EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – NOVEMBER 29: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) DeVante Parker #11 of the Miami Dolphins in action against Harvey Langi #44 of the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on November 29, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Dolphins defeated the Jets 20-3. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
The Miami Dolphins or hopefully the team to beat in the AFC East. To do so, they must win these games
Brian Flores and Chris Grier are putting all their hope in Tua Tagovailoa entering 2021. The Miami Dolphins are putting all its trust in the second-year quarterback, hopeful he can develop into the first long-term franchise option since Dan Marino.
They certainly spent the offseason building around him to do so.
Miami added weapons in Will Fuller via free agency and former Alabama teammate Jaylen Waddle. They also bolstered the offensive line with the addition of Notre Dame’s Liam Eichenberg at right tackle. Defensively, Flores is hopeful another season in his system will be enough to give Miami a top10 unit for 2021 and years to come.
After last season finishing with a 10-6 record in the AFC East, it’s about improving to compete with the Buffalo Bills. The only problem is other teams have improved as well. With the 2021 NFL schedule set to be released Wednesday evening, here’s five games Miami must win to stay ahead in the race for Los Angeles.
5 must-win games for the Dolphins in 2021
5
New York Jets
AFC East
Looking roster to roster, the Jets are still in a rebuilding mode while Miami is looking to win now. Still, everyone wants to beat the division rival so they can stay ahead in the points.
Miami had the opportunity to draft a quarterback following the trade with the Houston Texans at No. 3. Instead, Tagovailoa is going to have to improve as a passer —primarily downfield to stay ahead of No. 2 pick Zach Wilson when the two meet up.
Flores is one of two high-rising defensive head coaches in the NFL. Robert Saleh showed during his time with the San Francisco 49ers that not only does he command respect from his players, but he gets the best results with lesser talent. Miami was a top spender in free agency last season to fix the defense, but will the results finally come through.
Miami is looking to show there a top-five team in the AFC. The Jets some more so hoping to prove they’re not picking in the top five next April. All and all, this more about pride for the Dolphins than anything else.
A loss to the Jets all but hurts the ranking in the division.