The Miami Dolphins, 1-5, beat the New York Jets in Week 7, putting together a complete performance in every aspect and looking like a team that can compete on any Sunday. The team is still in the midst of a complete roster rebuild, and it will continue to make the mistakes expected of the league’s youngest team, but its potential was on full display last weekend.
This weekend, the Dolphins face their second straight AFC East rival, this time hosting the New England Patriots. Miami hopes to back up
its Week 7 win as it heads into Week 8, while the Patriots hope to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time this year. New England, 4-3, fell to the Chicago Bears on Thursday night to start Week 7, giving them 10 days to sit with the loss. The Patriots are hoping to stay within reach of the division-leading Buffalo Bills, who are 5-1 to start this year.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook odds, the Dolphins are seven-point underdogs as the Patriots come into Hard Rock Stadium.
Dolphins fan confidence
Each week of the season, we use our SB Nation Reacts survey to gauge fans’ confidence in the Dolphins’ direction. Despite the team starting the season with five straight losses, Dolphins fans recognized the situation this season and accepted that Miami is a rebuilding team. The fan confidence survey has averaged around 75 percent positive responses throughout the year, hitting a low of 63 percent in Week 2 and a high of 87 percent in Week 5.
Fan confidence in the team after their Week 7 win did not just rise; it leaped to a near all-time high. In Weeks 4 and 11 of the 2022 season, 99 percent of fan responses indicated they felt positive about the Dolphins’ direction. After Miami’s win last weekend, the 2026 fan confidence survey jumped from 72 percent in Week 7 to a new season-high of 97 percent in Week 8.
What will happen on the field this week at Hard Rock Stadium? Will fan confidence in the Dolphins’ direction keep rising?
Miami Dolphins 2026 Season Fan Confidence Results:
Preseason – 80%
Week 1 – 79%
Week 2 – 63%
Week 3 – 65%
Week 4 – 79%
Week 5 – 87%
Week 6 – 71%
Week 7 – 72%
Week 8 – 97%
Dolphins fans: Make your pick in the SB Nation app!
Take Reacts surveys, create Dolphins polls, and see how your answers compare with fellow Phinsider readers. Then discuss the results with other diehard Fins fans.
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Win total
Now that the Dolphins have their first win of the season, the next logical question is how many games they can win this year. We used the SB Nation Reacts survey to ask fans for their thoughts on Miami’s win total for the year. The preseason win total for Miami had been 4.5 games. Fans still think the Dolphins will land on the under side of that line, but they do think the Dolphins will come away with a few more wins over the remaining 11 weeks of the season.
Asked whether the Dolphins will finish the season with 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5+ wins, three victories received the most votes, with 39 percent of responses. Four wins received 28 percent, and 5 or more wins picked up 21 percent of the vote. Together, 88 percent of fans expect at least two more victories. Two wins received 8 percent of the vote, while remaining at one victory this season received 4 percent ofresponses.
Do you agree with the Dolphins’ fan confidence poll results? Let us know in the comments.
