There are many ways to analyze and evaluate the Miami Dolphins' 2024 schedule, and one of them is to rank each game by degree of difficulty.
And doing that exercise, we'll plainly see that the hardest parts of the schedule mostly come toward the end.
So here, understanding that circ*mstances can and will change between now and the four months of the regular season because of injuries and other factors, is our ranking (countdown style) of the Dolphins' 17 games by degree of difficulty.
17. Week 12 —vs. New England
This ain't Tom Brady's Patriots anymore. Whether it's rookie Drake Maye or veteran Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, the Pats figure to be heavy underdogs for most, if not all, of their division games.
16. Week 11 —vs. Las Vegas
This game will mark the return to Miami of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and he's got a formidable defensive line partner with Maxx Crosby, but the Raiders offense with Gardner Minshew or Aidan O'Connell at quarterback and now without Josh Jacobs doesn't really scare anybody.
15. Week 5 —at New England
The one tricky part about this game is that the Dolphins will be coming off a Monday night game and going on the road, but the talent gap between the team is pretty clear.
14. Week 8 —vs. Arizona
This ranking might end up being too low because the Cardinals do have some intriguing possibilities with Jonathan Gannon in his second year as head coach and Marvin Harrison Jr. a major addition on offense, but the Dolphins at home are tough to beat.
13. Week 4 —vs. Tennessee (MNF)
Yes, the Titans shocked the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium in a Monday night game last December, but they no longer have Mike Vrabel as head coach or Derrick Henry at running back.
12. Week 1 —vs. Jacksonville
The Jaguars were one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL in 2023 and this will be a big season for QB Trevor Lawrence. But let's not forget Jacksonville won the AFC South in 2022, won a playoff game and then gave the Chiefs all they could handle in the divisional round.
11. Week 14 —vs. N.Y. Jets
This obviously is dependent on Aaron Rodgers still being in the lineup in December, though Tyrod Taylor still would be way more challenging to face and defeat than the Jets' 2023 backups, Zach Wilson and Tim Boyle.
10. Week 7 —at Indianapolis
The Colts' 2023 season ended when they dropped a winner-take-all AFC South showdown against Houston, but early in the season QB Anthony Richardson showed great potential.
9. Week 3 —at Seattle
The Seahawks very well might wind up last in the NFC West by the end of the 2024 season, but Seattle always is a tough place for visiting teams and new head coach Mike Macdonald's defense could be tricky to solve.
8. Week 10 — at L.A. Rams (MNF)
We start getting to the really tough matchups here. Yes, the Rams no longer will have Aaron Donald, but there's plenty of talent on offense and Sean McVay is in the same category as Mike McDaniel as an offensive mastermind.
7. Week 2 —vs. Buffalo (TNF)
We probably should be ranking this game much higher given how Buffalo has handled the Dolphins in recent years, but while the Dolphins won't have their normal hot-weather advantage in this September game, they will have the advantage of playing at home on a very short week.
6. Week 18 —at N.Y. Jets
Again, this assumes Rodgers is in the lineup. Don't be shocked if this ends up being for the AFC East title.
5. Week 17 —at Cleveland (SNF)
The Browns defense was ridiculous (as in ridiculously good) at home last season and even if it drops a little in 2024, facing it on what figure to be very cold conditions only will add to the challenge.
4. Week 15 —at Houston
4. This is mostly about the expectation that the Texans could become a powerhouse this season after what they did in 2023 with a rookie quarterback and a rookie head coach. And we also should mention that Houston now has Stefon Diggs, who often has been too much to handle for Miami.
3. Week 13 —at Green Bay (TNF)
The Packers have a lot of similarities to Houston in that it's an up-and-coming team with an awful lot of good young players. And playing at Lambeau Field at night in what could be cold weather only will make this more challenging.
2. Week 16 —vs. San Francisco
Sure, it's a home game, and we generally don't rank home games that high, but the 49ers have been really, really good in December in recent years and this being a 4:25 p.m. game in late December pretty much negates the Dolphins' home-team advantage.
1. Week 9 —at Buffalo
Until further notice, this has to get the top spot. The Dolphins haven't won in Buffalo since 2016 and despite the Bills' offseason losses, this still looks like the most daunting task on the Miami schedule.
-- Dolphins 2024 Schedule Takeaways
-- Early Look at 2025 Dolphins Opponents
-- Dolphins and Other Teams' Schedule Release Videos
