL, right next to the Dolphins. It only took them 60 minutes to claw their way back into the game after being down...wait for it...10-3.

Yes, that is correct. The Dolphins didn't come back from a 14-point deficit, they came back from a seven-point deficit that was in place for three quarters of play.

The Dolphins didn't suddenly explode into a potent offense, either. They scored 15 points, and nine of those came on field goals. Miami has looked bad in every phase of the 2024 season since Week 1, including last Sunday.

This is not a good football team, and McDaniel can call the win on Sunday a team victory and he can use the term resilience and whatever else comes to mind, but the reality is, the Dolphins didn't win the game so much as they didn't lose it. They beat the Patriots, who have won one game all year.

It's not time to celebrate, as more work is required—a lot more work. The win did, however, keep their season alive.