Setting the Stage for the Week 6 Dolphins-Chargers Matchup

The Miami Dolphins will look to get back on track when they face the Los Angeles Chargers at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

Here's all the pertinent info for this Week 6 Dolphins-Chargers matchup.

MIAMI DOLPHINS (1-4) vs. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (3-2)

• Date: Sunday, October 12, 2025
• Time: 1 PM ET
• Site: Hard Rock Stadium; Miami Gardens, Fla.
• Weather Channel Forecast: The temperature around Miami Gardens between 1 and 4 p.m. ET on Sunday is expected to be between 83-84 degrees with mostly sunny skies and very little chance of rain. The wind is expected to be 6-7 mph.
• TV: CBS
• Announcers: Andrew Catalon (play-by-play), Charles Davis (color analyst), Jason McCourty (color analyst), AJ Ross (sideline)

FINAL INJURY REPORT

• Dolphins — DB Elijah Campbell (quad) and LB Tyrel Dodson (concussion) are out; OL Aaron Brewer (pectoral) and CB Storm Duck (ankle) are questionable.

• Chargers — T Joe Alt (ankle), WR Derius Davis (knee), DL Da'Shawn Hand (groin) and G/T Trey Pipkins III (knee) are out; OLB Bud Dupree (hamstring), WR Quentin Johnston (hamstring), FB/DL Scott Matlock (ankle), LB Denzel Perryman (ankle) and OL Jamaree Salyer (knee) are questionable.

DOLPHINS-CHARGERS REGULAR SEASON HISTORY

Regular Season Series History: Dolphins lead 18-15

Last Five Meetings:

1. September 10, 2023 at Los Angeles — Dolphins 36, Chargers 34
2. December 11, 2022 at Los Angeles — Chargers 23, Dolphins 17
3. November 15, 2020 at Miami — Dolphins 29 Chargers 21
4. September 29, 2019 at Miami — Chargers 30, Dolphins 10
5. September 17, 2017 at Los Angeles — Dolphins 19, Chargers 17

Series Superlatives:

• Dolphins' Largest Margin of Victory: 37 (2015 at Miami; Dolphins 37, Chargers 0)
• Dolphins' Largest Margin of Defeat: 34 (1966 at San Diego; Chargers 44, Dolphins 10)
• Highest-Scoring Matchup: 78 points (1986 at San Diego; Chargers 50, Dolphins 28)
• Lowest-Scoring Matchup: 21 points (1999 at Miami; Dolphins 12, Chargers 9)

Connections:

• Former Chargers Players with the Dolphins: None
• Former Chargers Coaches with the Dolphins: Offensive coordinator Frank Smith, special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman, LB/run game coordinator Joe Barry
• Former Dolphins Players with the Chargers: DL Da'Shawn Hand, DL Teair Tart
• Former Dolphins Coaches with the Chargers: QB coach Shane Day

CHARGERS SCOUTING REPORT

The Chargers will arrive at Hard Rock Stadium looking to get back on track despite a rash of injuries and a two-game losing streak. The offensive line has been hit hardest and the Chargers will be two offensive tackles who weren't with the team at the start of training camp. The Chargers had the look of a Super Bowl contender after starting the season with three consecutive victories against the AFC West opponents, including a come-from-behind win against the Denver Broncos. But the Chargers have played sloppy football the past two weeks with a combination of leaky pass protection, turnovers and penalties.

THE BIGGEST REASON THE DOLPHINS WILL WIN

Along with missing their top two tackles, the Chargers will be without their top two running backs, Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris. That will put the onus on the passing game, and this is where the Dolphins can find the same kind of success as the New York Giants and Washington Commanders did the past two weeks in getting to and affecting QB Justin Herbert. This is the game where the pass rush has to finally live up to its advance billing. Offensively, the Dolphins figure to have much more success running the ball than they did against the Carolina Panthers and that could establish the kind of balance that could lead to a big day.

THE BIGGEST REASON THE DOLPHINS WILL LOSE

The Dolphins simply don't have the look of a very confident or efficient team right now, and the Chargers will prove a major challenge if they get back to their form of the first three games. Herbert started off the season well enough that his name was being mentioned as a very early MVP candidate, and though he has cooled considerably since Week 4, he's still got the ability to make big-time throws and he's got a very good wide receiver corps with Keenan Allen, Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston. Defensively, the Chargers have been successful at defending the pass and they added some pass-rushing help this week with their trade for former Baltimore Ravens first-round pick Odafe Oweh.

FINAL DOLPHINS-CHARGERS PREDICTION

A lot of the pregame attention and the focus Sunday will be on the quarterback matchup between Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert, but as usual there'll be a lot of other factors involved in the outcome. This game very well might come down to which bruised offensive line does the better job of giving its quarterback time to deliver downfield. The Dolphins had a legitimate chance to win in the fourth quarter in all of their losses except the opener at Indianapolis, and this figures to play out the same way. But until proven otherwise, we'll assume they'll come up short at the end again.

Final Score: Chargers 24, Dolphins 20

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