Football

Ranking the Best Possible Openers for the Dolphins

By Alain Poupart Sports Illustrated

Updated May 11, 2026 11:24 AM

The Miami Dolphins will find out, along with the other 31 teams, their 2026 regular season schedule Thursday and as always the season opener will be one of the most anticipated revelations.

The Dolphins' list of opponents already is known, and the only team removed from consideration as of late Monday morning was the San Francisco 49ers, who will be facing the Los Angeles Rams in Australia in Week 1.

That means the opener could be against any of the other three AFC East teams (the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots and New York Jets) or the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers or Minnesota Vikings.

But what would be the most attractive matchup for the Dolphins? More importantly, what would be the best opponent to mark new head coach Jeff Hafley's Dolphins debut?

Maybe one would hope Hafley's does get going against a high-end opponent the way his four Dolphins predecessors, with Joe Philbin in 2012, Adam Gase in 2016, Brian Flores in 2019 and Mike McDaniel in 2022 all coaching their first game with Miami against teams that made the playoffs the previous season.

Of those, McDaniel was the only one able to get a victory in his first game as head coach. Flores was at the other end of the spectrum, on the wrong end of a humbling 59-10 loss at Hard Rock Stadium - and the Dolphins were in rebuilding mode that year, not unlike what's going on this year in Miami.

So who on the schedule represents the best season-opening matchup for the Dolphins, which we already have predicted will be at Hard Rock Stadium?

RANKING THE FIVE BEST POTENTIAL 2026 OPENING MATCHUPS FOR MIAMI

1. New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium

There's just something to be said about kicking things off on a positive note, and the home game against the Jets looks like the most favorable matchup on the schedule.

2. Kansas City at Hard Rock Stadium

The idea of facing the powerhouse Chiefs might sound ridiculous, but given Patrick Mahomes' recovery from the torn ACL he sustained late in the 2025 season, it's probably better to face Kansas City early on because of the possibility that future Hall of Famer won't be ready for the start of the regular season.

3. Green Bay at Lambeau Field

Hafley's return to Green Bay, where he served as defensive coordinator for two seasons before being hired by the Dolphins, is one of the biggest storylines on the schedule, and it's entirely possible that Hafley just might want to get that one out of the way at the start.

4. Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium

Other than the Jets, this is a team that stands out as the least challenging - at least at this time - so the Dolphins might stand a better chance to win this game than any other for their opener.

5. Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium

Yes, we know. It didn't work out well for the Dolphins when they opened at Indy last season, but Daniel Jones is coming off an Achilles injury and who knows what he'll look like in Week 1 or if he even will be available. And the current backup QB group consists of Anthony Richardson, Riley Leonard and Seth Henigan, which isn't exactly a who's who of passers.

DOLPHINS COACHING DEBUTS

George Wilson - 1966, vs. Oakland (8-5-1 record previous year), lost 23-14

Don Shula - 1970, at Boston (4-10 record previous year), lost 27-14

Jimmy Johnson - 1996, vs. New England (6-10 record previous year), won 24-10

Dave Wannstedt - 2000 vs. Seattle, (9-7 record previous year, made playoffs), won 23-0

Nick Saban - 2005 vs. Denver (10-6 record previous year, made playoffs), won 34-10

Cam Cameron - 2007 at Washington (5-11 record previous year), lost 16-13 in overtime

Tony Sparano - 2008 vs. N.Y. Jets (4-12 record previous year), lost 24-17

Joe Philbin - 2012 at Houston (10-6 record previous year, made playoffs), lost 30-10

Adam Gase - 2016 at Seattle (10-6 record previous year, made playoffs), lost 12-10

Brian Flores - 2019 vs. Baltimore (10-6 record previous year, made playoffs), lost 59-10

Mike McDaniel - 2022 vs. New England (10-7 record previous year, made playoffs), won 20-7

Today's best reads

This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 11:18 AM.