Miami Dolphins 2024 predictions: The 5RSN Fins Team
Here are the predictions from some of the members of the Five Reasons Sports Network (5RSN) Dolphins coverage team, across our platforms….
@CKParrot (3 Yards Per Carry podcast)
“My official prediction for 2024 is 11 wins, which is a step back from last year’s projection of 12 wins. I think the early schedule sets up favorably for Miami to run out to an 8-3 record before having to traverse what looks (on paper) like a brutal six-game back stretch. As one of the oldest teams in the NFL this season, Miami could yet again find itself beset by injuries at an unforgiving point in the schedule. However, several of the teams in that back stretch, e.g. the Jets (twice), 49ers, and Browns, also feel susceptible to injuries. So fate could just as easily take Miami thru that gauntlet to 12 wins as it could to 10 wins. I will split the difference at 11-6 with a playoff berth, followed by Mike McDaniel accomplishing his obsessive, explicit goal of giving Miami its first playoff win since Bill Clinton was still in office.”
@Alf_Arteaga (@3YardsPerCarry podcast)
Miami’s injuries got the best of them down the stretch last year. But more costly was the late collapse at home versus the Titans. With that win they would have avoided playing KC in the cold on the road and likely would have earned their first playoff win in almost a quarter century. I believe the team is more talented than last year and has the right mindset, especially on the defensive side with many additions this offseason. Be prepared for more ingenuity in the run game and better use of the tightends with the addition of Jonnu and the emergence of Julian Hill. Achane will start fast this year and could be the best back in football.
Fins go 11-6, win the East – and finally get that playoff monkey off their back with two playoff wins!
Expectations are sky high for the 2024 Miami Dolphins. Despite the lasting image being a shellacking at Arrowhead in arctic conditions, and an arguably worse roster top to bottom, the Dolphins and their fans come into the ‘24 season as confident as ever. Featuring an offense led by newly extended HC-QB duo in Mike McDaniel and Tua Tagovailoa (Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle say hello, as well), and a defense that still features prolific names like Jalen Ramsey, Jaelan Phillips, and Jevon Holland despite the departure of Christian Wilkins in the offseason, the Dolphins will come in at 12 wins. This will be good enough for the Dolphins to snatch the AFC East crown in the process this season thanks in part to an MVP campaign by the aforementioned QB and a soft early season schedule that should set the team up to rack up early victories before seeing the likes of Green Bay, New York, and Cleveland on the road in week 12 onwards, though those matchups could well be indicative of the types of playoff hopes the Dolphins will have this season.
@OLCoachSmith63: The Scouting Combine
@MikeHernandezDD (FiveReasonsSports.com)
Hard Rock Sports-betting has the Dolphins over/under regular season win total at 9.5. And this seems to be on-point.
Where would that 10th win come from?
Tyreek Hill says this 2024 Dolphins team is the best he’s been on since arriving in Miami in 2022.
But how could that be?
The Fins lost high-caliber starters on the offensive line like center Connor Williams and right guard Robert Hunt, and replaced them with serviceable players, but none of them near the status of Williams or Hunt. Some of those replacements are already banged up, and even at full strength don’t appear as good as the 2023 starting offensive line.
This is a cause of concern for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa who may not have the same level of pass protection from a year ago. Most of the replacement linemen have higher grades in the run blocking department than they do in pass protection. Although Tua can get the ball out quickly, many are concerned that Tua gets lost after his first read is taken away. And if that first read is eliminated, and he has to move to read No. 2 while under pressure, it could spell trouble.
McDaniel was also criticized for not being able to adapt his play-calling in the late stages of last season, when it appeared that opposing defenses were taking away what the Fins offense did well.
The Dolphins face tough defensive fronts this year from projected playoff contenders and the Jets have Aaron Rodgers returning to make the AFC East more competitive. Even if Miami goes 3-3 in the division, they will have to win a dogfight or two against some of the stronger teams or defenses on their schedule.
This includes:
— Houston Texans
— LA Rams
— Cleveland Browns
— San Francisco 49ers
— Indianapolis Colts
The top questions about this Miami Dolphins team are:
Can they beat teams with winning records and playoff contenders?
Can the offense perform when Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are not on the field?
Can they win games late in the season?
It remains to be seen.
The Miami Defense lost some pieces but I would loosely say it broke even with their positional replacements — cornerback Kendall Fuller is replacing Xavien Howard; Jordan Poyer is a veteran safety addition; Calais Campbell and Emmanuel Ogbah add depth to the defensive line after Christian Wilkins departed for the Raiders; and rookie first-round selection Chop Robinson seems to be coming along to add to the pass rushing unit of Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb.
The Dolphins went 10-7 in 2023, and with a lesser-talented offensive line, the same lingering questions about the offense and playcalling, and a question-marks about Tua in big games and who can be the third receiving option after Hill and Waddle…
I’m betting the UNDER — 9-8.
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