Dolphins in good shape to get the help they need to make playoffs
However, if the Ravens go into Cincinnati and beat the Bengals, the Dolphins will instantly become the biggest Chargers fans in the country. If the Dolphins win, it squashes the Chargers playoff hopes, so they will be playing for pride and for their first year head coach, Mike McCoy to end on a high note. If they win, they’ll finish 9-7 in McCoy’s first year, a year after they finished 7-9. If they win and the Dolphins win, the Dolphins will have found and reassembled their playoff ticket, earning them a date next weekend with a division winner.
Even though the Chargers wouldn’t have their playoff lives to play for, their game against the Chiefs might be made easier by the fact that Andy Reid intends on resting his starters. The Chiefs are locked into the #5 seed and have nothing to gain on Sunday. That means Alex Smith and Jamaal Charles will likely only see limited time. The Chiefs will still try to win the game with their backups, but will be playing at a disadvantage. We can only hope that the Chargers, dejected from not having a chance at the postseason, can do their part to pick up the win.
As you can see, a lot of things have fallen into place for the Dolphins, allowing the help they need to have motivation/advantages in their games. The Dolphins can’t control what happens in those games. All they can focus on is beating the Jets and hoping that one of the other 2 results falls their way. They’ve put themselves in this position…..this is a must win game on many levels. First, to have a chance at the postseason, they must win. Second, if Jeff Ireland and Joe Philbin want to continue to be employed, they likely must win this game.
Finishing 9-7 and going to the playoffs looks a lot better than finishing 8-8 and losing back to back games with your playoff lives on the line. 8-8 would also only be a 1 game improvement after what many thought was a pivotal offseason for this regime. You remember, they brought in Mike Wallace, revamped the linebacking corps, signed playmakers Brandon Gibson and Dustin Keller, traded up for Dion Jordan, and used their other top draft picks on secondary and O-Line help. After a crucial offseason, an improvement of only 1 game would speak LOUDLY to Mr. Ross (I hope) and this fan base. So yeah, this game on Sunday against the Jets is kind of important…..
