For coaches and players, winning Sunday at Buffalo is important to help their job security and because, as coach Adam Gase said Wednesday, “8-8 sounds better than 7-9.”
But in one respect, winning Sunday could be detrimental to the franchise’s long-term health.
That’s because, if things break exactly right — or wrong, depending on your perspective — the Dolphins could rise from 15th to 10th in the NFL Draft.
And a team picking 10th or 11th has a much better chance of trading up for a top pick than a team selecting 15th.