Dolphins facing dicey final month
The Dolphins will open the 2017 season at home on Sept. 10 against Tampa Bay, but it’s the ending of their schedule that might be the biggest attention-getter, because it seems to be the toughest stretch.
Among the Dolphins’ final six games are two against Super Bowl champion New England (Nov. 26 and Dec. 11) and two against Buffalo (Dec. 17 and Dec. 31), a pair of AFC East rivals that have given the Dolphins problems in recent years. Also included in that stretch is as a home game against Denver (Dec. 3) and a road game at Kansas City (Dec. 24).
And in a bit of a twist, the Dolphins won’t have a bye week following their Oct. 1 game against New Orleans in London. Rather they’ll come back home to host Tennessee on Oct. 8.
The Dolphins were 10-6 last season and made their first playoff appearance since 2008 under first-year coach Adam Gase, and apparently that’s drawn them nationwide interest.
The Dolphins will play four primetime games. Two of those are Monday night games, the first time happened since 2013.
The Dolphins’ primetime games are Thursday night Oct. 26 at Baltimore, followed by a Sunday night game against Oakland on Nov. 5 at Hard Rock Stadium, a Monday Night game on Nov. 13 at Carolina, and the Dec. 11 Monday night game at New England.
And for those wondering about the Dolphins’ built-in homefield advantage – the stifling South Florida humidity in September – its effectiveness might be reduced. The only 1 p.m. home game in September is the opener against Tampa Bay, a team that figures to be somewhat acclimated to the conditions because of its location.
The Dolphins will only have seven home games at Hard Rock Stadium because the New Orleans game is technically a home game. The Dolphins are playing there because of a NFL regulation that requires teams that host a Super Bowl to play in London within five years of being awarded the game. The Dolphins are hosting Super Bowl LIV in 2020.
The Dolphins’ bye week is in Week 11 (Nov. 19). that’s