Breaking Down the 2022 Dolphins Schedule
The Miami Dolphins' entire schedule for the 2022 NFL season was released at 8 p.m. tonight. The team’s season opener on Sept. 11 at home against the New England Patriots was reported early in the day.
The Dolphins' schedule features two prime-time games including a Thursday Night game on Sept. 29 against the Bengals and a Sunday night game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 23 that will feature the return to Miami of former head coach Brian Flores.
The Dolphins will enter the 2022 season after an offseason with a lot of change, including the hiring of new head coach Mike McDaniel, trading for star wide receiver Tyreek Hill, and the signing of highly sought-after free agent left tackle Terron Armstead.
They are also coming off back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2002-03, looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016, and looking to win a playoff game for the first time since 2000.
Here's a breakdown of the Dolphins schedule, with the team history against each opponent, interesting storylines, and some other stats fans should know.
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 11 — New England Patriots, 1 p.m.
For the third straight season, the Dolphins will play the Patriots in their opening game, though the previous two were at Gillette Stadium. Miami won last year’s season opener at Foxboro, 17-16, and holds a 5-5 all-time record against the Patriots on opening day.
This game will pit former Alabama quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones against each other for the third time with Tagovailoa and the Dolphins winning the previous two matchups.
It will also see the return of former Dolphins receiver Devante Parker to Miami after he was traded to the Patriots (along with a 2022 fifth-round pick) for a 2023 third-round pick this offseason.
The Dolphins are 3-2 in their last five opening games, and the Patriots haven’t won in Miami since 2019.
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 18 — at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m.
Miami will have its first road test of the season against the Ravens. The Dolphins beat the Ravens at home last season 22-10 in a game where Tagovailoa came off the bench after missing the previous game with a thumb injury.
Despite winning last year’s game, the Dolphins have struggled when traveling to Baltimore. Miami hasn’t won there since 1997 with the Ravens winning the last four matchups. The Dolphins have scored just six total points in their last two games in Baltimore.
The Ravens missed the postseason for the first time since 2017 last year and are looking to get back on track with a healthier roster while expanding their all-time series lead of 10-7.
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 25 — Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m.
The Dolphins' first matchup against the Bills will come at Hard Rock Stadium and give Miami a chance to break its seven-game losing streak against Buffalo. The Bills won last year’s game at Hard Rock Stadium 35-0, so the Dolphins likely will be extra motivated for this early-season bout.
The last time Miami beat Buffalo was a 21-17 home victory in 2018, which is the only time Bills quarterback Josh Allen has lost against Miami. Allen has thrown 21 touchdown passes and just five interceptions in his eight games against Miami.
Although Buffalo has recent success on its side, Miami is winning the all-time series 61-54-1. Also, Miami is winning the all-time series in South Florida 35-22-1.
Week 4: Thursday, Sept. 29 — at Cincinnati Bengals, 8:15 p.m.
Miami will travel to Cincinnati for a prime-time battle on Thursday Night Football for their Week 4 matchup. The Dolphins won the teams' last matchup back in 2020 by a score of 19-7.
The Bengals are the defending AFC champs and will be looking to repeat their success in 2022.
This game will feature a dual of signal-callers from the 2020 draft class in former first overall pick Joe Burrow and former fifth overall pick Tagovailoa. This will be the first time the two have squared off as Burrow missed the last game with an ACL injury.
The Dolphins are 8-8 in Thursday night games and have won two straight TNF games. They also lead the all-time series against the Bengals 18-7.
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 9 — at New York Jets, 1 p.m.
The Dolphins’ first matchup against the Jets comes on the road. The Dolphins beat the Jets 24-17 on the road last season, marking their second straight victory at MetLife Stadium.
The Jets are coming off a 4-13 season in 2021 in head coach Robert Saleh's first season. This will be second-year quarterback Zach Wilson’s second game against the Dolphins after he missed their Week 11 matchup last season.
Miami has won three of the last four matchups on the road, but the Jets lead the all-time series when the two play in New York 30-26.
Defense has been the way to victory for the Dolphins no matter where the teams play. Miami has held the Jets to fewer than six points four times since 2017, and that was the last year the Jets eclipsed 24 points against the Dolphins.
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 16 — Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m.
Miami will play the Vikings at home in a matchup of first-year head coach, McDaniel and Kevin O'Connell.
McDaniel and O’Connell both come from the Mike Shanahan coaching tree, meaning fans can expect to see similar offensive philosophies during the game.
The last time Miami played the Vikings was in 2018 when they lost 41-17 on the road. However, Miami has won three of the team’s last four matchups, and they lead the all-time series 8-5.
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 23 — Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:20 p.m.
This prime-time game will feature the return to Miami of former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, who now serves as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the Steelers.
Flores currently is suing the Dolphins and other NFL teams for racial discrimination.
As for on-the-field storylines, this will be the first matchup of the teams since 2019 when the Steelers won 27-14, and also feature the return to Miami of former safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who had two interceptions during their last matchup.
The Steelers lead the all-time series against the Dolphins 15-13, with Miami’s last victory coming in 2016.
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 30 — at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m.
The teams last played in 2018, which featured a 32-21 Dolphins loss at home.
One interesting storyline will have the Dolphins going against Detroit head coach Dan Campbell, who served as Dolphins interim head coach during the 2015 season and coached the tight ends from 2011 to 2015.
The Lions are coming off a 3-13-1 season that landed them the second-worst record in the NFL, but they have made improvements to the roster through the draft and free agency.
Miami should be favored to increase its all-time series lead of 7-5.
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 6 — at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m.
The teams haven’t played since when the Dolphins won an overtime thriller at home, 31-28, back in 2018.
This is another matchup of two first-year head coaches as the Bears hired former Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus after firing Matt Nagy and finishing 6-11 last season.
Miami has won four of the team’s last five matchups and leads the all-time series 9-4.
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 13 — Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m.
The game could end up being overshadowed by Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson coming to the place he was reported to want to play for most of last season — assuming he's not under NFL suspension at the time.
Miami last played the Browns in 2019 when they lost 41-24, but they do lead the all-time series 11-9 with their last win coming in 2016.
The game also will feature the return to Miami of former wide receiver/kick returner Jakeem Grant, who was traded to the Chicago Bears last season before signing with the Browns as a free agent.
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 27 — Houston Texans, 1 p.m.
After their bye in Week 11, the Dolphins will return to action against Houston. The teams faced off last season in a low-scoring game Miami won 17-9.
However, both teams have changed greatly since that game. Both teams have a new head coach, with the Texans hiring their former defensive coordinator Lovie Smith.
The game will also feature two quarterbacks — Tagovailoa and Davis Mills — who are likely facing “prove it” years since both teams have multiple first-round picks for the 2023 NFL draft.
Based on roster construction, the Dolphins should be the favorites in this game, but Houston does own the all-time series record by a whopping 8-2.
Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 4 — at San Francisco 49ers, 4:05 p.m.
When the teams last met in 2020, the Dolphins cruised to a 43-17 victory on the road.
Obviously, the major storyline for this game will be McDaniel coaching against his old team and long-time mentor Kyle Shanahan for the first time since taking the Dolphins job. McDaniel and Shanahan are known as two of the smartest play-callers in the sport, so Dolphins fans should expect quite the chess match.
Additionally, it could be the first time Miami will see 49ers quarterback Trey Lance, who San Francisco gave the Dolphins two extra first-round picks for the chance to move up in the first round of the 2021 and select with the third overall pick.
The Dolphins lead the all-time series 8-6.
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 11 — at L.A. Chargers, 4:05 p.m.
The Dolphins will hit the road to play the Chargers at SoFi Stadium for the first time since it was built. The teams last played each other in 2020, which was a 29-21 home victory for Miami.
The Chargers are coming off a 9-8 season where they got eliminated from the playoffs on the last day of the NFL season.
This game will feature a battle of two quarterbacks from the 2020 draft class with Tagovailoa battling Justin Herbert, who was taken one spot behind him at sixth overall. During the 2020 game, Tagovailoa finished with two touchdowns, zero interceptions and 169 yards, while Herbert finished with two touchdowns, one interception and 187 yards.
Since then, Herbert has statistically outperformed Tagovailoa by a fair margin. Herbert has thrown for 42 more touchdowns and for 4,883 more yards than Tagovailoa.
Miami leads the all-time series 19-16.
Week 15: Saturday/Sunday, Dec. 17/18 — at Buffalo Bills, TBD
The Dolphins will cap off their three-game road trip with a battle against the Bills for a second time, this time on the road. Buffalo is winning the all-time series at Orchard Park 35-22-1.
Last season, when the teams played in New York the Bills won 26-11, and the Bills have won three straight against Miami at home.
With this game coming later in the season, it could be an important battle for the top of the AFC East or a wild-card spot. Miami hasn’t fared well in cold-weather games in recent seasons, which likely will be at play for this matchup.
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 25 — Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m.
The Dolphins will battle back-to-back MVP Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers at home for their Week 16 matchup. The teams last played in 2018 in a game that featured the Packers winning 31-12.
Miami is 6-2 all-time at home against Green Bay, but the Packers have won four out of their last five games against the Dolphins.
Week 17: Sunday, Jan. 1 — at New England Patriots, 1 p.m.
The Dolphins' second matchup against the Patriots will take place on the road where they’ve had less success, despite winning last year’s matchup. The Patriots' all-time record against the Dolphins in Foxboro is 37-19.
Miami has won two of their three last three matchups in New England, including the team’s 27-24 victory in 2019.
Week 18: Saturday/Sunday, Jan. 7/8 — New York Jets, TBD
In their home matchup last season, the Dolphins defeated the Jets 31-24 ,marking the sixth straight time Miami beat the Jets in South Florida.
The Dolphins' all-time home record against the Jets is 31-25-1 with the only tie coming during the 1981 season. Miami also leads the overall series 57-55-1 and have won eight of the last 10 matchups.
This could be an important divisional game to the end season if the Dolphins battle for a potential wild-card spot or for the AFC East championship.
