AFC Playoff Outlook – Week 14
Article written by Matthew Cannata. Be sure to follow me on Twitter: @PhinManiacs
Believe it or not, the Dolphins are in very good shape to get the sixth spot in the AFC. If my projections are correct, they would most likely play the Bengals or Colts in the first round. The Dolphins have beaten them both this season.
The Dolphins need to win on Sunday against the Steelers and I think they will. Although they are playing in Pittsburgh, the Steelers aren’t what they used to be in years past. They will have a tough matchup taking Roethlisberger down but Grimes will be able to shut down Antonio Brown and their passing game will then become a bit limited. With that said, let’s take a look at the other games.
The Bengals are currently 8–4 and play the Colts on Sunday. I think that the Bengals will win, but we should be rooting for the Colts. As I mentioned earlier today, it would be good if the Ravens were in position to win the division. That would knock the Bengals down to a wild card spot and the Dolphins hold the tiebreaker over them.
The Ravens are currently 6–6 and will play the Vikings. I think the Ravens will win, but we should be obviously rooting for the Vikings. The Vikings are coming off a dramatic win today so hopefully they can carry the momentum into that game. The Ravens hold the tiebreaker over the Dolphins.
The Titans are currently 5–7 and will play the Broncos. I think the Broncos will win, which is good because we should be rooting for the Broncos. I don’t see any way the Broncos lose this game. A Titans loss will all but eliminate them from the playoffs.
The Chargers are currently 5-7 and will take on the Giants. I think they will win, but we should be rooting for the Giants. If the Giants win, it will all but eliminate the Chargers from the playoffs.
The Jets are currently 5-7 and will take on the Raiders. After seeing how pathetic they looked today, I think the Raiders will win, which is who we should be rooting for. A Raiders win will all but eliminate the Jets from the playoffs.
Oakland, Cleveland, and Buffalo are all currently 4 – 8 and are basically eliminated from the playoffs unless some miracle occurs. This isn’t likely to happen so we won’t get into their schedules.
The Dolphins can move one step closer to securing the last playoff spot on Sunday. I think they will do it. We need to focus on the Dolphins right now while keeping an eye on the other teams. Don’t get caught up in all the media talk about who’s on the bubble and who’s not. The Dolphins can make it happen by winning. If they take care of that, the rest should take care of itself.