Miami finishes next season against 6 playoff teams from last season.
The new-look Miami Dolphins’ schedule is out, and the team faces a daunting opening four-game stretch to start the season and a span of six straight playoff teams to end the season.
Coming off a 7-10 season, the Dolphins open on Sept. 13 at the Las Vegas Raiders, certainly a winnable game. But the team then travels to face the San Francisco 49ers, returns to South Florida for a game against the Kansas City Chiefs, and then travels to Minnesota to take on the Vikings.
The Dolphins are scheduled to take three trips out west. In addition to the games at Las Vegas and San Francisco, Miami will go to Denver on Dec. 6.
After a Week 6 bye, the Dolphins will play 12 straight weeks without a break.
Starting with the game at Denver, Miami will see six straight teams that earned playoff spots last year: at the Broncos, home against the Chicago Bears, at the Green Bay Packers, home against the Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills, and at New England in the final week. Those games could define the season.
Miami hosts only two games at home before November (Week 3 against Kansas City and Week 5 against Cincinnati). The schedule limits Miami’s weather advantage. Some of the Dolphins’ most impressive wins have come against top teams visiting when the Summer heat is still on.
While they missed the playoffs last season, the Detroit Lions are expected to be a strong team this season. The Indianapolis Colts missed out on the postseason as well, but could contend in 2026. Despite that, a four-game stretch with the Lions, Colts, Bills and Jets might be the best opportunity for the Dolphins to gain momentum.
There are no primetime games on the schedule, although the regular season finale against the Patriots is available to be flexed.