Some fans of the Miami Dolphins might be running out of patience with this current core of players to get over the hump. The Dolphins have had highly talented teams in the last few years and have put together some solid regular seasons, but the team ultimately doesn’t have a playoff win to show for any of its success during the Mike McDaniel era.
The future of the Dolphins could be determined by the time Halloween rolls around this year in the sense that the NFL trade deadline is scheduled for just a few days after the holiday on Nov. 4. The Dolphins’ final game before the deadline will come on Oct. 30. It could be pivotal.
Overall, Miami will have nine games under its belt by Halloween and a large enough sample size to determine whether the team has shown enough life to justify keeping the roster intact for a playoff push.
With potentially so much riding on Miami’s opening nine games of the season, let’s take a look at who the Dolphins will play those nine contests against.
Week 1, Sept. 7 — @ Indianapolis Colts
The Dolphins will kick off their 17-game slate against a Colts team that found itself in the middle of the pack a season ago, as the squad finished with a record identical to Miami’s at 8-9.
This is a winnable game if a healthy Tua Tagovailoa is in the fold and leading the offense, but the Dolphins’ persistent struggles to win away from home under McDaniel could result in this matchup being uncomfortable.
Miami has never had an away record better than 4-4 in any one of McDaniel’s three seasons patrolling the sidelines, but fans of the Dolphins should hope the team can start the campaign with a road victory.
Week 2, Sept. 14 — vs. New England Patriots
Miami will then play its home opener against a Patriots team that plenty of folks think could be a new and improved squad in the AFC East. New England has missed the playoffs in each of the last three years but has made some offseason additions that have the squad set up to surprise some people in the 2025 season.
For one, the Patriots now have a proven head coach at the highest level in Mike Vrabel. Across six seasons as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, he coached the team to a 54-45 regular-season record along with multiple playoff appearances.
New England also signed one of the premier wide receivers in the NFL earlier this offseason. Stefon Diggs has totaled quadruple digits in receiving yards in six of his last seven seasons, and he agreed to join the Patriots on a three-year deal. He’ll look to help young quarterback Drake Maye take a step forward.
Week 3, Sept. 18 — @ Buffalo Bills
The Bills clearly mark the best team Miami will have played up to this point in the campaign. Buffalo has been a consistent Super Bowl contender for years now, as it has won the AFC East for the last five seasons and hasn’t missed the playoffs since the 2018 season.
If the Dolphins want to put an end to the Bills’ streak of winning the division, a win in this road contest would likely go a long way, but that’s far easier said than done. Buffalo has had Miami’s number in recent years, and that status quo could continue into the Week 3 game as well.
Week 4, Sept. 29 — vs. New York Jets
The home contest for Miami against the Jets is one of the more winnable games in the early part of the team’s schedule. New York hasn’t reached the playoffs in more than 10 years, and it doesn’t seem as if that playoff drought will get broken anytime soon.
New York didn’t use any of its seven picks in the 2025 NFL Draft on a signal-caller, and the team’s starter from last season, Aaron Rodgers, is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The team did sign quarterback Justin Fields, who will get another chance to show his worth to the NFL world after he started six games for the Steelers last season.
Week 5, Oct. 5 — @ Carolina Panthers
The Panthers were also one of the worst teams in the NFL last season along with the Jets and don’t stack up to the Dolphins from a talent standpoint, but they did a nice job of addressing an area of need on the offensive side of the ball in the 2025 NFL Draft.
After no player for Carolina finished with more than 615 receiving yards in the 2024 season, the team used the No. 8 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who has the potential to mold into a star at the highest level.
Week 6, Oct. 12 — vs. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are led by one of the best young quarterbacks in the league in Justin Herbert. Herbert led the Chargers to an 11-6 record last season and totaled 3,870 passing yards and 23 passing touchdowns compared to only three interceptions.
Last season, he did a great job of limiting mistakes, as he ended the campaign with the lowest interception percentage in the league. This game could turn out to be one of the tougher home contests that the Dolphins play all season.
Week 7, Oct. 19 — @ Cleveland Browns
It seemingly would take an off-character performance from the Dolphins on both sides of the ball to pick up a loss to the Browns. Cleveland was maybe the worst team in all of football last season with a record of 3-14, and the team hasn’t made enough notable additions this offseason to believe it will majorly improve in the 2025 campaign.
To Cleveland’s credit, however, it did draft a pair of talented young quarterbacks, and one of them could evolve into the Browns’ long-term starter. The team used a third-round pick on Dillon Gabriel and then selected Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round in what could go down as the steal of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Week 8, Oct. 26 — @ Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons and Dolphins have faced off in just 14 games across the histories of the two franchises, and they most recently did battle in the year 2021 in a game Atlanta won by two points.
The Dolphins lead the all-time series with nine wins compared to the Falcons’ five, and they will search for their 10th win over Atlanta come October. The Falcons finished with the second-best record in the NFC South last season at 8-9.
Week 9, Oct. 30 — vs. Baltimore Ravens
What better way to wrap up the Dolphins’ slate of games prior to the trade deadline than to see how they stack up against one of the better teams in the league?
Baltimore employs an elite quarterback in Lamar Jackson, and the Ravens were a good road team in the 2024 season, as they won six of their nine away contests.
Nov. 4 — Trade Deadline
After their Week 9 game, the Dolphins will be able to turn their attention to the trade deadline. It seems safe to assume that Miami will need to be above .500 at the deadline in order to feel okay about its playoff hopes (especially since tough matchups will await in Weeks 10 and 11).
The question, then, is how bad the Dolphins’ record would need to be through nine games in order for the team to consider major roster changes at the deadline. The answer, of course, is only known by Miami’s decision-makers.
