Tuesday marked the 25th anniversary of the last Miami Dolphins' postseason victory. Unfortunately, Week 18 will conclude Miami's season this year, and the longest drought in the NFL will continue, as the Dolphins will not have the opportunity to end it.
One silver lining, though, is that the Dolphins could be picking inside the top 10 of the 2026 NFL Draft if all goes right this weekend. The Dolphins have several areas of need heading into next season, so a top-10 pick won't make a significant difference, but it would allow Miami to select someone who could make an impact as soon as the 2026 season.
After their win this past Sunday over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Dolphins currently sit with the No. 11 overall pick for the 2026 NFL Draft. The top five is out of the question, but Miami could pick as high as No. 8 overall with a loss and a few other games to go their way.
Miami Dolphins' draft rooting guide for Week 18 to maximize draft position
The Dolphins went 2-2 last week in reference to the scenarios needed to pick as high as possible next April. Unfortunately, their win over Tampa Bay is what knocked them out of the top 10 as things stand, with a little help from the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night to move them back up into the 11th spot. A loss to the Bucs would have put Miami in the eighth spot.
The good news, though, is that the Dolphins can still pick as high as No. 8, as mentioned, and, like last week, matchups in other games potentially favor Miami in getting that high. A win, however, could knock the Dolphins as low as 14th in the upcoming draft.
So, first things first, the Dolphins need to lose their regular-season finale. In a best-case scenario, quarterback Quinn Ewers continues to show signs of improvement and development, as well as strong production from other rookies and some of the younger players -- all in a losing effort.
And as it stands, there is a legitimate shot at that happening, with a visit to New England to take on the Patriots to close out the 2025 season upcoming. The Patriots have clinched the AFC East division, but they are now playing for potentially higher stakes, with the AFC's No. 1 seed on the line.
New England needs to win, and for a Los Angeles Chargers team that already announced they will rest starters, to go on the road and beat the Denver Broncos to secure the No. 1 spot. It's an unlikely scenario, but it means New England will play its starters nonetheless. The Patriots were in a similar situation six years ago, when a lesser Dolphins team came into Foxborough and upset them in the regular-season finale, giving the Kansas City Chiefs the top seed that year.
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Assuming the Patriots take care of business at home this time around, the Dolphins could once again get help from the New Orleans Saints and Cincinnati Bengals, both of whom won their respective games last week. And despite both sitting with 6-10 records, the Saints and Bengals have been playing good football to end the season.
New Orleans, in fact, has won four straight games and will travel to take on the Falcons on Sunday in the early window. Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough has been playing terrific football for the Saints and is making a claim that the franchise doesn't need to draft a QB because they already have one. A fifth straight win to close out the season would be a great argument for that case.
The Bengals, meanwhile, dominated the Dolphins in Week 16 and continued to pile it on last week against the Arizona Cardinals. After going scoreless against Baltimore, Cincinnati outscored its last two opponents, 82-35. The offense will likely have a tougher time against the Cleveland Browns' dominant defense in Week 18, but the Bengals should do enough to come away with the win at home.
Then, there are the Chiefs, who currently sit in the No. 9 position for the 2026 NFL Draft, which is just weird to type out. Kansas City is picking in the top 10 after representing the AFC in the Super Bowl for much of the past decade. Yet, after losers of five in a row, and losing Patrick Mahomes in the process, here we stand.
However, the Chiefs have a good opportunity to close out the season with a win. And that's because they take on the team currently with the No. 1 pick, the Las Vegas Raiders. The Chiefs may be without Mahomes, but the Raiders have already packed things in and are ready to get started on the 2026 season with the No. 1 pick in their grasp.
Quarterback Chris Oladokun only threw for 66 yards last week against Denver, but he's been admirable in his limited playing time, and the Chiefs almost came away with the upset vs. the Broncos. One has to believe that a similar performance from Kansas City would result in a commanding victory on the road in Vegas.
Unfortunately, the Dolphins won't be in the postseason again, but early signs and performances showcased that this was not a playoff team. At this point, it's about developing the young players and picking as high as possible in the draft.
For many years, the Dolphins have been in a state of limbo as a team not good enough to reach the postseason but also not bad enough to receive high draft capital. This year is much of the same, but a potential top-10 pick could go a long way for this team's future.