The Miami Dolphins were expected to beat the New Orleans Saints, and next week they will be heavily favored to beat the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. They are playing for pride more than a season-ending run for the playoffs.
Week 13 wasn't good for the Dolphins despite their victory, but it's not like they were set up to last this long if we are being honest. The team's early-season failures put them in a hole that was simply too deep to climb out of.
Miami has been playing well enough to give Stephen Ross a reason to keep Mike McDaniel, but there is no magic pill to get them to the postseason. Not after Week 13. On the field, Miami did enough, but on other fields, their hopes took a hit.
Dolphins' playoff hopes remain anemic after Week 13 goes poorly for their chances
The Dolphins entered the weekend with four wins and improved to five. The biggest problem they face is that no matter what they do, they are chasing teams that have a three-game advantage on them. There are only five weeks of football left, and those leads didn't change.
The playoff picture leaving this week will look a little different as the Colts' loss put the Jaguars in the top spot of their division, sending the Colts to the 6th seed. The Bills' victory over the Steelers sent the Ravens to the top of the AFC North and the Steelers out of the top seven seeds.
The Jaguars, Colts, Bills, and Chargers (all 8-4) maintain a three-game lead over the Dolphins with five games to go. The Texans moved up one with a win and now have seven wins on the season. Miami will play the Steelers in two weeks, but that game will only serve as a potential tie-breaker. The Steelers and Ravens' best chances of making the playoffs are to win their division.
Miami needs a lot of help, and if the Bills and Jaguars both lost, Miami's door would have a larger opening. NFL.com currently has the Dolphins' chances at 1%. They have the 4-8 Bengals at 2% and the 3-9 Jets, who won Sunday, at 1%. It doesn't look good for Miami.
Week 14 will get a lot more interesting for sure. The Ravens and Steelers play each other, the Texans and Chiefs will play, and the Colts and Jaguars will play. All three games could go Miami's way, leaving them only two games behind. Even then, however, it will take many more results going their way for fans to even start thinking about the playoffs.