Winning the AFC East will not be easy for the Miami Dolphins in 2025. They must avoid getting swept by the Buffalo Bills again and find a way to keep the other two teams under their thumbs.
Losing the division only makes the road to the playoffs harder, and for the Dolphins, it may come down to four out-of-division games that will decide whether or not their 2025 season moves forward after Week 18.
Last season proved that Miami isn't as close as many fans had believed, but now the team has a chance to show it was nothing more than a bad year. Mike McDaniel is under pressure to get his offense clicking, but the defense will also need to be better.
To return to the postseason, the Dolphins will likely need to win these non-division games.
Dolphins must win beat these non-AFC East opponents to make the playoffs in 2025
Dolphins will need to take down the (likely) Aaron Rodgers-led Steelers
Traveling to Pittsburgh is never fun. The fans are loud, and it's one of the hardest stadiums to win in. The Steelers are still well-coached. What will be interesting about this game is that it could have big implications for the wild-card spots.
The Steelers play in the challenging AFC North, and, like the Dolphins, their best path into the postseason might come as a wild card. The loser of this game will need to pick it up at some point. Working in Miami's favor is that the Steelers still don't have a quarterback and traded their top WR to the Cowboys. Will Aaron Rodgers be under center?
Dolphins need to beat another playoff contender in the Bengals
The Bengals also play in the daunting AFC North. They will have to knock off the Baltimore Ravens if they are going to reclaim the division title this year. In 2024, the Bengals narrowly missed the postseason, and they will be out to prove, like Miami, that 2024 was an off-year.
This is a tough game for both teams, but the Dolphins will get the benefit of home-field advantage.
Dolphins will face a tough challenge from Jim Harbaugh's Chargers
This is another important home game that could have major playoff implications. The Chargers made the playoffs in Year 1 under Jim Harbaugh.
The Dolphins will need to maintain a pace to keep up in 2025. This is going to be a tough game, but crucially, Miami gets this game at home. The long cross-country trip could play into the Dolphins' hands.
Beating the Ravens would go a long way to making the playoffs
If the Dolphins want to be taken seriously as a competitor in the AFC, they need to beat the best teams in the conference. That's the Bills and the Ravens. The Ravens are a regular-season nightmare for opponents, but they can't seem to put it together in the playoffs.
They will once again enter the season as the favorites to win the AFC North, and the Dolphins can make a statement by beating them.