Miami Dolphins schedule after Hurricane Irma Week 1 delay: History and oddity

The Miami Dolphins’ 2017 schedule was adjusted on Wednesday when the NFL announced the postponement of the team’s Week 1 contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with concerns for Hurricane Irma. The move shifted the team’s opening week from this Sunday to a week from Sunday, when they head west to face the Los Angeles Chargers. It also made an already odd schedule a little more strange.

The Dolphins (and Buccaneers) will now play 16 straight games without a bye week this season, something the team also did in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew hit Miami and forced their opening week game to be cancelled. The Dolphins reached the AFC Championship game that year.

The schedule for the Dolphins now opens on September 17. The last time that happened, the Dolphins went 17-0 and won the Super Bowl in the league’s only Perfect Season.

Other than those two historical instances, the schedule really is odd.

Miami does not play in Miami until October 8, and they only have two true home games in their first seven contests - the Week 4 “home” game against the New Orleans Saints will be played in London.

The Dolphins still have the three primetime games in a row in the middle of the season, spanning Week 8 through 10, followed by the rescheduled Buccaneers game. That bye week was perfectly timed to allow for the Dolphins to have two weeks to prepare for their Week 12 visit to the New England Patriots, the first of two games against the Super Bowl champions, with the second game just two weeks later in Week 14 on Monday Night Football. Sandwiched between them is a home game against the Denver Broncos.

The season will then finish with another sandwich, with the Buffalo Bills in Week 15 (at Buffalo) and Week 17 (at Miami), with a road trip against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 16.

The full updated Miami Dolphins schedule is below:

Dolphins 2017 schedule

Week 1 - BYE (due to Hurricane Irma)

Week 2 (Sep 17) - @ Los Angeles Chargers

Week 3 (Sep 24) - @ New York Jets

Week 4 (Oct 1) - vs. New Orleans Saints (London)

Week 5 (Oct 8) - vs. Tennessee Titans

Week 6 (Oct 15) - @ Atlanta Falcons

Week 7 (Oct 22) - vs. New York Jets

Week 8 (Oct 26) - @ Baltimore Ravens (TNF)

Week 9 (Nov 5) - vs. Oakland Raiders (SNF)

Week 10 (Nov 13) - @ Carolina Panthers (MNF)

Week 11 (Nov 19) - vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 12 (Nov 26) - @ New England Patriots

Week 13 (Dec 3) - vs. Denver Broncos

Week 14 (Dec 11) - vs. New England Patriots (MNF)

Week 15 (Dec 17) - @ Buffalo Bills

Week 16 (Dec 24) - @ Kansas City Chiefs

Week 17 (Dec 31) - vs. Buffalo Bills