As the preseason winds down, and the countdown to kickoff of the Fins' season opener against the Indianapolis Colts on September 7 at Lucas Oil Stadium begins, a new study conducted by the sports betting website PromoGuy discovered that Dolphins fans aren't alone in their anxiety; they're just filled with more of it than your average fan.
Dolphins Fans: Average at Anxiety
The study found that 62 percent of Fins reported anxiety surrounding the upcoming season — the 20th most of all fan bases polled. So, for those of you keeping score at home, just like the results on the field, Dolphins fans are not the most anxious, but not the least worried, just consumed with mediocre-to-above-average anxiety.Can we be special at nothing? Can we not have even this? Welcome to being a Dolphins fan.
The study, conducted by the research platform Prolific, surveyed over 2,500 NFL fans on July 31 and August 1. Participants specified which NFL team they support, whether they feel nervous about the forthcoming season, and which AFC and NFC teams they anticipate will compete in the Super Bowl. And while the majority of Fins' fans reported they felt nervous about the forthcoming season, only 28 percent of them thought their team would make it to the Super Bowl.
Across the NFL, 54 percent of fans polled reported that they’re nervous about their team’s upcoming season. And while Miami’s 62 percent puts them above average, it's still not near the top of the panic rankings. That honor goes to the Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, and Detroit Lions, all of which had 71 percent of their fans admit to preseason anxiety. For perspective, Los Angeles Chargers fans claim to be the least anxious in football, with only 27 percent saying they’re worried.
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— MyBookie - Bet With The Best (@MyBookie) August 15, 2025
Who is taking home the Lombardi trophy this year!?
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Delirious Dolphins Fans
What's worse than an anxious Dolphins fan? A delirious one. With that in mind, someone may want to check on the aforementioned 28 percent of Dolphins fans polled by PromoGuy, who predicted that Miami would making it to New Orleans for the Super Bowl. At the same time, it's insane to say out loud, compared to Eagles fans (89 percent), Kansas City Chiefs fans (83 percent), and the lowest believers, Colts fans (8 percent), and Jaguars fans (5 percent), Fins fans once again fall in the middle of the spectrum — pun intended.Looking across the league, there is no sane reason for any Dolphins fan to believe that their beloved team would realistically make it to the big game, much less win it. Still, you have to admire the dedication and loyalty that keep us all coming back for more.
"None of it seems great coming out of Miami right now."@PSchrags explains why he’s not confident in the Miami Dolphins’ success this season. pic.twitter.com/WCHyR4L5Pd
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) August 13, 2025
Anxiously Filled with Hope
It would be perfectly acceptable to be cautiously optimistic entering a new season. Still, the 2025 campaign is simply gaslighting Dolphins fans who have watched three seasons of Mike McDaniel-Tua Tagovailoa teams experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.Miami enters the upcoming season with the ninth-easiest schedule in the NFL, but a multitude of questions remain, even on the eve of the regular season. Between Tagovailoa's concussion issues, Tyreek Hill's hot and cold feelings about being a Dolphin, a secondary full of massive holes, and a head coach whose tenure has been marked by lost locker rooms and a lack of player respect, Miami's range of outcomes this season span from picking first in the 2026 NFL Draft to a deep playoff run, if things go their way.
Good, bad, or indifferent, expect Dolphins fans to lack fingernails and for therapists in the tri-country area to be busier than ever as the season grows long. It's a tradition like none other.
