The Dolphins made the playoffs for the first time since2016, finishing with three straight winning seasons for the first time since the2001–2003 seasons. With an 8–3 record by Week 12, the Dolphins had their best start since the 2001 season. However, despite starting the season 8–3, the Dolphins suffered a late-season collapse, losing five straight games. It was marred by several concussions sustained by Tagovailoa that brought into question the teams'handling of concussion protocol and caused him to miss or leave six games.[2] They ultimately won their final regular-season game over theNew York Jets to secure another winning season, matching their 9–8 record from the previous year, and made it into the playoffs for the first time since2016.[3] The Dolphins attempted to get their first playoff win since2000 with third-string quarterbackSkylar Thompson replacing Tagovailoa. Despite a late rally, Miami fell to division rivalBuffalo, 34–31.
Some notable moments from the regular season include Miami's first win over Buffalo andDetroit since the2018 and2006 seasons, respectively, their first away win overBaltimore since1997, and their first loss at home toMinnesota since1976. They were also part of the “Butt Punt” which became a meme on social media.[4]
^The Dolphins traded their first-round selection (15th overall) as well as2021 first and fourth-round selections (12th and 123rd overall) to thePhiladelphia Eagles in exchange for Philadelphia's 2021 first and fifth-round selections (6th and 156th overall).
^abcThe Dolphins traded first, second, and fourth-round selections (29th, 50th and 121st overall), as well as 2023 fourth and sixth-round selections to theKansas City Chiefs in exchange for WRTyreek Hill.
^abThe Dolphins traded a 2021 first-round selection (3rd overall) to theSan Francisco 49ers in exchange for first- and third-round selections (29th and 102nd overall), as well as first-round selections in 2021 (12th overall) and2023.
^The Dolphins traded a third-round selection (81st overall) and a 2021 second-round selection (50th overall) to theNew York Giants in exchange for a 2021 second-round selection (42nd overall).
^The Dolphins traded a 2021 fifth-round selection (207th overall) to thePittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a fourth-round selection (125th overall).
^The Dolphins traded WRDeVante Parker and a fifth-round selection (158th overall) to theNew England Patriots in exchange for a 2023 third-round selection.
^abThe Dolphins traded a sixth-round selection (196th overall) to theBaltimore Ravens in exchange for CGreg Mancz and a seventh-round selection (224th overall).
^The Dolphins traded a seventh-round selection (238th overall) to theLos Angeles Rams in exchange for CBAqib Talib and a 2020 fifth-round selection (173rd overall).
^The Dolphins traded a seventh-round selection (242nd overall) to theCarolina Panthers in exchange for OTGreg Little.
^The Dolphins traded WRIsaiah Ford to the New England Patriots in exchange for a conditional seventh-round selection (242nd overall).
^The Dolphins traded a 2021 seventh-round selection (232nd overall) to theTennessee Titans in exchange for OLIsaiah Wilson and a seventh-round selection (247th overall).
Head coachMike McDaniel recorded his first win as a head coach and became the first Dolphins coach sinceNick Saban in2005 to win their first game as Dolphins head coach, as well as the first head coach in Dolphins history to win their head coaching debut. QuarterbackTua Tagovailoa joined formerDenver Broncos quarterbacksJohn Elway andJake Plummer as the only QBs to beat aBill Belichick-coached team at least three times without a loss. With the win, the Dolphins began the season 1–0. The win was the 497th in Dolphins history.
The Dolphins defeated the Ravens on the road for the first time since the two teams' inaugural meeting in1997. The game saw the Dolphins trail by as much as 21 points at two separate times in the game (down 7–28 at halftime and later 14–35 at the end of the 3rd quarter). Facing almost certain defeat, quarterbackTua Tagovailoa orchestrated four touchdown drives late in the game during the fourth quarter (including back-to-back 40+ yard scores toTyreek Hill) to tie the game up at 35–35. The Ravens attempted to end the game with a 51-yard field goal courtesy ofJustin Tucker to go ahead 38–35, but on the ensuing drive, Tagovailoa hitJaylen Waddle for the game-winning touchdown with 14 seconds left to make the score 42–38. The Dolphins' defense held for the rest of the game, and hung on for the comeback win, and leftM&T Bank Stadium with a stunned partisan crowd of Raven fans behind. Tagovailoa finished the game with a career-high 469 passing yards and six touchdowns and receivers Waddle and Hill became the first pair of teammates in NFL history to catch 10 passes for over 150 yards and two touchdowns in the same game. With the win, the Dolphins improved to 2–0. It was also Miami's first ever win at M&T Bank Stadium (the Dolphins’ 1997 win was atWar Memorial Stadium) and the 42 points scored exceeded the 39 combined points they had scored in four previous trips to the Ravens’ stadium. The win was the 498th in Dolphins history.
The undefeated Bills traveled south to visit the Dolphins, back home at Hard Rock Stadium. In a tightly contested game that was kept within a 1-score possession the entire game, it was aChase Edmonds touchdown that gave Miami the lead for good, 21–17. Toward the end of the game, a notable incident happened. With Miami lined up in punt formation, punterThomas Morstead fielded the ball and kicked it with no issue; however, the ball went straight into the rear end of Dolphins blockerTrent Sherfield, who was lined up too close to Morstead. The ball bounced out of bounds for a safety, which cut the score to 21–19. The blocked punt would quickly be coined as"The Butt Punt" by fans online.[6] Despite a desperate late drive byJosh Allen and the Bills' offense, Miami held on for the nail-biting win when the clock ran out before the Bills could spike the ball when they got close to field goal range. This was the Dolphins' first win over the Bills since Week 13 of the2018 season. With the win, the Dolphins improved to 3–0, their first such start since 2018. The win also marked their 499th victory in franchise history (including playoff games), bringing them one victory away from reaching 500 wins.
Following the game, CBS showed footage of Bills offensive coordinatorKen Dorsey throwing his headseat and playbook onto a table repeatedly in frustration. The footage, although brief, quickly went viral online and soon became a meme.[7] The Dolphins were also criticized for keeping Tagovailoa, who had apparently suffered aconcussion from slamming his head on the ground after being hit by Bills linebackerMatt Milano, in the game, instead ruling that he had suffered a "back injury".[8]
The Dolphins' chance at clinching their 500th victory in franchise history came to a screeching halt against a Bengals team still looking to find its footing. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was cleared to play after being a game-time decision due to his injury from the previous game, was carted off the field after suffering a head injury from a sack by Bengals defenderJosh Tupou in the late 2nd quarter. BackupTeddy Bridgewater stepped in for Tagovailoa beginning in the 3rd quarter, where he threw for 193 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. With the loss, the Dolphins fell to 3–1.
QuarterbackTeddy Bridgewater made his first start in a Miami Dolphins uniform and just seconds into the game, suffered a concussion that would cause Miami's 3rd string quarterback and 2022 7th round pickSkylar Thompson to enter the game. In the Dolphins' first loss to the Jets since 2019 and their largest loss to the Jets since 2004, Thompson threw for 166 yards and 1 interception in his NFL debut. With the loss, the Dolphins fell to 3–2.
Rookie quarterbackSkylar Thompson made his first career start due to starters Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater dealing with concussions. Throwing for just 89 yards, Thompson's first career start was cut short due to a thumb injury he suffered during the 2nd quarter. Bridgewater, who previously played for Minnesota from 2014 to 2017, played in relief for Thompson, where he threw for 329 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. In the 4th quarter, wide receiverJaylen Waddle fumbled the ball, later recovered by Vikings safetyHarrison Smith would cost the Dolphins the game, and it marked their first home loss to the Vikings since1976. With the loss, the Dolphins fell to 3–3.
In the Dolphins' first Sunday Night game since2017, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa played his first game since suffering a severe concussion in Week 4 that would cause the NFL to change its concussion protocols. Former Dolphins head coach and current Steelers senior defensive assistant/linebackers coachBrian Flores made his first return toHard Rock Stadium since his abrupt firing from the Dolphins in January 2022. The 50th anniversary of the1972 undefeated Dolphins were also honored at halftime and the team wore 50th anniversary patches along with throwback uniforms for commemoration. That same season, the Dolphins defeated the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game 21–17. In a heavily defensive game, which saw both defenses hold their opposition scoreless for the entire second half, Tagovailoa threw for 261 yards and a touchdown pass in his first game back from a concussion. Numerous injuries throughout the game drained the defense, including a season-ending leg injury to safetyBrandon Jones. In the 3rd quarter, cornerbackNoah Igbinoghene intercepted a throw by Steelers quarterbackKenny Pickett in the final seconds of the game to end a nail-biting 16–10 slugfest. It handed Pittsburgh their first 2–5 start since 2013. With their 500th win in franchise history, the Dolphins improved to 4–3.
The Dolphins flew toFord Field following their close victory against the Steelers at home to play the slumpingDetroit Lions. This was Lions head coachDan Campbell's first time facing the Dolphins in 7 years, as he previously served as their tight ends coach from 2011 to 2015 under head coachesTony Sparano andJoe Philbin, and later the interim head coach for much of the2015 season. In the first quarter, Miami found themselves in a deep hole early on as the Lions went up 14–0 thanks to aJamaal Williams touchdown and aD'Andre Swift receiving touchdown fromJared Goff. The Dolphins halved the deficit after Tua Tagovailoa hit Jaylen Waddle for a 5-yard touchdown to make the score 14–7. In the second quarter, the exhausted Dolphin defense allowed a quick touchdown from Williams again, courtesy of an efficient, quick 5-play drive that preceded the score. Miami, however would respond with a quick touchdown drive of their own after Tagovailoa hit Waddle for the pair's second touchdown following a quick 3-play drive that included a long strike to Tyreek Hill to cut the score to 21–14. The Lions responded with a Michael Badgley field goal to put the game back to a two-score deficit, but Miami would add a field goal of their own (courtesy ofJason Sanders) to narrow the lead to within 7. Following a defensive stop by the Dolphins, the Lions lined up to punt for what would have been the first time all game, but a clever trick play fake converted the 4th and 2 and kept the drive alive. Detroit capitalized, and added another field goal to go into halftime up 10, 27–17. For the rest of the game, however, the Lions' once high-scoring offense was completely neutralized by a rejuvenated Dolphin defense, which shut out Detroit during the entire second half. The Dolphins capitalized, and in the third quarter hung 14 points on a gassed Detroit defense, courtesy of an Alec Ingold touchdown and aMike Gesicki touchdown reception from Tagovailoa to make the score 31–27. Both defenses took over during the fourth quarter, and the Dolphins ran out the clock and hung on for the win and Miami's first win over Detroit since2006. With the victory, Miami improved to 5–3 on the season, and 5–0 in games where Tagovailoa was their starting quarterback.
This was the Dolphins' first game since2003 where they didn't record a punt. It was also Cleveland quarterbackJacoby Brissett's first return to Hard Rock Stadium since last season. Brissett played for the Dolphins in 2021, where he started 5 games and recorded a 2–3 record as Miami's starter that year. Head coachMike McDaniel also faced the Browns for the first time in 8 years, previously serving as Cleveland's wide receivers' coach under then-head coachMike Pettine during the2014 season. McDaniel revealed on September 23, 2022, that he used clips ofNBAHall of FamerAllen Iverson to guide his receivers during his lone season in Cleveland.[10] It would also mark the first time since2009 that the Dolphins scored over 30 points in 3 straight games. With the win, the Dolphins improved to 7–3, their best start within 10 games since the2001 season.
SF – Christian McCaffrey – 8 receptions, 80 yards, TD
This was head coachMike McDaniel's first return to Levi's Stadium since leaving the Niners to become the Dolphins head coach in February 2022. McDaniel previously served as the offensive and run game coordinator for San Francisco under head coachKyle Shanahan from 2017 to 2021, appearing inSuper Bowl LIV in 2020. It was also Dolphins running backsRaheem Mostert andJeff Wilson's first returns to Levi's Stadium. This game was also the last withJimmy Garoppolo in a 49ers uniform as he suffered a season-ending foot injury early in the first quarter. San Francisco's 3rd string quarterback andMr. Irrelevant of the2022 NFL draftBrock Purdy took over for the remainder of the game, surprisingly leading the 49ers to a 33–17 win over the Dolphins. Purdy would go on to lead the Niners to their third NFC Championship Game in four seasons, while Garoppolo would go on to sign with theLas Vegas Raiders as a free agent three months later. With the loss, the Dolphins fell to 8–4 and snapped a 5-game winning streak.
Despite Miami taking a 20–13 halftime lead, the Packers came back and won due to 13 unanswered 2nd-half points and suddenly sloppy play from Tagovailoa during the second half, who was later revealed to have suffered another concussion right before halftime.[11]
^abLA Chargers claimed the No. 5 seed over Baltimore based on conference record (7–5 vs. 6–6).
^abMiami finished ahead of Pittsburgh based on head-to-head victory, claiming the 7th and final playoff spot.
^abcNY Jets and Tennessee finished ahead of Cleveland based on conference record (5–7 vs. 4–8).
^abNY Jets finished ahead of Tennessee based on common record (3–3 vs. 2–4 against: Buffalo, Cincinnati, Denver, Green Bay, Jacksonville).
^When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.
