The 2025 league new year for the NFL has yet to begin and it won't until March 12. It will be even longer until the official Miami Dolphins schedule for next season is released. The Dolphins do already know who their opponents are for the 2025 campaign, but they just don't know when they will play.
Cold weather games will play a part in Miami's season results because, barring a major change in mental toughness, they typically struggle when the temperatures dip below 40 degrees. Add that to the list of items the Dolphins have to overcome next season.
The good news is this is a Miami team that two years ago was one game away from capturing the AFC East crown, and until the final two weeks of the season was in the hunt for a first-round bye in the playoffs.
There is a lot to like about what the Dolphins will put on the field next year and it appears general manager Chris Grier finally realizes the offensive line needs to be fixed as well.
No matter who takes the field in 2025, there will be tough games that will need to be won if Miami has any hopes of making the playoffs and perhaps saving Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel's jobs.
5 opponents on the 2025 Miami Dolphins schedule the team needs to defeat
1. Buffalo Bills
Miami fans will be calling for Grier's, McDaniel's, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's job if they can't beat the Buffalo Bills at least once next season. Winning the division goes a long way to getting further in the playoffs. But to do that, the Dolphins will have to knock off the Bills.
Tagovailoa may have the New England Patriots' number, but Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen owns stock in the Dolphins. Like it or not, until Miami can beat the Bills, they won't be anything but the second-place team in the AFC East.
2. Cincinnati Bengals
The Dolphins narrowly missed the playoffs in 2024, and right behind them were the Cincinnati Bengals. Of the two teams, the Bengals were more likely to make a run had they entered the tournament. This 2025 matchup could be an early season precursor to a tie-breaker later in the year, or it could be a late-season game that literally decides who's in the postseason and who's out.
Forget the Tagovailoa vs. Burrow slant in this one, a Wild-Card position and seeding could be playing out and both teams need to realize this early. As the Dolphins found out last season, every game, regardless of how early in the schedule it takes place, plays a factor in making the playoffs.
3. Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens should, once again, be the odds-on favorites to win the AFC North. Miami fans know this team is built to be physically dominant in all aspects of the game. They are disciplined, well-coached, and are led by an MVP quarterback with a running back who could just as easily win MVP.
Baltimore doesn't choke often unless they are in the playoffs, but they are hard to beat in the regular season. For anyone hoping for the Dolphins to have a chance at taking the top seed in the AFC next season, beating the Ravens will help make that happen.
4. Indianapolis Colts
The difference between watching the playoffs from home and Miami wide receiver Tyreek Hill going off on a temper tantrum was the loss to the Indianapolis Colts in 2024. The Colts were not a playoff team, and they weren't very good. The same could be said about the Tennessee Titans, but Miami doesn't play the Titans this year. So why is this a big game? Because the Dolphins have to win it.
Everyone will expect Miami to drop games along the way and most of those games will likely come against playoff-quality teams. What the Dolphins failed to do in 2024 was beat the teams they were more than capable of beating, like the Colts. Having Indianapolis on this list isn't about the Colts specifically, it's about the quality of the team. Had Miami beat them last year, they may have only needed to beat the New York Jets in Week 18 to make the postseason.
5. Los Angeles Chargers or Pittsburgh Steelers
Take your pick on this one but the Dolphins need to beat at least one of these two teams. Why? Playoff tie-breaking procedures.
If we assume the Ravens, Houston Texans, and Kansas City Chiefs win their respective divisions next season, then the Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers, and Pittsburgh Steelers will all probably be competing for the three Wild-Card spots in the playoffs. That makes beating at least one of those three teams important for Miami.
The Chargers will play in Miami so there is some good news, but the Dolphins will play in Pittsburgh in what could potentially be a late-season cold-weather game.
Miami has to beat at least three of these teams with one being the Bills
Of these six teams, the Chargers, Bengals, Bills, Steelers, Colts, and Ravens, beating at least three of them will go a long way toward making the playoffs for Miami next season. If those three come against anyone but the Colts, Miami's chances should be good.
In addition to the opponents mentioned above, the Dolphins will also play the New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Atlanta Falcons, and Carolina Panthers in out-of-conference contests next season, and the Jets, Patriots, and Cleveland Browns to round out their AFC schedule.