Dolphins must enter Sunday’s contest with playoff mentality
In order for the Dolphins to end their playoff drought, they must now treat every game like a playoff game. Their matchup this weekend against the Jets will be the most important of the season to this point.
The Miami Dolphins were a lost cause after a 1-4 start, and viewed as the worst team in the league. However, behind a healthy offensive line and a bruising run game led by Jay Ajayi, the Dolphins have turned a complete 180. Now sitting at 3-4, Miami has a legit shot at making the playoffs for the first time since 2008. It won’t be easy, however, and Miami will need to take every game from here on out seriously, treating each game like a playoff game. It starts this week at home against their archrivals, the Jets.
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With visits to Seattle and New England to start the season, the beginning part of the schedule was brutal for the Dolphins to say the least. In contrast, we’ve reached the point of the schedule for Miami that gets better, at least on paper. As it stands, only one opponent left on Miami’s schedule has a winning record. I’m sure you’ve already guessed it’s the Patriots. The Jets are sitting at 3-5, and are a far cry from the 10-6 team that just missed the playoffs last season. As far as the Dolphins are concerned though, the Jets may as well be 8-0.
New York has had the Dolphins number in recent meetings, including a pair of ugly losses last season to their division rival. The first of which was a 13 point loss in London that resulted in the firing of former head coach Joe Philbin. A trip to East Rutherford in Week 12 was no better, as the Jets once again dominated Miami on both sides of the ball. The Dolphins can ill afford to overlook the Jets 3-5 record. Worse Jets teams have beaten the Dolphins, and a loss would quickly plummet Miami back to the bottom of the AFC East.
The Jets themselves are looking for a way to get back into the playoff picture, and need a victory this week just as bad as the Dolphins. Ryan Fitzpatrick has been more down than up this season, but now has his starting position locked after the season-ending injury to Geno Smith. He could look to this game to bounce back to form. Matt Forte appears back to form with back-to-back impressive outings after a four week lapse in production.
The Dolphins must be disciplined on both sides of the ball, and if they limit their mistakes, should come away with a victory. A game plan similar to the way they defeated Pittsburgh and Buffalo will likely be implemented. While it would be nice to see Ajayi rush for 200 yards again, it’s not to be expected. Miami’s focus will be more on controlling time of possession and field position. They will also look to get the passing game going with New York ranked in the bottom 10 against the pass.
Against a divisional foe this is expected to be a close game, but one the Dolphins should be able to win. They look to have finally found an identity for this team, while the Jets continue to search for answers. Many are calling for a Dolphins blowout, but I’m not quite as optimistic. I do predict that Miami will find a way to win in a close game, however. If we see the same Dolphins team we saw the first five weeks, however, then it’s likely to turn into a long afternoon followed by an even longer season. It may only be game 8, but it holds a lot of playoff implications for Miami. A win puts the Dolphins at 4-4 and opens a clear path to their first playoff berth in eight years. A loss fades them into obscurity, and weakens their hopes for the postseason.