In 2021, Miami ended their campaign scorching hot by winning seven-straight games. 

Although the Dolphins made a coaching change from Brian Flores to Mike McDaniel, they have continued their winning streak into 2022 starting off 3-0.

After back to back big wins against two of the NFL’s premier teams in the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills, it’s safe to say that the Miami Dolphins are legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

Here are 5 reasons why Miami will be the city of champions in 2022:

Tua Tagovailoa Is A Star

After underperforming the past two seasons, Tua Tagovailoa, a former Heisman trophy winner and fifth-overall pick, was put on blast by media and fans alike for being a draft bust, especially since he was drafted one pick before Chargers star quarterback Justin Herbert.

However, Tagovailoa has come out firing in 2022, throwing for 925 yards and eight touchdowns through three weeks, including a mesmerizing six-touchdown performance in a comeback win against the Baltimore Ravens.   If Tagovailoa can keep up his excellent play and continue to prove to the world that he is a legit NFL star quarterback, the Dolphins will go all the way.

The Dolphins Have The Best Receiving Corps in The League

A big reason for Tagovailoa's excellent play can be attributed to the weapons he has at his disposal. With the 2022 offseason addition of Tyreek Hill, a top-fve receiver, along with drafting studs like Tagovailoa’s former teammate at Alabama, Jaylen Waddle in 2021, and former Nittany Lion Mike Gesicki in 2018, the Dolphins arguably have the best receiving corps in the NFL.

It was very apparent against Baltimore in Week 2 as all three of the aforementioned players found the endzone, with Hill and Waddle finding it twice and Geisiki hitting paydirt once and hitting perhaps the most atrocious griddy we’ve ever seen.

The speed duo of Hill and Waddle combined with the size of Gesicki is going to be an unsolvable problem for NFL defenses.

Miami Has One of The Best Coaching Staffs in Football

In the 2022 offseason, many critics questioned the firing of Brian Flores, who was coming off of a seven game winning streak to end the campaign. However, those critics quickly quieted down when former 49ers assistant coach Mike McDaniel took over the team and continued to win. 

The Dolphins have remained disciplined as they have only had 16 penalties called against them through 3 games, which is toward the bottom half of the NFL. For reference, the Denver Broncos lead the league in penalties with 30 penalties through three games. 

In addition, McDaniel and offensive coordinator Frank Smith’s play calling has effectively utilized Miami’s talented receiving corps.

The Fins’ D is For Real

These past two weeks have put the NFL world on notice of Miami’s defense. The Dolphins started off slow against Baltimore but then proceeded to limit them to only 10 points in the second half, allowing Tagovailoa and the offense to come back and win the game. 

A week later, the Fins’ defense was tested against the best offense in the NFL in the Buffalo Bills and they delivered. Miami only allowed 19 points and shut down a potential game-winning drive late in the game which sealed the victory against Buffalo, who many have labeled Super Bowl favorites coming into the season.

This Team Has Heart

This one is more intangible and cliché, but based on how this team has handled adversity, they have the championship DNA, or as Skip Bayless likes to put it… the “clutch gene.” Two examples of that would be how they handled pressure situations these past two weeks. 

The first pressure situation came when the Dolphins went down against the Ravens 28-7 through one half of football, but Miami kept fighting and went on to win 42-38 off of a game-winning touchdown from Waddle. The second situation came the very next week against Buffalo when Tagovailoa got his bell rung due to a hit from Bills linebacker Matt Milano. Although Tagovailoa injured his head and back on that play, he came back into the game later to lead his team to a victory.

Playing through pain is difficult for anyone but Tagovailoa showed exemplary toughness in the win.

Shivoy Nagpaul is a first year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email shivoynagpaul@psu.edu.