Dolphins 2022 Schedule Release Notes
The release of the NFL regular season schedule has become a big-time event on the NFL calendar, and we're now a week away from the big day.
The full schedule for the Miami Dolphins and the other 31 teams in the league will be unveiled May 12 in a nationally televised event on NFL Network at 8 p.m.
Since we already know all the 2022 regular season matchups, the schedule release is about when the Dolphins will be facing each opponent and how many prime-time games or national appearances they will have.
Here are some notes regarding the schedule release:
2022 SCHEDULE SLOW LEAK
We mentioned earlier that the "full schedule" will be released May 12, and we used that term because we already know some specific matchups after the league announced Wednesday the five international games, complete with dates and times (all of them at 9:30 a.m. ET).
The Dolphins will not be playing in any of the five international games, though that already was determined once the five home teams for those games were revealed.
But the Dolphins could be featured in some of the games that will be announced next week prior to the full unveiling.
Each of the NFL's broadcast partners will reveal one game of its 2022 lineup next week, with ESPN announcing during Good Morning America on Monday, May 9; CBS announcing during CBS Mornings on Tuesday, May 10; FOX announcing during FOX & Friends on Wednesday, May 11; and NBC announcing during Today Show on Thursday, May 12.
At 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 12, two hours before the full release, each team will announce its first home game.
For the Dolphins, the last two years that's been the Buffalo Bills, each time in Week 2.
Logic would suggest they'd have a different opponent for their home opener
PRIME-TIME POSSIBILITIES
After being 10-6 but missing the playoffs in 2020, the Dolphins were assigned two prime-time games last season — at Baltimore and at New Orleans. The Dolphins won both, defeating Baltimore 22-10 and New Orleans 20-3, and scored a defensive touchdown each time with Xavien Howard's fumble return against the Ravens and Nik Needham's pick-six against the Saints.
It seems reasonable to expect the same number of prime-time games this year after the Dolphins were 9-8 but again out of the playoffs last season.
As for which games could be placed in prime time, the reality is that there's no real rhyme or reason behind the games that are given the night slots. Perhaps the NFL will want to highlight the matchup of 2020 first-round picks Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert and put the Dolphins-Chargers game at SoFi Stadium in prime time.
The one thing here, though, is that we probably wouldn't expect the Pittsburgh Steelers' visit to Hard Rock Stadium to be a prime-time game because logic says the NFL certainly doesn't want a spotlight on former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores' lawsuit against the league and a handful of teams, and that pretty obviously will be a hot topic when the game is played.
THANKSGIVING THOUGHTS
One national television game where the Dolphins certainly fit is the Thanksgiving Day game at Detroit.
The Dolphins' large national following makes them a good choice for the early game that day, besides the fact that fans will tune in regardless of the matchup.
For the record, Detroit's 2022 home opponents besides the Dolphins are Philadelphia, Washington, Buffalo, Jacksonville and Seattle, along with the other three NFC North teams.
ZONK APPEARANCE
With 2022 being the 50-year anniversary of the Dolphins' perfect season, Hall of Famer Larry Csonka is making the rounds.
After announcing the Dolphins' first pick (Channing Tindall) Friday night, Csonka will be part of NFL Network's schedule release show.
Other guests scheduled to appear on the telecast include Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, Chargers safety Derwin James, Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward, Saints quarterback Jameis Winston, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, and Steelers Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris.
