MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Here is a game-by-game look at the 2023 Miami Dolphins schedule, released Thursday by the NFL.
at Los Angeles Chargers (Sept. 10)
This will mark the second consecutive year that the Dolphins visit SoFi Stadium to face the Chargers, who won 23-17 a season ago. Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will head west for a battle between two 2020 first-round draft picks. Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert was selected sixth overall, one pick behind Tagovailoa. Herbert threw for 367 yards and a touchdown to Tagovailoa's 145 yards and a score.
at New England Patriots (Sept. 17, "Sunday Night Football" on WPTV)
Miami and New England have split the last four meetings at Gillette Stadium. The Dolphins lost to the Patriots 23-21 in Foxborough last season, but that was without Tagovailoa, who was sidelined with a concussion. In his place was backup Teddy Bridgewater, who completed 12 of 19 passes for 161 yards and touchdown before leaving late in the third quarter with an injured finger after Patriots safety Kyle Dugger picked off Bridgewater's pass and returned it for a touchdown. Skylar Thompson finished out the game, throwing an interception and a late touchdown pass to Gesicki. Miami is 4-2 against New England since the recently retired Tom Brady left after the 2019 season.
Denver Broncos (Sept. 24)
The Dolphins open their home schedule against the visiting Broncos. Miami hired former Broncos head coach Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator to replace Josh Boyer, who was fired after three seasons.
at Buffalo Bills (Oct. 1)
Miami has struggled to beat the Bills on the road for much of the past decade. Last season was no exception. The Dolphins lost at Buffalo twice last season, including a 34-31 loss in the wild-card round of the playoffs. Last December's game ended in a snow-filled final quarter, when Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen orchestrated scoring drives on his team's last two possessions, capped by a 25-yard field goal by Tyler Bass as time expired to give the Bills a 32-29 victory. The Dolphins are 1-11 at Buffalo since 2012, including the playoffs.
New York Giants (Oct. 8)
The Dolphins have only beaten the Giants three times in franchise history, but one of those wins was the most recent meeting – a 20-9 victory at Hard Rock Stadium in 2021. Miami's defense held the Daniel Jones-less Giants to three Graham Gano field goals.
Carolina Panthers (Oct. 15)
The Panthers selected former Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young with the top overall pick in last month's NFL Draft. Like Tagovailoa, Young is a former Alabama quarterback. He'll be the likely starter for Carolina by the time the Panthers visit South Florida, if not before.
at Philadelphia Eagles (Oct. 22, "Sunday Night Football" on WPTV)
Jalen Hurts got a big payday in the offseason after leading the Eagles to the Super Bowl. The Philadelphia quarterback was rewarded with a five-year, $255 million contract extension. He didn't play when the Dolphins hosted the Eagles in last year's preseason finale, so don't expect another lopsided 48-10 score as long as Hurts is healthy and on the field.
New England Patriots (Oct. 29)
New England quarterback Mac Jones is still searching for his first win against the Dolphins in his home state. The former first-round pick from Jacksonville is 16-16 as a starter for the Patriots, but he's 0-2 at Hard Rock Stadium, where he led Alabama to a national championship in college. This game will also mark the return of former Miami tight end Mike Gesicki, who left for New England in free agency.
vs. Kansas City Chiefs in Frankfurt, Germany (Nov. 5)
Miami wide receiver Tyreek Hill will take on his former team when the Dolphins face the defending Super Bowl champions in Germany. Tagovailoa was a rookie the last time the Dolphins played the Chiefs, losing 33-27 at Hard Rock Stadium in 2020. Hill caught three passes for 7 yards and a touchdown from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in that game. Hill's defection to Miami last offseason paid dividends for the Dolphins in 2022, as he set a franchise record for receptions (119) and receiving yards (1,710) in a single season.
Las Vegas Raiders (Nov. 19)
The Raiders are 1-1 against the Dolphins since moving to Las Vegas. After Derek Carr parted ways with the Raiders, the former Bay Area team turned to another Bay Area quarterback to fill the void. Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo takes over this season. He suffered a season-ending foot injury on the opening drive of San Francisco's 33-17 win against Miami last season.
at New York Jets (Friday, Nov. 24)
The Dolphins, playing in the NFL's first-ever "Black Friday" game, will try to atone for their embarrassing performance in the Meadowlands last October, when Miami was forced to turn to third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson after an early injury to Bridgewater. Miami was blown out 40-17, which ended New York's 12-game skid against AFC East Division opponents. The Jets' 23-point margin of victory was also their largest in a game since 2019.
at Washington Commanders (Dec. 3)
Miami is 9-6 all-time against Washington, but this will be the first meeting between the teams since Washington dropped the Redskins moniker. The Dolphins are 1-2 all-time at FedEx Field.
Tennessee Titans (Monday, Dec. 11)
Ryan Tannehill will return to Hard Rock Stadium under the "Monday Night Football" lights for the first time since he was traded to Tennessee in 2019. The 2012 first-round draft pick spent his first seven seasons with the Dolphins. Tannehill led the Titans to a 34-3 rout the last time the teams met during the 2021 season.
New York Jets (Dec. 17)
The Jets haven't won at Hard Rock Stadium since 2015. Of course, the Jets haven't had a franchise quarterback since Mark Sanchez last led them to the playoffs during the 2010 season – the longest active drought in the NFL – but that all changed when the Packers traded Aaron Rodgers after 18 seasons in Green Bay. Rodgers led Green Bay to a victory in South Florida last Christmas, throwing for 238 yards and a touchdown.
Dallas Cowboys (Dec. 24)
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys will spend Christmas Eve in South Florida, where the Dolphins haven't defeated Dallas since 1984. It was so long ago that the late Don Shula was still coaching the Dolphins, his successor, Jimmy Johnson, was in his debut season coaching Miami's college team and Hard Rock Stadium wasn't even built yet. The Dolphins are 1-7 against the Cowboys in their previous eight meetings dating to 1996. Is this the year it all changes?
at Baltimore Ravens (Dec. 31)
After a tenuous offseason, Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson is back – and he's got a new top target to throw to in South Florida native Jay Flowers, who was the team's first-round draft pick out of Boston College. The Dolphins rallied from a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Ravens 42-38 in Baltimore last season. Tagovailoa outshined Jackson in that game, throwing for a career-best 469 yards and six touchdowns. Can he have a repeat performance?
Buffalo Bills (Jan. 6 or 7)
Last year's game at Hard Rock Stadium might best be remembered for the "butt punt," when Dolphins punter Thomas Morstead stepped into the middle of Miami's end zone, swung his leg and booted the football into the posterior of teammate Trent Sherfield, resulting in a safety for the Bills. It's also the game in which Tagovailoa briefly left in the second quarter with an injury that appeared to be a concussion, even though the team said otherwise. Miami overcame both, prevailing 21-19. The Bills have made the playoffs five of the last six seasons and won three consecutive AFC East Division titles.
