Dolphins get whopping five prime-time games on 2024 schedule, including Thanksgiving in Green Bay
The more the Miami Dolphins consistently put a high-profile product on the field, the more they get the national prime-time spotlight.
The Dolphins have five night games on their 2024 regular season schedule, which was unveiled Wednesday night.
Among them, Miami will visit the Green Bay Packers for a Thursday night game on Thanksgiving Day. The Dolphins also get Monday night matchups with the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans, a late-season Sunday night pairing with the Browns in potentially frigid Cleveland and the Week 2 Thursday night showdown with the Buffalo Bills that was already announced Tuesday.
It’s the most prime-time appearances the franchise has had in 20 years (Miami hasn’t been in the national spotlight as much after star running back Ricky Williams retired prior to that 2004 season).
Last season, the Dolphins were initially scheduled for six standalone games, but that included an international game in Germany that was a Sunday morning kickoff in the United States, plus the NFL’s first Black Friday game against the Jets and a Christmas Eve clash with the Cowboys, both which were afternoon starts. Miami also had last year’s regular-season finale against the Bills sent to Sunday night that final week.
The Dolphins also dodged the NFL’s five international games in 2024, the full slate of which was announced Wednesday morning.
Miami’s 17-game schedule is comprised of home and away games against its three divisional foes in the AFC East, games against the entire AFC South and NFC West, plus opponents that finished in the same second-place position in the AFC North (Browns) and West (Raiders) and NFC North (Packers).
It’s a schedule that seems softer in the first half before it ramps up late in the season. Does this set the Dolphins up for another late-season collapse?
Across the NFL, team social media accounts found creative ways to reveal their schedules. The Dolphins made a post showing wide receiver Tyreek Hill and running back Raheem Mostert quickly editing together a video to flash the opponents on the screen in a speedy way.
Here’s the Dolphins’ full 2024 regular-season schedule, with a breakdown of each matchup (games on Sunday, unless noted).
Week 1: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, Sept. 8, 1 p.m., CBS
An all-Florida bout to open the season. Tua Tagovailoa against Trevor Lawrence for the second time as professionals and first time in Sunshine State. The 2021 meeting was in London. It’s also a rematch of the quarterbacks from the 2018 college football title game. The Jaguars have a 6-5 edge in the series between in-state AFC foes.
Week 2: vs. Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 12, 8:15 p.m., Amazon Prime Video
After the Dolphins’ regular season last year closed with the Bills at home, the AFC East rivals meet again in prime time at Hard Rock Stadium early in 2024. With Miami-Buffalo being a night game, the Bills will dodge the September sun beaming on their sideline for their 2024 trip to Hard Rock, although it will still be a hot and humid environment for the team from western New York. After getting swept by the four-time defending AFC East champs in 2023, the Dolphins have now lost 11 of their past 12 against Buffalo.
Week 3: at Seattle Seahawks, Sept. 22, 4:05 p.m., CBS
The longest travel in the NFL goes against the Dolphins in 2024. With Seattle previously in the AFC, this opponent holds the distinction of being the Dolphins’ second-to-last victim in a playoff win, coming after the 1999 season to close out the old Kingdome. Miami didn’t get the Seahawks and Rams games on consecutive weekends, as it usually requests in cases involving two games on the Pacific coast, which would’ve allowed the team to spend the week in between practicing out west.
Week 4: vs. Tennessee Titans, Monday, Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
The league gave the Dolphins the Titans on Monday night again. Miami will surely like to avenge last year’s Monday night debacle, blowing a two-touchdown lead with three minutes remaining, right back at Hard Rock Stadium. Mike Vrabel is no longer on the Tennessee sideline, though, as the Titans hired Brian Callahan and gave quarterback Will Levis wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd, plus Tony Pollard in the backfield to replace Derrick Henry.
Week 5: at New England Patriots, Oct. 6, 1 p.m., FOX
A rebuild continues in New England, and now with new coach Jerod Mayo replacing Bill Belichick. This is possibly the Dolphins’ first look at rookie quarterback Drake Maye in this rivalry. A decent draw here with Miami’s trip to Foxborough coming early in the season.
Week 6: BYE
The NFL’s fastest schedule release, brought to you by the NFL’s fastest team. pic.twitter.com/5jHcUUwLAc
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) May 16, 2024
Week 7: at Indianapolis Colts, Oct. 20, 1 p.m., FOX
After the early bye week, the old AFC East rivals meet again for the first time in three years and first time in Indianapolis since 2019. The Dolphins get a regular-season meeting against the team that was on the wrong end of their last playoff win way back in 2000. Miami will work on changing that factoid come January, but in October at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Dolphins need to contain quarterback Anthony Richardson.
Week 8: vs. Arizona Cardinals, Oct. 27, 1 p.m., FOX
One of Tagovailoa’s first great performances came against quarterback Kyler Murray in Arizona in the middle of his rookie season in 2020. The two meet again for the first time since. Miami is 10-3 all-time against the Cardinals.
Week 9: at Buffalo Bills, Nov. 3, 1 p.m., CBS
After the Tuesday announcement that the Bills’ trip to Miami was early in the season, the initial thought was the Dolphins’ trek to Orchard Park would surely be late in the year, but a decent compromise found here with safety Jordan Poyer’s return to Highmark Stadium wrapping up the first half of the schedule.
Week 10: at Los Angeles Rams, Monday, Nov. 11, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
It’s the third prime-time game on the schedule and third consecutive season the Dolphins visit SoFi Stadium, the last two to play at the Chargers. The Dolphins have won five in a row against the Rams, the last loss coming in St. Louis in 2001, and are 12-2 overall against the franchise. Tagovailoa’s first start and win came at home versus the Rams in 2020.
Week 11: vs. Las Vegas Raiders, Nov. 17, 1 p.m., CBS
One benefit of missing out on the AFC East title: The Dolphins host the AFC West’s second-place Raiders instead of the defending Super Bowl-champion Chiefs. Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, after fleeing to Vegas in free agency, makes his return to Hard Rock Stadium on the visitors’ sideline.
Week 12: vs. New England Patriots, Nov. 24, 1 p.m., CBS
With little expectations for the Patriots, Dolphins need two wins out of this divisional matchup, which wraps up here before Miami travels on a short week for the holiday.
Week 13: at Green Bay Packers, Thursday, Nov. 28, 8:20 p.m., NBC
The NFL seems to love a Dolphins-Packers matchup on a holiday. After pinning the two against each other on Christmas Day two years ago, this is the first meeting of these 2020 draft quarterbacks, Tagovailoa and Jordan Love. Miami lost at home on Christmas Day to Green Bay last time the teams faced off, and visit Lambeau Field for the first time since 2018. This is the “extra game” on the schedule in the fourth season of the NFL’s 17-game schedule.
Week 14: vs. New York Jets, Dec. 8, 1 p.m., CBS
The extreme intrigue that was expected from this rivalry in 2023 was put on hold for a year after quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles four plays into his initial campaign with the Jets. Miami swept a weakened New York team last season by a combined 51 points, and New York is surely pleased to see Hard Rock Stadium in December.
Week 15: at Houston Texans, Dec. 15, 1 p.m., CBS
These two teams met for joint practices and a preseason game last year. The Texans have since made a surprising run to win the AFC South last season, win a playoff game and then bolster the roster in free agency around budding quarterback C.J. Stroud. Does receiver Stefon Diggs have as much success with Houston against Miami as he did the past four years with Buffalo?
Week 16: vs. San Francisco 49ers, Dec. 22, 4:25 p.m., CBS
Fire up all the storylines between coaches Mike McDaniel and Kyle Shanahan, who have been on the same coaching staffs for 14 NFL seasons for five different organizations, including Shanahan’s first five as head coach with the 49ers. Shanahan got the better of McDaniel two years ago when they met in Santa Clara. These franchises, in what’s also a rematch of the Dolphins’ last Super Bowl appearance following the 1984 season, meet in Miami Gardens for the first time since 2016.
Week 17: at Cleveland Browns, Dec. 29, 8:20 p.m., NBC
This could be a very chilly one on a Sunday night off Lake Erie. Also because Miami didn’t win the division over Buffalo, the Dolphins visit the Browns instead of a third consecutive year with a road game in Baltimore. Tagovailoa goes up against the quarterback former coach Brian Flores wanted over him, Deshaun Watson, in the team’s first trip to Cleveland in five years.
Week 18: at New York Jets, Jan. 4 or 5, TBD
The Dolphins closed the last three regular seasons at home on a rotation of the AFC East’s three divisional opponents. This time they finish on the road at MetLife Stadium, with some potential serious playoff implications on the line. The last time Miami played at the Jets to finish a regular season was the 2008 season, when the Dolphins clinched their last AFC East crown in a win over Hall of Famer Brett Favre.
Preseason schedule
The Dolphins also announced their preseason schedule Wednesday night.
Friday, Aug. 9: vs. Atlanta Falcons, 7 p.m., CBS
Saturday, Aug. 17: vs. Washington Commanders, 7 p.m., CBS
Friday, Aug. 23: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 7:30 p.m., CBS