MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins are delusional. And that’s by their own definition.
They’re entering their bye week at 4-7, five losses behind AFC East leader New England in the division race, 2 1/2 games behind Jacksonville for what would be the final wild-card spot in the conference, and as a 50-1 long shot just to make the playoffs, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
In other words, they’re not exactly in a great spot. One would have to be, well, delusional, to think that playoff hopes are realistic. But that’s exactly the word that Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb used a couple of weeks ago, and it has stuck.
“If I had a dime for every time I was called ‘delusional’ … it’s right down my alley,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said.
It’s not like the reasons for at least some hope aren’t there. They’ve won back-to-back games for the first time all season. The schedule isn’t exactly daunting over the next few weeks. They’ve dealt with a slew of injuries, including Tyreek Hill’s dislocated knee. They’ve heard boos from fans. They’ve seen top pass rusher Jaelan Phillips get traded away. They’ve seen banner planes circling the stadium calling for drastic change; one such move ended up happening when the team parted ways with general manager Chris Grier.
A lot has happened. Much of it has been bad. The Dolphins still believe anyway.
“We just stayed together in the hard times,” Chubb said this week before the team scattered for a few bye-week days off. “We made it — what’s the word I’m looking for? — we made it a thing to get together, to make sure we stuck together, eat together, whatever we can do to bond. I feel like that’s been the biggest thing, guys trusting in one another.”
History says they could have packed it in without much in the way of repercussions. Teams that get off to the sort of starts that Miami did this season almost always wind up missing the playoffs, and the odds are still overwhelming that this Dolphins team will do the same.
— The Dolphins were 1-6. Only two teams in NFL history have started 1-6 or worse and made the playoffs, and the last time it happened was 1970.
— The Dolphins were 2-7. The only team that made the playoffs after such a start was Washington in 2020, a season when its 7-9 record was good enough to win the NFC East.
— The Dolphins are 4-7. Those playoff odds are a tiny bit better now, given than 10 teams that started 4-7 or worse have made the postseason and three of them (Washington 2020, Jacksonville 2022 and Tampa Bay 2023) have gotten there in the five seasons preceding this one.
But here’s where the hope comes into play. Running back De’Von Achane enters this week third in rushing yards and fourth in scrimmage yards across the NFL. Linebacker Jordyn Brooks leads the NFL in tackles. The defense has picked up considerably over the last four games.
“We just want to hold onto that, hold onto that and continue to get better,” Brooks said. “See where we as players can get better individually and see if we can’t keep it rolling.”
After beating Washington this past weekend in Madrid, Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa — in a sentiment echoed by others — said he doesn’t think the bye week will disrupt how the Dolphins seem to have figured out what works best for them.
“I think a lot of the guys on the team would love to continue playing given the momentum that we have, the momentum that we’ve built collectively in all three phases, but it is what it is,” Tagovailoa said. “We’re going to go through our bye week, but that’s not without talking about how we can continue to stay on that momentum train following the next game week.”
The Dolphins will almost certainly be the favorite when they return to game again on Nov. 30 at home against New Orleans. After that, Miami heads on the road to open December at the New York Jets — another game in which the Dolphins should be favored.
Win both of those, and that would mean the record is 6-7. It guarantees nothing and is hardly aspirational — no team comes into a season hoping to be 6-7 after 13 games — but it would surely mean that the delusions might not seem so delusional anymore.
“I’m just very impressed, but not surprised,” McDaniel said. “It matches a belief that I’ve had the entire time with these guys that they are made of the right material that it takes to succeed in this league. A lot more often than not, you have to succeed on the heels of failure. That’s just the way that this league is.
“The opportunity that is a down moment in your season or a down period, that is a supreme opportunity to show people who you really are and I think our guys have responded in kind.”
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