MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Remember when the Miami Dolphins were fun?
When they were dropping 70 on the Denver Broncos, when they starred in one of the best seasons of Hard Knocks in recent years, and when everything their coach Mike McDaniel said turned into a meme?
It feels so long ago.
But they can get it back — and quicker than you think.
Make the Miami Dolphins Fun Again
The buzz probably won’t happen even if the Dolphins, with Snoop Huntley, slug out another victory against the Indianapolis Colts when they return from the bye.
Don’t make no mistake — a win over the Colts would absolutely put them back in a strong position to reach the postseason, even after a three-game losing streak.
But given the fickle nature of their fan base, the hype train will likely remain in the station until Tua Tagovailoa returns and brings the big plays with him.
Data backs this up.
The Dolphins played a Monday Night Football game against the Tennessee Titans two weeks back. And when given the opportunity to watch something else (in this case, Seattle Seahawks-Detroit Lions), America did so overwhelmingly.
Just 5.6 million people tuned in for Dolphins-Titans that night, compared to the 15 million who watched Seattle vs. Detroit, which overlapped for all but 45 minutes.
Demand for Dolphins home games has plummeted this year. The cheapest get-in on StubHub for Tagovailoa’s expected first game back (Week 8 against the Arizona Cardinals) was $40, well below face value.
The Dolphins have taken a back seat locally this fall to the Miami Hurricanes, who are ranked sixth nationally after a 6-0 start.
And the market for sports fans’ attention will get even more crowded as the Florida Panthers and Miami Heat ramp up their 2024-2025 seasons.
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Which means the Dolphins have a very small window to again become relevant.
“It’s a big relief,” Dolphins safety Marcus Maye said of beating the Patriots. “It’s hard to win in this league, so as they come, you got to take them for what they are.
“But we know that we didn’t play the game we know we can play, the style of ball we know we can play. So obviously, there’s a few things to correct but the way things have been, getting a win was our biggest thing.”
Getting their QB1 back will certainly help. But the Dolphins need their biggest stars to play like it.
That means Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Jalen Ramsey need to start making not just big plays but viral ones.
“To win a grimy game that isn’t perfect is a step in the right direction,” said McDaniel. “Now, how do we take control over the controllables? That’s the most important thing for us moving forward, building upon the growth of the team, but we have a long ways to go and some time to do it, so we’ll keep chopping wood every day.”
