Writer: Jerrica DuBois
2 min read September 2022 — The football season is underway, and the Miami Dolphins are the only undefeated team remaining in the AFC. At 3-0, the Dolphins have secured wins over the New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills to claim the top spot in the conference.
While unexpected, the Dolphins’ success is certainly not the only NFL anomaly. There’s another surprise when you shift to the NFC, as the No.1 seated Philadelphia Eagles are also the only undefeated team in the conference.
Aside from the unexpected top AFC and NFC leaders, for the second time since 2002, 30 out of the 32 teams have at least one win after three weeks. In another tide shift, eight teams that did not make it to the playoffs last year have won at least two out of their first three games: The Ravens, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, New York Giants and the Dolphins.
The last Dolphins’ season that began with a 3-0 record was in 2018, with wins over the Tennessee Titans, New York Jets and the then-Oakland Raiders four years ago. The Raiders moved to Las Vegas in 2020.
According to the NFL, there is a 76% chance for teams who start 3-0 to make the playoffs, and there is a 51% chance for that team to win the division. League history also indicates that for the first time since 2016, the Dolphins have placed themselves in prime position to return to the postseason.
When the Dolphins began 3-0 in 2018, however, they finished 7-9 and still missed the postseason. History repeats itself, as the team also started 3-0 in 2002 and 2013, and failed to make the playoffs during those seasons as well. The last time the Dolphins reached the postseason after a 3-0 start was 1998.
Looking to continue the momentum, the Dolphins hit the road for Week 4 to face AFC defending champs, the Cincinnati Bengals. Several outlets cast the Dolphins as the underdog by a field goal or more for Thursday’s game, given they are the visiting team and Sunday’s close win against the Bills. The Bengals, in contrast, had their first victory of the season on Sunday, beating the Jets 27-12.
Thursday night’s game gives the Dolphins the chance to keep stepping up and position themselves for the postseason. A win against the Bengals would place the Dolphins at 4-0 for the first time since 1995. According to the league, teams who start 4-0 have an 85% chance to make the postseason. A 3-1 start decreases postseason chances to 67%. A win Thursday would also put the Dolphins in a favorable position for potential tiebreakers in the postseason.
“Expectations haven’t been raised, haven’t changed,” Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said in a statement after Sunday’s win against the Bills. “For us, this is what we believe. We believed in each other. We believed in ourselves. It might be new to a lot of the people that are watching, but for us, we don’t do anything more than what we’re asked out there on the field as well as practice, and that’s what we do. We just trust each other, go out, and play football.”
