Football

How the Dolphins Could Work Their Way Into Prime Time in 2026

By Alain Poupart Sports Illustrated

Updated May 16, 2026 11:19 AM

The low national expectations about the Miami Dolphins manifested themselves when the 2026 regular season schedule was released Thursday, and they became one of five teams without a single prime-time game at this time.

The Dolphins were joined in that dubious category by the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans - the teams that owned the first four picks in the 2026 NFL draft, the result of their poor performance last season.

For the Dolphins, this was about projection and the result of the offseason housecleaning that saw the team move on from high-profile talent like Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Bradley Chubb and Minkah Fitzpatrick that left the team with more than $180 million of cap space devoted to players no longer on the roster.

In a media session Friday, the NFL's scheduling guru Mike North basically said the Dolphins and the other four teams simple didn't deserve a prime-time game, though they can play themselves into one if the exceed expectations in 2026.

North, the NFL vice president of broadcast planning and scheduling, was asked specifically about the Raiders not getting a prime-time game, but that also clearly applies to the Dolphins and the other three night-less teams.

"There's still 30 million people watching NFL football at 1o'clock Eastern on a Sunday, and hopefully 35 or 40 million people watching at 4 o'clock on a Sunday," North said. "These teams have every opportunity to play themselves into bigger windows. You know, we always say you play your way into prime time, you don't draft your way into prime time, you don't fire your coach in the prime time, you play your way in the prime time

"Look, if the Raiders have a better than we thought, unexpected season, that's what flexible scheduling is for down the stretch, those last five, six weeks of the season. ... If they're relevant, we'll find a way to get their games on national television down the stretch, so that when they are playing playoff football in January, that's not the first time our fans are going to get to see a Raiders game."

Or a Dolphins game. You get the gist.

Here's the thing, though, the Dolphins being flexed into a prime-time game will require not only them being better than expected in 2026, but also being involved in a good enough matchup in a week where there's a prime-time game that could or should be moved out of prime time.

So we're here to examine the best chances of the Dolphins getting a prime-time game with a flex.

Before we get to it, here's a quick reminder on the flex rules:

SNF can be flexed on 12 days' notice Weeks 5-10

MNF can be flexed on 12 days' notice Weeks 12-17

SNF can be flexed on 6 days' notice in Weeks 12-17

TNF can be flexed on 28 days' notice in Weeks 13-17

BEST FLEX POSSIBILITIES FOR THE DOLPHINS

Let's start by pointing out that it's almost unheard of to have an early-season Sunday night game flexed out, and also understand that the flex is about TV ratings and that means that big national draws like Dallas, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Philadelphia usually won't be moved away from prime time no matter how bad the matchup.

The NFL also won't move the Week 11 49ers-Vikings game in Mexico City out of the Sunday night slot, which means the first realistic flex-out possibility would be the Week 12 Sunday night game that has New England at the L.A. Chargers. But this is a playoff rematch and at this particular time it's tough to project that game being flexed out.

So what week could be more realistic?

Week 18

The simplest way for the Dolphins to earn a prime-time game, which is a badge of honor in the eyes of a lot of fans, would be to still be in the playoff conversation heading into Week 18 so that the NFL picks their game at Gillette Stadium for the Saturday night or Sunday night slot.

Week 15

This is the week the Dolphins will face the Green Bay Packers in Jeff Hafley's return to Lambeau Field, so that matchup would have a lot of appeal if both teams are having good seasons. There are two movable games from where we sit, San Francisco at L.A. Chargers on Thursday night and Detroit at Minnesota on Sunday night. The Sunday night flex is a lot more realistic because that switch could be made six days in advance as opposed to a month.

Week 14

This would involve only the Thursday night game because it's difficult to fathom the NFL moving away from Buffalo at Green Bay on Sunday night or Pittsburgh at Jacksonville on Monday night. The Thursday night game is Minnesota at New England, and the Dolphins play at home against Chicago that weekend. But keep in mind that a Thursday switch has to be determined four weeks in advance, which makes it trickier.

Week 17

It's really difficult to envision the NFL moving away from Philadelphia at San Francisco or Houston at Green Bay, but maybe the Baltimore at Cincinnati game could be vulnerable based on the playoff picture. This is another Thursday night game, this one on New Year's Eve. The Dolphins face the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium that week that week, but remember the Thursday rules.

You'll notice we haven't mentioned Week 16, and that's because we just don't see the NFL moving away from Houston at Philadelphia on Thursday night, Jacksonville at Dallas on Sunday night, or New York Giants at Detroit on Monday night.

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This story was originally published May 16, 2026 at 11:00 AM.