Miami has the second toughest schedule for the upcoming season!
The Miami Dolphins began the 2025-26 NFL season in terrible fashion, dropping 6 of their first 7 games, leading to a 1-6 record through the first 7 weeks. As a matter of fact, they lost their first three games before registering a win. Miami’s biggest drawback was going 2-6 on the road last season.
The loss of wide receiver Tyreek Hill to a freak knee injury in Week 4 against the Jets was a massive loss for the rest of the season. Nevertheless, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had a career-high 15 interceptions, leading the league at one point before he was benched for rookie Quinn Ewers, who started three games for the Dolphins, in which he recorded one win and two losses.
Despite a mid-season surge where they reeled off 4 wins in a row, the Dolphins could never truly recover from their start of the season. Overall, the team struggled mightily in run defense and coverage, offensive play execution, and penalty issues.
Miami has now made a change after firing Mike McDaniel as the head coach, and gone on to sign former Packers’ defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. Some key changes to the roster are also expected as the offseason progresses.
The customary 17-game regular season for the Miami Dolphins will include 6 games against their AFC East divisional rivals, including 3 at home and 3 on the road. The Dolphins will be on the road for 9 games and at home for 8 games in the upcoming season.
The Dolphins will then play 8 games, including 4 against an interconference division, the AFC West, and 4 against the intraconference NFC North division, based on the NFL’s rotation policy each year.
Since the Dolphins finished third in their division last season, they will play their remaining three games against teams that finished in the same position in their respective divisions. Thus, Miami will play against the third-placed teams from the AFC North, AFC South, and the NFC West.
| Opponents | Home/Away | Division | Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | Home | AFC East | TBD |
| New England Patriots | Home | AFC East | TBD |
| New York Jets | Home | AFC East | TBD |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Home | AFC West | TBD |
| Los Angeles Chargers | Home | AFC West | TBD |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Home | AFC North | TBD |
| Chicago Bears | Home | NFC North | TBD |
| Detroit Lions | Home | NFC North | TBD |
| Buffalo Bills | Away | AFC East | TBD |
| New England Patriots | Away | AFC East | TBD |
| New York Jets | Away | AFC East | TBD |
| Denver Broncos | Away | AFC West | TBD |
| Las Vegas Raiders | Away | AFC West | TBD |
| Indianapolis Colts | Away | AFC South | TBD |
| Green Bay Packers | Away | NFC North | TBD |
| Minnesota Vikings | Away | NFC North | TBD |
| San Francisco 49ers | Away | NFC West | TBD |
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Our coaching staff is set. 🐬
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) February 13, 2026
The Miami Dolphins will have one of the toughest schedules amongst all teams in the league for the upcoming season, with sources indicating it as (.542). The Dolphins’ strength of schedule puts them second only behind the Bears for the 2026-27 NFL season.
Starting with the AFC East, the Dolphins will play 4 games against the Bills and the Patriots, both teams that made the playoffs last season. Furthermore, the Patriots made it all the way to the Super Bowl, which means these games will be tough for Miami.
Moving on, the Dolphins will face multiple teams that made the postseason in the 2025-26 season, including the Chargers, Broncos, Bears, Packers, and 49ers. Additionally, the games against the Chiefs and Lions could be potentially difficult opponents as well.
The Jets are the only team that might not cause too many problems for the Dolphins, while the Vikings, Colts, and Bengals should prove to be worthy opposition.
After a very underperforming season last year, the Dolphins’ first order of business should be to try to get back to a winning season. Miami has missed the postseason for two years running, and a playoff appearance in the 2026-27 season would be a huge boost.
The supremacy in the AFC East currently has the Bills and the Patriots vying for the top spot, and the Dolphins will start the season clearly behind them. Moreover, Miami’s intense schedule will make things all the more demanding, not to mention a complete change in system with Jeff Hafley taking over.
There are bound to be plenty of changes, and the first half of the new season may be nothing more than a transition period. The roster needs to be updated on both the offensive and defensive sides, so there is a strong possibility that Miami may miss out on postseason action at least one more year.
Our Prediction: Dolphins to miss the playoffs in the 2026-27 NFL season.
According to the latest Super Bowl odds on FanDuel, the Miami Dolphins are (+25000) to win Super Bowl 61 next season. That means the Dolphins are tied with the Jets for the worst odds of winning the Super Bowl next year.
In all honesty, having witnessed what transpired on the field for the Miami Dolphins last season, the Super Bowl seems nothing more than a dream at this point in time. Changes in the staff and coaching departments have taken place, but the Dolphins need to make plenty of roster moves for any level of success.
The upcoming draft alone may not suffice, which means tapping into the free agent market and trading for quality players should also be a top priority. Realistically, this season may not be anything more than a year to rebuild.
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Within the Conference, the Dolphins have (+12500) odds to win the AFC, as per FanDuel. This currently puts Miami dead last with the Jets in the conference. Teams such as the Raiders, Titans, and Browns also have better odds.
Miami may have finished 7-10 last season, which was a better record than 6 other teams in the AFC, including the Chiefs. Despite that, the Dolphins are tied for the worst odds to win the conference next season.
The biggest concern for the Dolphins could be the quarterback position. Miami has already released Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb, and the way things are heading, it seems that it may go down the same path with Tua Tagovailoa. Again, Miami’s tough schedule is likely to have played a part in its odds being so low.
The Dolphins’ odds to win the AFC East are set at (+2000), as per FanDuel. Those odds reflect that Miami will finish third in the division once again, with the Jets as the only team with lower odds.
As mentioned previously, the Bills and the Patriots are the frontrunners to win the AFC East once again in the upcoming season. New England completely turned around their record from the previous season in Mike Vrabel’s first season in charge.
Buffalo, on the other hand, may have had a disappointing campaign, considering many felt this was their year to finally get past the AFC Championship round with the Chiefs, Bengals, and Ravens all missing the playoffs. But while that didn’t work out, the Bills are likely to retain a strong core of players and could also benefit from a new head coach.
The competition is fierce for Miami, beginning with its division and then the AFC conference. Adding to that the transition period, a new system, and a potentially new quarterback under center, the Dolphins are likely to take time settling down in the 2026-27 season.
The above odds are sourced from FanDuel. Use FanDuel to ace your betting game in all sports!
Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
nfl I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!
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