Miami Dolphins bye week watch party: Who you should be rooting for
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins will finally have their bye week and it comes at a good time. Late in the season riding a 5 game winning streak. Now, they have to sit back and watch the teams that are still in front of them jump further ahead or drop back towards them.
On Thursday night, the Dolphins got a little help from the Vikings when they knocked the Steelers down. Pittsburgh is still ahead of the Dolphins in the standings for two reasons. One, they tied with the Lions and two John Harbaugh went for two and failed. The Steelers, despite having six wins, only have six losses thanks to the tie.
While Pittsburgh will remain ahead of Miami this week they are not playing very well.
On Sunday, the Dolphins fan base will have plenty of games to watch and root for teams that normally they may not find themselves rooting for.
- Jacksonville at Tennessee – 1:00 Sunday Root for Jax
Rooting for the Jaguars is hard, especially if you are a Jaguars fan. Trevor Lawrence had one TD in the last five games and has only thrown more than one TD, once. Week one when he tossed three. Needless to say, a Derrick Henry-less Titans team should have no problem knocking the Jaguars around on Sunday. Still, root for a miracle.
- Las Vegas at Kansas City – 1:00 Sunday Root for K.C.
The Raiders are the Jekyll and Hyde team of the AFC West. One week they look great and the next they are trying to rally late in the 4th quarter and hoping for pass interference calls to move the ball. Rooting for the Chiefs is the best thing that can happen for Miami. The Raiders are 6-6 on the season so a loss keeps them tied with the Dolphins although they do own the head to head tie breaker should it come into play.
- Baltimore at Cleveland – 1:00 Sunday Root for the Ravens
Admittedly, I hate rooting for the Ravens. I’m not a fan of the Steelers and not much a fan of the Browns either. About the only team I can really stomach in the AFC North are the Bengals. I blame the Browns fan base for my disliking of that team. Normally though, I would root for the Browns against the Ravens but this week, it’s better that the Ravens take control over this game.
The Browns are 6-6 and a loss keeps the Dolphins tied with them.
On a side note, the Ravens schedule is pretty tough down the stretch with games against the Rams, Packers, and Bengals and wrap against the Steelers. If the Ravens finish the season with 10 wins and tie with the Dolphins, Miami wins that tie-breaker. This could be a game that could work in Miami’s favor both ways.
- N.Y. Giants at Los Angeles Chargers – 4:05 Sunday Root for the Giants
The Chargers are one game ahead of the Dolphins with seven wins. A loss will allow the Dolphins to keep pace with them. The problem is the Giants are a total mess right now and the Chargers are trying to keep pace in the West with the 8-4 Chiefs.
- Detroit at Denver – 4:05 Sunday Root for Detroit
Former Miami Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell got an emotional first win last Sunday and the Lions need to feed off of that and take down the much better Broncos on Sunday. The Broncos are 6-6 and could take go a game up on Miami with a win.
- San Francisco at Cincinnati – 4:25 Sunday root for the 49ers
While it would be nice to see the 49ers drop this game and thus move the Dolphins first round pick a little closer to a top ten selection, a loss by the Bengals keeps them only one game ahead of the Dolphins for what could be the final Wild Card spot.
- Buffalo at Tampa Bay – 4:25 Sunday Root for the Bucs
Rarely is there a time to root for the Bills and this is definitely not one of them. The Bills lost to a Patriots team last Monday night who threw only three passes the entire game. Tom Brady will throw a lot more than that.
Buffalo is one game ahead of the Dolphins and the Bucs could keep it that way.
- If all goes Miami’s way
If everything worked out in Miami’s favor this weekend, the Dolphins won’t find themselves jumping up the standings but they will be in a more favorable position as the final weeks come into play.
The Dolphins are 6-7 on the season with the Jets coming to Miami a week from Sunday. Here is what the standings could look like if everything falls into place this weekend.
- Miami – 6-7
- Denver – 6-7
- Raiders – 6-7
- Steelers – 6-6-1
- Buffalo – 7-6
- Bengals – 7-6
- Chargers – 7-6
The remaining top teams are all leading their divisions. This weekend outcome would put the Dolphins within one game of the two Wild Card spots with four games left to go.