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
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 ...
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
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 ...
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
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 ...
.
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
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 ...
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 ...