Let’s get it.
The schedule has been released and we now know what the “Biggest NFL season ever” will look like. This will be the first-ever 17 game season and there’s a lot of optimism this year with the Miami Dolphins on the rise.
Miami’s schedule has a lot to like and some things that could have been better. Take a look at our quick analysis.
What’s to like.
Not much is guaranteed in life, but for teams that play in the AFC East, there are three guarantees. They all revolve around location, location, and location. The three guarantees are that games will be played in Upstate New York, Foxboro, Massachusetts, and Miami, Florida. If you’re the opposing team, you hope to avoid Miami at home early in the season. Meanwhile, for the Dolphins, winter games up north can be daunting.
The schedule gods smiled on Miami. Not only do the Dolphins avoid taking the trip up north to face the Patriots or the Bills late in the season, but Buffalo will have to face Miami at home in week 2 at 1 p.m. ET. The average temperature in Miami in September is 89 degrees Fahrenheit. Hard Rock Stadium is also constructed not to give opponents any relief, and the Bills will have the sun beating down on them all game. Definitely an advantage for Miami.
There’s another scheduling quirk that swings in Miami’s favor. When the Dolphins return home to take on the Carolina Panthers in week 12, they will have a four-week stretch with no road games. The next time Miami travels after that is the Christmas weekend primetime matchup against the New Orleans Saints.
What We Don’t Like
Despite winning 10 games last season and even with an improved roster, the NFL is still being cautious in showcasing the Dolphins. 10 teams have five primetime games this season and some of them rightfully so. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs deserve the limelight. However, the Dolphins were only rewarded with two primetime games: one Monday Night game against the Saints and a Thursday Night game versus the Ravens.
While this is still a progression from the one game scheduled last season, still feels like a slap in the face when the San Francisco 49ers have five primetime games. The same 49ers team that was embarrassed by the Dolphins in the not-to-distant past.
Miami will be traveling to London to face off against the Jacksonville Jaguars. This can be considered a primetime game of sorts, but this leads to the other thing we don’t like. The Dolphins have two short weeks surrounding their Thursday and Monday night games. There’s also the long road trip to London in week 6, yet their bye week comes in week 14, sandwiched in between a pair of home games. It’s nice to have a late-season bye week, but it would’ve been nice to offset one of those short weeks.
Final thought
Get excited, Dolphins fans. The Dolphins have a chance to do something special with this schedule.
2021 Miami Dolphins Schedule
- Week 1: at New England Patriots, Sept. 12, 4:25 p.m., CBS
- Week 2: vs. Buffalo Bills, Sept. 19, 1 p.m., FOX
- Week 3: at Las Vegas Raiders, Sept. 26, 4:05 p.m., CBS
- Week 4: vs. Indianapolis Colts, Oct. 3, 1 p.m., CBS
- Week 5: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Oct. 10, 1 p.m., CBS
- Week 6: at Jacksonville Jaguars in London, Oct. 17, 9:30 a.m., CBS
- Week 7: vs. Atlanta Falcons, Oct. 24, 1 p.m., FOX
- Week 8: at Buffalo Bills, Oct. 31, 1 p.m., CBS
- Week 9: vs. Houston Texans, Nov. 7, 1 p.m., FOX
- Week 10: vs. Baltimore Ravens, Nov. 11, 8:20 p.m., FOX/NFLN/Amazon
- Week 11: at New York Jets, Nov. 21, 1 p.m., CBS
- Week 12: vs. Carolina Panthers, Nov. 28, 1 p.m., FOX
- Week 13: vs. New York Giants, Dec. 5, 1 p.m., FOX
- Week 14: BYE WEEK, Dec. 12.
- Week 15: vs New York Jets, Dec. 18 or 19, Time/TV TBD
- Week 16: at New Orleans Saints, Dec. 27, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
- Week 17: at Tennessee Titans, Jan. 2, 1 p.m., CBS
- Week 18: vs. New England Patriots, Jan. 9, 1 p.m., CBS
