Miami Dolphins schedule 2022: Dates, times, opponents, and win-loss predictions
The Miami Dolphins are a franchise that has not consistently made trips to the NFL postseason since the late 1990s when Dan Marino was under center.
Since Marino's retirement after the 1999 season, Miami has gone to the postseason just four times. Two of those trips were in the years immediately after, and the most recent trip was courtesy of Ryan Tannehill, who has since joined the Tennessee Titans and moved on to greener pastures.
Since Tannehill's departure in 2019, the Dolphins have thrown transitional options like Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen to fill the gaps. Still, their 2020 first-round NFL Draft selection, Tua Tagovaiola, was supposed to give stability to a position that sorely lacked it the year before his arrival.
Unfortunately, injuries have followed the snake-bitten lefty, who has been dealing with a rash of ailments since his days in Tuscaloosa playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
His 2021 season was derailed by Week 2 rib injuries from a massive hit from Buffalo defensive end AJ Epenesa, which occurred when Tagovailoa attempted a short pass on a fourth-and-2 situation. He essentially missed four games from the incident, and Jacoby Brissett couldn't keep the team afloat in the interim, despite a defense that ranked as a top third unit last season.
People calling in and telling us Jacoby Brissett extends plays and has wheels.
He ran a 4.9. He was slower than Peyton Manning
Just admit you've never seen him
With Tagovaiola back in the mix—and the shadow of the greatest quarterback signing in 2023 free agency hovering over the franchise—will the Dolphins make an ever-important step forward in Year 3 in the AFC East post-Tom Brady?
Miami Dolphins schedule prediction
Here is a breakdown of the Dolphins’ 2022 schedule, including dates, start times, and analysis for all 17 games:
Week 1: vs. New England Patriots
Prediction: W
Tyreek Hill could be due for a spectacular debut at Hard Rock Stadium in front of a Miami crowd ready to see their team finally get their franchise moving in the right direction after five postseason-less years.
@MiamiDolphins)Tyreek has Tua's back 🤝 @cheetah @Tua
(🎥 @MiamiDolphins) https://t.co/UGRWTQ54U4
Week 2: at Baltimore Ravens
Prediction: W
The Dolphins could get some early season hype with back-to-back wins to kick off the 2022 proceedings. Tua Tagovailoa outduels Lamar Jackson in what could be a defensive battle here.
Week 3: vs. Buffalo Bills
Prediction: L
That early-season hype will come crashing down when reality hits and a genuine contender like the Bills comes in and shows the Dolphins there's still work to do to be in that weight class.
Week 4: at Cincinnati Bengals
Prediction: L
By the time the Bengals are done with the Dolphins on the fourth Thursday matchup of the season, Miami will understand that the AFC totem pole has several teams on top of it, and they are not in that exclusive club just yet.
Week 5: at New York Jets
Prediction: W
The skid will stop with a win at MetLife Stadium against a Jets secondary that will contain the Tyreek Hill-Jaylen Waddle duo, but not enough to overcome Zach Wilson's potential struggles against an aspiring Dolphins defense.
Week 6: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Prediction: W
Miami will get back to winning ways at home against a Minnesota Vikings team that didn't do much to spring forward this offseason. The win will set the Dolphins on a promising path.
Week 7: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Prediction: W
Pittsburgh should be a better team than many predict, with Mitch Trubisky overcoming an unfair reputation from rookie-year struggles. The Dolphins knocking them off in a Sunday Night Football showdown will continue to prove they are for real in the AFC.
Week 8: at Detroit Lions
Prediction: W
The Lions took good foundational pieces during the 2022 NFL Draft, but they're not going to be taking enough steps forward this coming season to knock off a dark horse like the Dolphins.
Week 9: at Chicago Bears
Prediction: L
Miami won't be running off to a 7-2 start, as Justin Fields and the Bears are sure to catch some teams napping this season. The Dolphins will be favored but will lose a game they should have won along the way.
Week 10: vs. Cleveland Browns
Prediction: W
The Dolphins will head into the break with a much-needed, razor-thin victory over the Browns at home after a down-week in the Windy City on the second Sunday of this upcoming November.
Week 11: BYE
Week 12: vs. Houston Texans
Prediction: W
Perhaps there's something Texans head coach Lovie Smith knows about Davis Mills that the rest of the world doesn't, but Houston could be a team in tanking mode by the time these two brawl.
Week 13: at San Francisco 49ers
Prediction: L
The schedule grows tumultuous as the calendar turns to December. The 49ers will offer a problematic first matchup as part of a three-game road trip. Miami won't come out of it with a win.
Week 14: at Los Angeles Chargers
Prediction: L
A second straight scare on the West Coast will result in a loss for Miami, traveling from South Florida to the Pacific Rim during those two weeks.
Week 15: at Buffalo Bills
Prediction: L
This season, the Bills will be the Achilles' heel of the Dolphins, handing them two losses in their two divisional matchups. Miami will come out of this road trip beyond scathed, losers of three straight games.
Week 16: vs. Green Bay Packers
Prediction: L
The wheels will be falling off in Miami Gardens by the time they host the Packers on Christmas Day. Aaron Rodgers could be on a different level of motivation this season with all his newfound weapons, and the Dolphins could be just a game over .500 by the new year.
Week 17: at New England Patriots
Prediction: L
New Year's Day devastation could be in store for a franchise on life support when the Patriots visit Hard Rock Stadium in the penultimate matchup of the season. 8-8 is the result.
Week 18: vs. New York Jets
Prediction: W
After a five-game losing streak that ends any postseason hopes, the Dolphins end the season against the Jets with a feel-good win at home that may end New York's playoff ambitions.
Miami Dolphins record prediction: 9-8