Miami Dolphins 2014 Schedule: Game-by-Game Predictions
For the Miami Dolphins, the 2014 season is a make-or-break year.
A repeat performance of the past few seasons will all but guarantee a number of changes from top to bottom across the organization.
Once again, the ultimate success or failure of the Dolphins will fall on the shoulders of Ryan Tannehill, who is being counted on to take a major step forward as he enters his third season.
To help ensure his improvement, general manager Dennis Hickey brought in a number of offensive weapons while also overhauling an offensive line that was one of the worst in league history in 2013.
Combine that with some of the additions made on defense and the Dolphins appear to be a much improved team from last year.
However, as we all know, the games aren't won in the offseason.
So with the regular-season opener just three days away, let's take a game-by-game look at how the season will unfold with predictions on how the Dolphins will fare each week.
Week 1: New England Patriots
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When the New England Patriots made their trip to Miami last season, it represented the most impressive and thrilling victory of the season for the Dolphins.
Ryan Tannehill put together one of the best performances of his young career, out-dueling Tom Brady by throwing for 312 yards and three touchdowns, including leading the team on a 60-yard game-winning touchdown drive in the final minutes.
However, the Patriots will be coming in with a much different look, thanks to the addition of Darrelle Revis and the impending return of Rob Gronkowski.
There's no doubt this will be a major first test for a team that is hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
The good news, though, is that the Dolphins have the element of surprise on their side.
Thanks to the addition of Bill Lazor as the offensive coordinator, Miami will be unveiling an entirely new offensive system in Week 1, something that the Patriots will have no way to be fully prepared for—regardless of the number of former Dolphins they sign.
Combine that with the fact that Gronkowski will not be in full Gronk form just yet, and expect the Dolphins to make a serious statement to open the season, with Tannehill leading the way yet again.
Prediction: Dolphins 27, Patriots 23
Record: 1-0
Week 2: At Buffalo Bills
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Last year the Buffalo Bills were one of the worst teams in the NFL, winning a grand total of just six games all season.
But they are also one of the biggest reasons that the Dolphins missed the playoffs, as they recorded two of their six wins at the expense of Miami, including a 19-0 beatdown in Buffalo in Week 16.
The Dolphins catch a break this time around, as the weather won't be nearly as bad in September as it typically is when they make their annual trip to Buffalo.
This will be the first true test for the Dolphins' new offensive line, as the Bills boast a scary front four of Mario Williams, Marcell Dareus, Kyle Williams and Jerry Hughes.
Last year, the Bills brought down Tannehill a combined nine times in the two meetings, never letting him get comfortable as he combined for 276 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
This time around, though, things will go much differently, as the Dolphins offensive line should hold up much better to allow Tannehill and the rest of the offense to find more success.
Prediction: Dolphins 24, Bills 14
Record: 2-0
Week 3: Kansas City Chiefs
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The 2013 Kansas City Chiefs were a lot like the 2008 Dolphins—a flawed team that benefited from an extremely easy schedule.
While the Chiefs did have a few strong components—namely Jamaal Charles and a stingy front seven—you can expect a major drop-off this season as their schedule gets much tougher.
To make matters worse, they also lost a trio of key offensive linemen during the offseason, including Branden Albert, Jon Asamoah and Geoff Schwartz, and will also be without right tackle Donald Stephenson, who is suspended until Week 5.
The key for the Dolphins will be keeping Tannehill upright while also focusing all their defensive attention on stopping Charles, who will be the first major test for the Miami run defense—a unit that was dreadful all last season.
In the end, expect Charles to do plenty of damage, but not nearly enough to keep up with the new and improved Dolphins offense.
Prediction: Dolphins 27, Chiefs 21
Record: 3-0
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Week 4: At Oakland Raiders (in London)
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This is the point in the season when the Dolphins get the hopes up extremely high for the entire fanbase.
Last year it was a come-from-behind Week 3 win against the Atlanta Falcons that gave the team a 3-0 record that made fans begin to think that they were a legitimate playoff contender.
Of course, the Dolphins then followed that win up with four consecutive losses that made the expectations come crashing back down to Earth.
But this time around, the team will take it one better with a 4-0 start as they head into their bye week with a dominant performance over a bad Oakland Raiders team in London.
The Dolphins offense will be firing on all cylinders as Tannehill puts on a show with four touchdown passes, forcing many pundits to look at him as a possible MVP candidate.
With Dion Jordan and Reshad Jones also prepared to come back from their suspensions, everything finally seems to be falling into place for the Dolphins.
Prediction: Dolphins 34, Raiders 20
Record: 4-0
Week 6: Green Bay Packers
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Coming off a bye week with a 4-0 record and having two key defensive players returning, everything seems to be lined up perfectly for the Dolphins to earn a major statement victory over Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
However, in typical Dolphins fashion, the team fails to show up in a game of this magnitude.
Reminiscent of the beatdown they were handed by the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football in Week 4 last season, the Packers explosive offense comes into Miami and has their way with the Dolphins defense.
Eddie Lacy runs wild while Rodgers picks apart a Dolphins defense that is trying to re-integrate Jordan and Jones in a game that fans begin to leave midway through the third quarter.
Prediction: Packers 37, Dolphins 21
Record: 4-1
Week 7: At Chicago Bears
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Arguably the two toughest pair of consecutive games on the Dolphins' schedule, the team once again fails to compete against an explosive NFC North offense.
With all the attention on Brandon Marshall in his first game against his former team, it is the duo of Matt Forte and Alshon Jeffery who cause the most damage for the Dolphins as the Chicago Bears roll to a home win.
Tannehill and the rest of the Dolphins offense find some success against a lackluster Bears defense, but a pair of critical turnovers in the second half seals the team's fate.
Overall, it's a second straight disappointing performance for a team that started the season off so strong.
Prediction: Bears 35, Dolphins 21
Record: 4-2
Week 8: At Jacksonville Jaguars
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Luckily for the Dolphins, they get the ability to take on the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars, a team that may still be starting former Dolphin Chad Henne at quarterback.
Henne has already been named the starting quarterback for Week 1, and Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley has previously said that his plans are to sit rookie quarterback Blake Bortles for the entire season.
If the Jaguars are going to change those plans, this game may get a bit more interesting.
Either way, the chances are good that the Dolphins defense can put plenty of pressure on the Jacksonville quarterback and shut down what is an incredibly average offense.
On the flip side, the Dolphins should have their way with a Jaguars defense that has a lot left to be desired and cruise to a much-needed win to get the ship back on the right track.
Prediction: Dolphins 27, Jaguars 10
Record: 5-2
Week 9: San Diego Chargers
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Fresh off their most convincing win of the season, the Dolphins welcome Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers to Miami.
In 2013, Rivers put together one of the best seasons of his career, throwing for 4,478 yards, 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing a league-best 69.5 percent of his passes.
However, Rivers wasn't nearly as effective against the Dolphins, throwing for 298 yards, one touchdown and one interception while getting sacked three times and also failing to finish off a game-winning drive in the final seconds.
I expect more of the same this time around, with the Dolphins defense once again coming up with a defensive stand to seal the victory in the closing moments.
Prediction: Dolphins 24, Chargers 20
Record: 6-2
Week 10: At Detroit Lions
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In what could be one of the more entertaining games of the season, the Dolphins once again find themselves up against a high-powered NFC North offense.
While the Dolphins give a much better showing than they did against the Packers and Bears, they once again can't match the scoring of one of the league's premier offenses.
Just as was the case with Marshall, Reggie Bush will be the main talk in the week prior as he is going up against his former team, but it will once again be the other guys carrying the load on game day.
Brent Grimes against Calvin Johnson will be the must-see matchup of the day, but it's also a duel that I expect Megatron to dominate against the much smaller Grimes.
In the end, a last-ditch effort by the Dolphins offense comes up short and the Lions walk away with the victory.
Prediction: Lions 38, Dolphins 34
Record: 6-3
Week 11: Buffalo Bills
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The Bills will be the first AFC East opponent to play the Dolphins a second time, as they look to avenge their Week 2 loss in Buffalo.
Considering the Dolphins' upcoming schedule that has trips to Denver, New York and New England over the next four weeks and a home matchup with Baltimore, this represents a critical game for the team's playoff hopes.
Just as they were last year, I'm expecting the Bills to be a tough matchup for the Dolphins with their defense shutting them down for much of three quarters.
However, the Dolphins defense will also do its part, keeping the team in the game just long enough to allow the offense to drive for a late fourth-quarter touchdown to earn the victory.
Prediction: Dolphins 17, Bills 13
Record: 7-3
Week 12: At Denver Broncos
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I'm not sure even the most optimistic of Dolphins fans would have marked this game as a victory back when the schedule was first released.
There's no doubt traveling to Denver to play Peyton Manning and the Broncos is a tough task for even the most elite teams, and the Dolphins are clearly not on that level.
The Broncos have won 13 of their last 14 regular-season home games, and I don't expect the Dolphins to give them a a loss in this one.
While the Dolphins do look competitive in the first half, Manning and the rest of the high-powered Denver offense are simply too much for Miami to keep up with as they suffer defeat in Knowshon Moreno's return.
Prediction: Broncos 42, Dolphins 24
Record: 7-4
Week 13: At New York Jets
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Now this is the point in the season when Dolphins fans begin to panic.
Fresh off a blowout loss to Denver and with Baltimore and New England on the horizon, the Dolphins travel to New York to face an average Jets team in need of a victory—and they don't get it.
Instead, the Dolphins fall victim to a late go-ahead touchdown drive by Geno Smith—one that Tannehill and the rest of the offense can't respond to in the final minute—as the team suffers their most heartbreaking loss of the season.
Prediction: Jets 23, Dolphins 17
Record: 7-5
Week 14: Baltimore Ravens
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The last time the Dolphins beat the Baltimore Ravens was when Greg Camarillo took a pass over the middle 64 yards for a touchdown in overtime for the team's first and only victory of the 2007 season.
Since that time they have dropped four straight contests to the Ravens by a combined score of 106-55, including a heartbreaking 26-23 loss last season.
There's no question that the Ravens play a physical style of football that the Dolphins have a tough time matching up with.
However, in this game the Dolphins are able to force a few mistakes from Joe Flacco, including a late interception as the Ravens are driving to take the lead, and Caleb Sturgis hits a 47-yard field goal as the clock runs out to give Miami its biggest victory of the season.
Prediction: Dolphins 24, Ravens 21
Record: 8-5
Week 15: At New England Patriots
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The last time the Dolphins beat the Patriots twice in a season Drew Bledsoe was the New England quarterback and the Miami defense was anchored by Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor.
That was 14 years ago and I don't have to go very far out on a limb to say it won't happen this year either.
The Patriots are simply too talented on both sides of the ball to be swept by the Dolphins, especially in a late-season game in Foxborough.
Instead, the Patriots use this game to clinch the AFC East for the one millionth straight year (it feels like that anyway) as they pull ahead in the second half and cruise to a victory.
Prediction: Patriots 31, Dolphins 17
Record: 8-6
Week 16: Minnesota Vikings
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So here we are once again.
The Dolphins are sitting at 8-6 in Week 16 with a chance to make the playoffs if they can just win out against two below-average teams.
But this is not Groundhog Day as the Dolphins take care of business against the electric duo of Adrian Peterson and Cordarrelle Patterson in rather convincing fashion.
The offense finally gets going again, led by a rushing attack that combines for nearly 200 yards and three touchdowns as the Dolphins jump ahead early and never look back to move just one win away from a playoff berth.
Prediction: Dolphins 31, Vikings 17
Record: 9-6
Week 17: New York Jets
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Playing at home in Week 17 against the Jets with a win guaranteeing a spot in the playoffs—I feel like this has happened before.
Last year in this exact same scenario, the Dolphins laid an egg, scoring a grand total of seven points with Tannehill throwing three interceptions as the Jets dominated with a 20-7 victory to put an end to the Miami season.
But this time around the game will serve as a redemption, with Tannehill, Mike Wallace and the rest of the Dolphins offense firing on all cylinders to win the game and clinch their first playoff berth in six years.
Tannehill finishes off the regular season with a three-touchdown game to bring his season stats to an impressive 4,400 yards, 31 touchdowns and 16 interceptions as he finally shows that he has what it takes to be the Dolphins franchise quarterback.
Prediction: Dolphins 35, Jets 20
Record: 10-6, No. 6 wild card spot
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