4 bold predictions for the Miami Dolphins in 2024 season

The NFL season will kick off this week with two primetime games on Thursday and Friday nights, followed by a full slate on Sunday, and that is when the Miami Dolphins will take the field for the first time.

The first four games of the 2024 season are at home against the Jaguars and Bills, followed by a cross-country trip to Seattle before another home game against the Titans. The Dolphins have to get off to a fast start and give themselves breathing room ahead of a tough late-season stretch.

Dolphins fans have high expectations this year, and here are four bold predictions ahead of the 2024 season.

Dolphins will start the season 7-0

The Dolphins' biggest challenges in the first seven weeks are the Jaguars and the Bills. The first game of the year is always the toughest because teams are not 100% certain of what the other will do or how they have evolved from the previous year. The Dolphins facing the Bills in Week 2 at home is good, but the game is at night because the Bills won't get shafted again and play in the absolutely miserable heat of South Florida. It's still hot in Miami during the evenings in September.

Miami's next several games include the Seahawks, Titans, Patriots, Colts, and Cardinals. The Dolphins should be able to beat those teams and if they do win their first two weekends, the expectations for them to be 7-0 will be high. Miami will then head to Buffalo and travel to L.A. to face the Rams.

Dolphins will finally win the AFC East

The Dolphins have the team to win the AFC East despite concerns about the offensive line, wide receiver depth, and defensive unknowns. Like every NFL team, the Dolphins have to stay healthy, and if they can do that, Mike McDaniel should finally be able to keep his creativity alive all season long. This has been a problem for the young head coach, who enters his third season as the man in charge.

McDaniel tends to get "cute" too often with his play calling, which has hurt his opportunities. He has a strong running back room, and the wide receiver corps should improve as the season progresses. He needs to be the key to success by giving his offense the right situational play-calling and letting them execute.

The AFC East will be tough, but the Dolphins should be able to get over the line this time. This will be another nail-biter down to the end of the season, but it might just be the Dolphins and Jets competing for the division crown.

Dolphins defense will start slow but finish as a top-five unit

Miami will start a little uneven as they implement Anthony Weaver's game plans. They will struggle with stopping the run early, but the pass defense will help until they get a rhythm. Zach Sieler and Calais Campbell will be good enough to keep the defense from getting gutted early in the season, but the big change will come mid-season when Bradley Chubb returns.

Chubb is going to give the Dolphins an emotional and physical boost when he comes back. Chop Robinson and Jaelan Phillips will hold down everything just fine, but it will be a far more aggressive defense that starts to click with Chubb's return. Jalen Ramsey should be headed to another Pro Bowl season, and for the first time in his four-year NFL career, Jevon Holland will show that he is an elite safety and not simply on the cusp.

Tyreek Hill won't hit 2,000 yards, but Dolphins offense will improve

The Dolphins have had one of the best offenses both seasons under Mike McDaniel, but they could have been better had they not force-fed the ball to Tyreek Hill in an attempt to break an NFL record. This year, they won't try to get Hill to 2,000 yards receiving, and that will open the offense more as teams attempt to stop Hill.

If Tua can peel off the 2K goal, something he said he was trying to get for Hill, he will see the other options on the field. Jonnu Smith, for example, could see a big season in Miami, and fans may just see the Dolphins use Smith as they have never used a TE since the days of Randy McMichael.

The key to all of this is spreading the ball around. The Dolphins, specifically Tua Tagovailoa, must involve other players in 2024.

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