Drive Time: Miami Dolphins 2024 Schedule Release Breakdown

Health Training Complex. This is the Draft Time Podcast, daff you've certainly heard it by now. Let's go ahead and give you the entire Dolphin schedule here as they kick off the season September eighth at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars for one o'clock kickoff, and then it's a short turnaround Week two, back at home again for the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night for an eight to fifteen kickoff.

On September the twelfth, we have ten more days until our next game, our first road game at four oh five in the Pacific Northwest my Stomping Grounds the Seattle Seahawks on the road, and then back home for another primetime football game September thirtieth on Monday Night Football against the Tennessee Titans, a seven to thirty kickoff as part of the week four Monday Night Football double header. Week five October seventh at the New England Patriots a one

o'clock kickoff there. Then the week six bye week is the earliest bi week they've had in quite some time now, and then it's back on the road in week seven for October twentieth against the Indianapolis Colts for one o'clock kickoff, coming back to South Florida for the week eight October twenty seventh game against the Arizona Cardinals another one o'clock kickoff, and then week nine a couple of road games here November third at the Buffalo Bills for one o'clock kickoff,

and then Monday Night Football in week ten November eleventh against the La Rams eight fifteen kickoff. There then we have a couple of back to back home one o'clock games down here in South Florida weeks eleven and twelve, November seventeenth and November twenty fourth against the Raiders and Patriots before a Thanksgiving game and another short week in Week thirteen on November twenty eighth at the Green Bay Packers.

An eight to twenty kickoff for that one. Back home for the first game of the year in Week fourteen against the New York Jets December the eighth, a one o'clock kickoff for that one Week fifteen at Houston December the fifteenth to one o'clock kick there, and then the Dolphins will conclude their home schedule on December twenty second against the San Francisco forty nine Ers a four to twenty five kickoff before a Week seventeen primetime game December

twenty ninth at the Cleveland Browns eight twenty on Sunday Night Football, and then of course the TBD Week eighteen game at the New York Jets. Let's go ahead and get into each and every one of these and break down the Miami Dolphins twenty twenty four schedules. So Week one at home Jacksonville Jaguars a one o'clock kickoff. I Love Me a one o'clock opening weekend game. Get right

to it right away. Last year weading until four twenty five was brutal, even though it was the best game of the entire year, most likely for I think a lot of US Dolphins fans. So we're gonna go over these key points for each of these teams. New coaching staff. They have a new defensive coordinator there in Ryan Nielsen.

He came from Atlanta and replaced Mike Caldwell. And if you go back over some of the Jaguars beat reporters, a lot of them are saying there was issues with last year's coaching staff on defense and they hope to get that change. I think Ryan Nielsen was great for the Falcons. How quick can he get his scheme kind of imprinted there in Jacksonville? Will we get ourselves a

brand new DC in week number one? Their climate there same as US, so the only team on our schedule who plays in weather as tough as US during training camp. So if you're going to try to catch these guys being not conditioned, I don't envision that's a possibility. Again, new DC versus, your first game is as bad as it can be. For to me, our offense is the toughest to prepare for, so I think it's a big advantage for Miami in that regard.

peeking ahead as far as the matchup goes. Nobody in the AFC has more to prove after how last season ended than the Jacksonville Jaguars, and like us, injuries mounted on this team, including one to the quarterback that knocked him out of one and a half games and slowed

him down really for the rest of the season. And that said, I think it's funny, how yet another one of these picture perfect quarterbacks with the arm strength and the elusive ability still hasn't had a single year of his career that has been better than the last two years of Tua Tunga Bai Looa.

work in progress. They got rid as A Flowers, What a terrible contract that was, but they bring in Gabe Davis. To me, it's kind of one for one swap. They go get Devin DuVernay. They use their first round draft pick on Brian Thomas Junior, so they're trying to help to go along with Christian Kirk, Trevor Lawrence have all the weapons he needs while he's still on that rookie contract.

Their offensive line looks pretty good, so finding a way to get pressure on Trevor Lawrence and speed him up I think will be a key in terms of just getting him off the spot will be a challenge and a key in this game. But again, a team breaking in this many new parts and a new defensive coordinator, I think that benefits Miami, who has a lot more continuity aside from the fact we have our own New DC, but the team in general has a lot more continuity

I think for Miami than the Jacksonville Jaguars. Dude, defensively, so much has changed there again, New DC a ton of personnel changes in the back end, but they're sort of banking on breakout seasons from guys that haven't done it yet, like Trayvon Walker. You know, Josh Allen the only other edge of the roster who's really proven. So for Miami, I think Miami does the best job of anybody in the NFL of limiting the best pass rushers in the NFL. But this team doesn't really have the bullets.

But they did go out and get Eric Armstead, who is one of my favorite moves any team has made. And if you go back to Nielsen's time in Atlanta, he had Kaleis Campbell there. I think there's some similar play styles and visions with those two guys in terms of how they could line up. So between Allen and Eric Armstead, this defensive front has to be better because it was bad last year, and the secondary I don't see where it's gotten a.

Waddle and Odell Beckham. My final predictions or thoughts on this. I'm happy with this opening game. I was hoping for a cupcake, but they're not that. But I think their new defense will take some time to get adjusted to some innovative stuff. They run and struggle to keep up with us for sixty minutes. A forty four burger to open the season forty four to twenty eight with a late score from Jacksville. That makes a look closer than

it actually was. Like't your Week one matchup? Week two at home again the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football, the eight to fifteen kickoff. They have one new coach in terms of coordinators, they promoted DC Bobby Babbitch was the linebackers coach last year. This will be his first time as an NFL DC, and they also have a first full year offensive coordinator in Joe Brady, who I've talked about his system on this podcast and how I didn't think it was beneficial to alan skill set whatsoever.

So curious to see how that develops in your number two with them together. Look, it's going to be a hot, humid game, no sunshine though. I guess that call worked because the last two Dolphins Bills games in Miami have been at night, so I guess congratulations, you guys got Osha to get on your side. It's a short week for us for them on the road, I should say, first time we've gotten that against anybody since twenty twenty one. The Ravens on TNF. Home teams on TNF last year

were eleven and four. I don't count the Week one game to Troit and Kansas City because that's not a short week for anybody. This is the second straight night game in the Miami Dolphins and Dolphins and Bills rivalry, and three of the last five have been night games.

line combination started every single game for them. Well, Mitch Morris has gone and the new centers on the roster are Will Clapp, who has been on every team in the league pretty much in a fifth round draft pick, and Cedric van Pan's Van Pran Granger guy that actually liked a lot, but he's a rookie. Rookie fifth round draft pick. And their right tackle options aren't that great, either Spencer Brown or Lyo Collins. I mean, Spencer Brown's gonna be the guy, but it's not that's not great.

Osiris Torrance wasn't good last year. He played every snap, but he wasn't good. And then Connor McGovern at left guard is a good player, but behind that it is absolutely barren. So we'll see what the attrition looks like in week two for them. I tend to think that maybe by week eight when we play him again, it'll be more so. But unless you get the exact same luck two years in a row, you're gonna have to deal with some of your own Liam and Lester combinations

as it were. And the receiver position looks way different without Stefan Diggs and enter Keyon Coleman, Marquez Valdez, Scantling, mac Hollins, and Curtis Samuel.

Josh Allen's game. So that's evident by days where they had two hundred and nine passing yards eighty five, one point fifty four, one eighty nine and one eighty six. Just saying when two of throws for those kind of numbers, he gets absolutely torn apart, but Josh Allen has done it several times, even just last year, they would go entire halfs where they didn't move the football on offense.

I think it's only gonna get worse this year because I don't believe in the system, and I don't believe the receiving corps is good at all, and I don't believe they're gonna have the same luck at the offensive line health that they had last year as well. So those are my thoughts there. I think, you know, we had a good plan in the Week eighteen game, just didn't really have the bullets to get Josh Allen to

the ground because all the injuries. And I think this new system and approach of adding rushers and speed on defense can really help us flag this dude down because Josh Allen's like the one thing, not even the Buffalo Bills, just Josh Allen's the guy who pretty much has stood between you and playoff success and home playoff games the

last couple of years. So if you can cut down his off script work, and if you can do that, he goes one of the top three players in the position to like middle of the Pack to me like not an easy task at all. He's great, but if you can do that, you can get him playing like a middle old Pack quarterback. Defensively, they get some guys back, most notably Matt Milano de Kwon Jones, but tons of

chances change here again for them. The safety tandem that kind of made that defense go is gone, and one of those guys here in Jordan Poyer.

Benford and Terror Johnson still in tack. And we have to score on this defense because you cannot expect to just hold Josh Allen for sixty minutes like we tried to do in the game last year. So when I look at our success the game at Buffalo in twenty twenty two, the game here last year, we had a good commitment to the running game, but eventually got away

from it. That nickel heavy defense sort of invites that style of play, and with the inexperience at safety, maybe you can lure them up and sneak a vertical by them when they least expect it. If you start two to zero against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills, you're gonna get lots and lots of attention. My final thoughts earlier prediction here, I hope we have our edges for this game early Bradley Chubb and JP. I'm pretty sure

JP's gonna be out there. Beachub I think so too, but we'll find out them on a short week on the road in this weather, tough ask for them, root for them to play a tight game in Week one, preferably into overtime, and then of course them being a thorn in our side. I think we finally get them. But I'm fired up for this game because of all those reasons. I think it's a thriller. I think it gives the NFL a very good Week two TNF game.

I think it's the first of a lot of monkey off the back moments for US twenty six twenty four as Jason Sanders walks us off into the night. Week three, our first road.

I digress. Going back over the last few years of this matchup, or looking at this matchup going back over the last few years, the defensive systems that have given the Shanahan Tree McDaniel as well, those offenses the most problems with the variations of the Ravens defense and their offshoots.

We are going into a game against a team that doesn't really have certainty with their dB depth. Can you match up with Odell Beckham. I don't think you can or Tyreek Hill when he goes inside. Definitely not that. I'm also curious what kind of offense Ryan Grubb wants to bring and how that meshes with their personnel, because remember, this is a team that had been built the same way for really over a decade, with ball control, run the football, every drive, the engine. A kicker is a

good drive, right the nineteen ninety eight mentality. But Grub came from the most electrifying offense in all of college football. So will those ideas mesh and how long does it take for those to click?

and Denner Wilson, all first times in those roles. You know it's going to be a tough I think early part of the year for the Titans, and the climate wise, look they it's to me it's a tough acclimation for them because Tennessee summers and much earlier than Miami summers do. But it is a night game, so you don't have the sunshine boiling those guys over there on the opposite sideline.

Second straight week of extra prep in terms of a longer week for the Dolphins though, they get it too in this game, and it's a double header for Monday night football, which means early start and I selfishly I love that because it means forty five minutes more of sleep. I get to have a late or early Friday morning. I should say they were a good mismatch with the Dolphins last year, but that's all changed, So that's kind of where I start with this matchup. And with coaching

changes comes personnel changes. Right, they're doing the classic second year quarterback build it up around him. They added Tyler Boyd and Calvin Ridley to DeAndre Hopkins. But that's a slew of injury prone, slowed veterans who are not what they used to be when they were stars. And frankly, they don't worry me, especially with will Lewis behind center at that position. So if it was twenty fifteen, would I be afraid of this roster or this receiving core. Yeah,

but not in twenty twenty four. They went from Derrick Henry to Tony Pollard with it's a completely different type of back and we'll pivot to more. I imagine eleven personnel offenses or personnel groupings with those veteran receivers, different from their historical twelve personnel attack that had two tight ends on the field. So it's not really the same ground and pound, like wear your face off type of Titans team under Mike Rabel. I love their first round

draft pick in JC Latham. Think they nailed that one. They took Pete Skeronsky last year and he struggled, So they think they have their tackles, but I don't think those guys.

I know it's not the same, but the way that the Dolphins responded against the Chargers last year after a bad game in twenty twenty two, I don't think that's a one off for this staff and team. So I expect Miami to have a great plan and to kind of take it personally a little bit here with the Titans. So my thoughts are they're gonna go ahead and eviscerate this team and get it back to what it should have been last year. Their whole secondary is slow and

playing in September weather going through cramping. I think it's going to be what Week fourteen should have been last year, forty nine to twenty as the Dolphins improved to four to ozho and everyone is drinking the Miami kool aid as they head on a short week to New England for a one o'clock kickoff in week number five. And they too have a new head coach, a new OC and a new DC, all first times in these roles

for Gerrod Mayo, Alex Van Pelt, and DeMarcus Covington. And this is a good time to go there for this as far as weather's concerned, right, You avoid a late season cold game. You get it when it's beautiful in October. Up there interesting notes here? Will it be Brissette still, will it be Drake may I don't care either way. It's still a win to me. This is usually when teams do turn to their rookie quarterback after they start one to three, which is probably where Patriots will be

right here. It's our fifth straight game against the team with a new defensive coordinator or system, right which good luck for teams trying to get acclimated to the NFL with their new systems against the third year of Mike McDaniel and too a DOUN buy log like good luck, good luck and against short week road game here, but

the matchup a lot has changed for the Patriots. Every preview I did for the last few years centered around the idea of their ability to shorten the game and keep the game close and maximize the importance of your possessions typically eight to nine per game opposed to the

league average of ten to twelve per game. Maybe it'll be the same way with an ex Belichick player there in the big chair of Gerard Mayo, but he has been steadfast about doing things his way, his own way, so I tend to think that times are a changing

big time there in New England. And on the offensive side, Alex Van Pelt comes from the Cleveland Kevin Stefanski tree of coaches, and with his arrival came more complexity in the running game, adding more wrinkles to a zone heavy scheme, which could be a challenge for a new Dolphins front,

but it also could work the other way. And I have to imagine Mayo has some influence from the Belichick system, And I never really thought anybody was better at figuring out how to limit our explosive plays, but that always.

You know, Matt Judong, Christian Barmore, the top pass rush threats. We've done a good job of getting on top of them quickly in games, and it's been tough for them to come back. With Max Jones at the helm, I think it comes down to can they keep up with the Miami offense, And the answer to that is still a strong no, because their best receivers or rookies and their quarterback is who knows what they have. Their offensive lines not great, running games not great. It's a bad offense.

So final prediction here, this is my pick for a game that we struggle in one of the early ones, but not enough to lose. With the buy coming up in a four and oh mark, maybe we can look ahead a little bit in a short week on a team that will be favored of ten plus points against. I'll go Dolphins twenty two to sixteen in an ugly win to go to the buy at five and zero.

We'll go ahead and take our first break right there on the podcast as well, and come back on the other side and talk about weeks seven through.

bad weather, right. We kind of have our feelings about how that looks for our timing offense, and I'd just prefer to not do the cold weather thing as much as we don't have to road games though sandwiched around a bye week is nice. Kind of helps to travel there a little bit, and again another indoor game that could have been later. Matchup wise, I'm probably gonna pick Indy to win their division this year. I love how they've built things up there. I love Anthony Richardson. I

think Shane Steichen is a wizard. I like Gus Bradley enough. Now does he stay in his classic cover three that he's always ran, Because while yes, that will keep the roof on the defense for the most part, we've also seen Miami pound those deep comebacks against that look and then pair that with the deep over routes that can turn into huge catch and runs. Think about Waddle against the Packers in twenty twenty two against that Cover three look. They have one of the best slots in football on

Kenny Moore. So they're one of the few teams here on our entire schedule that I think have the ability to match up on us. Though, to be honest, I'm still taking Miami receivers over anybody else in the league. Juju Brents is one of the starters there, and I think the cover three with some press and trying to disrupt could be an interesting dynamic for how they have

their skill sets out there. But the other perimeter cornerback is not really a known quantity, so this exercise of preview in these games serves as a reminder of just how dang tough we are to defend.

so we'll have to be good on the interior. But I think that both of those tackles, like I don't know, I think they can run the ball and it's maybe a little bit, but the nice thing about our offense is they're gonna have to you know, if they get behind the scoreboard, they're gonna have to try to attack us with two tackles that I don't think can hold up against JP and Chop and probably Chubb back and

Shaq Barrett like good luck there. So my final predictions and thoughts here, I think we're that team this year, guys. I think we're the team that.

No coaching changes second year with each the head coach, OC and DC. They have their desert dry heats, they come out here for the moisture field humidity of South Florida. An early start for a West Coast team or close enough to the West Coast. They I think they'll have probably a good version of continuity in terms of being midway through their second year together. So hads to benefit for the Cardinals here and not playing US earlier, and of course that leads to more time and reps for

Kyler post knee injury and surgery. And it's our third straight game at one o'clock of four consecutive after a week two through four stretch of all different kickoff times. The matchup here, I think Marvin Harrison Junior and Kyler are going to become a top tier connection immediately, and they better be because the rest of the offense ain't looking so good, although I do think that Greg Derch and Michael Wilson are good like role pieces for them.

And then say Jones was the addition with you know, whatever I can take or leave that with James Connor coming off another good year and then adding Tray Benson his explosiveness of the offense. The Benson and Murray backfield could be fun to watch. They've got weapons there, at least I guess kind of right, They kind of have some, but they'll They've been adding parts of the offensive line for a while and that hasn't really worked out for them.

They got Jonah Williams, who wasn't good in Cincinnati. He joins Paris Johnson who hasn't been good for the Cardinals. Kelvin Beacham's old and then Dennis Daly was a kind of a swing tackle. They've all played a lot, so they have depth there, I guess, but they're awful on the interior. I think Kyler's going to be doing a lot of running the season, whether it's by design or not. Sometimes with teams like this, it's can you stop the

quarterback from making superhero plays? And besides Mahomes, I'm not sure that anybody in the NFL is better at it than Kyler Murray. The defense slasher though, was a problem for them, and it did not get any better. I mean, they don't really have a proven player up front. The lot of cast offs, their linebacker Corps, even with an insane level of investment Isaiah Simmons and Zavan Collins hasn't been good.

We did Bubby Babbage, the whole thing. The weather, the weather for this game. You never know, but this probably is about as good of a stretch to get Buffalo week nine before it gets too bad. In early November. We are done with the Bills by November three until January at least, we're actually we're done with them on Halloween in twenty twenty one, best their earliest time we've been done with the Bills in the schedule with two games since twenty fifteen. It's our fourth straight one o'clock

kickoff game. We covered the matchup. My prediction here, I cannot pick a win in Buffalo until that happens. My first l of the season shows up here as a Dolphins fault the seven and one with a thirty four to twenty seven loss in Buffalo to the Jills. Week ten at the Rams for Monday Night Football eight to fifteen kickoff. They have a new defensive corner there and Chris Shulo who replaces Raheem Morris. Almost Sid Mostert. It's the first time NFL DC for him. The game is indoors and mid November.

And teams want to have their game plans done by Tuesday night for a Wednesday start to the week of practice, so it's gonna be a long day for McDaniel and Frank Smith on Tuesday. However, always nice to get the extra day of prep going into this game heading out West, opposed to it being a Sunday kickoff, So I think that's a benefit for the Dolphins the matchup. You're not gonna find many teams I have more respect for and

how they operate than the Los Angeles Rams. They adapt, they show conviction, and they are swift in their decisions. Remember this is a team that cratered at five wins coming off of a Super Bowl win. Injuries to your quarterback and other stars will do that. And they come into last year with this ding Dong pick and I

think it was four wins for them. They have a billion rookies, a ton of undrafted rookies, and the defensive depth chart was full of guys you had never heard of like them, and the Cardinals were so bad on paper defensively, but the Rams played well good enough, I should say, on that side of the ball. And then Stafford, he stays healthy. And it turns out that less sneed and Sean McVay with picks, not fing them picks, know

how to do it. They turned their draft haul into Kobe Turner, Steve Avila, Byron Young and this guy named Pooka and Nakua and you add him to Cooper Cup and the emergence of two to two at well with Tyler Higbee and Kyron Williams. It's a loaded offense man and an emphasis on a man gap scheme with Steve Avila being a guy that I just knew was gonna be a stud from TCU and boom, they're back offensively

and they're good enough on defense. I think this is gonna be one of the biggest tests on defense because of their ability to be multiple on the offensive or to be multiple an offensive line that can really grind you down. They focused on getting that offensive line big and beefy and one of the best quarterbacks and play callers in all the NFL. That's a lot even for

a good defense. Now, can we score with them? My answer to that is always yes against any defense with the Miami Dolphins, but I love their vision to pair verse with Fisk, even though I didn't love Fisk game. I think the idea of sharing their chemistry and getting that built from day one is a good idea. Ernest Jacks Ernest Jones I put Jackson has developed into a

gem of an off ball linebacker. And they went hard after DB's bringing back Darius Williams, getting Cameron Curle and Cameron Kitchens to Cameron's and Tredevius White on the defensive backfield. This might be my NFC pick for the Super Bowl. And man, they just have great pieces at so many key parts. What a great primetime matchup this is for the NFL. My thoughts and predictions here. Do you think Dolphins fans are capable of calling for the falling sky for seven and two if it's after a seven and

it'll start, You bet they are. I'm going back to back road losses as the Rams outscore US thirty three to thirty one, as the Dolphins fall and this predictions schedule to seven and two, just in time to come back home for a layup, right, that's gonna come back to by me. Watch Week eleven versus Las Vegas Fraireers, one o'clock kickoff, new offensive corner of Luke Getzy. That's why I'm predicting the win already. Man, Luke Getsy. What did he do last year? He was the Chicago oh c Lesterers.

Florida moisturizing for their skim. A mountain time zone team coming east for an early cook and of early early cook, early kickoff, and of course the aforementioned short week for your Miami Dolphins, who had a better off season then Gardner Minshew go Koog's most had a quarterback peg to the Raiders in either freegency or the draft, and they didn't do that. So they'll go into camp with Gardner

Minshew battling Aiden O'Connell. I guess Minshew was the free agent for that job, and I'd be surprised if it isn't the former koug because I don't think O'Connell can play. He Minshew has DeVante Adams, Jacoby Myers, Michael Gallop and Jillen Guiden. I'm a huge fan of that top four receivers you think you drop in and Brock Bauers. It kind of feels like they're taking the build the entire roster, drop the quarterback in later approach here and we'll see

how that works out for him. But they've struggled drafting on the offensive line recently, most notably Alex Leatherwood, who's out of the NFL after being picked just three years ago. And it's created a competition of the tackle spot opposite Colt Miller, and they're gonna get, you know, JP, Bradley Chubb, all these guys to come after that tackle spot that doesn't have a guy right now. They do get Jackson Powers Johnson in the draft, and they add Address Pize

to the offensive line. I think has some help there, but the depth is a concern on the line, and by Week eleven, who knows what you have there. But I think they can score some points but will they be able to get stop? I mean it starts with Max Crosby, right, But Miami does such a good job on the best edge rushers in football because that's how the system is designed. It takes away really good pass

rushers by and large. Christian Wilkins is there now too, so he figures to get his one on one chances because of Max Crosby. It's a good test for the offensive line against those two. And man, if they get Tyree Wilson playing like the number four pick in the draft, then they'll really have something there. Last year they really struggle on the back end, and just based on the changes, well, there weren't really a lot of them, so I don't trust there will be a lot of changes in the results.

There's not a lot of speed. There's like no off ball linebackers outside of Splane, who's okay.

one o'clock kickoff. In this one, we talked about the new coaching staff, Mayo Van Pelton Covington.

going to be all about that game. But you have to beat the teams in your division first, and NFC games are the least important. So go get this win. I think if you want to win the division, getting five wins get you there, and sweeping the Patriots is a must to do that. We cover this matchup in the league five games, so that's where I'm going with

this one. But As far as my prediction, I think Dolphins role of the Patriots are not good enough to score with Miami, So I'll go thirty one to seventeen the Dolphins win, just like the score down here last year in that game. Let's go ahead and take our last break right there. Come back on the other side. Get to the rest of the schedule, and I'll also go ahead and tell you what I love the most.

Schedule About the schedule, all of that and more on the Draft Time Podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation. We've covered eleven games and twelve weeks so far on the twenty twenty four schedule release edition of the Draft Time Podcast. We pick it back up here in week thirteen at the Green Bay Packers for Thanksgiving nine, an eight to twenty kickoff. They have a new DC there and Jeff Hafley, and in fact, their DC is here in coaching our linebackers, and Joe Berry,

he's a first time NFL DC. Could be poor winter conditions, we'll find out when we get there. Short week road game that is tough. But I'm also glad that our short week road games are against NFC teams because the games that cost you the least when you lose them. Our NFC games, you don't want to lose games. But that's something to think about. I just put weather on here for some reason which we already covered that. Not

sure why I did that. The Packers have traditionally been a road Thanksgiving Day team at the Lions usually, but now they get to host their first Thanksgiving games since probably back in the forties or something stuff like that. But you know that place is going to be just rocking. So this is our first two of versus Love game. I'm a huge Jordan Love fan, as a lot of you probably know, and I love how they've built the offense around him with young, dynamic receivers who have grown

up with Jordan Love. And it's funny how they weren't good until a certain guy left, right, I'm just saying now, I do think people exhibit a lot of recency buys, both with Miami and Green Bay. And forget that there were stretches of games last year where the offense could not do a single thing, like so bad that people were like, Jordan Love can't play, and now here we are and he's the next great thing.

I think there's been some questionable moves. You wonder where this offense falls in twenty twenty four though, because the red hot group down the stretch or the struggling first half outfit, probably somewhere in between, although I do think that Matt Lafleur really knows what he's doing and has a good job another good of getting the most out

of his pieces. They've had to go deep into their offensive line depth, and I'm not sure that's the team strength as of today, but we'll see what that looks like in August. Defensively, I just think they've done a fantastic job here. Lucas van Ness, where Sean, Gary Preston Smith, Kenny Clark, and they're just loaded in the pass rush group. Then they've got some young promising backers along with the secondary that at Xavier McKinney is one of the biggest

moves of the offseason. But they have to get more out of Jyre Alexander and Eric Stokes, two high picks who had good starts to their careers but have been up and down since then. We've talked about areas team to me lack some depth. Then everybody has a couple of spots that they're not deep in, right, That's how

it goes. But man, so many teams on the Dolphins schedule, it's the DB's and then obviously I'm curious how quickly a first time NFL DC gets his scheme to so into place, because if it's not against Miami, it's gonna be an issue. Short week road game against a tough offense. I need us to perform in this environment before I confidently say win. So I'm gonna give us our third loss of the year here twenty six to twenty as the Dolphins fall to ten three on the season. No.

twenty twenty two. But the last time he was good in Week fourteen was twenty twenty one, Right, what do I know? So the matchup here a team like this is why I love the Odell Beckham signing so so much, because we saw it in both games last year. They want to challenge us at the lion scrimmage and not give safety help to one side to get another hat down in the box your single high safety and we

proper earned them. Tyreek and Wadall both had thirty five plus yard catches in the first game, Wada had the sixty yard score in the second game, then try that now,

and there's another vertical element in the slot. So I just wonder if they adapt to more of what the rest of the league does, and then I think that opens up the potential of the run game, which we also destroy the edges of the running game against the Jets as well against a one gap fire up field and kind of you know, pin your ears back type of approach.

has improved. Just comes down to the quarterback. And of course I think the coaching is what people overlook all the time. You're like, it's Daniel Hackett. Guys like he just doesn't It hasn't been effective, So I don't know. Enjoy being projected to the playoffs again. Jets fans, this is your time of year to shine. Joey Jets loves this time of year. Will play two games and we'll

get you Molly woop Biden. I can get sixty four to thirteen score and we'll see you again next for me to do it all over again.

Houston and Energy Stadium indoor games in December. Always welcome to the Dolphins, and the Texans have made wholesale changes to the roster, So in that sense, maybe you prefer to play him later on, but I don't know. We'll see how that turns out. I think these two quarterbacks and two and Stroud are both very similar in how they both play the pre snaps so well and beat you there most of the time. I always go against the grain of the popular pick, so I'm not as high on Houston as most.

just by a little bit. I'm curious to see how this defense comes back together with Will Anderson, Daniel Hunter, Folo Fotoicasi Danico Auchery, Derek Barnett.

Robert Woods and Joe Mixon and Damian Pierce. Like Diane Meyer, this has Game of the Year potential to me, fun one and a great late season road test for your Miami Dolphins. With Bobby Slowik at the controls on offense, he's a lot like Mike McDaniel, and then Demico Ryans on defense is a lot like Anthony Weaver to me, and Matt Burke is the defensive coordinator. That's a name for you, guys you'll love, But so many similarities here.

My final predictions and thoughts. I think we clip them and the Dolphins begin to really change their narrative with a twenty five to twenty four win to improve to eleven and three on the season heading into a home game, the last home game of the year in Week sixteen against the San Francisco forty nine ers for a four to twenty five kickoff. They have a new DC. They have fired Steve Wilkes after the Super Bowl and Nick Sorenson is in. He's the first time DC who was

promoted there from the staff previously. Essentially, it's a night game in late December, so probably perfect weather. You'd imagine, maybe a little bit chilly. We'll see West Coast team coming east, but not for a one pm kickoff and again, final home game of the season. No two teams probably look more similar from the Dolphins and Niners. Loaded skill groups, talented defense, is excellent, coaching both very much in the

contender's bucket. I think our quarterback is way better than their quarterback, and I think brockx luck will eventually run out because that guy throws so many balls that get dropped from the defenders that I just can't fathom it. They play that aggressive, one gap, get up the field defense and our ability to win and exploit the edge kind of dictates how it goes for our offense in this one, and it kind of works for them in the same way.

on this Niners team. That an offensive line where I'm wondering, how are they going to hold up? It doesn't look good on paper, But then they turn over some new stones and fine guys like Travarius Ward, Diamador Lenor this is a safety but Tealafongo Hufonga, I got that wrong. Ambry Thomas's are all nice parts, and just watch. They're gonna get the most out of someone like Rocky A. Sin they just signed, or Isaac yatam. These guys that were kind of draft bust and they kind of got

forgotten about. Those are the kind of guys they tend to turn over and get production out of. Offensively, I think it's like looking in a mirror. Even though I don't think that perty and two are I like really at all, but I mean loaded skill groups one and two in the NFL. For my money, I think both offensive lines on paper most fans look at like they're not enough there, but both teams have developed a style and continuity to hone in on, and that style is

where you get great production from. So I don't know how much of a breakdown besides that, it's just good on good in another game that's gonna be great late in the season, another great test, and finally one of those at home.

Mistake by the Lake. The Week seventeen game at Cleveland is right now scheduled to be on Sunday Night FOOTBALLT eight twenty, but that can also get flexed. Obviously, they have a new offensive coordinator and Ken Dorsey he's under Obviously, you know Kevin Stefanski, who's the guy that really generates most of it. There could be potentially horrible conditions rightly anytime a year, but mostly late December. You just flex it is gonna be a crappy weather game. And some

interesting notes about the timing of this games. The Browns have had injury issues last couple of years, and they return a lot of the same guys that have those issues, particularly an older offensive line that gets banged up every year, a quarterback who can't stay healthy with his shoulder and has various nicks and bruises, and also is a terrible human being that I think karma's kind of catching up there. So this late who knows what these teams look like.

This also creates another short week sort of for us on the road in Week eight. Team provided this game stays on Sunday Night football. Would it be a shame if the quarterback you gave two hundred million dollars guaranteed fully two and multiple first round picks two sucked?

by their defense and Jim Schwartz, because he's fantastic. He always gets great production. Miles Garrett the straw that stirs the drink. They've got Zadarius Smith back in the fold. But I also I like how we handle top pass rushers. It kind reminds me of how Eric Spolster handle's top scorers in the NBA for the Miami Heat, right. But I think their best on the back end with Jeremiah Wusu Koramo at linebacker, Denzel Ward, Greg Newsom, Grant Delpit,

Wan thorn Hill, Rodney McLeod and company. You never know, but you just get the sense that a late December game in Cleveland probably going to be miserable and the Browns are quote unquote light on defense. It's probably on the interior. So maybe it lends itself to a ground and pound game here for Miami to develop their winning game with moster a Chan and Jalen Wright going into the playoffs. Or maybe it's a fifty degree beautiful night for football.

like we did with Brett Favre. Dolphins win thirty four, twenty three and get to thirteen and four. Some general schedule thoughts before I get out of here for the podcast. Short week home game and versus Buffalo no less is something I love. Let's do the things I love. First, playing a short week home game against Buffalo three of four of the year to start at home is great. And if we play our game, I think we should go into the bye week unbeaten at five Oh that

would be cool, right. And then also getting extra time ahead of the first West Coast trip Thursday night ahead of the Seahawks game. That's a really beneficial aspect of the schedule. And the first five games of the year being against new defensive coordinators.

Two September home games are both at night. Don't love that three dome games on the road only one of them is beyond Thanksgiving, which they were both or all of them were after Thanksgiving. I don't love and early by a week. I don't love a short week heading to the Jets on Week eighteen, even though it's just like a few hours of a short week. West Coast trips are split up, including a Monday night football game that creates a short week coming back on the return game.

I don't love that. I don't love finishing with three of four on the road. And I don't love two short week road games Patriots on six days rest week five and the Packers on four days rest in Week twelve. WE good long podcast there. We'll do some additional stuff on the schedule on the Friday episode. Wells are gonna

have Odell Beckham Junior on the Draft Time podcast. In the meantime, you all please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, Leave us a rating, leave us a review, follow me on social at wenk NFL, and the team at Miami Dolphins. She got the fish Tank podcast with Seth and Juice, the YouTube channel for media availabilities, Dolphins Today, draft time content, and so much more, and last but not least, Miami Dolphins dot Com.