After back-to-back wins to begin November, the Miami Dolphins are clinging to an unrealistic but not impossible dream.

If the Dolphins won their last six games of the 2025 season, there’s a good chance their 10-7 record would be enough for a spot in the playoffs. Finishing 9-8 likely leaves Miami on the outside looking in, and any record below .500 would almost certainly be the end of the road.

Fortunately for Miami, its next two opponents are among the NFL’s worst. Things get a bit tougher after that, though.

Here are Miami’s last six games of the year, ranked from the easiest to the most difficult for the Dolphins to win:

It’s pretty clear that the Dolphins’ next two games are the lightest work on the docket. Which one belongs at the top of the list is tough to say.

We’ll go with the upcoming matchup with the Saints because it’s being played at Hard Rock Stadium. The four times the Dolphins didn’t reach 300 yards of offense so far this season all came in road games.

New Orleans is no free win, though. With rookie Tyler Shough at the helm, the Saints just had their best offensive output of the season in their last outing and got an upset 17-7 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

5. Week 14 at New York Jets (Dec. 7)

The Jets are a decade removed from their last winning season, yet two of Mike McDaniel’s three trips to face them at MetLife Stadium ended with bad losses. The most recent was a 32-20 loss in the regular season finale last year with long shot playoff hopes on the line for the Dolphins.

So even though Miami already got a win against the Jets earlier this season, this one is no gimme either.

It does help, though, that the Jets traded away cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams in the time since these two teams last met.

While the Bengals have a 3-7 record, the impending return of Joe Burrow makes this a potentially challenging matchup for the Dolphins.

Burrow or not, the Bengals are dead last in points and yards allowed this season and haven’t kept an opponent below 27 points since Week 1. But the return of Burrow and the combo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins could be a handful for the injury-riddled Dolphins secondary.

The Buccaneers currently lead the NFC South, but they’ve started to slide. After a 5-1 start, Tampa Bay has lost three of its last four as injuries have taken a toll. Now the Bucs have the Panthers breathing down their neck.

Tampa Bay players who have missed significant time include running back Bucky Irving, receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, offensive linemen Tristan Wirfs and Cody Mauch, and defensive tackle Calijah Kancey.

It’s hard to say what the Buccaneers lineup will look like when they face the Dolphins just a few days before New Year’s Eve. But it doesn’t look quite as scary as the last two matchups on this list.

2. Week 18 at New England Patriots (Jan. 4)

The Patriots, not the Bills, are the ones currently running away with the AFC East. After eight consecutive wins, New England’s 9-2 record is tied for the AFC’s best mark and quarterback Drake Maye is a favorite for MVP honors.

When the Patriots visited Miami in Week 2, the Dolphins had two chances to take a late lead, but a Tua Tagovailoa interception followed by a turnover on downs sealed the win for New England.

The question in Week 18 will be how much the Patriots actually have to play for before the playoffs start. If they have the AFC East wrapped up before January begins and the No. 1 seed isn’t up for grabs, New England may have every reason to have Joshua Dobbs starting at quarterback against the Dolphins.

1. Week 15 at Pittsburgh Steelers (Dec. 15)

The Steelers probably aren’t the best team on this list, but the Dolphins’ Week 15 test looks like a rough one.

For starters, it’s a mid-December road game in Pittsburgh that kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET. The safe bet is that it’ll be cold. Snow isn’t out of the question. Winning in that environment hasn’t been the Dolphins’ forte.

Then consider what Aaron Rodgers did to the Dolphins last year. The Jets’ overtime loss to Miami was his only 300-yard game with New York. Four weeks later, he threw four touchdown passes to send the Dolphins into the 2025 offseason with a loss that caused months’ worth of drama.

Now Rodgers is with the Steelers along with former Dolphins players Jalen Ramsey, Jonnu Smith, and DeShon Elliott. Emotions could be high, the lights will be bright, and the air will likely be chilly. That should make for a very telling night for the Dolphins.