Bills vs Jets

Lore & Background

The Dolphins improved upon their 9–8 record from the previous two seasons after a Week 15 win over the New York Jets. With a win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16, they clinched a playoff spot for a second consecutive season. Despite leading the Buffalo Bills by three games with five to play, the Dolphins faltered late in the season and, combined with the Bills going undefeated since the bye, put AFC East control in their Week 18 matchup. In that game, the Dolphins lost to the Bills, giving the Bills the division due to them beating the Dolphins earlier in the season as well. The loss meant 2008 would remain the most recent season the Dolphins won the AFC East. Throughout the year, the Dolphins were noted to struggle to beat teams with winning records, having gone just 1-5 against teams that finished with a winning record.

Reader's Guide

The Dolphins once again failed to win a playoff game, not having done so since 2000, losing to the eventual repeat Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in a 26–7 loss in one of the coldest games in NFL history. This game was Tyreek Hill, Justin Houston, Melvin Ingram, and Emmanuel Ogbah's return to Arrowhead. With the Detroit Lions defeating the Los Angeles Rams and advancing to the NFC Divisional round the following day, the Dolphins officially hold the longest active playoff victory drought in the NFL.

Did You Know?

• In their Week 3 70–20 victory over the Denver Broncos, the Dolphins became the first NFL team to score 70 points in a game since 1966. This was the second most points scored in a regular-season game all time.
• The Miami Dolphins drew an average home attendance of 65,922 in 9 home games in the 2023 NFL season.
• The Dolphins became the first team in NFL history to gain 350 rushing and 350 passing yards in one game, and also the first team in NFL history to score 5 passing and 5 rushing touchdowns in the same game.