Dolphins playoff hopes hinge on MNF victory
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins will host the New England Patriots tonight on Monday Night Football and their playoff hopes hinge on beating the best team in the AFC.
Miami is still mathematically alive and by now many of you have already skipped to the comment section to tell me that there is no way Miami makes the post-season. Admittedly you are correct.
The Dolphins must win out to have an outside chance at making it past the regular season. With two games left with the Bills and one with the Chiefs Miami will be all-but-officially eliminated with a loss tonight against the Patriots. Which makes this game that much more important to the team.
As it stands now the Dolphins are way out of the race but not so far out that they can’t climb back in. Last nights Baltimore Ravens loss to the Steelers helped a little. With four games left in the season, Miami needs a lot more help.
Miami is currently in the 10th spot as it relates to the playoffs. They are two games behind the Bills and Ravens for the sixth seed. Both of those teams are 7-6. Also at 7-6 are the Chargers who Miami beat in week two. After yesterday’s games, the Raiders have fallen to 6-7 and Miami could climb into a tie with them if they win the near impossible tonight.
The sixth seed will come down to tie-breakers. Miami of course needs to win out which means they would hold the final spot tie-breaker over the Bills. That is the only thing they control. The Ravens, who dismantled the Dolphins in a huge blowout earlier this season needs to lose at least two more games to get out of the head to head scenario.
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If more than two teams are tied for a post season spot the tie-breakers are division, then head to head only if all three teams have played each other. The Ravens have not played the Chargers so if all three teams end with the same record, conference record comes into play.
The Ravens have games against Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati left on their schedule and must lose one of those. That would put them at 7-5 in the conference. The Chargers face the Chiefs, Jets, and Raiders. They too need to lose one game and that would put their conference record at 6-6. The Dolphins, should they win out would finish the season with a conference record of 8-4 and would win the tie-breakers.
Oakland is 5-6 in the conference and have the Cowboys, Eagles, and Chargers on their schedule. The best they can finish in the conference is 6-6 so if the Dolphins end up tied with the Ravens and Raiders, Miami would be eliminated because both teams have beaten the Dolphins. In the Charger/Ravens tie the Dolphins split.
The fact that we are discussing the post-season at all is almost comical given the season that Miami has had but it is still possible. If Miami wins tonight, the door could open a bit more. It will be a tough game for certain but so is making the post-season and the Dolphins will face challenges each of their last three weeks if they do win. That of course is a big “IF” and come tomorrow we will likely be turning out attention to the off-season and the draft.