Analyzing the Dolphins playoff hopes entering week 15
Ravens: @ Lions, vs. Patriots, @ Bengals
At least 2 of these games will be very tough for the Ravens, who struggled this week at home against the 3-8-1 Vikings. The Lions are in a dog fight for the NFC North and they are going to be tough at home. The Patriots will have something to play for (the #2 seed and a bye) no matter what happens this week. However, the Bengals game in week 17 could be a game where the Bengals rest their players. By then, they might be locked into the #3 seed and won’t have anything to play for. So, we all need to root like crazy for the Ravens to lose their next 2 games! If the Dolphins and Ravens are the only two teams tied for the final playoff spot, the Ravens get it because of their head to head win earlier this season.
Jets: @ Panthers, vs. Browns, @ Dolphins
The Jets are 6-7 and probably need to run the table to make the playoffs. They will face an angry Panthers team this weekend, then host the flailing Browns before heading to Miami in what could be a must win for both teams. If they win this weekend, they jump right back into the thick of the playoff race.
Chargers: @ Broncos, vs. Raiders, vs. Chiefs
Like the Dolphins, the Chargers have 2 of their remaining 3 games at home. Like the Jets, a win this week would put them back into the mix. If the Chargers (6-7) upset the Broncos, they’ll have home games against the struggling Raiders and then get the Chiefs in week 17, when the Chiefs could be resting players. The Chiefs look destined for the #5 seed in the AFC because they aren’t catching the Broncos for the division and none of these wild card contenders are going to catch them.
It sounds crazy, but we could actually be rooting for the Chargers to win in week 17. Why? If the Ravens finish 8-8 and their 2 losses come from the Patriots and Bengals….and the Dolphins lose 2 of their final 3 to finish 8-8….the Dolphins would need a 3rd team to finish 8-8 to help them get into the playoffs. Again, the Dolphins need to either finish at least 1 game better than the Ravens (because of their loss to them earlier this season) OR they would need a 3rd team involved so that the conference record tie-breaker (and others) apply.
Lets not get ahead of ourselves though….the only thing that should be on the Dolphins’ minds is to beat the Patriots this weekend and take care of their own business. My guess would be that finishing 9-7 would be good enough to get in…..but 10-6 would not only be impressive, but it would almost assuredly give them the #6 seed. On top of that, they would have won 5 straight games and would have a great deal of momentum heading into the playoffs.
One thing is for sure, the Dolphins (and mediocre AFC) have given us something to talk about in December…the possibility of playoff football. That’s something that really hasn’t happened in about 5 years. Buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy ride!
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