A good majority of Miami Dolphins understand that the 2026 season is expected to be a challenging one. While it's easy to get excited about what general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan is doing from a roster-construction standpoint and to see what head coach Jeff Hafley can bring on the field, the upcoming season will not exactly be about wins and losses—with the latter expected to heavily outweigh the former.
Yet, many were still likely surprised to see that the Dolphins did not receive one primetime game for the 2026 season for either Thursdays, Sundays, or Mondays following the schedule release. The Dolphins are not alone, though, in being left out of the national spotlight, as the Jets, Titans, Raiders, and Cardinals will also not have a scheduled prime-time game in 2026.
Despite the low expectations of the season, it still comes as a surprise that Miami will not have a prime-time game this year. That's because it's been nearly 20 years since the Dolphins didn't have at least one game under the lights.
Miami Dolphins join Jets, Titans, Raiders, and Cardinals without 2026 primetime games
On the surface, it makes sense as to why these five teams are without a primetime spot. After all, this very well could be the top five in no particular order when the 2027 NFL Draft rolls around. Yet, I would've thought that the Dolphins would have received at least a Thursday night game at some point in the year.
Yes, wins will be hard-pressed to come by, evidenced by the Dolphins and Cardinals being tied for the lowest win total projection for 2026. But under a new regime and a new quarterback, surely there would be enough excitement for one prime-time slot for NFL fans to experience. Nevertheless, the league thought differently, opting to showcase projected playoff contenders more frequently this coming season.
The Rams lead the way with seven prime-time matchups this season, tying the 2023 Bills and the 2025 Chiefs for the most in NFL history. Meanwhile, another five teams will have six games in prime-time lineups, while four others will have five nighttime matchups. Among them all, only the Cowboys (6) did not reach the playoffs last year...but they had a Netflix special, so that was enough, I suppose.
Regarding the other teams without a prime-time spot, I'm fairly surprised most of them were left off the national schedule as well. The Raiders, for instance, made a number of moves this offseason, including hiring Klint Kubiak as the team's next head coach. Along with No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas isn't expected to compete for a playoff spot, but a considerable turnaround is in the cards, and one fans might like to see a glimpse of.
The Titans and Jets, meanwhile, are two other teams on the rise. Both can be labeled as boring at times, so I get it more from the NFL's side to leave them off of prime time, but they, too, have been busy this offseason in hopes of turning things around.
For Dolphins fans, though, this is unfamiliar territory. As bad and mediocre as the Dolphins have been over the years, a prime-time game or two was a near certainty from year to year. In fact, the last time Miami was held off the primetime schedule was in 2008, when the Dolphins were fresh off a 1-15 season the year prior. That year, Miami made one of the best turnarounds in NFL history, going 11-5 and winning the AFC East.
Even the most optimistic Dolphins fans likely don't see that happening this year, but it would have been nice to see Miami in at least one prime-time spot. On the off chance the Dolphins do surprise everyone this season and compete for a playoff spot, there is the possibility they get flexed into a prime-time game at the end of the year. I will not provide you with any false hope of that coming to fruition, however.
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