2023 Miami Dolphins Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Times and TV Info

The Miami Dolphins turned the corner and made the playoffs last season for the first time since the 2016 campaign.

Now they will look to take the next step and turn into a legitimate AFC contender.

Many of the same pieces are in place, with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa throwing to wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Hill and Waddle are among the NFL's best one-two punches at receiver and will make life easier for everyone else on the offense.

The most important thing for Miami's season will be the health of Tagovailoa, as he suffered multiple concussions that limited him to 13 games last season. The Dolphins went 8-5 during games he started and 1-3 in games he didn't, so keeping him on the field could be the difference in a playoff push.

Figuring out how to navigate an AFC East that will be more difficult with the addition of Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets will be imperative as well, but those games aren't the only ones that stand out on the schedule.

With that in mind, here is a look at the slate.

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2023 Miami Dolphins Schedule

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Analysis

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The 2023 schedule is anything but easy for the Dolphins.

In fact, they have the second-most difficult slate in the league based on opponents' winning percentage from last season. That metric isn't always the perfect indicator of how difficult things will be in the following year, but it underscores the types of challenges the team will be facing.

Those challenges start with matchups against the AFC West.

Miami will face Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Russell Wilson in a trio of games against the reigning-champion Kansas City Chiefs, a Super Bowl contender in the Los Angeles Chargers, and a Denver Broncos squad looking to bounce back under head coach Sean Payton.

Elsewhere, games against the NFC East bring high-profile showdowns with the reigning NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys that will put the Dolphins under the national spotlight.

Miami does get something of a breather with additional games against the Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers, as only the Ravens had a winning record from that group and the Panthers are in the early stages of a rebuild.

The Dolphins will need to take advantage of games like the Carolina one to make another playoff push.

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Pivotal Matchups

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If Miami is going to take a leap in the overall AFC picture and challenge the best teams in the conference, the games against the Chiefs and Buffalo Bills stand out.

Kansas City and Buffalo, along with the Cincinnati Bengals, represent the gold standard in the AFC at this point and are likely Super Bowl contenders. Winning all three matchups against the Chiefs and Bills is a tall ask, but the Dolphins could make a statement by taking one or two of the games.

Elsewhere, the two contests against the Jets figure to be particularly important.

If Buffalo does win the AFC East, Miami and New York will be battling for playoff positioning and second place in the division. The games are also more notable this year because of the addition of Rodgers, which could elevate the Jets into Super Bowl contenders.

The matchup with the Ravens could also be important for AFC wild-card positioning if Baltimore is left looking up at the Bengals in the AFC North. A head-to-head tiebreaker will be on the line if Tagovailoa can outplay Lamar Jackson and earn a key win for his side.