The 2015 Miami Dolphins season was the franchise's 46th season in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

and the 50th overall. The Dolphins looked to improve on their 8-8 record from 2014 and return to the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons. However, Miami failed to clinch a playoff berth for the seventh consecutive season after a Week 14 loss to the Giants. The Dolphins entered 2015 with

Joe Philbin Joseph Anthony Philbin (born July 2, 1961) is an American football coach who, until recently, served as the offensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, a position he h ...

as their

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

for a fourth season. After the team started 1−3, Philbin was fired by the Dolphins.

Dan Campbell Daniel Allen Campbell (born April 13, 1976), nicknamed "Motor City Dan Campbell", or "MCDC" for short, is an American football coach and a former tight end who is the head coach for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He pr ...

, the team's tight ends coach, served as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season and recorded a 5−7 record. Highlights from the season include the Dolphins' first-ever victory over the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

, their first win over the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

since

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

, and their first road win over the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

since

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

Free agents

2015 draft

Notes * The Dolphins traded their second-round selection (No. 47 overall) to the

in exchange for Philadelphia's second-round (No. 52 overall) and two fifth-round selections (No. 145 and 156 overall). * The Dolphins traded their third-round selection (No. 78 overall) and

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

Dannell Ellerbe Dannell Antonio Ellerbe (born November 29, 1985) is a former American football linebacker. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2009 and has also played for the Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Ea ...

to the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

in exchange for wide receiver

Kenny Stills Kenneth Lee Stills Jr. (born April 22, 1992) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Oklahoma and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Early years St ...

. * The Dolphins acquired an additional fifth-round selection (No. 149 overall) in a trade that sent their seventh-round selection (No. 232 overall — previously acquired in a trade that sent

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

Jonathan Martin to the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

) and wide receiver

Mike Wallace Myron Leon Wallace (May 9, 1918 – April 7, 2012) was an American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality. He interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade career. He was one of the original correspo ...

to the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

. * The Dolphins traded their original seventh-round selection (No. 231 overall) to the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

in exchange for offensive tackle

Bryant McKinnie Bryant Douglas McKinnie (born September 23, 1979) is a former American football offensive tackle. He played college football at the University of Miami, where he was twice recognized as an All-American. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings ...

during the season.

Staff

Final roster

Schedule

Preseason

Regular season

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Washington Redskins

With the win, the Dolphins started 1-0 for the second straight year. This was the Dolphins' first road win over the Redskins since their 1984 Super Bowl season.

Week 2: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville kicker

Jason Myers Jason Myers (born May 12, 1991) is an American football placekicker for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Marist. Professional career Arena Football League In the 2014 season, Myers spent ...

would kick the game winning 28 yard field goal with under 2 minutes left to give the Jags the win. With the loss, the Dolphins fell to 1-1.

Week 3: vs. Buffalo Bills

Ryan Tannehill Ryan Timothy Tannehill III (born July 27, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M, where he was a wide receiver until his junior year, an ...

would be intercepted 3 times in this game, including a pick 6 by Preston Brown, and the Bills trounced Miami in their home opener 41-14. With the embarrassing loss, the Dolphins fell to 1-2. This was also the worst home opening defeat in franchise history.

Week 4: vs. New York Jets

NFL International Series The NFL International Series is a series of American football games during the National Football League (NFL) NFL regular season, regular season that are List of National Football League games played outside the United States, played outside th ...

The Dolphins were considered the home team in the season's first International Series game. They lost dropping them to 1-3 heading into their bye week. A day later, Head Coach Joe Philbin was fired following a 24-28 record with no postseason appearances. Tight Ends Coach Dan Campbell was his replacement serving as an Interim head coach.

Week 6: at Tennessee Titans

On a day in which Miami fans traveled well to seemingly outnumber Tennessee fans, the Dolphins would pick up their first win under Dan Campbell. With the win, Miami improved to 2-3.

Week 7: vs. Houston Texans

The Dolphins thoroughly dominated the first half, scoring 6 touchdowns for a 41-0 halftime lead. With the win, the Miami Dolphins defeated the

for the first time in franchise history. This was also the first time since

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

that the Dolphins scored over 40 points in a game.

Week 8: at New England Patriots

The Dolphins travel to New England to take on the undefeated Patriots. The Dolphins looked to end the streak of the Super Bowl champions, but it was too late as Miami struggled offensively and defensively all game. Cameron Wake left the game with an Achilles tear. The Dolphins later announced that he would miss the rest of the season. He finished the game with two tackles and a sack.

Week 9: at Buffalo Bills

With the loss, the Dolphins fell to 3-5 and were swept by Buffalo for the first time since

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

Week 10: at Philadelphia Eagles

The Dolphins would trail 16-3 at one point, but they would come back to beat Philadelphia. Near the end of the game,

Reshad Jones Reshad Monquez Jones (born February 25, 1988) is a former American football strong safety. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Georgia. Early years Resha ...

intercepted Eagles backup quarterback

Mark Sanchez Mark Travis John Sanchez (born November 11, 1986) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football at the University of Southern California (USC) and was draft ...

to seal the game. This was the Dolphins' first win over the Eagles since

. With the win, Miami improved to 4-5.

Week 11: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Tony Romo Antonio Ramiro Romo (born April 21, 1980) is an American sportscaster and former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Eastern Illino ...

started this game for Dallas, and the Cowboys would snap their 7-game losing streak, while the Dolphins failed to get into any rhythm on offense or defense in the game. The Dolphins were also seeking a home win over the Cowboys for the first time since 1984. This game is known for being Romo's last win in the NFL. With the tough loss, the Dolphins fell to 4-6.

Week 12: at New York Jets

With the loss, the Dolphins fell to 4-7.

Week 13: vs. Baltimore Ravens

With the win, Miami kept their slim playoff hopes alive, and improved to 5-7.

Week 14: vs. New York Giants

With the loss, the Dolphins fell to 5-8, and were officially eliminated from playoff contention for the 7th straight year, a franchise record. They also fell to 0-4 all time against the Giants at home, with

being the last season the Dolphins beat the Giants.

Week 15: at San Diego Chargers

With the loss, the Dolphins fell to 5-9.

Week 16: vs. Indianapolis Colts

With the loss, the Dolphins fell to 5-10, and with Buffalo defeating Dallas the same day, they were assured last place in their division.

Week 17: vs. New England Patriots

With the stunning win, the Dolphins ended their season at 6-10 and kept the Patriots from clinching home field advantage in the AFC Playoffs.

Standings

Division

Conference

References

External links

* {{2015 NFL season by team

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

Miami Dolphins seasons

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...