Five Items on the Dolphins' 2026 Schedule Wish List

The Miami Dolphins' list of 2026 opponents has long been known, but we're now less than two days away from finding out what day and time they'll be playing those 17 games.

And while the overall impact of the actual placement of games can be debated, there's also no question that the configuration of the schedule can help or hurt teams, the Dolphins included.

The validity of strength of schedule, whether based on the 2025 standings or the expectations for 2026 teams, can be debated. But there always are other factors, such as timing of the games.

So what should the Dolphins want their schedule to look like in 2026, knowing it will feature eight home games and nine road games, with no international battle now that all nine such games have been announced without Miami included.

As a reminder, the Dolphins' 2026 opponents will be:

Home
Buffalo
New England
N.Y. Jets
Cincinnati
Kansas City
L.A. Chargers
Chicago
Detroit

Away
Buffalo
New England
N.Y. Jets
Indianapolis
Denver
Las Vegas
Green Bay
Minnesota
San Francisco

FIVE ITEMS THAT SHOULD BE ON DOLPHINS WISH LIST FOR 2026 SCHEDULE

1. Face the Kansas City Chiefs and/or Indianapolis early in the season

This is pretty simple and it comes down to the health status of quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Daniel Jones, both of whom ended the season on injured reserve with a torn ACL and torn Achilles tendon, respectively. The fact the NFL put the Chiefs in the first Monday night game of the season (at home against the Denver Broncos) would suggest a strong belief that Mahomes will be ready for the start of the regular season, but even if that's the case maybe he'll need a few games to get back to being the old Patrick Mahomes.

2. Putting the game at San Francisco and at Las Vegas in back-to-back weeks

This is simple issue of travel, and the Dolphins went that route in 2022 when they faced the 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers in back-to-back weeks. Of course, it didn't work out very well for Miami that season as they lost both games, but the logic behind wanting those road games in back-to-back weeks still makes sense.

3. Multiple cold-weather games late in the season

Yes, you read that right. This is a new Dolphins era with a new team-building approach with the goal of producing a roster able to compete in all elements against any team. So why not get some reps at the start of the new regime, particularly when this season logically won't end with a playoff berth anyway. So we say, give us a December road game at Buffalo, New England, Green Bay, Denver or MetLife Stadium. Or two.

4. September home afternoon games

The Dolphins haven't had the luxury of many afternoon home games in recent years, so it would be nice for the NFL to give them more than the one they got last year (Week 2 against New England). In that vein, how about the Bills with new head coach Joe Brady coming to Hard Rock Stadium for the season opener?

5. Finishing against the Jets

The biggest objective for the Dolphins in 2026 should be establishing a foundation and culture under new head coach Jeff Hafley and the hope is that things are trending upward at the end of the season. While it might not mean much in terms of 2027 outlook, it also would be nice to end things with a positive performance, and the chances are a lot better of that happening if the Dolphins close out their regular season against the Jets than either the Bills or Patriots.