The 5 biggest takeaways from the 2023 Miami Dolphins season

The Miami Dolphins became the 2nd team to get bounced from the NFL postseason on Saturday night and with it, the 2023 season came to an abrupt halt.
AFC Wild Card Playoffs - Miami Dolphins v Kansas City Chiefs
AFC Wild Card Playoffs - Miami Dolphins v Kansas City Chiefs / Jamie Squire/GettyImages
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It was cold in Kanas City on Saturday. The 4th coldest game in NFL history and the coldest at Arrowhead. After the game, it was colder in the hearts of Miami Dolphins fans.

The season is officially over. Hard Knocks: In Season with the Miami Dolphins will get one more episode and the 2023 Dolphins will head into to 2024 with as many questions as answers. Did we learn anything from the 2023 season? Were the Dolphins built for a long run in the postseason to begin with?

Here are five things we learned from the 2023 Dolphins season.

The Miami Dolphins offense needed Tyreek Hill far more than they should have

Tyreek Hill's race for 2,000 yards was the talk of the NFL in the first half of the season. Tua Tagovailoa was the top candidate for NFL MVP and Mike McDaniel was heading to a "Coach of the Year" seasons. Then the wheels began to fall off.

Miami didn't have an answer when they lost Tyreek Hill to an ankle injury. Against the Titans, they struggled but they also struggled against the Bills, Eagles, Ravens, and Chiefs. In fact, they lost to every team that was able to contain Tyreek Hill.

In 2023, Miami won every game that Hill crossed the 100-yard receiving mark. When he didn't, the offense struggled.

  • Buffalo - game 1 - 58 yards, game 2 - 82 yards
  • Philadelphia - 88 yards
  • Chiefs - game 1 - 62 yards, game 2 - 62 yards
  • Tennessee - 61 yards (got injured)
  • Baltimore - 76 yards

The Dolphins only won three games when Tyreek Hill didn't hit 100 yards or didn't play. He missed the Jets game with an ankle injury following the Tennessee loss and the Dolphins beat the Patriots in week 2 when they held Hill to just 40 yards.

Up next: Miami's offense still has one big issue they haven't corrected.