The Miami Dolphins will be staying on the West Coast after their Week 1 game against the Raiders. Next week, they will play in San Francisco. That game may look much worse than Sunday.
The Raiders are celebrating an opening-week victory, but it's a game the Dolphins could have had with a bit more experience. The Dolphins had several unforced errors, like untimely penalties, turnovers, and missed opportunities. The good news is that all of that is correctable.
The Dolphins' next four games are going to be tough. Two on the road, two at home, all playoff-caliber teams. Their best chance may not come until they travel to play the New York Jets.
Miami Dolphins best chance at a win may not come until after their bye week
The Dolphins' loss wasn't surprising, but it will only get harder from here. Jeff Hafley has to find a way to keep his team motivated while still developing the players on the talent. That gets much harder when you are losing.
The Dolphins will play the 49ers next week, and while they could conceivably beat any team in the league if the cards fell right, the chances are going to be slim to steal a Week 2 win from San Francisco.
It won't get any easier when they face the Chiefs, Vikings, and Bengals over the three weeks after their first road trip ends.
Could the Dolphins head into their Week 6 bye without a win? It's more than possible; it's actually likely. On paper, they won't match up well with the teams they play. The Dolphins will, however, get two weeks to prepare for the New York Jets.
The Jets landed a win over the Titans in Week 1, and they too will face tougher competition in the coming weeks. They play the Packers, Lions, and Bears (oh my!) before getting a home game against the Browns and then the Patriots in Week 6. New York could enter the Week 7 game against Miami with two wins. The Dolphins could be winless at 0-5.
Hafley has to be at least internally realistic about his chances of getting his team into the win column over the next several games. He has to avoid getting off track simply to notch a win, but instead keep his team focused on the positives while working to correct the mistakes.
Working in his favor is that most of the team is young, so there won't be internal mutiny from veterans who don't want to go through this type of season. A lot is said about the rookies making such an impact on the team, but there are quite a few second-year players on the roster as well.
Add us as a preferred source on Google