Dolphins Fans Wont Believe This Strange 2026 Schedule Snub

Despite missing out on primetime matchups this season, the Dolphins are set for a nationwide spotlight in their August preseason clash with the Giants.

The Miami Dolphins may be shut out of the 2026 primetime spotlight, but they’re still getting a national stage before the real games begin.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported Tuesday that Miami’s preseason matchup with the New York Giants on Saturday, August 22nd will air live on NFL Network at 4:00 P.M. That gives the Dolphins at least one nationally televised appearance, even though they’re scheduled for zero primetime games during the 2026 NFL season.

That regular-season drought is notable in its own right. It marks the first time Miami has not been nationally televised since the 2008 season, a year after the team’s disastrous 1-15 campaign in 2007.

The preseason setting may be the only thing making this one feel manageable for the visitors. Jackson noted the game will be played in Miami’s usual late-summer heat, where temperatures average nearly 90°F that time of year. Still, with no regular-season result hanging in the balance, new Giants head coach John Harbaugh was apparently fine with bringing his team into steamy South Florida for Week 2 of the preseason.

When the regular season arrives, the Dolphins will wait until Week 3 for their first home game. Kansas City comes to Hard Rock Stadium for a 1:00 P.M. kickoff, setting up the first Miami meeting between Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs since December 13th, 2020.

That last matchup turned into a wild one. Kansas City built a 20-point lead in the second half, but Miami stormed back before ultimately coming up short in a 33-27 loss.

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The scheme never got off the ground because it was judged too complicated, and Belichick ended up taking the college route at North Carolina instead of returning to the league. Even so, the report adds another layer to the old Shula shadow that still follows the Dolphins, with Paytons reported thinking showing just how far some around the game will go when that record comes into view. [Read more 🡒]