| Team: | Miami Dolphins |
| Year: | 2018 |
| Record: | 7–9 |
| Division Place: | 2nd AFC East |
| Coach: | Adam Gase |
| General Manager: | Chris Grier |
| Owner: | Stephen M. Ross |
| Stadium: | Hard Rock Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers: | CB Xavien Howard |
| Uniform: | File:Miamidolphins uniforms13.png |
| Shortnavlink: | Dolphins seasons |
The 2018 season was the Miami Dolphins' 49th in the National Football League (NFL), their 53rd overall and their third and last under head coach Adam Gase. During the offseason, the Dolphins tweaked their uniforms' orange color to better align with their classical past and history. For the second straight season, they also brought back their throwback uniforms from the Shula/Marino eras and wore them for three games.
With quarterback Ryan Tannehill playing for the first time since 2016, the highlight of the Dolphins' season came during a memorable Week 14 win against division rival and defending back-to-back AFC champion New England Patriots, which prevented the Patriots from clinching the AFC East that week. However, the Dolphins would lose all of their remaining games and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year. The 7–9 finish was also the team's second consecutive losing season, with all 7 wins decided by one possession scores.
| Position | Player | Age | 2017 Team | Contract | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | Danny Amendola | 32 | New England Patriots | 2 years, $12 million | |
| RB | Brandon Bolden | 28 | 1 year, $850,000 | ||
| RB | Frank Gore | 35 | Indianapolis Colts | 1 year, $1.015 million | |
| QB | Brock Osweiler | 27 | Denver Broncos | 1 year, $880,000 | |
| G | Josh Sitton | 31 | Chicago Bears | 2 years, $18 million | |
| WR | Albert Wilson | 25 | Kansas City Chiefs | 3 years, $24 million |
| Position | Player | Age | 2018 Team | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DT | Ndamukong Suh | 31 | Los Angeles Rams | 1 year, $14 million |
| C | Mike Pouncey | 29 | Los Angeles Chargers | 2 years, $15 million |
See main article: 2018 NFL draft.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | |||||
| 2 | 42 | ||||
| 3 | 73 | ||||
| 4 | 123 | TE | From Carolina via Cleveland | ||
| 131 | From New England via Philadelphia | ||||
| 6 | 209 | From Kansas City | |||
| 7 | 227 | LB | From San Francisco | ||
| 229 |
Draft trades
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 24–26 | 0–1 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap | ||
| 2 | at Carolina Panthers | L 20–27 | 0–2 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | ||
| 3 | Baltimore Ravens | L 10–27 | 0–3 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap | ||
| 4 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 34–7 | 1–3 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
The Dolphins' 2018 schedule was finalized and announced on April 19.[1]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 9 | Tennessee Titans | W 27–20 | 1–0 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap | |
| 2 | September 16 | at New York Jets | W 20–12 | 2–0 | MetLife Stadium | Recap | |
| 3 | September 23 | Oakland Raiders | W 28–20 | 3–0 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap | |
| 4 | September 30 | at New England Patriots | L 7–38 | 3–1 | Gillette Stadium | Recap | |
| 5 | October 7 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 17–27 | 3–2 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap | |
| 6 | October 14 | Chicago Bears | W 31–28 | 4–2 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap | |
| 7 | October 21 | Detroit Lions | L 21–32 | 4–3 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap | |
| 8 | at Houston Texans | L 23–42 | 4–4 | NRG Stadium | Recap | ||
| 9 | November 4 | New York Jets | W 13–6 | 5–4 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap | |
| 10 | November 11 | at Green Bay Packers | L 12–31 | 5–5 | Lambeau Field | Recap | |
| 11 | Bye | ||||||
| 12 | November 25 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 24–27 | 5–6 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap | |
| 13 | December 2 | Buffalo Bills | W 21–17 | 6–6 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap | |
| 14 | December 9 | New England Patriots | W 34–33 | 7–6 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap | |
| 15 | December 16 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 17–41 | 7–7 | U.S. Bank Stadium | Recap | |
| 16 | December 23 | Jacksonville Jaguars | L 7–17 | 7–8 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap | |
| 17 | December 30 | at Buffalo Bills | L 17–42 | 7–9 | New Era Field | Recap | |
Due to two weather delays, the game lasted for 7 hours and 10 minutes, the longest game since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970.[2] Coincidentally, wide receiver Danny Amendola met with former teammates Malcolm Butler and Dion Lewis. The three played for the New England Patriots from 2015 to 2017 and helped them win Super Bowl LI over the Atlanta Falcons.
With the win, the Dolphins improved to 3–0, their first such start since 2013.[3]
With their first loss of the season, the Dolphins failed to earn their first 4–0 start since 1995, during the Dan Marino era and Don Shula's final year as the Dolphins' head coach.
A last-second field goal kick by Jason Saunders barely averted a tie and gave the Dolphins the win in overtime.
The Dolphins were seeking their first win over the Lions since 2006.
See also: Miracle in Miami.
This was the Dolphins' first loss to the Vikings since 2002.
With the loss, the Dolphins were eliminated from playoff contention.
This season finale marked the final games of players such as quarterback Ryan Tannehill, linebacker Cameron Wake, and head coach Adam Gase all in Dolphins uniforms.