The Miami Dolphins came out almost at the top of the entire NFL in one category when it comes to the 2025 regular season schedule, and that's rest differential.
The question, though, is whether that will make much of a difference in terms of their 2025 record, with recent history suggesting it won't.
Per schedule-related X account NFL Nerd, the Dolphins' rest differential (days between games compared to the opponent) of plus-11 trail only the Detroit Lions' plus-13, with the Los Angeles Rams third at plus-10. At the other end are the Las Vegas Raiders at minus-19 and the New Orleans Saints at minus-14.
2025 NET REST DAYS
Teams with best advantage: DET, MIA, LAR
Teams with worst advantage: LV, NO, WSH pic.twitter.com/mo7kQomz2j— NFL Nerd (@NerdingonNFL) May 15, 2025
The Dolphins' biggest rest differential for any game will come in Week 13 against those Saints when they'll be coming off their bye and the Saints will be coming off a Week 12 game against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Dolphins also will have a rest advantage after both of their Thursday night games, getting three additional days against the New York Jets in Week 4 and against the Buffalo Bills in Week 10.
On the flip side, the Dolphins will be on the short end of a rest differential after their two Monday night games, those two Sunday matchups against the Carolina Panthers in Week 5 and against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16.
The Dolphins are among eight teams that will not face a team coming off a bye in 2025. The Dolphins had two such games last season and they split them, defeating the Las Vegas Raiders at Hard Rock Stadium and losing at Houston.
RECENT REST DIFFERENTIALS AND THE RESULTS
This season marks a contrast from 2024 when the Dolphins ended up with a minus-5 rest differential, but the third time in four years they've been in the positive in this department.
The Dolphins finished at plus-6 in Mike McDaniel's first season as head coach in 2022 and plus-7 in 2023.
But here's the interesting part: More rest hasn't equaled to better results for the Dolphins under McDaniel. On the contrary, it's worked out the other way.
In the three years since McDaniel became head coach, the Dolphins have a 5-6 record when they have more days off than their opponent, but 6-2 when they had less rest.
In 2024, for example, the Dolphins defeated the New England Patriots coming off a Monday night game and with a minus-1 rest differential; the Las Vegas Raiders at a minus-8 differential because the Dolphins were coming off a Monday night game and the Raiders were coming off their bye; and the San Francisco 49ers, who were coming off a Thursday night game and therefore had three more days to prepare.
On the flip side, the Dolphins were coming off their bye and had a plus-7 (days) differential when they faced the Indianapolis Colts, yet lost at Lucas Oil Stadium, 16-10.
in the Dolphins' best season under McDaniel — the 11-6 showing of 2023 — they were 2-1 when they played with a positive rest differential and 2-0 with a negative differential. The one loss was the 56-19 season-changer at Baltimore in Week 17 when the Ravens were coming off a Monday night game while the Dolphins had defeated Dallas the previous Sunday.
Bottom line is, sure, it's preferable to have more rest than opponents heading into a game, but it also doesn't necessarily make a difference in the final analysis.
