The 5RSN Fins Team – Five Reasons Sports Network

Miami's injuries hurt them in the home stretch last year. But even more costly was the late collapse at home against the Titans. With that win, they would have avoided playing KC on the road in the cold and likely would have earned their first playoff win in nearly a quarter century. I believe the team is more talented than last year and has the right mindset, especially on defense with a lot of new additions this offseason. Expect more ingenuity in the run game and better use of tight ends with the signing of Jonnu and the emergence of Julian Hill. Achane will start fast this year and could be the best running back in football.

The Fins are 11-6, win the East – and finally get rid of the burden of the playoffs with two playoff wins!

I'm not betting on them beating Buffalo until they get there. The Green Bay game will be tough and it should be a close call. Houston will be a tough opponent. I think they beat San Fran at home and I think Cleveland will have quarterback issues that cost them the game. Playoff position will be decided by Week 17 and McDaniel is resting the starters as Thompson takes a loss while the Jets fight for survival. 12-5 should be enough to win the division and get a home playoff game.

Expectations are sky high for the 2024 Miami Dolphins. Despite the picture they lost at Arrowhead in arctic temperatures and their roster arguably worse from top to bottom, the Dolphins and their fans are more confident than ever heading into the 2024 season. With an offense led by the newly expanded HC-QB duo of Mike McDaniel and Tua Tagovailoa (Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle also say hello) and a defense that still features winning names like Jalen Ramsey, Jaelan Phillips and Jevon Holland despite the offseason departure of Christian Wilkins, the Dolphins will post 12 wins. That will be enough for the Dolphins to snatch the AFC East crown this season. That's thanks in part to an MVP campaign from the aforementioned quarterback and an easy schedule to start the season. This should allow the team to pick up early wins before playing road games against Green Bay, New York and Cleveland starting in Week 12. However, these matchups could provide some insight into the kind of playoff hopes the Dolphins will have this season.

I believe this Miami Dolphins team will take things to the next level in the 2024 NFL season. For them to be successful, a few factors will need to come into play. Factor 1: Stay relatively healthy this season. Injuries are inevitable, but the Dolphins struggled with an extreme amount of injuries last year that hampered them in certain games. It will be important for the Dolphins to find their feet and stay healthy to prepare for the playoffs. Factor 2: Implementation and growth in this new defense. Another year in a new scheme for the defense – how quickly can they learn and adapt to the scheme? We can expect there to be some learning curve and growth. Factor 3: Mike McDaniel's next step in his career as a head coach. As we approach year three under this system and this head coaching regime, it is important that our head coach shows continued growth overall. With so much to learn from last year, the team has done a good job of filling some of the needs to give Finn Nation a potentially great year.

@MikeHernandezDD (FiveReasonsSports.com)

Hard Rock Sports Betting has the Dolphins over/under to win the regular season at 9.5. And that seems to be true.

Where would this 10th victory come from?

Tyreek Hill says this 2024 Dolphins team is the best he's played on since arriving in Miami in 2022.

But how can this be?

The Finns lost high-profile starters on the offensive line like center Connor Williams and right guard Robert Hunt and replaced them with serviceable players, but none of them are close to the status of Williams or Hunt. Some of those replacements are already banged up and don't appear to be as good as the 2023 starting offensive line even at full strength.

This is a concern for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who may not have the same level of pass protection as he did a year ago. Most backups perform better in run blocking than in pass protection. Although Tua can get rid of the ball quickly, many are concerned that Tua will lose the ball if his first read is taken away. And if that first read is lost and he has to switch to read No. 2 under pressure, that could spell trouble.

McDaniel was also criticized for his inability to adapt his plays late in last season when it seemed as if the opposing defenses were taking away the Finns' strengths on offense.

The Dolphins face strong defenses from likely playoff contenders this year, and the Jets have Aaron Rodgers back to make the AFC East more competitive. Even if Miami goes 3-3 in the division, they'll have to win a tough battle or two against some of the stronger teams or defenses on their schedule.

These include:

— Houston Texans

— LA Rams

— Cleveland Browns

— San Francisco 49ers

— Indianapolis Colts

The most important questions about this Miami Dolphins team are:

Can they beat teams with winning records and playoff contenders?

Can the offense score when Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are not on the field?

Can they win games late in the season?

It remains to be seen.

Miami's defense lost some players, but I'd roughly say they've broken even with the replacements at the positions — cornerback Kendall Fuller replaces Xavien Howard, Jordan Poyer is a veteran safety, Calais Campbell and Emmanuel Ogbah add depth to the defensive line after Christian Wilkins left for the Raiders, and rookie Chop Robinson, a first-round pick, looks to bolster the pass-rushing unit around Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb.

The Dolphins have reached a 10-7 record in 2023, with a less talented offensive line, the same open questions about the offense and playcalling, and a question mark over Tua's use in important games and who can be the third option at receiver after Hill and Waddle…

I bet on UNDER – 9-8.