The Miami Dolphins may not have made the playoffs last year, but the NFL still believes they belong on primetime television.
The team has announced its schedule for the 2025 season, and the NFL loves the Dolphins so much that they put them in primetime five times this year.
Maybe the NFL just doesn't know what they are doing, or they like watching some teams get beat up. The Dolphins are a great team to put into a primetime slot, considering they play horribly when they are on national television. Last year, NFL fans moaned about how many games the New York Jets were given in the evening slot, and they didn't disappoint.
This year, it might be the Dolphins' turn.
Dolphins land five primetime games, forcing Mike McDaniel to get better at his job
With five games on tap this year, McDaniel has an opportunity to close the win/loss gap as a head coach.
Miami will play the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cincinnati Bengals in primetime this season, and will "host" the Washington Commanders in an early morning international game from Madrid, Spain.
If the Dolphins are going to be serious about their season, they need to win most of these games. Last season, they played teams like the Tennessee Titans and got beaten. They can't afford to let up this year, as the Jets are the only team on the primetime schedule that wasn't challenging for a playoff spot last season, or in the playoffs for that matter. The Bengals came up short after a mid-season turnaround.
Miami has a team that can compete, but it will need to prove it can win against teams that are playoff-bound or playoff-caliber. This year, it will need to do that in front of a national audience.