Which Dolphins position groups improved most this offseason?
It was a rude awakening for the Miami Dolphins when Dan Marino retired, and winning a playoff game became a significantly more daunting task. Marino may have never won a Super Bowl, but he was a playoff machine, improving to the postseason in 10 of his 17 seasons in the league.
The Dolphins have won just one playoff game since the Hall of Fame quarterback’s retirement, an overtime victory against the Peyton Manning-led Indianapolis Colts in 2000. Since then, five playoff appearances have all resulted in first-round exits. Two of the five playoff berths have come in back-to-back seasons under head coach Mike McDaniel and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
The Dolphins join an exclusive club of teams who haven’t won a playoff game in the last 15 years. Of the 32 teams in the NFL, only three match the criteria: the Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, and Washington Commanders.
The Commanders last won a playoff game in 2005, surpassing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 17-10 victory. The Raiders’ last playoff run was in 2002 when they advanced to the Super Bowl after beating the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans. Miami takes the cake with the longest playoff drought, as the Dolphins have waited 24 years for a postseason win.
As for the rest of the league, the Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland Browns, and Dallas Cowboys have each won a Wild Card game. The remaining 25 teams have won a Divisional Round game, conference championship, or Super Bowl. Two teams have won more than one Super Bowl in the past 15 years: the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs.
