2023 NFL odds: Dolphins in prime position to win AFC East

Last updated: 2023/11/25 at 9:45 PM

BigP Published November 25, 2023

Tua Tagovailoa keeps reiterating that the Miami Dolphins aren’t satisfied yet.

Miami improved to 8-3 with a dominant 34-13 win over the struggling New York Jets on Black Friday. The Dolphins are looking to win the AFC East for the first time since 2008, and then make a deep playoff push.

“The sky’s the limit for us,” Tagovailoa said. “Whatever we want to accomplish, everything’s right there in front of us, and we basically turn it on fate here in this league. So, we just have to continue stacking those wins.”

The odds — and Miami’s schedule — indeed suggest the sky’s the limit.

Miami is heavily favored in the AFC East, sitting at -1000 to win the division. Buffalo is second at +500.

The Dolphins also have the second-shortest odds to win the AFC at +370, tied with Baltimore and trailing only Kansas City at +200.

Miami has the benefit of a favorable schedule to close out the season: Four of their final five games are at home, where they are undefeated. Miami’s next three opponents have losing records, and the Dolphins have not lost to a team under .500 this season.

Against the Jets, Miami put up 395 yards of total offense despite turning the ball over three times for the second straight game. Tagovailoa was 21 of 30 for 243 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

“I feel good about my game. I’m not satisfied whatsoever about what I’m doing right now,” Tagovailoa said. “I know I have to continue to get better with that. Throughout these late stretches of having these games, we’re going to need better ball from me.”

The Dolphins also got another standout performance from their defense, which limited the Jets to just 159 total yards. Miami has held its opponent under 300 yards in four straight games.

Coach Mike McDaniel credited Miami’s recent defensive surge to players taking ownership of their responsibilities.

“As a result, we’re starting to have a team that’s complementing each other in all three phases,” McDaniel said. “You can’t just show up and say ‘We’re going to stop this’ or ‘We’re going to beat this’ to beat the Miami Dolphins. You have to deal with all sides of the ball.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.