The Miami Dolphins' offensive attack has been struggling. It doesn't take a football savant to see that. From quarterback Malik Willis' decision-making and accuracy woes to a young stable of wide receivers struggling to find separation to an offensive line that is much improved, though still struggling, particularly on the right side, the Dolphins have problems everywhere.
Well, not everywhere. Ollie Gordon II has finally been taken off the leash, and he's playing like a man on a mission as a result. As such, there will be no OG2 slander on this site. In any case, a new statistical deep dive helps explain the futility the Dolphins are currently enduring.
The Miami Dolphins are not just 0–5. In these games, they haven't held a lead for a single second of game time. That's, well, soul-crushing. In all seriousness, without the historical context, it's unclear how rare a stretch like that is. Here at Phin Phanatic, we got into the weeds using Pro Football Reference's Stathead ($), and let's just say the Dolphins are truly on a rare stretch of struggle.
The Miami Dolphins' 0–5 start is even worse than it seems, and history could be on the horizon
It's extremely damning to go five complete contests without holding a lead. In the history of the NFL, only four teams have gone through their first five games of a season without holding a lead: the 1954 Washington "Commanders," the 1965 Washington "Commanders," the 2005 Houston Texans, and our wonderfully inept 2026 Miami Dolphins.
Take that in for a second. The 2017 Cleveland Browns, 2008 Detroit Lions, and 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who all went winless, and heck, even the 2007 Miami Dolphins, who went 1–15, all held leads at some point in their first five contests. The 2026 group has yet to do so, and if they don't reverse it soon, they'll hold a dubious position atop Mount Suckmore.
The 1954 and 1965 Commanders each won their sixth game, so the streak ended there for them. As for the 2005 Texans, they still didn't hold a lead in their sixth game before winning their seventh and ending the streak.
The Dolphins, unfortunately, cannot put an end to the madness this weekend, as they are on their bye week. On October 25, they will travel to MetLife Stadium to take on the hated division rival New York Jets. If they are unable to secure a lead over the AFC East's true basement-dweller, they will tie the record with six games to start a season without a lead.
The following week — if the streak still stands — they will have to secure a lead at some point over the mistake-prone New England Patriots to avoid humiliating history.
Football's a team game. Despite the offense clearly struggling more than the defense, holding a lead falls on everybody, including coaches and players. While the Dolphins have been lauded for punching above their weight this season and staying in most games, this stat shows a particularly concerning trend.
Hopefully the bye week affords all parties the time needed to get off the schneid against the Jets. If things don't turn around soon, the 2026 Miami Dolphins will be making the worst kind of history.
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