The Miami Dolphins are heading into a season that feels built for growing pains. They open with a two-week West Coast trip against the Las Vegas Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers, and the Jeff Hafley/Jon-Eric Sullivan era is almost here. The catch is brutal: Miami enters 2026 as the youngest team in the NFL and faces the second-toughest schedule in the league.
That combination makes the win total a tricky call. There’s clearly room for a young roster to improve, but the path is lined with teams that can punish mistakes. The most realistic expectation is that the Dolphins will have chances to steal a few games, even if the ceiling still looks low.
Week 1 offers Miami its best shot. The Dolphins are projected to beat the Raiders, with the matchup centered on Miami’s defense against a Kirk Cousins-led offense.
Cousins can be erratic, and the pressure from the front seven is expected to matter. Miami’s offense should have enough to hang around, but the work up front has to hold.
After that, the schedule gets ugly in a hurry. The 49ers are predicted to hand Miami a loss in Week 2, especially with the back-to-back West Coast travel.
Week 3 brings a loss to the Chiefs, with Patrick Mahomes still looming as the difference-maker even if Kansas City is not quite what it was two years ago. Kenneth Walker’s addition is also viewed as a boost for that offense.
The Dolphins are then projected to get back on track in Week 4 against the Vikings. Minnesota is presented as a team with questions at quarterback, specifically with QB Kyler Murray, and Miami is seen as having enough talent to stay in the game and win it late. Week 5, though, swings back the other way with a loss to the Bengals, where Joe Burrow’s health and Cincinnati’s receiver talent make the difference.
Miami’s bye comes in Week 6, and at that point the Dolphins could just as easily be sitting on one win as two. That break is framed as a chance for Hafley to rest his team and work through issues on both sides of the ball.
The middle of the season doesn’t get much softer. The Jets are projected to beat Miami in New York in Week 7, even with questions of their own, because their defense is expected to make life difficult for the Dolphins.
Week 8 is another loss, this time to the Patriots, who are viewed as a poor matchup for Miami. Week 9 brings a loss to the Lions, described as the Dolphins’ most physical opponent of the year.
There are a couple of spots where Miami could land a punch. Week 10 is a win over the Colts, who are expected to overlook a bad team, and Week 12 is a home win over the Jets after Miami dropped the first meeting. In between, though, comes a loss to the Bills in Week 11.
The final stretch is rough. A loss at the Broncos in Week 13 is followed by another physical matchup and a loss to the Bears in Week 14.
Week 15 at the Packers is also a loss, even if the familiarity with the stadium and the opponent makes it a closer game than it might appear. Week 16 brings what will surely be called the Mike McDaniel revenge game against the Chargers, and Miami is projected to lose that one as well.
The season closes with two more losses to Buffalo and New England. The Bills are expected to be rolling by Week 17, while the Patriots are still viewed as difficult to beat even in Week 18, whether Miami is spoiler material or not.
That leaves the Dolphins at 4-13.
It’s not hard to see why. Miami’s best chance at a win comes right away, and the rest of the year depends on how quickly the young players adjust to NFL speed.
During the preseason, most of them saw limited reps, and the first-team offense got only one series across the three games. The Dolphins should find a few openings along the way, but the margin for error will be thin all year.
If Miami gets past four wins, that would be a strong sign that this team is moving in the right direction. But based on this prediction, four victories looks like the ceiling.
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Joe Schads preseason NFL power rankings slot Miami at 30th, a reminder of how little margin for error the team is getting from outside observers. Even with Malik Willis noted as a key offseason addition, the message from the broader league is clear: the Dolphins will have to prove they are better than the expectation attached to them from the start. [Read more 🡒]
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For a Miami offense that can always use more proven depth at receiver, the fit is at least easy to picture. No move has been reported, but Slaytons availability gives the Dolphins another experienced option to weigh as they sort through their roster and look for help around a passing game that values reliable veterans as much as upside. [Read more 🡒]