The Seattle Seahawks’ win over the San Francisco 49ers in the final week of the regular season simplified the formula for determining the last remaining opponent on the Miami Dolphins’ 2026 schedule. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Rams’ victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Sunday’s late afternoon games clinched the matchups, meaning the Dolphins will visit the 49ers next season.
This outcome hinged on the swing in the NFC West’s third-place finisher, as the Dolphins, being the AFC East’s No. 3 team, are scheduled to play that team on the road.
### Miami’s 2026 Opponents Overview
Miami’s schedule is already set to include:
– **Divisional opponents:** New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and New York Jets (home and away)
– **Home games against:** Los Angeles Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, and Chicago Bears
– **Road games against:** Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, and the San Francisco 49ers
The NFL will release the full week-by-week 2026 schedule later in the year. In the meantime, here are notes on each non-divisional game for the Dolphins next season:
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### Kansas City Chiefs at Hard Rock Stadium
Patrick Mahomes has played two games at Hard Rock Stadium, both six years ago. The first was in February 2020, his first Super Bowl against the 49ers. The second was in December 2020 — his only game against the Dolphins in South Florida.
In that matchup, the AFC champion held a 30-10 lead in the fourth quarter before easing off, eventually winning 33-27. The Dolphins are currently on a five-game losing streak against the Chiefs and haven’t beaten them in Miami Gardens in 20 years.
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### Los Angeles Chargers at Hard Rock Stadium
Quarterback Justin Herbert, picked sixth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft after the Dolphins selected Tua Tagovailoa, has faced Miami four times, averaging 26.8 points per game. This includes 29 points in a pivotal Chargers win earlier this season.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins have averaged 27.3 points per game across those four matchups.
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### Chicago Bears at Hard Rock Stadium
Former Dolphins assistant Ben Johnson returns to Hard Rock Stadium for the first time since his tenure in Miami from 2012-2018.
Miami leads the all-time series 4-0, thanks in part to a legendary Monday Night Football win over the then-undefeated Bears in 1985. Chicago rallied to win four of the next seven meetings, but the Dolphins currently hold a three-game winning streak against the Bears.
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### Detroit Lions at Hard Rock Stadium
Another former Dolphins assistant and interim head coach comes back to Miami Gardens for the first time since finishing a six-year run in South Florida in 2015.
The Dolphins’ last win against the Lions in Miami was a dominant 49-21 victory in the 2002 season opener, which also marked Ricky Williams’ Dolphins debut.
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### Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium
Joe Burrow will look to remain undefeated against Miami, carrying a 2-0 record with an average of 36 points scored per game in matchups against the Dolphins.
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### Denver Broncos at Empower Field*
Broncos coach Sean Payton will have waited three years for this game. The Broncos’ most recent visit to Miami Gardens in 2023 saw them surrender 70 points — the most recent time the teams faced off.
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### Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium*
One of the rare positive swings in the Dolphins’ series record since Don Shula’s retirement after 1995 involves matchups against Oakland/Las Vegas. Miami trailed 6-16-1 entering the 1996 season, but has dominated the past 20 years with a 15-5 record. The series is now tied at 21-21-1.
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### Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field*
Miami was unbeaten 8-0 against Green Bay when Jimmy Johnson replaced Don Shula in 1996. However, Packers’ Hall of Fame quarterbacks Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers have dominated since, winning seven of nine games against the Dolphins.
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### Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium*
The Dolphins have faced a Brian Flores-coached Vikings defense once since his departure from Miami after 2021. That was a narrow 16-10 Dolphins win in 2022, where the Steelers famously dropped four passes from Tua Tagovailoa.
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### Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium*
Before their collapse, the Colts arguably had their best game of the season in the opener against Miami, demolishing the Dolphins 33-8 in Indianapolis.
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### San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California*
One of the Dolphins’ recent memorable moments came on the first play of the last Miami trip to Santa Clara—a 75-yard touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa to Trent Sherfield. However, the 49ers rallied to rout Miami, who had entered that game 8-3.
Miami sputtered after that and finished 9-8, squeaking into the playoffs where they lost a tight 34-31 game to Buffalo.
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*Denotes games that have the possibility of being played internationally.
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Stay tuned for the official release of the full 2026 Dolphins schedule as more details become available.
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2026/01/04/miami-dolphins-opponents-for-the-2026-season/