The Miami Dolphins have managed to keep their slim playoff chances alive with an early morning Week 11 victory in Madrid, Spain, over the Washington Commanders. The real tests are still upcoming after their bye week, however.
The Dolphins have finally won back-to-back games for the first time this season, but they will need to win several more in a row, as one loss will all but officially eliminate them. The Dolphins have no room for error when they come out of their break.
The Dolphins are no longer chasing the rest of the AFC East for a division title. That opportunity is gone, barring an absolute nightmare implosion by the Bills and Patriots. No, the Dolphins are chasing everyone else in the AFC, and they are now just four spots away from the 7th seed.
Miami Dolphins playoff chances remain slim, but slim is still alive
Miami gained one spot with its win over the Commanders on Sunday. Sitting now at 11, Miami has to catch and pass four teams before the end of the year. They are two games out of the playoffs, but it's the team ahead of them that will pose the biggest problem.
Miami has already lost to the Baltimore Ravens, who improved to 5-5 with their win over Cleveland. The Ravens are no longer chasing a Wild Card spot as they are only one game behind the Steelers for the AFC North lead. This is good for the Dolphins.
Miami fans need the Ravens to continue winning. Miami still has to play the Steelers, and a win would give them a chance to get ahead and not worry about the tiebreaker with Baltimore.
The Chiefs (5-5), the Texans (5-5), and the Jaguars (6-4) stand in front of the Dolphins as well. The Jaguars currently hold the 7th seed while the Chargers (7-4) hold the 6th. It will be hard to catch the Chargers, who also own the tiebreaker against the Dolphins.
The best Miami can do is 10 wins this year. That may not be enough to secure a playoff spot, but even if they reach 10 wins and miss the postseason, McDaniel would prove his value to Stephen Ross and the league. If that happened, he could become an unlikely candidate for Coach of the Year.
For fans, this is shaping up to be one of those seasons they'll look back on and start re-watching games they lost and shouldn't have. The Browns, Chargers, and Panthers all were games they should have won, and a late-season push would make those losses hurt even more.
Should Dolphins fans suddenly begin believing in this team again? It would make the rest of the season more entertaining for sure, but as we said, one loss and it's over. A late run may be impressive, but it is much more likely to result in a worse draft position than a playoff berth.