Every team at every level of sports seems to have its rivalries. Our Miami Dolphins have plenty of rivalries across the league, but who are the biggest rivalries? Most teams, like the Dolphins, would count their biggest rivalries as being the other teams in the division. For Dolphins fans, the team’s biggest rivalry—or at least the most hated team in the division—seems to differ from fan to fan. The New York Jets are always an easy target for both titles, but they have done very little winning in recent years. The New England Patriots, if not the biggest rivalry in the division, have over the last couple of decades been the most dominant team in the division as well as the entire NFL. New England, from 2001 to 2018, made it to an amazing nine Super Bowls, winning six of them. It seems pretty easy to dislike the team in the division that consistently dominates the division, conference, and for several of those seasons, the entire NFL.
Now, a new team has taken over the division in recent years, with the Buffalo Bills winning the division title each of the last five seasons. During that period, the Bills have reached two AFC Championship games, losing both to the Kansas City Chiefs. For many fans, the Bills have probably become the top rival, especially since the Dolphins have struggled to even beat the Bills during that same span. Over those five years, including a playoff game against each other, the Bills have won ten of the eleven against Miami. Beyond the AFC East, the Dolphins have also had some on-and-off rivalries over the years with teams like the Indianapolis Colts, who were once in the same division. Some of the other teams that come to mind are the Pittsburgh Steelers and the two different in-state teams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
So tonight’s Phinsider Question Of The Day is:
Who, in your mind, are the Dolphins’ biggest current rival in the AFC East, and why? Beyond that, who do you believe are the Dolphins’ other rivals outside of their division and why?
Please share your thoughts and answers in the comments section below.