At 0-5, Dolphins Given +200 Odds of Going Winless in 2019

• Miami has benched QB Josh Rosen and switched back to Ryan Fitzpatrick
• The winless team has lost by an average of 27.6 PPG
• But their margin of defeat has decreased by the week (49, 43, 25, 20 and 1)

The Miami Dolphins have made another switch at quarterback. The team has gone back to Ryan Fitzpatrick over Josh Rosen, one week after stating Rosen would start the remainder of the season .

For bettors, the change means that Miami will have a (sometimes) capable veteran starting at the Buffalo Bills in Week 7. Yet, the Miami brass is fully on-board with tanking this season. Is this a team that’s destined to go 0-16 in 2019? The odds still suggest they’ll get a win.

Odds Miami Dolphins Go 0-16 in 2019

*All odds taken October 16, 2019

Fitzpatrick Is Back In Starting Lineup

Logically, it would make sense for the Dolphins to keep Rosen under center as he’s supposedly a player who has franchise-quarterback prospects. However, it’s also possible that his longterm prospects are being compromised by a terrible offensive line that has him running for his life on almost every passing play.

Rosen looked tapped out last Sunday, going 15-of-25 for 85 yards and two interceptions before he was relieved by Fitzpatrick. This is what the Dolphins got out of him following a bye week against the Redskins, who were previously winless. Fitzpatrick came in late and led the Dolphins on a pair of touchdown drives.

While Fitz gave the Dolphins some life last week, the truth is that this is exactly what he’s done through his entire career. He comes in, gives a team a spark, and then when he’s trotted out there long-term, he makes a lot of mistakes.

In limited time this year, Fitzpatrick had two touchdowns and four interceptions.

Fitzpatrick Gives The Dolphins A Chance To Win

Yet, Fitzpatrick gives the Dolphins a better chance to win than Rosen. He’s going to have moments when he cripples the team with mind-boggling turnovers, but he also has a higher ceiling than Rosen right now. About 13 months ago, “FitzMagic” had the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 2-0 with wins over New Orleans and Philadelphia, two NFC playoff teams, while leading the NFL in passing yards.

Although Rosen was a high draft pick  (#10 overall, 2018), he’s really proved nothing on the field. This season, he has just one touchdown and five interceptions. A more accurate gauge of his performance might be his QBR, which is 18.8 (30th in the NFL). Outside of a good half against the Cowboys and Chargers, he’s been pulse-less, for the most part.

One knock on Rosen coming into the league was his perceived disinterest, and we’re seeing that this season. He has a bit of that Jay Cutler apathy to him. Maybe this is putting him under the microscope too much on a team that has many problems, but it is showing.

That’s why Fitzpatrick gives the team a better chance to win. He’ll do the best he can.

Can The Dolphins Get A Win?

To be honest, the Dolphins haven’t been that far off. They were a failed two-point conversion away from getting the win last week and they probably could have been leading at the half against the Cowboys and Chargers.

If they stick with Fitzpatrick under center, I would bet that they pull out a win somewhere down the line. They still play the New York Jets twice, the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, and New York Giants. They’ve also somewhat improved by the week, with their margin of defeat decreasing each Sunday: 49, 43, 25, 20, 1.

This is a really bad team, but if Fitzpatrick has a good game, which he will at some point, they’ll have a good shot at pulling off at least one win.

Pick: No (-300)