The Miami Dolphins will play one of the hardest schedules in 2026. They are ranked as the team with the second-toughest strength of schedule this year in general, and the NFL could make an already tough schedule harder.
Sure, the Dolphins could play late on the road for the better half of the 2026 regular season, but we know that typically doesn't happen. While it wouldn't surprise Dolphins fans in the least, the NFL can't be that brutal, can it?
The Dolphins will play nine road games this year and the standard eight at home. They will play the AFC West division, and the third-place teams in the other two, and of course, the AFC East. If the NFL wants to make the Dolphins' life this year miserable, this would be the worst possible schedule.
The Miami Dolphins will not avoid a horrible schedule, but this one would just add more insult to injury
A brutal west coast trip with a twist
The Dolphins will head to Las Vegas this season, which isn't horrible, but there's growing speculation they could play in Brazil against the 49ers. We know from past experience that teams that travel abroad to play an international game will most likely have their bye week on the return trip.
What the NFL could do here is send the Dolphins on the road to Las Vegas and then to Brazil the following week. The ideal situation would be to have a home game before a trip abroad. That is, if they do indeed play in Brazil. If it is in San Francisco, back-to-back West Coast trips have not been good for the Dolphins.
Three game road stretch
The Dolphins are no strangers to being on the road for three games. In 2022, the NFL put Miami on the road to play the 49ers, Chargers, and then the Bills. Miami lost all three. Back-to-back road games are common in the NFL, but if Miami is handed a three-game road stretch, it won't be easy.
The only caveat to this would be playing games against the Jets, Patriots, Vikings, or Colts. Those games are much closer than heading out west or overseas. The league has pitted teams from the same division in three consecutive weeks, so that can't be ruled out.
The horrible short week
Miami isn't expected to land more than a couple of primetime games this year. The two that stand out as possibilities are the Chargers (Mike McDaniel's return) and the Packers (Malik Willis and Jeff Hafley's return to Green Bay).
Playing on a Thursday night isn't bad, but playing a division rival or making a long trip prior to that game could prove to deliver less than ideal opportunities for rest.
Playing the Bills and Patriots late in the year
From an AFC East rivalry angle, the Dolphins are not going to be a team that challenges teams in the playoff chase. Dolphins fans would love to dream of knocking one of them out of the postseason, but if their games come down to the final week, they're going to hate watching Miami lose, potentially giving one of those teams a spot in the postseason.
Add us as a preferred source on Google