The Patriots vs Dolphins rivalry returns twice this season: on Sunday, Nov. 1, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, and in Week 18 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. For the thousands of New Englanders who live in or winter in South Florida, it is the AFC East matchup that splits households and sports bars. Here is a guide to the series, the 2026 dates and the numbers behind one of the league’s longest-running division rivalries.
2026 game dates and how to watch
The Week 8 meeting kicks off at 4:25 p.m. ET on Nov. 1 in Miami and will air on CBS (WBZ in Boston), with radio on 98.5 The Sports Hub, according to the Patriots’ official schedule. The Dolphins list the game as subject to the NFL’s flexible scheduling rules, so the kickoff time could still move.
The rematch at Gillette Stadium closes the regular season in Week 18. The NFL has not set its date or time; the Dolphins’ schedule release lists it as Jan. 9 or 10, 2027. Under league rules described on NFL.com, Week 18 dates, start times and networks are announced only after Week 17 ends.
Where the teams stand
Miami enters its Oct. 25 game at the New York Jets with an 0-5 record under head coach Jeff Hafley, according to the Dolphins’ weekly team release. Its losses came against Las Vegas, San Francisco, Kansas City, Minnesota and Cincinnati, and the club had its bye in Week 6. Pro Football Reference ranks Miami 31st in points scored per game (14.0) before Week 7.
New England’s season has included a road win at Chicago, 29-26, on the team’s schedule page, plus the 26-19 win over the Jets in which Drake Maye threw three touchdowns. The Patriots’ Week 10 game against Detroit will be played at the FC Bayern Munich stadium in Germany.
The road ahead for both clubs
The Nov. 1 game opens a division-heavy stretch for Miami, which plays four AFC East opponents in six games: at the Jets Oct. 25, home against New England, at Buffalo Nov. 22 and home against the Jets Nov. 29. The Patriots, after their Week 11 bye, face the Chargers in Los Angeles on Nov. 29, host Buffalo on Dec. 6 and play Kansas City on a Monday night, Dec. 21.
The all-time series
Miami leads the all-time series 64-57, including three playoff meetings, according to figures in the Dolphins’ 2026 schedule release. Home field has mattered: the Dolphins are 43-18 all-time at home against New England and have won 10 of their past 13 home games in the series, while they are 21-39 in games played in New England.
The two most recent meetings both went New England’s way. The Patriots won 33-27 in Miami on Sept. 14, 2025, then beat the Dolphins 38-10 at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 4, 2026.
Why the rivalry matters in Florida
The matchup has a built-in crowd of transplants. The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 state-to-state migration table estimates that 21,834 people living in Florida had lived in Massachusetts one year earlier, the largest flow of Massachusetts movers to any state. Florida’s population passed 23.4 million in mid-2025, according to Census data published on FRED.
That migration helps explain why Patriots road games in Miami often draw visible pockets of New England fans. For readers planning a trip south for the Nov. 1 game or later in the winter, see our guide to Boston-to-Florida flights from Logan.
Historic moments in brief
The teams have shared the AFC East since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Miami’s 1972 team finished 17-0 and remains the only NFL team to complete a perfect season including the Super Bowl, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. New England’s dynasty under Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, which produced six Super Bowl titles between the 2001 and 2018 seasons, shifted the balance of the series for two decades, though Miami’s home record against the Patriots stayed strong through that period.
What to watch Nov. 1
- Whether Miami can stop its losing streak before facing four division opponents in six games.
- How New England handles a late-afternoon road game in South Florida heat.
- Whether the result shifts either team’s position before the Week 18 rematch, which could carry playoff stakes.
The Boston Report will post a recap after the game. Readers wintering in Florida can also find our Boston snowbirds’ guide.
Sources
- New England Patriots: 2026 schedule
- Miami Dolphins: 2026 schedule announcement and series notes
- NFL.com: Miami Dolphins 2026 schedule
- Pro Football Reference: Dolphins at Jets preview, Oct. 25, 2026
- U.S. Census Bureau: State-to-State Migration Flows, 2024
- FRED: Resident Population in Florida
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