The Miami Dolphins have the same exact record they had through seven games last year, but beyond that it's almost eerie how similar most of the numbers have been.

And yet the Dolphins actually look like they're way ahead of where they were at this same time last year.

THE EERILY SIMILAR NUMBERS

Of course, the first and most important identical set of numbers is the record, and we can add to it that the 2025 standings at this time also included one team without a win, the L.A. Chargers this year and the New York Jets last year.

In terms of team stats, the Dolphins have very similar rankings in a few team categories, including total offense, pass offense and third-down defense. The Dolphins were 27th in total offense after seven games last year, same as this year. Both teams also had six takeaways through seven games.

Individually, there are similar numbers between Tua Tagovailoa in 2025 with an 82.8 passer rating and Malik Willis currently at 79.7.

And in both seasons, the team's only win through seven games came against the New York Jets.

WHY THIS YEAR IS SO MUCH BETTER

But not all 1-6 records are created equal, and it should be pretty obvious the future outlook for this Dolphins team looks a lot better than the one over the team in 2025.

Obviously it starts with the make-up of the team, which this year includes a large group of young players who figure to get better with more playing time. The large number of young players also factors in the rough starts because of the inevitable growing pains.

The 2025 roster was loaded with older players who either were underperforming, overpaid or both.

While the 2025 Dolphins did make a mini-run before eventually finishing with a 7-10 record, it was — or should have been — obvious that things likely weren't going to get much better with that group.

With this new batch of players, there are all sorts of possibilities. And, yes, there's no guarantee this has the making of a future contender, but at least there's some reason for hope.

What we're seeing from head coach Jeff Hafley and how his players have responded to him — in case you haven't seen it, check out the postgame video after his first NFL win — also should be reason for encouragement. Mike McDaniel, on the other hand, still remained somewhat unproven even though he was in his fourth year in 2025.

The quarterback position also is in better shape through seven games because the verdict has yet to be rendered on Willis, while the seventh game last year saw Tagovailoa offer one of the worst performances of his career at Cleveland with alarm signals loud and clear his play was in steep decline.

The one area where the Dolphins clearly were better last year was with the pass rush — even though it still wasn't great — but that was with big names like Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb on the roster.

The 2025 Dolphins got to 1-6 with four close losses but giving up more than 30 points also four times.

The 2026 Dolphins got to 1-6 with three close losses, and the biggest problem has been scoring (13 points or fewer in the first four games).

The remainder of the Dolphins' 2026 schedule looks a lot more daunting than what the 2025 team faced in its final 10 games and combined with less proven talent on the roster suggests the final record could be considerably worse.

But there were expectations before the start of last year, and by the time the seventh game had been played, it sure felt as though the end of a chapter was coming.

This year, there were no expectations, so the 1-6 record isn't all that surprising or devastating because the new chapter still in its early pages.

And that's a lot better place to be.