Miami Dolphins week 14 rooting guide leads us to Sunday Night Football
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins will know what happens on Sunday when they take the field against the Chargers on Sunday night. So will the Chargers.
The Chargers and Dolphins will square off in a game that is a high-stakes showdown with the playoffs and seeding on the line. For the Dolphins, a win keeps pace with the Bills, setting up a divisional game the following week that could decide the AFC East winner.
For the Chargers, a loss could put them on the edge of making the postseason altogether.
Miami would improve to 9-4 while the Chargers would drop to 6-7, the Chargers know how important this game is for the playoff future making it that much more important. The Dolphins know what it means for the division chances.
Here is how the weekend will break down before we get to the premier game of the week.
Thursday night
Raiders at Rams
The Raiders are quite a bit out of the playoff race at 5 wins and they will likely get eliminated before the final week of the season. We can pretty much eliminate them should the Rams win. The Raiders would stay at a minimum, three games behind Miami.
Jets at Bills
You want so badly to root for the Jets in this one but honestly, this one could either way for the Dolphins and their chances at getting into the playoffs. If the Bills lose and the Dolphins win, Miami would move back into first place with the game against the Bills likely deciding the division but even if the Jets win, the Miami/Bills game is still going to likely decide the division.
The difference is that a loss by the Jets would drop them potentially two games behind the Dolphins if Miami wins. The Jets will need to play nearly perfectly to keep their current seventh seed.
Browns at Bengals
Miracles happen so root for the Browns. Cleveland isn’t mathematically eliminated but the Bengals are breathing down everyone’s neck and starting to get hot. At 8-4 the Bengals own the tiebreaker against the Dolphins so the more losses the better. On the other hand, if the Ravens struggle and lose, the Bengals jump to the top of their division and if Miami is a WC option, it’s better to go head-to-head against the Ravens.
Ravens at Steelers
See the above opening statement about the Browns game. A loss by the Ravens, who are lucky to have won last week against the Broncos, will play Sunday without Lamar Jackson in all likelihood. A Steelers win keeps their slim chances alive but delivers a big hit to the Ravens.
Jaguars at Titans
The Titans at 7-5 fired their general manager on Tuesday in a shocking move. The Titans hold the division lead and really are not being challenged by anyone in the division. The Texans are the worst team in the NFL, the Colts are not that far off, and the Jaguars sit at 4-8. In reality, the Titans would have to free fall to lose the division at this point. In fact, they could lose their remaining games and would still likely win the AFC South.
Chiefs at Broncos
Can the Broncos beat the Chiefs? I suppose it’s possible. You can root for the Broncos but you will probably be disappointed. The Chiefs are the far better team but hey, you never know, as we said, miracles do happen.
Patriots at Cardinals
The only game that the Dolphins will not know how it ends prior to playing will be on Monday night. The Patriots are holding on to the hopes of making the postseason and sitting a 6-6. The Cardinals, have an anemic chance of making the postseason sitting at 4-8.
The Cardinals are not a good football team but they can beat the Patriots who don’t play consistently like a good football team.