Ryan Fitzpatrick believes an 0-17 season is within reach for the Miami Dolphins.
Although sports books still see the Dolphins as likely to pull off a few wins somewhere along the line, they seem to think the chances of going winless inched upward after Week 1.
Speaking on a conference call to promote Amazon’s Thursday night NFL package, Fitzpatrick, an analyst, was asked by The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson why he thinks 0-17 could happen. Fitzpatrick cited the $182 million in dead money, a comment by coach Jeff Hafley (which Hafley later clarified) and that Miami was desperate enough to claim seven players off waivers after cut-down day, more than double any other team.
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“Part of it is self-inflicted with all the dead
money, right?” Fitzpatrick said. “They’ve got over $180 million in dead cap. “Tua (Tagovailoa), Tyreek (Hill), (Jaylen) Waddle, (Bradley) Chubb, (Jalen) Ramsey, Minkah (Fitzpatrick) and probably even missing a few, but all those guys that are on the books but not on the roster. That’s part of it. And even Hafley’s comments and just reading between the tea leaves with him saying success isn’t measured by wins and losses. That said a lot. The amount of guys they claimed on waivers after that first cut.”
Hafley said on an ESPN show that success would not be measured in wins and losses in 2026. He later clarified what he meant, saying he naturally wants the team to win every time out, “But success is not just defined by winning. Winning, for sure, that’s why we play the game.” Building a foundation and seeing improvement in young players also is important, Hafley said.
Fitzpatrick was a Dolphins quarterback in 2019 when Miami’s season threatened to go off the rails.
“There’s just a lot going on that reminded me of that 2019 season there,” he said. “We started 0-7. We lost the first four games by an average of 34-plus points a game. A game! We were not even given the chance to succeed.
“So 0-17 I feel is within reach and part of it is because of who they’re playing. They’re playing the NFC North and the AFC West, which I think is really important. Their other games are at San Fran, at Indy and Cincy.”
Entering the season, two divisional games against the New York Jets were often pinpointed as Miami’s best chances for a win. But on opening weekend, the Dolphins lost at Las Vegas and the Jets traveled to Tennessee and won 23-10. That had been rated as a pick-’em matchup by oddsmakers, who have taken note. The few lines dipping far into the future rate the Jets as 2.5-point favorites over visiting Miami on Oct. 25.
The rematch as Hard Rock Stadium isn’t until Nov. 29. When the NFL schedule was released in May, DraftKings installed Miami as a 1.5-point favorite. It was the only game in which it favored the Dolphins. The current climate suggests that could change.
Dolphins' odds downgraded in 3 of next 4 games
The Week 1 showings led the sports books to downgrade the Dolphins in three of the next four games:
- At San Francisco: From 10.5-point underdogs to 13.5.
- Vs. Kansas City: from 7-point underdogs to 8.5.
- At Minnesota: Line remains 7.5.
- Vs. Cincinnati: From 5.5-point underdogs to 6.
“The Jets look like they’re going to be better,” Fitzpatrick said. “I just started doing the calculations and thought, ‘Gosh, this is a real possibility.’ But the people that can get in the way of a tank are the coaches and the players. And that’s what happened in 2019. So I’m rooting for them to screw it up and get in the way of it.”
Upon hearing this, fellow Amazon Prime analyst Richard Sherman chimed in.
“Arch Manning, here they come,” he said.
ESPN gives Miami at NFL-high shot of 39 percent at landing the No. 1 overall pick. The network says the Dolphins have an 87 percent chance of drafting among the top five. Manning, Texas’ quarterback, is the early favorite to be the first player selected.
No NFL team has gone 0-17. The 2008 Detroit Lions and 2017 Cleveland Browns lost all their games, but that was in 16-game seasons. The 1976 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 0-14 (in the then 14-game season) and eventually went on to lose their first 26 games before finally getting their first win.
Hal Habib covers the Miami Dolphins for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at HHabib@usatodayco.com.
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This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Ryan Fitzpatrick explains why he thinks Miami Dolphins could go 0-17
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