The National Football League (NFL) is crammed full of records waiting to be broken. Some records are positive, such as the most touchdown passes in a regular season or the most sacks by an individual player. Other records are unwanted, such as the Miami Dolphins’ current 23-year playoff victory drought, the longest active drought in the NFL. Can Mike McDaniel break the Miami Dolphins’ playoff hoodoo in 2024?
McDaniel’s first season in charge at the Hard Rock Stadium was a mixed bag. The Dolphins were 8-3 at the end of November and looked set to top the AFC for the first time since 2008. However, a late-season collapse resulted in the Dolphins finishing 9-8 before bowing out of the playoffs in the Wild Card round, losing 31-34 to the Buffalo Bills.
The Dolphins improved in 2023. A 70-20 victory over the Denver Broncos left the Dolphins 3-0, which improved to 9-3 at the start of December. The Dolphins’ offense was exciting, and its defense strong, leading to many Florida online sports betting apps making them outsiders to win the Super Bowl. McDaniel’s men faltered slightly at the business end of the regular season, finishing with an 11-6 record, making them the sixth seed going into the playoffs.
Again, the Miami Dolphins faced genuine Super Bowl contenders in the Kansas City Chiefs. The Dolphins fell in the Wild Card round in almost arctic conditions, losing 7-26. The playoff drought continued.
The Argument for the Dolphins Winning a Playoff Game in 2024
McDaniel has the Dolphins’ offense purring like a highly-tuned muscle car. The team led the league in passing yards per game (265.5) and was sixth in rushing yards (135.8). Tua Tagovailoa enjoyed a fruitful season at quarterback, finishing with career-best figures across half a dozen metrics, including 4,624 passing yards and 29 touchdowns. More importantly, Tua started all 17 regular-season games for the first time in his professional career. A confident and fit Tua will be needed for the Dolphins to mount a playoff charge.
Tua has a superb wide receiver pairing in Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, the latter coming off the back of league-leading receiving yards (1,799) and touchdowns (13). Then there is the running back pairing of Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane. Achane was flying until injuries played havoc with his rookie season; he ran for 800 yards despite only playing 11 games and starting four.
The Argument Against the Miami Dolphins Winning a Playoff Game in 2024
Every NFL team endures injuries during the long, arduous regular season, but the Dolphins seem to be cursed on that front. At various points in the 2023 campaign, McDaniel had to reshuffle his team after Waddle, Achane, and Howard spent time in the treatment room. The most damaging injuries were those sustained by linebackers Jaelen Phillips and Bradley Chubb.
Phillips tore his Achilles tendon in November, while Chubb tore his ACL in Week 17. McDaniel hopes both players will be available for selection when the 2024 NFL season kicks off in September.
The most worrying thing for McDaniel and Dolphins fans is that five of the team’s six regular-season defeats were at the hands of playoff teams. The Dolphins twice lost to the Buffalo Bills and fell to the Philadelphia Eagles, eventual Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Baltimore Ravens. They also lost to the Tennessee Titans 27-28 despite leading 27-13 with only three minutes left, thus becoming the first team to blow a 14+ point lead in the final three minutes.
Can McDaniel Get that First Playoff Win?
Although the dates and times for the Dolphins 2024 regular season games are yet to be released, we know their opponents. Looking at the teams, one would expect a similar season in 2024 as last year, with the Dolphins finishing anywhere between 9-8 and 11-6.
McDaniel needs his starting lineup to remain fit for the season’s duration because the Dolphins do not have the same strength in depth as some of their rivals, and the team is drastically weakened as soon as one player finds themselves on the injured reserve list.
The Dolphins then have to overcome the mental hurdle of beating the better teams in the league after losing five times to playoff teams. If McDaniel and his coaching staff have a full roster to choose from for most of 2024, the Dolphins could end their 23-year playoff win drought in 2024. Go Phins!
