Breaking down Miami Dolphins schedule

The 2015 regular season is here. This Sunday Miami will clash with Washington to the delight of Dolphins fans everywhere.

However, the result of the first weekend will not get the team into the playoffs alone. It’s a long 16-game schedule spanning four months.

Many have speculated the Dolphins have the team to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008 and only the second time since 2002.

But how will the schedule treat them? Let’s break down this schedule in two ways. One, it’ll be broken up into four sections of four-game stretches and how the Dolphins will need to fare to make the playoffs. Second, the competition will be broken up into three categories: games the team should win, will likely lose, and bubble games.

To begin this, let’s take a look at the first four games the Miami Dolphins schedule. The Dolphins will travel to Washington and Jacksonville in the first two weeks. Then they’ll play their first home game against the Buffalo Bill before traveling to London to face the New York Jets.

These are four winnable games, but the travel could be a hangup. The Dolphins will need to take advantage of the schedule though as Washington and Jacksonville do not appear to be contending teams this season. The Jets have a defense that could give the Miami offensive line fits, but the Dolphins can say the same. And playing Buffalo in the hot conditions of Miami is another game they need to win.

In the first four games, the Dolphins need to go 4-0.

After the bye week, Miami faces a tougher four-game stretch. They’ll have to travel to Tennessee then return home to face the Houston Texans before starting a three-game road swing. The first two of which takes them to Gillette Field to face the reigning Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and then a rematch with the Bills.

It’s imperative that Miami start off this stretch with two victories. The Texans will provide a tough match-up for the Dolphins, but with this being only their second true home game, it’s vital they take advantage of the Miami crowd. The Titans have a young team, and the Dolphins should win that game as well. So Miami needs to jump out to a 6-0 start.

Why? Because once they hit the road, things may get a tad hairy. It’s here where the Dolphins will start to plummet somewhat. It’ll be very hard to win in either Foxborough or Buffalo, let alone both. It’ll be a tough stretch especially since their two games against the Bills are six weeks apart.

In the second stretch of four games, the Dolphins will likely go 2-2.

In the third stretch, the Dolphins finish off their three-game road swing with a trip to the City of Brotherly Love to face the Eagles, then return home to face the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens with a contest against the Jets sandwiched in between.

This four game stretch may make or break the Dolphins season. The Eagles, Cowboys and Ravens all represent teams that Miami could beat but in seasons past have failed to do so.

The Dolphins should find a way to grab a second win over the Jets so in this stretch they’ll have to pull out a victory over one of those three. Preferably the Ravens as they could once again be locked in a playoff race with Baltimore.

Expect Miami to go 2-2 in this stretch if they’re to be a playoff contender. That would bring their record to 8-4 with one month of games to go.