On Wednesday evening, the NFL finally released the full schedule for the 2025 season. The Miami Dolphins were given five primetime games, which indicates the schedule makers think they will be a good team in 2025. Or at the very least, an entertaining team.
Another Losing Season in 2024
After four straight winning seasons, the Miami Dolphins entered the 2024 season tied for the 4th easiest schedule. And the 8th easiest schedule based on opponents’ predicted wins. The 2024 schedule, however, was pretty brutal. The first quarter was supposed to be the easiest portion of their schedule. Most fans penciled in three of the four games as easy wins. Home against the Jaguars, Bills, @ Seahawks, then home again vs the Titans. A Week 2 concussion to Dolphins’ QB Tua Tagovailoa derailed everything. Instead, they lost three of their first four games. Next up on the schedule saw the Dolphins on the road for four of the next five games. The Dolphins went 2-3 in those games. They would see a brief respite with their next two games being against the Raiders and the Patriots. But then the last six games had four of six on the road, starting with a Thanksgiving matchup at the Packers. A dreaded cold-weather game… Home vs the Jets. Then at the Texans, home vs the 49ers. Then two more cold-weather road games at the Browns and at the Jets.
A New Season in 2025
We have known who the Dolphins’ 2025 opponents will be since January, when the 2024 season came to a close. The Dolphins will have home games vs the Bills, Patriots, Jets, Chargers, Ravens, Saints, Bengals, and Buccaneers. They will also be the “home team” for their international game in Madrid, Spain, vs the Commanders. The Dolphins will have road games @ the Bills, Patriots, Jets, Steelers, Falcons, Browns, Panthers, and Colts. Based on their opponents’ 2024 records, the Dolphins are tied with the 9th-easiest schedule. While they may have the 9th easiest schedule based on opponents’ combined records, they will play 8 of their 17 games vs teams who had winning records in 2024. And the Miami Dolphins have a recent history of struggling against teams with winning records.
First Quarter of 2025 Season
Week 1: Sept. 7th, 1:00 PM EST @ Indianapolis Colts – W
The Miami Dolphins will kick off the 2025 NFL season with what should be an easy road game against the Colts. The Colts have a bad QB room with Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones. Richardson and the Colts were able to beat the Dolphins last season, but that was with Tyler Huntley as the Dolphins’ QB. The Dolphins, if healthy, should come running out of the gate with a high-flying offense and snag a Week 1 win.
Week 2: Sept. 14th, 1:00 PM vs New England Patriots – W
In Week 2, the Dolphins get a Patriots team that will be coming to Miami with a “new” coaching staff. It’s early in the season, and the Patriots usually struggle in the South Florida heat. Their new head coach, Mike Vrabel, is only new to the team. He’s an experienced head coach with a track record of beating the Miami Dolphins. This offseason, the Patriots added some new weapons, WRs Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, (Bills TD leader in 2024) and rookie third-round pick Kyle Williams. The Patriots also selected RB TreVeyon Henderson in the second round. I am giving the Dolphins a win here, but if they drop this one, you can probably write off the 2025 season.
Week 3: Sept. 18th, 8:15 PM @ Buffalo Bills (TNF) – L
Away game vs the Bills. Primetime game vs the Bills. That’s all that needs to be said here
Week 4: Sept. 29th, 7:15 PM vs New York Jets (MNF) – W
Another primetime game, and the third divisional game in a row. If the Dolphins stumble against the Patriots & Bills, they could continue spiraling here and take another loss. But the Jets are the Jets. They have a new head coach in Aaron Glenn, and this time it’s a first-time head coach. The Jets also have a new QB in Justin Fields, who infamously ran all over the Dolphins defense with the Bears, and had Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel jokingly yelling at him to stop running. Field’s running wasn’t enough to beat the Dolphins in 2022, and it won’t be enough in 2025 either.
Second Quarter of 2025 Season
Week 5: Oct. 5th, 1:00 PM @ Carolina Panthers – W
The Carolina Panthers added WR Tetairoa McMillan with the 8th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. McMillian is the only noteworthy weapon for young QB Bryce Young, outside of WR Adam Thielen, who will be 35 years old in August. Young started to look like a true NFL-caliber QB at the end of the 2024 season. But without the weapons and a pretty weak roster overall, the Panthers won’t be able to keep up with the Dolphins. Look for a scoring game by Miami in Week 5.
Week 6: Oct. 12th, 1:00 PM vs Los Angeles Chargers – L
After starting 5-1, the Dolphins look to keep rolling vs the Chargers. The Dolphins are 2-1 with Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert quarterbacking their respective teams. This could easily become another shootout between these two teams, which will be a real test on Miami’s defense. The Dolphins are expected to trade future Hall of Fame CB Jalen Ramsey before the start of the season, leaving Miami with the worst secondary in the entire league. While the front seven looks to be quite formidable, the secondary is scarce on talent. Justin Herbert is going to have a field day throwing against Storm Duck, Kader Kohou, Cam Smith, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Ashtyn Davis, and Patrick McMorris.
Week 7: Oct. 19th, 1:00 PM @ Cleveland Browns – W
Who will be the starting Quarterback for the Browns come Week 1? And will they still be behind center come Week 7? The Browns QB room currently consists of Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, rookie third-rounder Dillon Gabriel, and rookie fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders. Watson tore his Achilles tendon in Week 7 of last season, and then re-tore it 3 months later. He’s not likely going to be ready by Week 1, and he may have already played his last game as a Cleveland Brown. Joe Flacco is the likely Week 1 starter if he’s on the roster, but he is 40 years old. By Week 7, the Browns may want to look to the future to see what they have in their young talent. Expect to see either the Steelers’ former first-round pick Kenny Pickett, or Dillon Gabriel, or Shedeur Sanders throwing the ball to WR Jerry Jeudy and TE David Njoku.
Week 8: Oct. 26th, 1:00 PM @ Atlanta Falcons – W
The Falcons have a nice collection of talent on offense in RB Bijan Robinson, WRs Drake London & Darnell Mooney, and will this be the year TE Kyle Pitts FINALLY breaks out? QB Michael Penix Jr. played in five games as a rookie QB in 2024, starting three games after veteran QB Kirk Cousins was benched. Penix Jr. in 105 attempts had 3 TDS and 3 INTs. The Falcons will likely struggle in 2025. Even if Penix Jr. breaks out in his sophomore season, the defense will hold their team back against any opponent with a relatively good offense.
Third Quarter of 2025 Season
Week 9: Oct. 30th, 7:15 PM vs Baltimore Ravens (TNF) – L
The Miami Dolphins will begin the second half of the 2025 season with a 6-2 record. The fans will have forgotten all the woes of the 2024 season. And then comes the Baltimore Ravens. This will be the Dolphins’ second Thursday night game of the 2025 season. It’s a home game, but much like their first TNF game vs the Bills. It’s the Ravens, on a short week, and in primetime.
Week 10: Nov. 11th, 1:00 PM vs Buffalo Bills – L
The Dolphins will get a mini-bye week heading into the Bills game. It will be the first of what would have been four straight home games, but one of those was moved to Madrid, Spain. Let’s keep it short here. It’s the Bills. The Dolphins don’t beat the Bills unless it’s 90′ in Miami. That won’t be the case in mid-November. The Dolphins haven’t beaten the Bills since the “sun game” at HardRock Stadium in 2022. The NFL has also not scheduled a game between these two teams in Miami at 1:00 PM in early September since that “sun game.”
Week 11: Nov. 16th, 9:30 AM vs Washington Commanders (Madrid, Spain) – L
The Dolphins have a rich history vs the Washington Commanders. The two teams have only played a total of 16 times, (The Dolphins lead the series 10-6) but they have met in the Super Bowl twice. They split the Super Bowls, winning one each. It was vs the the Washington Redskins that the Dolphins won Super Bowl VII and completing the only perfect season in NFL history. A record that has stood for over 50 years! The Dolphins have won three of their last four meetings. The last of which was a 45-15 drubbing by the Dolphins. But that was the past. The Dolphins under Mike McDaniel have not played well against teams with winning records. In 2023, the Commanders went 4-13. In 2024, under rookie QB Jayden Daniels, the Commanders caught fire and went 12-5 and made it all the way to the NFC Championship game. If they continue on that hot streak in 2025, the Dolphins will drop their third game in a row. This is also an international game, and the Dolphins have a 2-5 record in games outside of the United States.
Week 12: BYE WEEK
Week 13: Nov. 30th, 1:00 PM vs New Orleans Saints – W
The Dolphins will enter the third quarter of the 2025 season sitting at 6-2, but after a rough three weeks, they will be 6-5 with a matchup vs the New Orleans Saints. The Saints have a new head coach in Kellen Moore, who has been an excellent offensive coordinator. Moore has only been coaching since 2018, most recently with the Super Bowl Champions, the Philadelphia Eagles. The Saints will also have a new QB in 2025 as Derek Carr recently announced his retirement. With Carr out the door, the Saints will likely turn to rookie second-rounder Tyler Shough. (pronounced Shuck) Even though this will be Shough’s rookie season, he will turn 26 in September. He played seven years in college, so he’s coming into the NFL with a bit more experience than most rookies. However, he suffered injuries during most of his college season. The Saints also have second-year QB Spencer Rattler, whom the Saints spent a fifth-round pick on in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Fourth Quarter of 2025 Season
Week 14: Dec. 7th, 1:00 PM @ New York Jets – W
The New York Jets beat the Miami Dolphins in New York in Week 18 last year. But that was a game where they were eliminated from the playoff race by mid-game, and Tyreek Hill quit on the team. Aaron Rodgers also tends to play very well vs the Dolphins. But Aaron Rodgers is gone, and the Dolphins have everything to play for. The Dolphins will get to 8-5 after Week 14.
Week 15: Dec. 15th, 8:15 PM @ Pittsburgh Steelers – W
This is the hardest game to predict on the Dolphins’ schedule. The Steelers had a 10-7 record in 2014. But they finished the season on a five-game losing streak, including a 28-14 playoff game to the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers’ strength has always been their defense, but their defense gave up 27 points or more in four of their last six regular-season games. Five of Seven when you include their playoff loss. The Steelers started the season strong with QB Justin Fields, then switched to Russell Wilson in Week 7. Both QBs are gone, with Fields going to the New York Jets and Wilson to the New York Giants. The Steelers’ owner has stated he expects Aaron Rodgers to sign with the team, but as of May 15th, Rodgers still hasn’t decided if he will play in 2025. Rodgers was on The Pat McAfee Show in mid-April and said retirement was still a possibility for him. Until Rodgers makes his decision, the Steelers’ options at QB are Mason Rudolph and rookie sixth-round pick Will Howard. The Steelers traded for WR DK Metcalf, but lost RB Najee Harris to the Los Angeles Chargers and traded WR George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys.
Week 16: Dec. 21st, 8:20 PM vs Cincinnati Bengals (SNF) – L
The 2024 Cincinnati Bengals missed the playoffs. Unlike the Dolphins, though, they finished their season strong, with a 9-8 record. Another team with a winning record. Another primetime game. If Joe Burrow remains healthy, the Dolphins’ secondary is not going to be able to stop WRs Ja’Marr Chase & Tee Higgins from scoring at will. Former Dolphins’ TE, Mike Gesicki, is also a member of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Week 17: Dec. 28th, 1:00 PM vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers – L
Another team with a winning record from 2024. Another team with a strong receiving corps. If Miami doesn’t add some help to their secondary, they may be in some serious trouble.
Week 18: Date TBD, @ New England Patriots – L
The Week 18 game in New England is when we will see Patriots’ head coach Mike Vrabel’s experience on full display. And as his teams have done in the past, the Patriots will play spoiler to the Dolphins’ season. Let’s hope the Dolphins aren’t already eliminated from the playoffs, or get eliminated mid-game, so Tyreek Hill doesn’t quit on his team again.
Another Winning Season in 2025
The Miami Dolphins will finish the 2025 season with a winning record. In a strong AFC Conference, it won’t be enough to make the playoffs. After a strong start to their season, going 6-2, the Dolphins will have two separate three-game losing streaks, once again having a disappointing end to their season with a 9-8 record. The Miami Dolphins will need QB Tua Tagovailoa to stay healthy, which he has only done once in his five seasons in the NFL, if they are to reach nine wins. If they are going to get to 10+ wins, they’ll need to either smooth things over with CB Jalen Ramsey or add some veteran pieces to their secondary.