We’ve had some time to digest Miami’s 2020 schedule now. Week-1 vs the Patriots, a Thursday night game vs the Jaguars, a Week-11 bye, and a Week-17 visit to the Bills stand out, but I wanted to dive deeper to see if history can give us any further indication of how the Dolphins will fare this year.
Week 1 – @ New England Patriots
The Dolphins and the Patriots have played each other on 106 occasions in the regular season. The Dolphins lead the head-to-head 55-51. Of the 53 games played in New England, Miami has only won 18.
The Fins have only played in New England in Week-1 on 4 occasions: 1970, 1974, 1987, and 1990. Of the 4 games played in New England in Week-1, Miami has only won 1 (1990.) The 1990 game saw the Dolphins come from behind to win on a 7-yard pass from Dan Marino to Tony Paige in the 4th quarter.
The Pats have won 16 of the last 20 games in New England. The win last year was the first for Miami in New England since Week-3 of 2008.
In the first 9 matchups between the teams, the Patriots were known as the Boston Patriots.
Week 2 – Buffalo Bills
The Dolphins and the Bills have played each other on 108 occasions in the regular season. The Dolphins lead the head-to-head 60-47-1. Of the 54 games between the teams played in Miami, the Dolphins have won 34.
The Bills have only played in Miami in Week-2 on 3 occasions: 1990, 1998, and 2006. In those 3 games, Miami has won 2 (1990, and 1998.) The 1998 game was a low scoring affair that was tied at 7-7 at half-time. The only scoring in the second half was a pair of Olindo Mare FGs which won the game for the Fins, 13-7.
Both teams have enjoyed long winning streaks in the games in Miami. After the Bills won the first encounter in 1966, the Fins then didn’t lose again until 1983. From 1987-1994, the Bills only lost one game (1990.)
The one tied game between the teams came in Miami in Week-6 of the 1968 season.
— DolphinsTalk.com (@DolphinsTalk) May 11, 2020
Week 3 – @ Jacksonville Jaguars
The Dolphins and the Jaguars have played each other on 8 occasions in the regular season. The head-to-head is tied at 4-4. 5 of the 8 games have been played in Jacksonville. Of the 5 games played in Jacksonville, Miami has won 3.
The Dolphins and Jaguars have never played each other in Week-3. The last game Miami played in Jacksonville was in Week-2 of 2015. Miami lost the game 23-20 on a late Jason Myers FG. This Thursday night game represents Miami’s only primetime game of 2020. Miami’s record in Thursday games is 6-8. Miami has only won one game on the road on a Thursday which was @ Carolina in 2009.
The Fins have lost the last two games against Jacksonville. Prior to that, the Fins won 3 straight.
Miami’s most famous game in Jacksonville was the 62-7 hammering in the playoffs in the 1999 season. The game was notable for the size of the defeat as well as being Dan Marino’s final game.
Week 4 – Seattle Seahawks
The Dolphins and the Seahawks have played each other on 12 occasions in the regular season. The Dolphins lead the head-to-head by 8-4. 7 of the 12 games have been played in Miami. Of the 7 games played in Miami, the Fins have won 6.
The Fins and the Seahawks have played each other in Week-4 on 2 occasions (1987, and 1992) – the teams have never met in Week-4 in Miami. Both teams have 1 win in the Week-4 matchups between them. The last game the teams played in Miami was in Week-12 of 2012 where the Dolphins won 24-21.
The Seahawks only win in Miami came in 1996 with a 22-15 victory. The Seahawks managed 3 passing TD of over 50 yards that day.
Most games between the teams are close and low scoring. The largest score by a team in this matchup, in the regular season, was in the 31 points scored by Miami in the first encounter in 1977.
Week 5 – @ San Francisco 49ers
The Dolphins and the 49ers have played each other on 12 occasions in the regular season. The Dolphins lead the head-to-head 7-5. 6 of the 12 games have been played in San Francisco. Of the 6 games in San Francisco, the series is tied 3-3.
The Fins and the 49ers have never played each other in Week-5. 3 of the 6 games played in San Francisco were played in Week-14 which, strangely, are the 3 games the 49ers have won in the series at home.
The last game between the teams in San Francisco was played on Week-14 of 2012. The 49ers won that game 27-13. The game was capped in a high-scoring 4th quarter by a 50-yard TD run by Colin Kaepernick (remember him?)
In the 3 games these teams played between 1992-2001, the 49ers outscored the Fins 94-23.
— DolphinsTalk.com (@DolphinsTalk) May 12, 2020
Week 6 – @ Denver Broncos
The Dolphins and the Broncos have played each other on 18 occasions in the regular season. The Dolphins lead the series 12-5-1. 9 of the 18 games have been played in Denver. Of the 9 games in Denver, the series is tied 4-4-1.
The Fins and the Broncos have met in Week-6 only once. The game was played in Denver in 2002 and the Fins won 24-22. The win was on the back of 2 Ricky Williams TD, a 40-yard interception return for a TD by Patrick Surtain, and a 53-yard game-winning FG, with 6 seconds left on the clock, by Olindo Mare.
Miami has lost 2 of the last 3 games in Denver. The last game in Denver saw a high scoring loss for the Fins; 39-36. Peyton Manning threw for 4 TD that day.
The Fins and Broncos managed a 10-10 tie in Week-1 of 1971. The 20 points scored in that game are the lowest aggregate score in any game between the teams.
Week 7 – Los Angeles Chargers
The Dolphins and the Chargers have played each other on 30 occasions in the regular season. The Dolphins lead the head-to-head 16-14. 12 of the 30 games have been played in Miami. Of the 12 games played in Miami, the Fins have won 8.
The Fins and the Chargers have met twice in Week-7 in Miami. In those games, each team has one win. The last Week-7 game between the teams in Miami was in 1988 where the Fins won 31-28.
In the games in Miami, the Fins won 6 straight between 1988-2014. The last of those wins was a 37-0 thrashing in Week-9 of 2014. The last two games between the teams, whilst the Chargers have been in Los Angeles, have seen one win each.
The Fins and Chargers have met each other 4 times in the playoffs with 3 of the games being played in Miami. The Fins won comfortably in the 1982 and 1992 seasons but lost in the 1981 season, 41-38, in what is considered one of the greatest games ever played.
Week 8 – Los Angeles Rams
The Dolphins and the Rams have played each other on 13 occasions in the regular season. The Dolphins lead the series 11-2. 6 of the 13 games have been played in Miami. Of the 6 games played in Miami, the Fins have won 5.
The Fins have never played the Rams in Week-8. Miami hosted the Rams in Week-7, in both the 1998 and 2004 seasons, and won both games.
The Fins have won the last 4 games between the teams and have won the last 5 games at home. The Fins only loss to the Rams at home was in 1976 whilst the Rams were in their first stint in Los Angeles. The Fins are 6-1 against the Los Angeles Rams and 5-1 against the St Louis Rams.
85% is the highest win percentage Miami has against any team in the regular season.
