Dolphins fan confidence jumps into top ten following win over Jets

The Miami Dolphins are 1-7 on the season, one of the worst starts in franchise history. It is a year in which the club traded, released, or did not re-sign many of the recognizeable names that had been on the roster before the season, and a year in which the Dolpins were widely discussed as being the worst team in league and possibly the worst team in the 100 seasons of league history. There has been a lot of negativity surrounding the Dolphins.

The Dolphins fans, however, seem to understand what the team is doing. There is a light at the end of the dark tunnel in which Miami has found itself. There is hope for the future, and the fans of the team seem to be accepting this year and the results on the field knowing what lies ahead.

Every week, we ask our readers, through a two- or three-question survey emailed to them, for their confidence in the direction of the Dolphins. The results, part of SB Nation’s FanPulse initiative, continually show the fans’ confidence in Miami growing. This week, following their win over the New York Jets, the Dolphins reached a 2019 high in fan confidence, catapulting them up into the top ten franchises in terms of fan confidence in the league.

Sign up for FanPulse, our Dolphins fan survey. Let us hear your voice.

At the end of the 2018 season, fan responses indicated just 31 percent of them were confident in the direction of the team. After a head coaching change and just prior to the start of free agency, that had jumped to 66 percent of the fans. Just before the NFL Draft, it dropped to 60 percent before moving up to 69 percent after the Draft. Before Preseason Week 1, fan confidence was down to 64 percent, then down again, this time to 58 percent, before Week 1 of the regular season. The bottom fell out after a Week 1 beatdown, with just 34 percent of the fans confident in the direction of the team.

After Week 2, that number moved back up to 41 percent, then up to 49 percent ahead of Week 4. Just before Week 5, the number dipped down one point to 48 percent, but then rebounded to 55 percent ahead of Week 6. It moved down a little ahead of Week 7, when it was at 52 percent, where it remained ahead of Week 8. Ahead of the Jets game in Week 9, it was at 54 percent.

Now, following that Week 9 win and before a Week 10 game against the Indianapolis Colts, 71 percent of the fans are confident in the direction of the Dolphins. Miami may be a 1-7 team, but nearly three quarters of the fans see where the team is headed and agree with it.

That 71 percent ranking is ninth best in the league. The New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Beatdown currently have 100 percent of their fans confident in the direction of their respective teams, then the San Francisco 49ers with a 99 percent fan confidence result. The Kansas City Chiefs are fourth at 90 percent, followed by the New England Patriots at 84 percent, the Oakland Raiders at 81 percent, and then the Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals are tied at seventh with 80 percent of the fans. Then Miami.

Last week, Miami was 15th in fan confidence.

Comparing the 71 percent fan confidence poll another way, the Dolphins are one of five teams with one or no win this season. The Jets (1-7) have a zero percent fan confidence result this week. The Atlanta Falcons (1-7) are at four percent. The Washington Redskins (1-8) have a one percent fan confidence result. The Cincinnati Bengals (0-8) are at ten percent. And the Dolphins are at 71 percent.

Dolphins fans seem to understand this is going to be a rough season. They see the plan that is unfolding. And, by a large majority, they seem to agree with the direction of the team.

How do you feel about the direction of the Dolphins? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page and make sure you join our FanPulse survey. It is a weekly email survey sent on Mondays with 2-3 questions that takes about 2 minutes to complete.