Playoffs? Dolphins odds are long but here’s a look at Sunday
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins are extreme long shots for the post-season but there is at least a chance. Mathematically if nothing else. Sunday’s games could decide whether the Dolphins stay in the playoff picture.
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The Dolphins are currently 5-7 and are the 11th seed in the AFC. In other words, they are five spots out of the Wild-Card. As of today, the New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs hold the final two positions for the post-season. The Jets own the tie-breaker over the Dolphins with a sweep on the season.
Looking above the Dolphins, two teams are 6-6 and three teams are 7-5. Miami is two games back of really getting into the hunt with four weeks left in the season. Of the remaining games only Indianapolis is a team that is ahead of them. The Dolphins can’t catch the Patriots and the Patriots are not in position to need a Wild Card spot. The Colts however hold a half game lead over the Texans. If the Colts stumble and the Texans continue to win, the game against Indy could be relevant for the Dolphins.
Today’s games could shake a lot of things up. Obviously the Dolphins have to win tomorrow.
If both the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets win and Miami loses, the Dolphins are officially eliminated. The Dolphins would have three games remaining on the season and would be three games back with no way to make-up the tie-breaker against the Jets.
What needs to happen on this Dolphin-less Sunday is for the Steelers to lose to the Bengals, moving the Steelers to 7-6, the Bills to lose to the Eagles putting Miami and Buffalo in a tie at 6-7 (assuming the Dolphins win on Monday). The Texans play the Patriots tonight and win isn’t necessarily a bad thing for the Dolphins. The Texans are one game ahead of the Dolphins but it’s hard to imagine them winning out which could allow the Dolphins to tie the Texans and thus win the head to head.
Obvioulsy a loss by Kansas City to San Diego would help as would a loss by the Jets to Tennessee. The Raiders play Denver so a loss to the Broncos would move the Raiders a game behind the Dolphins. The outcome of today’s games are going to clear some of the space between the Dolphins and the post-season. Potentially. The Dolphins however need to take care of the Giants on Monday night and the Giants, while inconsistent, can be hard to beat.
The fact we are still talking playoffs in relation to the Dolphins still makes you laugh a little bit. Afterall this is a team who started 1-3 on the season, fired their head coach, then their defensive coordinator, then after several more weeks fired their offensive coordinator. Yet again, mathematically, we are talking about playoff scenarios.
Do I think the Dolphins will make the post-season? No, and I haven’t for a very long time. But it is Sunday, the Dolphins are not playing, and technically there is still a chance. A slim one, but a chance nonetheless.