Top 5 2025 Super Bowl Pretenders | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Top 5 2025 Super Bowl Pretenders

killerb58

killerb58

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Here is an interesting discussion as was talked about on ESPN this morning. Who are your top 5 Playoff pretenders going into the 24-25 season? Lets here how you rank from 1-5, with 1 being the biggest hoax.

1. Jacksonville - Although they will falter this season, I see they are build for the future.
2. Cleveland - Unless Watson completely regains his poise from early in his career, Just don't see this Offense being able to hold up against their division foes.
3. Steelers - I think they go in as the # 7 seed and get sent home early.
4. Cowboys- Another late season and sloppy playoffs sends the Cowboys home once again
5. Dolphins - Until they can figure out their "Dudds of December" moniker they do not move on.
 
killerb58 said:
Here is an interesting discussion as was talked about on ESPN this morning. Who are your top 5 Playoff pretenders going into the 24-25 season? Lets here how you rank from 1-5, with 1 being the biggest hoax.

1. Jacksonville - Although they will falter this season, I see they are build for the future.
2. Cleveland - Unless Watson completely regains his poise from early in his career, Just don't see this Offense being able to hold up against their division foes.
3. Steelers - I think they go in as the # 7 seed and get sent home early.
4. Cowboys- Another late season and sloppy playoffs sends the Cowboys home once again
5. Dolphins - Until they can figure out their "Dudds of December" moniker they do not move on.
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I never take anything said on ESPN seriously. They are all Jet fans and they have been wrong about their Jet predictions ever since ESPN started broadcasting.

Obviously the Dolphins need to play better at the end of the season but it doesn’t take some so called expert on ESPN to understand that reality.
 
Steelers are not contenders. They have deficiencies at QB.

Cowboys are annual paper champions

It's not Jacksonville's time--yet.

Dolphins haven't won a playoff game in a 24 years. Let alone look like a Super Bowl contender.

Cleveland may be Steeler's clones unless Watson shows signs of his early career (which he may)
 
Dolphins3 said:
Steelers are not contenders. They have deficiencies at QB.

Cowboys are annual paper champions

It's not Jacksonville's time--yet.

Dolphins haven't won a playoff game in a 24 years. Let alone look like a Super Bowl contender.

Cleveland may be Steeler's clones unless Watson shows signs of his early career (which he may)
Click to expand...

Cleveland might be the most confusing team in the NFL.

Their OL and DL are fantastic. Amari Cooper might be the most underrated player in the NFL. All they had to do was not completely **** the bed at QB.

Oops.

Let’s put it this way: Watson’s cap hit over the next three years is more than ALL of the guaranteed money on Tua’s new contract.
 
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The Goat said:
Cleveland might be the most confusing team in the NFL.

Their OL and DL are fantastic. Amari Cooper might be the most underrated player in the NFL. All they had to do was not completely **** the bed at QB.

Oops.

Let’s put it this way: Watson’s cap hit over the next three years is more than ALL of the guaranteed money on Tua’s new contract.
Click to expand...
I really like Cleveland this year. My only concern is Watson.
 
If by pretender you mean they won’t win the title:

1. Ravens: I think they take a step back. We’ve seen the best of Lamar and it wasn’t good enough.

2. Eagles: They lost 2 hall of famers. I don’t believe Hurts can throw well enough to be the answer. I expect the coach to be fired.

3. Bills: They had their shot and blew it. Now they’ve lost a lot of talent. Allen is a turnover machine and will get that coach fired.

4. Jets: They’re asking a lot of 40-41 year old qb coming off an Achilles injury. Let us not forget that the last time Rodgers was healthy he looked washed. Not too confident in the coach either.

5. 49ers: I also expect them to take a step back. They had their shot and blew it.

Keep in mind, every year in average there are 6-7 new playoff teams. So just because you were good last year doesn’t mean anything next year
 
I guess the question is how do you turn from pretender to contender?

For Miami, it's a few things IMO. One is doing a much better job against multidimensional quarterbacks.

The Dolphins defense has been pretty good, sometimes borderline special over the last few years.

But those mobile quarterbacks are always giving Miami fits, setting rushing yards records, or close to it, when they play the Dolphins.

I can see that changing under Weaver. The restructured linebacker unit, in particular, looks better equipped to improve in this area. That's vital with Josh Allen and Buffalo standing in the Dolphins way.

Winning those short-yardage plays is another key. Maybe Wright helps here? Maybe McDaniel makes more of a commitment to the run game? Perhaps having more options than Hill and Waddle in the pass game helps too?

A better disciplined team overall, which speaks to coaching. This is one area where I thought a veteran coach like Fangio might have helped McDaniel. Good teams simply don't beat themselves. Miami has to clean up penalties etc.
 
I think the Lions will take a step back this year as well. They were lucky to beat the Rams because of a dropped end zone pick and that soul crushing loss to sf could take a toll. I do love their skill guys of amon ra, gibbs, and laporta, their oline is great too but the defense is pretty suspect.
 
NBP81 said:
Fins are probably in the top 3 most talented teams in the AFC and top 5 in the NFL... I'll take that year in year out regardless of what media driven narrative label you want to put on them.
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Just have to be on the right side of injuries. And get a little luck.
 
The Goat said:
Cleveland might be the most confusing team in the NFL.

Their OL and DL are fantastic. Amari Cooper might be the most underrated player in the NFL. All they had to do was not completely **** the bed at QB.

Oops.

Let’s put it this way: Watson’s cap hit over the next three years is more than ALL of the guaranteed money on Tua’s new contract.
Click to expand...


Not news: Watson could have been our problem. I would have tried to step away from my Fins obsession if he was.

I lived near Cleveland for awhile and that fanbase has been through enough. They didn’t deserve to be stuck with Watson.

They’d be actual contenders by now. So many of the GM’s other decisions have hit.
 
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