The Miami Dolphins have the second-hardest strength of schedule behind Philadelphia next season

The NFL won’t announce the 2023 schedule until the middle of May, but Miami’s opponents for the season are set in stone.

With a record of 158-127-2, the Dolphins trail only the Philadelphia Eagles (161-123-4) for the toughest strength of schedule entering the 2023 season. The New York Giants, New England Patriots, and Dallas Cowboys are tied for third (156-128-4) with the New York Jets (155-129-3) and Buffalo Bills (155-131-2) right behind them.

This points more to the success of teams in both the AFC and NFC East this season than it does to the expectations for coach Mike McDaniel and the Miami Dolphins next year. The Denver Broncos (5-12) and so are the Las Vegas Raiders (6-11) are all on the schedule, but so is the entire NFC East, which had three teams make the playoffs this season.

Of course, the offseason comes with plenty of opportunities to make adjustments to the roster and most teams won’t look the same come September. In fact, four of this year’s seven AFC playoff teams were not in the dance last season while three of the seven NFL playoff teams missed the tournament in 2022.