Dolphins fans have one major gripe entering the bye week that keeps getting worse

The Miami Dolphins have had a lot to cheer about during the Mike McDaniel era, but once we get to around this time of year, tensions start to rise, and doubt starts to creep in.

McDaniel's teams have often struggled against top-tier competition. That's held true during the 2025 season. A big part of the Fins' abysmal 1-6 start was an inability to beat good teams. The schedule heading into the season didn't look as tough as it does now, but Miami took losses to the Colts (8-2), Patriots (9-2), Bills (7-4), Panthers (6-5), and Chargers (7-4) in that span.

All but one of those games was very winnable. Does that mean the Dolphins really are turning a corner en route to a 4-7 record as winners of three of four? Or are they setting up fans for a more painful disappointment?

Prior late-season woes mar Dolphins' mounting momentum during Week 12 bye

Thanks to their recent hot streak and a softening schedule, Miami is relevant enough to have an outside shot at the playoffs. However, does this core group really have the ceiling of anything better than a one-and-done team? It doesn't seem so.

At least the team's recent rally is better than going in the pun-intended tank for the rest of the 2025 campaign. They easily could've done that and cost McDaniel his job. To their credit, they didn't.

But there's still an elephant in the room. McDaniel has a 7-12 record in December and January in his Dolphins tenure.

To be fair, some of those losses coincided with Tua Tagovailoa's multiple concussions. In Weeks 14 and 15 of last season, though, Miami needed overtime to beat the lowly Jets, only to go out the next week at Houston and watch Tua turn-da-ball-ova four times in an eight-point loss. The Dolphins still had an outside shot at the playoffs with backup QB Snoop Huntley in the regular-season finale, yet they laid an egg against the Jets to lose 32-20.

Injuries piled up on defense two years ago, but despite that, the Fins had a chance at the AFC's No. 1 seed and didn't look like they belonged on the same field as the Ravens, who pummeled them 56-19 on New Year's Eve.

During McDaniel's maiden season at the helm in 2022, he got off to a hot 8-3 start before five straight losses.

Even with favorable matchups on the horizon against those low-key pesky Jets, the roller-coaster Steelers, and the Bengals' atrocious defense, it's wildly difficult for Dolphins fans to have faith that the end of this season will be different. Doesn't help that two division leaders in Tampa Bay and New England loom in the final two games.

You know what does help? The fact that running back De'Von Achane is rolling despite a still-shaky o-line in front of him.

For all the heat Tua takes, a big criticism of fired GM Chris Grier was his poor job building the interior of the offensive line. That's made the running game worse and given Tua little time to scan the field.

If the Fins can just get a little good injury luck and continue that strong trajectory for the rushing attack, that bodes well for their success in December and January, which has proven elusive of late.

It'll be fascinating to see whether Miami comes out of the bye week flat while facing an inferior opponent in the Saints at home. That should go a long way in foreshadowing whether the Dolphins can keep digging themselves out of that 1-6 hole — and the perception that they still can't play winning football when it matters the most.