The Miami Dolphins nearly pulled off the perfect upset this past Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, and it could set the team up for a perfect finish. Dolphins fans are ready to throw it all in the dumpster after the loss dropped the team's record to 2-6, but there may be one more listen to this old record.
I'm not on the fence with this one. Miami should be looking toward 2025, but there is no reason, aside from the first eight games of the year, to give up just yet. On Sunday, the Dolphins played their best game of the year and probably their best game in Buffalo since 2016.
Yes, Miami lost, but losing because your safety committed a horrible penalty setting up a game-winning 61-yard field goal is hardly a reason to throw in the towel just yet. I get it, I really do because I am on that forget about it side of the fence.
Miami Dolphins have chance to turn 2024 season around despite only having two wins
At just about the same time I'm ready to throw it all away, the rest of Miami's 2024 schedule pops up with a flickering dim light of hope, and for some reason, maybe self-torture, I can't blow it out. If the Dolphins played like they did on Sunday, there isn't a team on the rest of their schedule they can't beat.
The Los Angeles Rams are going to be favored at home in Week 10, but Miami can beat them. The Rams are not a powerhouse football team.
They're average, and up until two weeks ago, they were going to have a fire sale of players. Two games later and two more wins, that isn't the case anymore. The Dolphins, however, are the better team, at least if they are the team that played on Sunday in Buffalo.
A week later, the Las Vegas Raiders come to Miami. There are zero excuses for the Dolphins to lose to the Raiders, and the following week, Miami plays the New England Patriots at home. No excuses there, either.
That should be three wins and a 5-6 record for the Dolphins after Week 12. Oh my, can they really climb back into the shadow of relevance?
Facing the Green Bay Packers on the road is going to be a problem for Miami. But the Packers, while good, are not blazing up a storm in the NFC North.
Green Bay has problems as well, and the Detroit Lions gutted them over the weekend. Miami's running game should give the Packers problems.
Then, in Week 14, the Dolphins have an important AFC East game against the New York Jets. It's never an easy matchup, but this one will be in Miami.
The Dolphins will then face a Houston Texans team in Week 15 that is not as dominant as many thought, and then a 49ers team in Week 16 that does not look like they will come close to chasing another NFC title this season. Both games will be winnable for Miami, again, if they play like they did on Sunday against the Bills.
The final two weeks of the regular season has the Dolphins facing the Cleveland Browns and Jets, both on the road.
If Miami can somehow pull off a miracle and win their next four games, this team's confidence might be enough to beat the Texans and 49ers and then give them a make-or-break season finale showdown against New York.
It's not over for the Dolphins just yet, even though most of us want to say that it is.