Dolphins’ 2023 schedule superlatives: Toughest stretch, most important game and more
The Dolphins officially know the path they must travel to reach the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The NFL on Thursday released the 2023 regular-season schedule for every team and Miami’s slate includes five nationally televised games, as well as an opener against the Los Angeles Chargers on the road. The Dolphins open up three of their four games on the road but finish with four of five at home.
By most accounts, the Dolphins have a daunting journey awaiting to return to the postseason. There are eight games against teams that made the playoffs in 2022. And though last year’s win totals aren’t a foolproof way of measuring future strength of schedule, Miami’s slate is the fifth-hardest based on Vegas forecasted win totals, according to Sharp Football Analysis.
Here are superlatives from the Dolphins’ 2023 schedule.
TOUGHEST STRETCH: FINAL FIVE GAMES
The Dolphins don’t get to ease into the schedule. The first two games are road matchups against the Chargers and New England Patriots, the latter in the “Sunday Night Football” slot. And after hosting the Denver Broncos in the home opener, Miami heads back on the road to face the Buffalo Bills.
But the part of the schedule that will make or break Miami’s season is its final five games, even with four coming at Hard Rock Stadium. Three of these matchups are against teams that made the playoffs last season — the Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills — and another in the New York Jets that is expected to be contending for a berth to the postseason. Miami’s freefall from 8-3 last season started in December, as the team lost five consecutive games before clinching a playoff spot in Week 18. Four of those games were on the road, so at least the Dolphins will have the benefit of playing some of their most pivotal games at home at the end of the season in 2023.
EASIEST STRETCH: Commanders/Titans in December
As stated before, there aren’t many stretches in the Dolphins’ schedule where they aren’t facing a playoff team from the previous season or one that has high expectations in 2023. But the early December slate is one the Dolphins will need to take advantage of before their final five games.
After facing the Jets on the road for Black Friday, the Dolphins will travel to Landover, Maryland, to play the Washington Commanders. There won’t be a rest advantage for Miami since Washington faces the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, but the Dolphins will have a few extra days to prepare for a game in which the team should be favored. The team then returns home and gets an extra day of rest ahead of a Monday night game against the Tennessee Titans, who have one of the lowest Vegas forecasted win totals. These are games the Dolphins should win if they want to be a playoff team in 2023.
BEST REUNION: WEEK 9 VS. CHIEFS IN GERMANY
It may not be a homecoming — the NFL opted for the Chiefs and Dolphins to play in Frankfurt instead of Arrowhead Stadium — but it will still be wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s first game against Kansas City since the trade to Miami last offseason.
Hill made his name with the Chiefs, growing from a return specialist to one of the most feared offensive players in the NFL and a Pro Bowler over six years. He remains close with former teammates such as quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce but previously expressed his excitement and desire to beat them in a podcast interview in April. The game will be played overseas, but the environment in Germany should be electric, coupled with the Hill storyline and the Dolphins trying to knock off the defending Super Bowl champions.
BEST REMATCH: WEEK 1 VS. CHARGERS
The NFL flexed last season’s matchup against the Chargers into the “Sunday Night Football” slot, anticipating a competitive back-and-forth between quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert, the No. 5 and No. 6 overall picks in the 2020 Draft. Instead, Tagovailoa and the Dolphins stumbled under the lights in a 23-17 loss that wasn’t as close as the final score indicates.
Miami will open its schedule against the Chargers in a game that is sure to revitalize debate about the Dolphins’ decision to pick Tagovailoa over Herbert. But more importantly, it should be a good early litmus test for two teams that have Super Bowl aspirations.
MOST IMPORTANT GAME: WEEK 18 VS. BILLS
Each of the Dolphins’ three games against the Bills last season was a thrilling, down-to-the-wire affair and 2023 should be no different. The two teams will face off in Orchard Park, New York, in Week 4 and then complete the season series in the regular-season finale. Before a Week 3 win last season, Miami had lost seven consecutive games to Buffalo. Tagovailoa didn’t play in the season-ending loss to the Bills in the wild-card round because of a diagnosed concussion but Miami, playing with third-stringer Skylar Thompson, still gave Buffalo everything it could take before bowing out, 34-31. The arrival of quarterback Aaron Rodgers has brought much more attention to the New York Jets, but the division still goes through Buffalo.
How consequential will this game be? Will the Dolphins be trying to clinch the division? A playoff spot? In each of the last three seasons, Miami has clinched a postseason berth or been eliminated in the final two weeks. If the Dolphins are as good as many are projecting, the regular-season finale will have major implications, not only in the division but in the conference.
This story was originally published May 12, 2023 at 9:06 AM.
