The Miami Dolphins finally gave their fans something to feel good about in Week 7, and the reaction was immediate. After a 1-5 start and a win over the New York Jets, confidence around the team shot up to a season-best level heading into Sunday’s matchup with the New England Patriots.
That’s the next test for Miami: a second straight AFC East opponent, this time at Hard Rock Stadium. The Dolphins are trying to build on a performance that looked complete in every phase, while the Patriots arrive at 4-3 after falling to the Chicago Bears on Thursday night.
That loss gave New England 10 days to sit with it, and it also kept the Patriots in pursuit of the Buffalo Bills, who are 5-1. FanDuel Sportsbook lists Miami as a seven-point underdog.
The Dolphins’ fan base has spent most of the year understanding what this roster looks like. Miami is still in the middle of a full rebuild, and mistakes have come with that territory.
Even so, the broader view from fans has stayed surprisingly steady. In the SB Nation Reacts survey, confidence in the team’s direction had hovered around 75 percent positive all season, with a low of 63 percent in Week 2 and a high of 87 percent in Week 5.
Then came the Jets win, and the mood changed fast.
The Week 8 survey jumped to 97 percent, up from 72 percent in Week 7. That’s not just a bump - it’s a near all-time high. The only higher marks cited were from Weeks 4 and 11 of the 2022 season, when 99 percent of responses said they felt positive about the Dolphins’ direction.
Here’s how the 2026 fan confidence numbers have tracked so far:
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%
The first win also naturally shifted the conversation to the bigger picture: how many games can Miami actually win this season? The preseason over-under sat at 4.5, and fans still lean to the under. But after the breakthrough against the Jets, they’re clearly expecting more than just one more isolated bright spot.
When asked whether the Dolphins would finish with 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5-plus wins, three victories drew the most support at 39 percent. Four wins followed at 28 percent, and 5 or more wins got 21 percent.
Put together, 88 percent of fans believe Miami will add at least two more wins. Two wins received 8 percent of the vote, while 4 percent think the Dolphins will stay at one win for the year.
In Other News...
Dolphins O-Line Momentum Suddenly Hinges On A New Concern Up Front
Miamis offensive line has spent much of the season trying to find some stability, and the guard play has been a big reason the Dolphins have been able to lean on the run game. Kadyn Proctor and Jonah Savaiinaea have both logged heavy snap counts, and even with penalties and PFF grades that have dipped below league average at times, their presence has helped keep the interior moving in the right direction. Savaiinaeas return from an ankle injury has been especially important after the line had to absorb some early-season shuffling.
Now the momentum up front faces a fresh test with Proctor unavailable for Week 8 because of a concussion. For a unit that has already had to manage injuries while trying to build chemistry, losing one of its most-used guards adds another layer of uncertainty at exactly the wrong time. Miami has gotten enough from the pair to matter in the rushing attack, but the next stretch will show whether that progress can hold if the lineup has to change again. [Read more 🡒]
Malik Willis Forced A Tough Dolphins Sideline Conversation After Costly Mistake
A promising third-down sequence against New England took a sharp turn for Miami after Ollie Gordon II was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct following a short run, turning a manageable spot into a much tougher one for the offense. In the heat of the moment, Malik Willis made sure the message was heard on the sideline, confronting Gordon about the mistake and stressing the kind of accountability that can keep a drive from slipping away.
Willis did not leave it there, though. Even while calling out the error, he backed Gordon as a teammate and made clear the issue was about cleaning up the details, not creating a divide, which is the sort of exchange that can matter in a tight game and, just as importantly, in a locker room trying to stay connected as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Let Another Sloppy Patriots Loss Spiral In The Second Half
A wet, sloppy Week 8 loss in New England left the Dolphins staring at another game that got away in the second half, this one a 24-19 defeat that pushed the Patriots to their fifth win of the season. Miami had to navigate a Patriots offense missing A.J. Brown and TreVeyon Henderson, but the bigger issue was how quickly the game tilted once the conditions and the pressure started to pile up.
Drake Maye made the most of a clean, efficient day, going 16 of 20 for 207 yards and three touchdowns while the Patriots kept Miami under constant stress up front. The Patriots also lost tight end Hunter Henry to a foot injury and never got him back, but their defense still found enough disruption to keep the Dolphins from turning the game into a late comeback. [Read more 🡒]