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The 2016 NFL regular season still has 17 games to be played before the playoffs start, but the 2017 NFL schedule is already starting to take shape. While the week-to-week specifics will not be known until sometime around April, the opponents for each game is determined well in advance of that release. With one week (plus one game) to be played, the Miami Dolphins’ 2017 opponents are almost locked.
The NFL schedules opponents in a predictable method each year. First, each team will play their three home-and-home series against the other three teams from the division. Then, the league rotates division versus division scheduling each year, with an AFC division and an NFC division each on the schedule, adding eight more games to the 16 game slate. The two remaining games are then scheduled against the teams in the two other intra-conference division that finish in the same relative position in their respective divisions.
That all being said, 15 of the Dolphins’ 2017 opponents are locked in, with one to be decided in Week 17.
Dolphins 2017 home opponents
AFC East division rivals (home-and-home series)
Buffalo Bills
New England Patriots
New York Jets
AFC West
Denver Broncos
Oakland Raiders
NFC South
New Orleans Saints (in London)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
AFC South (Same position in respective divisions)
Tennessee Titans/Indianapolis Colts
Dolphins 2017 away opponents
AFC East division rivals (home-and-home series)
Buffalo Bills
New England Patriots
New York Jets
AFC West
Kansas City Chiefs
San Diego Chargers
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
AFC North (Same position in respective divisions)
Baltimore Ravens
2017 International Series (London)
The Saints “at” Dolphins game will be played in London in 2017 as part of the NFL’s International Series. This game will fulfill the Dolphins’ (unofficial) requirement to “host” a game in London as part of being awarded a Super Bowl (Super Bowl LIV during the 2019-2020 NFL season will be at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium). The game will be played in either Week 3 (September 24) or Week 4 (October 1).
Bye Week
The NFL season is 16 games over 17 weeks, so at some point every teams gets an off, or bye, week. Typically, if a team is scheduled to play in London, the week following that game will be the team’s bye week. Miami should see that continue in 2017, with their off week coming either in Week 4 or Week 5.