Jasen Vinlove-USA Today Sports
Ranking the Dolphins 2020 Schedule by Degree of Difficulty
The Miami Dolphins learned Thursday night the dates and times (well, except for one) of all their games during the 2020 regular season schedule. While we already knew the opponents and the sites, the timing of each game brings an additional layer when it comes to degree of difficulty.
With that mind, we rank the Dolphins' 2020 schedule by degree of difficulty, as it looks in the middle of May.
1. At Buffalo, Jan. 3, Week 17 — It's the second half of back-to-back road games to close out the regular season against a Bills team that will enter 2020 as the favorite to win the AFC East.
2. Vs. Kansas City, Dec. 13, Week 14 — This is all about Patrick Mahomes. There simply aren't a whole lot of ways of slowing down that offense, particularly after the Chiefs added LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft.
3. At Denver, Oct. 18, Week 6 — Yes, there are better teams the Dolphins will face than the Broncos in 2020, but this was a team on the move late last season and they added wide receiver Jerry Jeudy to help out young quarterback Drew Lock. What makes this game really challenging is that it comes a week after the Dolphins play at San Francisco. Speaking of which ...
4. At San Francisco, Oct. 11, Week 5 — The way the 49ers have been built, it's hard to see them fading after they lost in the Super Bowl last year. With Nick Bosa and the ageless Richard Sherman leading the way, this is a really difficult defense to handle.
5. At New England, Sept. 13, Week 1 — Sure, the task of opening at Gillette Stadium doesn't seem as daunting with Tom Brady now in Tampa, but this is still the Patriots we're talking about. And Bill Belichick is still their head coach.
6. Vs. Buffalo, Sept. 20, Week 2 — The Bills swept the Dolphins last season, so this is not an easy home opener.
7. Vs. Seattle, Oct. 4, Week 4 — Russell Wilson always makes the Seahawks dangerous.
8. Vs. New England, Dec. 20, Week 15 — By this time, new quarterback Jarrett Stidham will have had almost a full season of experience. And, again, assuming anything ever against the Patriots is a losing proposition.
9. At Arizona, Nov. 8, Week 9 — The Cardinals look like up an up-and-coming team with Kyler Murray at quarterback and they added perhaps the most intriguing defensive prospect in the 2020 draft in linebacker/safety Isaiah Simmons.
10. Vs. L.A. Chargers, Oct. 25, Week 7 — No, the Chargers don't have Philip Rivers anymore, but their defense has the makings of being one of the top in the NFL after they added cornerback Chris Harris Jr. to the Joey Bosa-led unit.
11. At Jacksonville, Sept. 24, Week 3 — The Jaguars don't look particularly intimidating on paper, but this is a tough assignment because it's a Thursday night road game.
12. At Las Vegas, Dec. 26 or 27, Week 16 — The Raiders are kind of a mystery team four months before the start of the 2020 season, and who knows what kind of home-field advantage (if any) they'll have in their new location.
13. Vs. Cincinnati, Dec. 6, Week 13 — The Tua vs. Joe Burrow Bowl? That certainly would make it interesting. But the Bengals, at least at this time, don't look like they'll be competing for the playoffs anytime soon.
14. At N.Y. Jets, Nov. 29, Week 12 — This will be the second half of the back-to-back games against Adam Gase and the Jets. The Dolphins almost won at MetLife Stadium last season.
15. Vs. N.Y. Jets, Nov. 15, Week 10 — Who knows what to expect from the Jets in 2020? Four months before the fact, though, they look like the weakest team on the Dolphins schedule outside of Jacksonville.
16. Vs. L.A. Rams, Nov. 1, Week 8 — The Rams have undergone quite a few changes since they went to the Super Bowl against Brian Flores' New England-led defense and it's a 1 p.m. Eastern time kickoff for a West Coach team, which always favors the home team. On top of that, the Rams will be coming off a Monday night game (at home against Chicago).
