The Miami Dolphins, fresh off their first win of the 2026 season, are back in South Florida to face their second straight AFC East rival, the New England Patriots, but if you’re not in a super specific part of the country, you aren’t going to see it. This Week 8 contest is one of only two late-afternoon games on the schedule, yet it’s been relegated to local networks while almost everyone else gets the Chiefs and Broncos. Seriously, what’s up with that?
The AFC East Scrap Is Happening, Just Not Everywhere
Miami finally broke through for a win in Week 7, taking down the New York Jets and bumping their record to 1-5. It sounds rough, but they’re building something down there, using their Week 6 bye to make adjustments and get that first W for head coach Jeff Hafley with the league’s youngest squad. Now, they’re looking to play spoiler against the Patriots. New England, meanwhile, is sitting at 4-3, but they just took a loss to the Chicago Bears on Thursday night in Week 7. You know the Dolphins are going to come out swinging, trying to upset a team that’s definitely got its sights set higher than 1-5.
Good Luck Finding This Game on Your TV
Here’s the kicker: this Patriots at Dolphins game is on CBS, with Andrew Catalon, Logan Ryan, and A.J. Ross on the call, but your chances of actually watching it are slim if you don’t live in a very particular zone. The plan is for this game to air only in Miami, West Palm Beach, and Fort Myers in Florida. If you’re up in New England, you’re good from Connecticut and Rhode Island through Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire, and across Maine. That’s it. For everyone else in the country, you’re getting the Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos. Sure, broadcast plans can shift last minute, but right now, this is an extremely limited broadcast for an AFC East divisional battle.
So, if you’re not in one of those select markets, you’ll be catching the Chiefs and Broncos in the late-afternoon slot, with Sunday Night Football featuring the Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders later that evening. It’s a bummer for fans who wanted to see if the Dolphins can pull off another upset or how the Patriots bounce back from their Week 7 loss, but hey, that’s how the broadcast cookie crumbles this week.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply