By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
The Miami Dolphins will face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET to kick off the 2025 season.
Can the Dolphins catch the Colts by surprise and win Week 1 on the road?
The last time the Dolphins and Colts played was a messy game in the previous season. The Dolphins lost 16-10, had six penalties, and had 337 net yards. Also, both teams had different quarterbacks in that game.
The Dolphins have some key players who are questionable for Sunday’s game. Tight end Darren Waller has a hip injury, and we don’t know if he will play. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill has an oblique injury. Guard James Daniels has an ankle injury, and defensive back Elijah Campbell has knee problems.
Other Dolphins players are not 100 percent, and are also questionable. It’s not the kind of news you want to hear if you’re the Dolphins. But they must proceed and focus on slowing down the Colts’ offense.
The Daniel Jones era at Indianapolis has begun. The Dolphins must set the tone early on. Jones beat out Anthony Richardson for the Colts’ starting quarterback job. Jones can run the ball, but the Dolphins must not let him get rushing yards.
The Dolphins’ running game must be the X factor. The offensive line is okay, but it needs to be better. The Dolphins need to be similar to or a little better than 2023.
Dolphins and Colts have some of the worst secondaries in the league. The Dolphins’ secondary looked promising in the preseason, but it might be a different story in the regular season.
The Colts will have to rely on running back Jonathan Taylor. Jones is new to the Colts’ offense, but Taylor has more experience, and his running game will be huge for the Colts. The Dolphins’ defense will need to consider this.
The Colts’ defense will try to get physical and provide tight coverage on the Dolphins’ receivers.
The Dolphins can’t afford to finish under .500 like they did last season. Coach Mike McDaniel will do everything he can to avoid having a second year in a row being a below .500 team after having all the talent on their roster.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa won’t suit up for Week 1, but his durability will be very critical for the Dolphins’ season. He missed six games last season.
Here’s how the spread looks for this game:
Spread
- Dolphins +1.5 (-118)
- Colts -1.5 (-102)
Prediction: Dolphins 21-20
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
X: @mmm_sportnfilms, Instagram: @miguel_passionforsports and @themmmjournal, LinkedIn: The MMM Journal, TikTok: @miguelmikemedina
