2017 Miami Dolphins Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Times and TV Info

The Miami Dolphins finished the 2016 campaign with a 10-6 record and made the playoffs for the first time since the 2008 season. 

They now know the 2017 schedule they must conquer to reach the postseason two years in a row following Thursday's release.

If Miami is going to find success, it will need quarterback Ryan Tannehill to make a jump at 29 years old. This will be his sixth season in the league, so the Dolphins are hoping experience will prove critical against a slate that includes a number of challenging games. 

Here is a look at the Dolphins' complete schedule for the regular season, per NFL.com.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Time (ET)	TV
1	Sept. 10	vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers	1 p.m.	Fox
2	Sept. 17	at Los Angeles Chargers	4:05 p.m.	CBS
3	Sept. 24	at New York Jets	1 p.m.	CBS
4	Oct. 1	vs. New Orleans Saints	9:30 a.m.	Fox
5	Oct. 8	vs. Tennessee Titans	1 p.m.	CBS
6	Oct. 15	at Atlanta Falcons	1 p.m.	CBS
7	Oct. 22	vs. New York Jets	1 p.m.	Fox
8	Oct. 26	at Baltimore Ravens	8:25 p.m.	CBS/NFL Network
9	Nov. 5	vs. Oakland Raiders	8:30 p.m.	NBC
10	Nov. 13	at Carolina Panthers	8:30 p.m.	ESPN
11		Bye Week
12	Nov. 26	at New England Patriots	1 p.m.	CBS
13	Dec. 3	vs. Denver Broncos	1 p.m.	CBS
14	Dec. 11	vs. New England Patriots	8:30 p.m.	ESPN
15	Dec. 17	at Buffalo Bills	1 p.m.	CBS
16	Dec. 24	at Kansas City Chiefs	1 p.m.	CBS
17	Dec. 31	vs. Buffalo Bills	1 p.m.	CBS

Analysis

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Despite making the playoffs last year, the Dolphins didn't inspire in a number of statistical categories. They were a middling 17th in the league in scoring offense largely because they were a disappointing 26th in passing yards per game.

On the other side of the ball, the defense was 18th in the league in points allowed per game.

Were it not for running back Jay Ajayi's 1,272 rushing yards in 2016, the playoffs likely wouldn't have been waiting at the end of the season. Replicating that type of production against the 2017 schedule will be critical if the other areas of Miami's game continue to struggle. 

Miami will need more support from the passing game, which means playmakers such as Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills will be asked to make plays for Tannehill. It also added tight end Julius Thomas as another weapon, so the opposing secondaries on the 2017 schedule figure to be tested more than they were in 2016.

Pivotal Matchups

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As is always the case for the AFC East, any challenger like the Dolphins will circle the games against the New England Patriots.

The defending Super Bowl champions have won the division crown the last eight seasons and 13 of the last 14 years. New England beat Miami in both head-to-head showdowns in 2016, which forced the Dolphins to fight an uphill battle in the standings for the remainder of the year.

The Dolphins can ill afford to lose both games against the Patriots again in 2017 if they hope to surprise and win a division title. What's more, games against the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills will also carry plenty of importance just so Miami can assure it's a two-team race in the AFC East.

Elsewhere, Miami plays critical games against AFC West teams in the Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. The Broncos are just one season removed from a Super Bowl title, and the Chiefs and Raiders each finished 12-4 in 2016 and made the playoffs.

Those games will all be important factors in the various AFC races for wild cards, home-field advantage and seeding. The wild-card situation is especially critical for the Dolphins if the Patriots are going to continue their AFC East dominance.

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