The NFL continues to expand beyond the United States, announcing its first game in Madrid, Spain, hosted by the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins will play in Bernabeu Stadium, the venue of Real Madrid. The soccer pitch will be transformed into an American football field in a stadium that can hold over 78,000 fans. Miami’s opponent is unknown, and the date is yet to be determined. These facets will remain unknown until the NFL schedule release in spring, but it is still a positive development for the league and the Miami Dolphins.
What This Means for the Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears are the two NFL teams with marketing rights in Spain, so it makes sense that the Dolphins are hosting the first-ever game in Madrid. They hold rights because of the NFL’s marketing deals, giving teams the right to hold events and show commercials in their specified locations. It is an interesting strategy to grow the game and league, where the goal is ultimately to create fanbases in these locations across the globe. The Jacksonville Jaguars regularly play in London and have fans there because of it. The NFL and the Miami Dolphins could aim to create a similar phenomenon in Madrid, Spain.
This is also a step forward for the Miami Dolphins organization. In the 2023 season, the Dolphins faced the Kansas City Chiefs in Germany, and now they are hosting the first game in Madrid. It shows just how much the team has emerged and grown in popularity in recent years. Ever since they added Tyreek Hill, Miami has had more prime-time games. This has led to a mixed bag of success for the team. They’ve made the playoffs two out of the last three years. But both times they were eliminated in the Wild Card Round after falling off in the second half of the season.
The Miami Dolphins Disappointing Season
This season was underwhelming for the Miami Dolphins. They finished with an 8-9 record, missing the playoffs. Tua Tagovailoa was out for significant time with a concussion. This put the Dolphins in a hole that they could not climb out of. They were 2-6 and went on a three-game win streak. At 5-6, they could have made a wild card push but finished the season 3-3 in the last six games. Miami’s biggest flaw in this new era is that they have not been able to beat good teams. They lost to the Bills twice, the Texans, the Packers, the Cardinals, and others.
There has also been some dysfunction among the team. Tyreek Hill has requested a trade after seemingly checking out during the team’s final game of the season. This would be a tough blow for the Miami Dolphins, who gave up significant assets to acquire Hill. At his best, he’s one of the most prolific receivers in the NFL. If the Dolphins do trade Hill, it will be a crucial blow to their offense. Mike McDaniel’s schemes have relied on motion with Hill and Waddle and have never had a prominent rushing attack in his coaching tenure. So, losing a top receiver would affect things, but Hill’s negative impact on the team’s culture could mean he’s as good as gone.
The Miami Dolphins Opponent
The Miami Dolphins do not know their opponent in Bernabeu Stadium, but they know who it could be. They will have home games against their divisional foes, the Patriots, the Bills, and the Jets. They are also scheduled to play the Ravens, Bengals, Buccaneers, Saints, Chargers, and Commanders at home. So, the Dolphins will be facing one of these teams in Madrid. There are multiple intriguing matchups among this bunch, with playoff contenders and star players that will be put on display.
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