Schedule Stories: Sneak Peek at 2025, Remaining Flex Possibilities

The Miami Dolphins are scheduled to face the Cleveland Browns in prime time in Week 17

Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith (9) makes a catch for the game winning touchdown during overtime against the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium. / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins remain in the playoff picture in the AFC as they head into the final four games of the regular season, and their closing schedule still features a game whose kickoff time is uncertain.

The Dolphins are scheduled to face the Cleveland Browns in the Sunday night game of Week 17 — December 29, to be precise — but it's a game that's subject to be flexed. And it's probably a good bet that the game indeed will be flexed if the Dolphins fall out of contention.

The final decision has a deadline of Monday, Dec. 23, which is the day after the Dolphins face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16.

While the Miami-Cleveland matchup might not be overly enticing anymore because of the Browns' disastrous season — they've already been eliminated from playoff contention — a lack of inventory just might keep the game in prime time.

Week 17 kicks off with two great Christmas Day matchups — Pittsburgh at Kansas City and Baltimore at Houston — and those games won't move. The Monday night game between the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers also isn't likely to be flexed before the deadline of December 18.

And then there's the quirk in the schedule that week, with five games designated as TBD for three Saturday slots and the other two staying on Sunday afternoon.

Those five TBD games are Denver at Cincinnati, Arizona at L.A. Rams, L.A. Chargers at New England, Indianapolis at N.Y. Giants and Atlanta at Washington. Based on the current standings, one would think DEN-CIN, ARI-LAR and ATL-WASH would get the standalone treatment.

There's no fixed date for when the NFL will announce the Saturday, December 28 schedule, other than "later date during the season."

There is one game currently scheduled for 1 p.m. that has a lot of appeal, and that's Green Bay at Minnesota, but we could just as well see that one switched to 4:25 p.m. to replace the current national doubleheader game of Philadelphia at Dallas. Moving the Cowboys out of the spotlight normally is a laughable idea, but they're on the verge of playing extinction with Cooper Rush playing quarterback.

The rest of the Sunday slate for Week 17 is very uninspiring: New York at Buffalo, Tennessee at Jacksonville, Las Vegas at New Orleans, Carolina at Tampa Bay.

The bottom line is don't be surprised to see the Dolphins game at Cleveland remains in prime time.

As for the rest of the Dolphins schedule, it's pretty much set, starting with the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The Week 16 game against the San Francisco 49ers is slotted as the 4:25 p.m. national doubleheader game, and the regular season finale against the New York Jets almost assuredly will stay as a Sunday afternoon game (January 5) because the Jets already have been eliminated from playoff contention.

SNEAK PEEK AT THE DOLPHINS 2025 SCHEDULE

With the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills already having clinched division titles, that has eliminated the Chiefs as a potential 2025 opponent for the Dolphins.

With a three-game lead over the Jets and Patriots with four games left, the Dolphins almost assuredly will finish in second place in the AFC East, which brings a bit more clarity as to their final list of opponents for next season.

Based on the NFL's rotation formula, we already knew 14 of the Dolphins' 17 opponents (technically 11 of 14 opponents because they face the Bills, Jets and Patriots twice), and the three remaining opponents to determine are those that will finish in the same place in their division standings in the AFC South, AFC West and NFC East.

2025 Home Opponents

Buffalo, New England, N.Y. Jets, Baltimore, Cincinnati, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, AFCW, NFCE

2025 Away Opponents

Buffalo, New England, N.Y. Jets, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Carolina, AFCS

The second-place AFC West team that will come to Hard Rock Stadium in 2025 will be either the L.A. Chargers or Denver Broncos. The NFC East team right now looks like the Washington Commanders, who are three games behind the Philadelphia Eagles and three games ahead of the Dallas Cowboys for second place.

The one undetermined road game likely will be at Indianapolis, which has a three-game lead over Jacksonville and Tennessee for second place in the AFC South, unless the Colts can overtake the Houston Texans for the division title.

Let's also remind everyone that the Dolphins will be playing an international game next season, most likely in Spain or Brazil.