2021 Miami Dolphins season
56th season in franchise history
The 2021 season was the Miami Dolphins' 52nd season in the National Football League and their third and final year under head coach Brian Flores.
| 2021 Miami Dolphins season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Stephen M. Ross |
| Head coach | Brian Flores |
| General manager | Chris Grier |
| Home field | Hard Rock Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–8 |
| Division place | 3rd AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | CB Xavien Howard |
| Uniform | |
 | |
Draft
change| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Jaylen Waddle | WR | Alabama | from Philadelphia |
| 18 | Jaelan Phillips | OLB | Miami | ||
| 2 | 36 | Jevon Holland | FS | Oregon | |
| 42 | Liam Eichenberg | OT | Notre Dame | from New York | |
| 3 | 81 | Hunter Long | TE | Boston College | from San Francisco |
| 7 | 231 | Larnel Coleman | OT | UMass | |
| 244 | Gerrid Doaks | RB | Cincinnati | from Washington |
Regular season
changeSchedule
changeThe Dolphins' 2021 schedule was announced on May 12.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 12 | at New England Patriots | W 17–16 | 1–0 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 19 | Buffalo Bills | L 0–35 | 1–1 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | September 26 | at Las Vegas Raiders | L 28–31 (OT) | 1–2 | Allegiant Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | October 3 | Indianapolis Colts | L 17–27 | 1–3 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | October 10 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 17–45 | 1–4 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap |
| 6 | October 17 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 20–23 | 1–5 |  Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London)
|
Recap |
| 7 | October 24 | Atlanta Falcons | L 28–30 | 1–6 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | October 31 | at Buffalo Bills | L 11–26 | 1–7 | Highmark Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | November 7 | Houston Texans | W 17–9 | 2–7 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 11 | Baltimore Ravens | W 22–10 | 3–7 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap |
| 11 | November 21 | at New York Jets | W 24–17 | 4–7 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 28 | Carolina Panthers | W 33–10 | 5–7 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | December 5 | New York Giants | W 20–9 | 6–7 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap |
| 14 | Bye | |||||
| 15 | December 19 | New York Jets | W 31–24 | 7–7 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap |
| 16 | December 27 | at New Orleans Saints | W 20–3 | 8–7 | Caesars Superdome | Recap |
| 17 | January 2 | at Tennessee Titans | L 3–34 | 8–8 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
| 18 | January 9 | New England Patriots | W 33–24 | 9–8 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
changeDivision
change| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (3) Buffalo Bills | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 5–1 | 7–5 | 483 | 289 | W4 |
| (6) New England Patriots | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 3–3 | 8–4 | 462 | 303 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 6–6 | 341 | 373 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 0–6 | 4–8 | 310 | 504 | L2 |
Conference
change| # | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division winners | |||||||||||
| 1[a] | Tennessee Titans | South | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .472 | .480 | W3 |
| 2[a] | Kansas City Chiefs | West | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 5–1 | 7–5 | .538 | .517 | W1 |
| 3 | Buffalo Bills | East | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 5–1 | 7–5 | .472 | .428 | W4 |
| 4 | Cincinnati Bengals | North | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 4–2 | 8–4 | .472 | .462 | L1 |
| Wild cards | |||||||||||
| 5[b] | Las Vegas Raiders | West | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 3–3 | 8–4 | .510 | .515 | W4 |
| 6[b] | New England Patriots | East | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 3–3 | 8–4 | .481 | .394 | L1 |
| 7 | Pittsburgh Steelers | North | 9 | 7 | 1 | .559 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .521 | .490 | W2 |
| Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||||
| 8[c] | Indianapolis Colts | South | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .495 | .431 | L2 |
| 9[c][d] | Miami Dolphins | East | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .464 | .379 | W1 |
| 10[c][d] | Los Angeles Chargers | West | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 3–3 | 6–6 | .510 | .500 | L1 |
| 11[e] | Cleveland Browns | North | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 3–3 | 5–7 | .514 | .415 | W1 |
| 12[e] | Baltimore Ravens | North | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 1–5 | 5–7 | .531 | .460 | L6 |
| 13 | Denver Broncos | West | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .484 | .357 | L4 |
| 14[f] | New York Jets | East | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 0–6 | 4–8 | .512 | .426 | L2 |
| 15[f] | Houston Texans | South | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 3–3 | 4–8 | .498 | .397 | L2 |
| 16 | Jacksonville Jaguars | South | 3 | 14 | 0 | .176 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .512 | .569 | W1 |
| Tiebreakers[g] | |||||||||||
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