If you’re a long-suffering Miami Dolphins fan, then you’re probably jumping for joy at the thought of the Fins finally taking the field without the inept Ryan Tannehill under center for the first time since taking for the Texas A&M signal-caller with the eighth overall pick in the 2012 draft. Whether you’re a Fins fan or not, you should know that change is in the air for a franchise that has just one winning record in the last decade.
You see, it’s a case of out with the old and in with the new as the longtime AFC East resident get set for the first year of a new era under new GM Chris Grier, first-time head coach Brian Flores and hopefully, second-year signal-caller Josh Rosen, leading the way. Whether the Dolphins sink or swim in 2019 remains to be seen, but there are definitely a bunch of insightful things you need to know about Miami as they get set for the upcoming 2019 NFL regular season. Let’s find out what those things are right now NFL betting faithful!
Miami Dolphins 2019 NFL Season Betting Guide
Betting Statistics
- ATS: 7-9 (W-L) / 8-8-0 (ATS) / 2-6-0 (Home) / 6-3-0 (Away) / 7-5-0 (Grass) / 2-5-0 (Turf)
- O/U: 8-8-0 (W-L) / 5-3-0 (Home) / 3-5-0 (Away) / 5-4-0 (Grass) / 3-4-0 (Turf) / 47.0
The Dolphins went an uninspiring 7-9 SU in 2018 to record their second straight losing record under former head coach Adam Gase and third losing season in the last four years overall. Miami did manage to cover the chalk in half of their games while cashing in six times at home. Despite their combination of clueless offense and awful defense, the Dolphins managed to also go 8- against their Over/Under total odds a year ago while playing Under the total five times on the road.
Offense
- Total Yards: 289.9 / Rank 31
- Passing Yards: 181.2 / Rank 30
- Rushing Yards: 108.6 /Rank 18
- Points Scored: 19.9 / Rank 26
- Field Goal %: 90 / Rank 7
The Dolphins closed out the 2018 season ranked a pitiful 31st in total offense, 30th in passing, 18th in rushing and 26th in scoring (19.9 ppg). To address their needs on the offensive side of the ball Miami signed veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, wide receiver Davante Parker and tight end Dwayne Allen in free agency while drafting Wisconsin tackle Michael Deiter in the third round of the NFL draft.
Defense
- Total Yards: 391.1 / Rank 29
- Passing Yards: 245.8 / Rank 21
- Rushing Yards: 145.3 /Rank 31
- Points Allowed: 27.1 / Rank 27
- Field Goal %: 75 / Rank 4
Defensively, Miami finished the 2018 campaign ranked an uninspiring 29th in total defense, 21st against the pass, 31st against the run and 27th in points allowed (27.1 ppg). To address their needs on the defensive side of the ball, the Dolphins signed veteran cornerback Eric Rowe in free agency while drafting former Clemson star Christian Wilkins with the 13th overall pick and Wisconsin linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel in the fifth round.
Team Leaders
- Touchdowns: Kenyan Drake (9)
- Rushing: Frank Gore (722)
- Passing: Ryan Tannehill (1979)
- Receiving: Danny Amendola (575)
- Sacks: Robert Quinn (6.5)
- Interceptions: Xavien Howard (7)
Last season, the Dolphins were led I touchdowns scored by third-year running back Kenyan Drake, but it was veteran running back Fran Gore that led the team in rushing with a modest 722 yards. The previously mentioned Tannehill led Miami in passing with less than 2,000 passing yards in 11 games. Veteran wide receiver Danny Amendola led the team in receiving yards, but it should be known that Gore, Tannehill and Amendola are all now gone. Veteran defensive end Robert Quinn led the team in sacks in his first season with the franchise after seven seasons with the Rams while star cornerback Xavien Howard led the team with an impressive seven interceptions in just his season year.
Outlook
In six years with former quarterback Ryan Tannehill under center, Miami went a lackluster 42-46 while reaching the playoffs just once in 2016. In three seasons under former head coach Adam Gase, Miami went 23-25, so really, there’s no where for this franchise to go but up when you look at Miami in a long-term sense.
While I like Miami’s addition of Ryan Fitzpatrick as a short-term answer under center and mentor for the talented Rosen, the Dolphins are hoping beyond all hope that Rosen can live up to the potential that made him the 10th overall pick in the 2017 draft and the rookie quarterback deemed the most ready to play in the NFL a year ago.
If Rosen plays well and grows into the franchise quarterback that many believe he can become, then Miami will have a huge foundation piece taken care of for their rebuild. If Rosen can;t beat out Fitzpatrick at some point this coming season or show that he has what it takes to become a longtime starter, then the Fins will almost certainly have to draft a quarterback in the next NFL Draft and that means another year of rebuilding.
Right now, I’m going to say that Rosen eventually supplants Fitzpatrick at the top of the depth chart and that’s a good thing for the Dolphins. However, when it comes to actual on-field success in 2019, I believe Miami is going to be hard-pressed to equal its seven-win total from 2018.
In addition to their six matchups against their AFC East division rivals, the revamped Dolphins also have difficult non-division matchups against Dallas, the L.A. Chargers, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Cleveland and Philadelphia. If Miami reaches a half-dozen wins in 2019, it’ll be a successful first season for Brian Flores and the new-look Dolphins!
