Coming off the team's first playoff appearance since 2016, head coach Mike McDaniel and the Miami Dolphins are looking for an even stronger 2023. Here's what you need to know about the Dolphins' exciting schedule.
Challenging Slate Produces Five Nationally-Televised Contests
The Dolphins 2023 schedule features nine home games at Hard Rock Stadium as well as five standalone nationally-televised matchups, a franchise-high since the 2017 season. Miami will take on seven playoff teams from last season as well as six of the nine teams that won double-digit games during the regular season. Of the seven teams on Miami's schedule that missed the 2022 playoffs, only Las Vegas (6-11) and Denver (5-12) won less than seven games.
In addition to Sunday Night Football appearances in New England and Philadelphia, Miami will host Tennessee on Monday Night Football Dec. 11. The team will also play two standalone nationally-televised games. The first comes on Sunday, Nov. 5 against Kansas City in Frankfurt, Germany (9:30 a.m. ET kickoff) and the other will be on Black Friday at the New York Jets on Nov. 24 (3 p.m. ET kickoff).
Notable Quarterbacks Coming to Hard Rock Stadium
Dolphins fans will get an early look at Super Bowl XLVIII champion and nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson when Miami hosts the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Sept. 24, in the team's home opener. It will mark the Broncos' third game under first-year head coach Sean Payton and the first for Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb against his former team.
After a trip to Buffalo, the team will play back-to-back home games first against the New York Giants on Sunday, Oct. 8. The Giants are coming off their first postseason appearance since 2016, in which they knocked off the third-seeded Minnesota Vikings before falling to Philadelphia.
Miami hosts the rejuvenated Carolina Panthers the following weekend on Sunday, Oct. 15. The Panthers logged seven wins last season, tied for their most since 2017, and are looking to take another step forward under new head coach Frank Reich, first overall pick Bryce Young, and wide receivers D.J. Chark Jr. and Adam Thielen.
Miami completes its regular season series with New England on Sunday Oct. 29 before new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and the Las Vegas Raiders come to town Sunday, Nov. 19.
The team concludes its 2023 regular season with four of the last five games at home. A three-game home stretch begins Dec. 11 with 2020 Offensive Player of the Year Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans in what will be Miami's first home Monday Night Football game since 2017.
Then, on Sunday, Dec. 17, Dolphins fans will get their first glimpse of four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers with his New York Jets squad followed by Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Dec. 24.
Finally, the Dolphins will close out the 2023 regular season at home against the Buffalo Bills in a rematch of last season's AFC Wild Card matchup.
Big-Time Road Opponents
In addition to the three annual divisional games against New England, New York and Buffalo, the Dolphins have a number of intriguing road matchups against less-familiar opponents on the 2023 schedule. The team will spend its first two Sundays on the road, opening the season at SoFi Stadium against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 10.
The Dolphins then visit New England on Sept. 17 for Sunday Night Football. A trip to Buffalo falls two weeks later on Sunday, Oct. 1. Miami's next three road games will be on national television. The Dolphins head to the reigning NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 22 in the team's second Sunday Night Football appearance of the season.
Two weeks later, Miami will face the Super Bowl LVII champion Kansas City Chiefs in Frankfurt, Germany, on Sunday, Nov. 5 at Deutsche Bank Park. The venue is home to the Bundesliga's Eintracht Frankfurt.
After a bye week and a home game, the Dolphins will hit the road again in front of a national audience as the team travels to MetLife Stadium to take on the New York Jets on Friday, Nov. 24. It will be the league's first-ever Black Friday game and will be televised on Prime Video and amazon.com, as well as an undetermined local Miami-Ft. Lauderdale station.
Miami will open and close the month of December with a road contest at Washington on Sunday, Dec. 3 and at Baltimore on Sunday, Dec. 31. It was in Baltimore last year where the team posted the largest come-from-behind (21 points) road win in franchise history.
