The Miami Dolphins 2022 schedule came out a week ago and now having some time to digest it for a few days here are some of my thoughts and observations.
-The Dolphins open with four challenging games (Patriots, Ravens, Bills, Bengals). If Miami goes 2-2 or better in that stretch, 2022 will be a special season for the Fins.
-Per the rule, the NFL can flex two games into Sunday Night between weeks 5-10; Miami has a Sunday Night Game vs. Pittsburgh in Week 7. Pittsburgh is a big TV draw with a national following that will bring in big ratings, which is why this game is on Sunday Night and NBC. If the Steelers (with Trubisky or Pickett at QB) get off to a slow start, I wouldn’t be shocked to see this game flexed to 1 pm or 4 pm. Browns-Ravens, Colts-Titans, and Packers-Commanders are the most likely flex options that week into the primetime slot.
-There has to be a marketing strategy behind Amazon’s logic to want Miami on their platform; I’m just not sure what it is. It was reported that the powers that be at Amazon wanted a Dolphins game at Hard Rock on a Thursday Night. They had to settle for a Dolphins road game instead.
-I think Miami beats the Jets twice, and neither game is close (or tied at any point in the 4th quarter.) In both games vs. the Jets last season, Miami was tied with them in the 4th quarter. Yes, they won, but those games were more difficult than they should have been. This year the Jets have upgraded their roster, but so has Miami.
-You can’t ask for a better time frame for the Metlife Takeover than early October. That event should have perfect football weather and another great turnout.
-The Dolphins have to beat the Bills at least once this year…. don’t they?
-From Oct 23rd to Nov 27th, Miami plays Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, and Houston (with a BYE week mixed in). If the Dolphins are going to make the playoffs, they can’t lose more than once in that stretch.
[pickup_prop id=”24483″]
-I have a bad feeling about the Dolphins’ home game vs. the Vikings. I can see a veteran quarterback with top-notch wide receivers coming into Hard Rock Stadium and giving the Dolphins defense fits.
-The Dolphins have beaten the Patriots the last three times they have played. I think they make it four in a row when they play Week 1. The question is, when they play in Week 17, which will probably be a big game, can they beat them five straight times and on the road in bad weather? Has Tua worked on playing in snow/rain yet? (Remember Tennessee last season)
-The Lamar Jackson and Ravens team we see in Week 2 will be very different than the team we saw on that Thursday night at Hard Rock Stadium last year.
-If Miami is truly a run-first team in 2022, the build-up and hype around Tua vs. Burrow and Tua vs. Herbert won’t live up to the actual quarterback duel itself. Both should be good games, but Miami’s style of offense may not lend to many quarterback shoot-outs.
-It feels odd to see Miami traveling back to San Francisco for a game when the Fins just played them there two years ago. I know how/why it happened with the 17th game and being paired up with an NFC division and such, but it still feels weird.
-Playing Green Bay on Christmas will be fun, but don’t let that game consume your day or put you in a bad mood around your family should Miami lose. It’s Christmas, and family and friends are what that day is all about.
