The worst case scenarios for the Miami Dolphins 2023 schedule

Later tonight, 8:00 pm to be exact, the Miami Dolphins fans and the rest of the NFL will know where the teams are playing and when as the NFL releases the 2023 schedule officially.

Miami will play in Germany in week 9 against the Chiefs and the Jets on Black Friday. Those are not miserable games by any means but the trip home for Germany could be a mess if Miami has to play.

How bad can the 2023 schedule really be? Last year Miami had a three-game road trip scheduled that took them across the country to California for two week before going to face the Bills in Buffalo.

This year, the Dolphins will travel to California and to Germany, their two furthest games. I suppose it wouldn't be an ideal situation to travel to both of those cities with another road game stashed in between making Miami travel three weeks in a row with another west coast trip included.

For the Miami Dolphins, the worst case scenarios could be weather related.

Three games against their division rivals up north late in the year would be horrible. Last season Miami had to play both the Patriots and Bills in wintery conditions and both games were in the final three weeks of the season with the New York Jets sandwiched between them. Imagine have to play in New York, New England, and Buffalo after the midway point in the season. Miami may not have to play the Jets but what about the Eagles?

While that would mean Miami faces those teams in Miami earlier when it is hot, getting the Bills in Miami on primetime slot mid-season isn't ideal. Miami doesn't need the hot sun withering the Bills to beat them but if you are going to potentially make Miami play in the snow, then the Bills should have to play the Dolphins in the blistering heat again.

The Miami Dolphins getting tough games on short weeks.

It happens every year. One or two teams in the NFL get that brutal schedule that has them playing some of their tougher games on a Thursday night coming off a Sunday afternoon game. For the Dolphins, playing a game on Sunday against the Chargers in California and then facing the Bills or Eagles the following Thursday would not be ideal.

One scenario would be returning home in week 10 and having to go on the road after playing the Chiefs in week 9, in Germany.

Nothing is worse than playing short week football but at some point each year, every team gets hit with one of them and they are not good. For the Dolphins, facing a team like the Titans or Panthers would be much more ideal of a situation.

Opening the season on the road for two or three weeks would be horrible.

Chalk this up to the weather games as well but if the Dolphins open their season on the road for more than one week, most of September will be gone.

Of course the NFL could also schedule Miami for 4:00 kickoffs as well instead of the traditional 1:00 pm games or worse, give the Dolphins early at home prime games where the sun is on the other side of the planet.

The Dolphins will inevitably travel for back-to-back road trips but limiting those is important just for the health of the team. If there is good news, only two games are past the mid-point of the country.

Whatever the schedule looks like tonight, expect there to be a couple of stretches of bad weeks and couple of good ones. Fingers crossed to see the Bills at 1:00 in Miami, in September!