The Dolphins have been in the playoffs the last two years, but they weren’t able to stick around the postseason for a long time either time.
A 34-31 road loss to the Bills knocked them out of the Wild Card round in January 2023 and they lost 26-7 in Kansas City this year. The failure to progress increases the pressure on the Dolphins to show that they’re on the right path this year and running back Raheem Mostert said in an appearance on NFL Network that no one around the Dolphins is losing sight of the need to take that next step.
“We’re an outstanding team, and it has to just click at the end of the year,” Mostert said “I was telling the reporters, man, I’d take an 0-8 start to make it deep into the playoffs, right, and trying to get to that championship round. One of our biggest Kryptonites has always been that first round. That’s gonna be harped on this year. People are gonna say all these different types of things, but we can’t make excuses. We’ve got to go out here and finish the season and finish strong, the same way we started, and just go out here and handle business. Everybody has to be on the same page. We have to be as one, right? That’s all it takes. Nothing bigger, nothing smaller. Just go out there and stay healthy and finish.”
Mostert scored 21 touchdowns in the first 15 games of the 2023 season, but missed the final two games with knee and ankle injuries. He returned to run eight times for 33 yards against the Chiefs and better health down the stretch this year would help the Dolphins’ chances of making some noise in the postseason.