Brian Flores, Miami Dolphins. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Any improvement for these NFL teams would be welcomed. Here are five NFL teams capable of doubling their win totals from a season ago.
When you’re seemingly at rock bottom, the only way to go is up. Yes, there are bad and often times horrendous football teams in the NFL. A head coach may have lost the locker room or is in over his skis as a glorified coordinator. The quarterback might get hurt or cluster injuries might zap you of your soul. Then, there’s always front office nonsense and ownership issues to deal with.
Regardless, no team stays at the bottom for very long. The NFL is at its core a league of parity. Though it doesn’t guarantee bottom-feeders playoff success or even a postseason bid, even the worst-run teams in the league will occasionally pop up into the level of mediocrity. In short, there’s always room for improvement and that’s especially easy if you performed terribly the year prior.
Looking ahead to the upcoming 2020 NFL season, there are a handful of teams who stunk last year, but will certainly be better. But will they be significantly better? Like, double their win totals from the year before better? While many other teams might approach the accomplishment, only a few have a semi-realistic shot at pulling it off.
Here are the five NFL teams who have the best chance of doubling their win total this season.
5
Miami Dolphins
AFC East
This would have been SO much easier if the Miami Dolphins tanked as spectacularly as we all though they were going to a season ago. If they had won zero games, any victory would be viewed as an improvement. For now, the Dolphins need to go 10-6 to double their win total of five from a season ago. It’s a tall task, but can they do it?
Well, the New England Patriots no longer have a vise-like grip on the AFC East now Tom Brady plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Plus, the Dolphins already beat them once last year. Add in the Buffalo Bills are in unfamiliar territory as the front-runner in the division and things could get particularly wild in divisional play. Miami could maybe go 4-2 in the AFC East next year.
They’re probably losing to the Bills up in Orchard Park. If they sweep the New York Jets and do the unthinkable and win in Foxborough, 5-1 could be the best case scenario for the Dolphins’ 2020 divisional record. The question is if there are four or five winnable games for them outside of divisional play. Who could they realistically upset?
The Dolphins have to beat the Cincinnati Bengals and the Jacksonville Jaguars rounding out their fourth-place schedule to make this possible. With the AFC West and NFC West in their entirety, this means wins over four of those eight. They’re not beating the Kansas City Chiefs and they’re probably not beating the San Francisco 49ers. As for the other six, the Dolphins will have a shot.