In Miami, it can be sunny, yet the clouds are looming over the Dolphins in the 2025 season due to a 0-2 start. At their home debut, the New England Patriots managed to escape with a win against Tua Tagovailoa‘s squad. Still, one legend from the franchise is not panicking. Dan Marino, the Hall of Fame quarterback, closely follows his former team every season. The 64-year-old seems optimistic and has some brave forecasts for the Dolphins in their upcoming adventure against the Bills.

He recalls last year’s contest against the Bills. “Last year we lost on the last field goal at the end of the game so, we almost had them beat up there in Buffalo. It’s there, we have the ability to do it, you got to get it done,” he said at the Fitz & Whit podcast. But let’s be honest on this. Tua Tagovailoa’s Dolphins will not have much time to recover because they will be facing a strong opponent of the AFC East. The Buffalo Bills, who are well in the books, are 2-0 in the new season.

Marino referenced the narrow defeat in Buffalo last year that Miami suffered, 30-27. He said that the game was indicative of the fact that the Dolphins can compete head-to-head with one of the strongest teams in the league. But the question now remains whether Miami has the same fight and consistency?

Well, slow starts do not look good for Miami. Since the playoff field expanded in 2020, history hasn’t been kind to teams starting 0-2. Out of 43 teams, 38 missed the postseason after stumbling out of the gate. But here’s the key detail: 29 of those 38 had already missed the playoffs the year before, showing how often early struggles pile up on teams that were already on shaky ground. That puts the Dolphins in a difficult position already.

Tua Tagovailoa’s Miami made the playoffs in 2022 and 2023, and in the last season, they finished 8-9. The task is now on head coach Mike McDaniel to get the fire running in Miami’s high-powered offense, which actually appeared to be sharper in Week 2 as compared to the opener. All offseason, questions circled about Miami’s missing deep threat, but on Sunday, the Dolphins finally flashed some life. They strung together four completions of 20-plus yards: two to Tyreek Hill, one to Jaylen Waddle, and another to De’Von Achane. That’s notable because it’s only the third time since the start of 2024 that Miami has hit that mark in a game.

But till when? Coach Mike McDaniel is facing a hit himself. In the Hard Rock Stadium, a sign calling for him to be fired was seen, indicating the increasing anger of some of the fans. Marino did, however, show confidence in the ability of McDaniel to turn the situation around. He is convinced that the coach is able to stabilize the team and put it back on track.

Tua Tagovailoa’s importance in the camp

The Dolphins’ star QB Tua Tagovailoa has had his own ups and downs. He managed to bag 429 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions through both games, averaging 214.5 yards per game. However, he was sacked 8 times in total. And that could be a concerning point for Marino. In fact, he emphasized that Tua’s plays are one of the major contributing factors in the team’s overall performance. So, multiple hits can affect the QB’s health.

Earlier this year, on The Pat McAfee Show, he said that the only way the franchise hopes to win the Super Bowl is if the young quarterback stays healthy. “I thought we had a very good football team until we started getting injuries, especially at the end of the year,” Marino stated. “Tua is our quarterback, he’s going to be our quarterback, but we need to find a way to just keep him healthy, especially at the end of the year when you have to win games to get in the playoffs … That’s I think where the focus is going to be.” Apart from these, an interesting take is that Tua and the Bills even have a history of bad health.

Last year, the Dolphins looked like a playoff contender, but Tua suffered a concussion in Week 2 against the Bills. It was since then that the Dolphins lost 5 out of the next six games. Even after his strong return, they fell short of just one win to make it to the playoffs. But this time, the hopes for the Dolphins are high.