NFL Analysts Divided On Miami Dolphins Season Prospects

Are the Dolphins division winners, or will they be out before the playoffs?

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel looks on after the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

As the 2024 NFL season kicks off, anybody and everybody in the national media has been making season predictions, and opinions are pretty split regarding the Miami Dolphins.

NFL Network's Predictions

The Good Morning Football crew on NFL Network announced their playoff teams on Tuesday morning. Opinions ranged from Jamie Erdahl, who believed the Dolphins would win the division, to Peter Schrager, who saw the Dolphins missing the playoffs entirely.

Rich Eisen of the NFL Network has the Dolphins winning the division, as does his staff. On the Rich Eisen Show, Eisen and several staff members selected the Dolphins to win the division.

"You know how I feel about the Dolphins. I feel it is their time. They are one of the fastest teams in the league," Eisen said. "I dig it. I cant wait to see how this looks this year."

Will Wright Be Right?

On the other hand, NFL analyst Nick Wright is taking the Dolphins at +128 to miss the playoffs.

"I am going to bet Miami to miss the playoffs," Wright said on the What's Wright Show. "The only bets I am making to miss the playoffs are the Jets, the Eagles, and Miami."

In case you missed last week’s @WhatsWrightShow, here’s all of the preseason 2024 NFL bets that I actually made, with the units attached.

All pretty standard, except going big on the NYG/LV/PIT/NO all MISS the playoffs parlay at +200. pic.twitter.com/HdOgpP8Wqh

— nick wright (@getnickwright) September 2, 2024

Kay Adams, from the Up & Adams Show, predicts the Dolphins will end their 24-year playoff-win drought. She expects that Miami will win its first-round playoff game.

PREDICT-A-THON #5:

🥁🥁🥁...

The @MiamiDolphins will WIN their first PLAYOFF GAME in 24 years 🙌🐬@heykayadams dives into why 🔊 #FinsUp #GoFins pic.twitter.com/OQx5IffYhb

— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) September 4, 2024

Sports Illustrated's Predictions

Conor Orr of predicted the Dolphins would have a 9-8 campaign, barely over .500. He also projected they would miss the playoffs. In the article, he picks every game of every team throughout the 2024 season and ultimately makes his playoff picks.

He predicts the Dolphins will start fast and win their first four games before suffering a setback in New England. He then had Miami lose at Buffalo, Las Vegas, and Green Bay. He also predicts Miami will continue their December Demise as they lose three out of their final four games.

Orr admits he is biased against the Dolphins because he believes Vic Fangio would have been a better defensive coordinator this season than Anthony Weaver.

"I'll address a pair of biases that I am working through with the Dolphins. One, it's tough for me to think that another defensive coordinator is going to be better than Vic Fangio even if that coordinator, Anthony Weaver, is incredibly well thought of and should be an NFL head coach," Orr said.

"Another is that I can't shake the idea of the Dolphins withering down the stretch and doing little to combat what I see if their biggest problem; a lack of balance to their speed-oriented offense that an help them sustain success during the cold months."

Orr also notes that Miami lost five of its last six games in 2022 and three of five in 2023. He also predicts Miami will lose every cold-weather game this season.

The crew at SI also chimed in with their picks. The Dolphins have some friendly prognosticators, as several members predicted the Dolphins to win the AFC East. Several writers had Miami going to the playoffs as a wildcard team.

It should be noted Orr is a member of the MMQB. His picks are the same as referenced above.

Albert Breer, the senior NFL reporter for SI, believes that Miami will enter the playoffs as a wildcard team and play the AFC East division-winning New York Jets in the first round. It is interesting to note that he has Miami losing that game and thus continuing its winless streak in the playoffs.

Matt Verderdame has Miami entering the playoffs as a wildcard team. He also believes the Dolphins' winless streak will continue, as he has them losing in the first round at Baltimore.

Greg Bishop predicts that Miami will be a wildcard team and lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the playoffs.

John Pluym has Miami securing a wildcard berth but losing in Houston in the first round.

Mitch Goldich predicts Miami will be good enough to win the AFC East. He also has them defeating Jacksonville in the tournament's first round, as Bill Parcells liked to refer to the playoffs.

Michael Rosenberg makes things interesting. He has the Dolphins not only winning their division but also winning their first playoff encounter with the Baltimore Ravens after receiving a bye in the first round as the top seed in the AFC.

CBS Sports' Predictions

Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports has the Dolphins finishing in third place in the AFC East and on the outside looking in on the playoffs. Like Orr, he blames the Dolphins' failure to play well in cold weather games as their Achilles heel. Until Miami can prove they can win in a cold climate in November and December, Sullivan said, the Dolphins will not edge out the Bills or the Jets for the division title.