There are not many believers in the 2026 version of the Miami Dolphins in the national media. Ever since the hiring of new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and the subsequent mass exodus of talent across the roster, the talk has been more about Miami’s dead cap situation and the possibility of the organization “earning” the number one overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft than the team possibly winning actual football games on the field this upcoming season.
In Week One, Miami will travel to Las Vegas
to take on the Raiders — a team that won three games in 2025 and wound up picking first in the 2026 NFL Draft themselves. Still, heading into that game, the Dolphins are considered the underdogs according to most sportsbooks. In fact, in most places, the Raiders are favored by at least three points, with some sites favoring them by four points or more.
Count the talking heads at NFL Network as those with the mindset that the Dolphins will be bad — like, really bad — in 2026. In fact, against the Raiders, not a single person has picked Miami to win that game, or even cover the spread.
In 2025, the Raiders defense gave up an average of 25.4 points per game — the 8th most in the National Football League. As you can see above, Brandon Perna thinks the Dolphins will score exactly three points against that defense.
At the end of the day, what Dan Parr, Kevin Patra, Brooke Cersosimo and others think probably doesn’t matter all that much to the folks inside the buildings in Miami Gardens. The Dolphins can’t control the pessimistic predictions coming from outside of the organization. They can only control what happens when they take the field against the Raiders. And right now, seeing nearly every analyst around the league disrespect them should provide all the motivation Miami needs. The doubters have spoken. Now it’s up to the Dolphins to answer — not with words, but with toughness, heart…
And hopefully, a win.
