Entering Thursday night, the Miami Dolphins knew who and where they were playing their 17 regular-season games in 2022, but it wasn’t until then that they knew when these contests were taking place.
Now that we have this information in hand, it’s a good time to go through all of these matchups in order and predict the results for each. Obviously, things could change before they actually take place. One team may lose a key piece to injury or one could fire their head coach, but it’ll be fun to at least see what we think the team’s record will be if everything stayed the same.
Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
For the third season in a row, the Dolphins open up the season with a game against the Patriots. Luckily for them, this game takes place at Hard Rock Stadium where the Dolphins may be able to use their newfound speed to tire New England’s team out in the South Florida heat.
The only concern here would be Miami losing Brian Flores, who had intimate knowledge of the workings of things in New England. The Dolphins still could have some of that with Wes Welker and Josh Boyer on the staff, but no one knows how much that will affect the game.
Miami should be able to walk away with a win in the opener.
Dolphins win, and start 1-0.
Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Last season, Miami did everything they could to shut down Baltimore’s offense, and it worked. With the Dolphins returning the same unit on defense, they should be able to run back that same play. Although, Baltimore’s defense returning some of their injured players like J.K. Dobbins and Marcus Peters could impact the game.
Miami should still be able to win this one.
Dolphins win and advance to 2-0.
Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
The Bills are the biggest threat to the Dolphins in the division this year, as they’ve won it in back-to-back seasons. They’ve replaced Levi Wallace with Kaiir Elam and addressed their running back problem by drafting James Cook.
While the games weren’t as out of hand as the scores may have indicated last year, Josh Allen and coach Sean McDermott still put the Bills over the Dolphins in this one.
Dolphins lose and fall to 2-1.
Mandatory Credit: Zach Bolinger/AP Photo
The defending AFC champions have been frequently compared to the Dolphins due to their rebuilds taking place at the same time. Cincinnati has had much quicker success, as Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase put the team on their back last season on their way to a Super Bowl appearance.
These two teams are a lot closer than they might appear, but the Bengals still probably squeak this one out.
Dolphins lose and drop to 2-2.
Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
The Jets nailed the draft, and they seem to be building things in the right direction. Robert Saleh seems to be a decent coach who has things under control, but Zach Wilson has to show improvement in these first four weeks before this should be predicted as a New York victory.
Dolphins win and jump to 3-2.
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota still has Dalvin Cook and Justin Jefferson on offense to make things challenging for Miami’s defense, but the Vikings’ defense that was near the bottom in points allowed per game (25.1) didn’t get that much better this offseason. The Dolphins’ offense should be able to take this one.
Dolphins win and advance to 4-2.
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh’s defense was surprisingly not great last year either (24.4 points per game – 22nd in the league), and they’ve lost the lifeblood of their organization in Ben Roethlisberger. With Kenny Pickett and Mitchell Trubisky battling it out for the starting role, the Dolphins should be able to stifle whoever comes out on top.
Dolphins win and move to 5-2.
Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
The Lions may have finished 2021 with a 3-13 record, but there are a lot of pieces to be excited about. Amon-Ra St. Brown, T.J. Hockenson, D’Andre Swift and first-round picks Aidan Hutchinson and Jameson Williams are all talented players who should help lead this team to relevancy in the near future. That future doesn’t start this year, as Miami’s defense should get to Jared Goff and take this one.
Dolphins win and jump to 6-2.
Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
The Bears were tough to watch last year, as rookie quarterback Justin Fields didn’t have much to work with. They didn’t add enough to make anyone believe they’re going to be playoff contenders this season. For that reason, the Dolphins should handle this matchup easily.
Dolphins win and advance to 7-2.
Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
This game might break the fanbase. If Deshaun Watson is playing and the Browns beat the Dolphins, people may riot. He should be the last piece that they need to make them a true AFC contender. If Watson’s playing and performing like he did when we last saw him, this game will probably be a win for Cleveland.
Dolphins lose and fall to 7-3.
Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
After a bye week, the Dolphins will host Davis Mills and the Texans. They added some young talent this offseason in Derek Stingley, Kenyon Green and John Metchie who could be impact players by the time Week 12 comes around, but Miami still seems to be the better group.
Dolphins win and jump to 8-3.
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Mike McDaniel goes home to face his former team and his good friend Kyle Shanahan. This game feels like there are a lot of things up in the air right now, including the future of Deebo Samuel and who’s going to be the starting quarterback. It’s only fair to consider Jimmy Garoppolo the starter and Samuel still on the team at this point. If that’s the case, the 49ers will win this game.
Dolphins lose and fall to 8-4.
Mandatory Credit: Allen Eyestone/The Palm Beach Post
After two long weeks of likely staying out on the West Coast, the Dolphins should be used to living in California by then. Like the game against the Bengals, this feels like another matchup that’s closer than it feels. However, Justin Herbert and Chargers take this one too, sending the fanbase into yet another spiral despite having a solid record through 14 weeks.
Dolphins lose and drop to 8-5.
Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
If Buffalo beats Miami at Hard Rock, they’re probably going to take this one back in Orchard Park.
Dolphins lose and fall to 8-6.
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
This game is an interesting one. Yes, Aaron Rodgers is the reigning MVP, but he also just lost his top two wide receivers and replaced them with a rookie from the FCS and Sammy Watkins. Considering this is after Week 1, Watkins probably won’t be doing much of anything. Still, you have to give Rodgers the benefit of the doubt in this one.
Dolphins lose and drop to 8-7.
Mandatory Credit: Steven Senne/AP Photo
Despite this game taking place at Gillette Stadium, the Dolphins still feel like the better team at this point.
Dolphins win and jump to 9-7.
Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
This should be another easy one for Miami as long as Wilson doesn’t flip a switch.
Dolphins win and finish the season 10-7.
Sign up for the Dolphins Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning
Before the season begins, we can see where the Dolphins may fall.
Now, we can imagine what they'll look like in the aqua and orange.
Half of Miami's draft class is now under contract.
Powered by WordPress.com VIP
Please enter an email address.
Please check your email for a confirmation.