On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins won in dramatic fashion on the snowy grounds of Heinz Field. The Dolphins had luck on their side against the Pittsburgh Steelers this time around, as Antonio Brown stepped out-of-bounds on what would have been the craziest to a game in this NFL season. As lucky as it may have been, the Dolphins still positioned themselves for a win, which sets them up nicely to make a playoff appearance this season.
So, can the Miami Dolphins make a playoff run?
The win against Pittsburgh puts Miami at 7-6 overall this year. The Dolphins last three contests will be a home game against the New England Patirots, an away game in Buffalo, and a home contest against the New York Jets. The Dolphins are the only team in the AFC East that still has a chance to knock off the New England Patriots and win the division. To overtake the Patriots, the Dolphins would have to win all three of their remaining games.
Unfortunately, it isn't quite that simple - the Patriots would also have to lose all of their remaining games. New England's remaining schedule looks like this: @ Miami, vs. Baltimore, vs. Buffalo. If this scenario were to occur, the first tiebreaker would be the teams head-to-head record for this season, which would be tied. The next tie-breaker would be divisional record, and the Dolphins would edge the Patriots 4-2 to 3-3 if this scenario played out.
With Tom Brady losing his security blanket and primary red-zone target, TE Rob Gronkowski, to a season-ending knee injury against the Browns last week, the Patriots will have to find ways to distribute the ball to their other receivers. None of these receivers, however, present the matchup nightmare that Gronkowski does, and all of New England's remaining games can potentially be lost. The thought of New England losing all three remaining games is pretty far-fetched, but nothing's impossible in the NFL.
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The Dolphins can win the last remaining wild card spot in the AFC in multiple scenarios. The Chiefs are a current 10-win team, and unless disaster strikes, they'll claim the first wild card spot. The main opposition to the Dolphins' playoff hopes, then, is the Baltimore Ravens.
The Ravens and the Dolphins share identical records at 7-6. The Ravens hold the tiebreaker over the Dolphins after a 26-23 win earlier in the season. The Ravens' three remaining games look like this: @ Detroit, vs. New England, @ Cincinnati.
Like the Dolphins, the Ravens are still capable of winning their division. The Cincinnati Bengals hold a two-game lead in the AFC North that becomes vulnerable with a few losses in their remaining games. When the New England Patriots travel to Baltimore on December 22nd, it'll be a crucial game for the Dolphins' playoff hopes.
Who the Dolphins will be pulling for between the Patriots and the Ravens will be decided against New England this Sunday. If Miami beats New England this weekend, then the Dolphins will be pulling for Baltimore to beat the Pats in hopes that New England will lose their remaining two games. If New England beats Miami, Dolphins fans will be cheering on Tom Brady and the Patriots to clear their team some space to snatch the final wild card position.
The bottom line is this: the Miami Dolphins need to win all of their remaining games to solidify a playoff spot. While there are plenty of scenarios that put the Dolphins in the playoffs, they need to take care of business during the stretch run in order to avoid missing out.
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