The Dolphins are still alive heading into Week 18.
With the shocking loss by the Indianapolis Colts against the New York Giants, the Dolphins are right in the mix to earn a playoff spot. All they need now is a win in Week 18 over the New York Jets and a loss by the Denver Broncos against the Kansas City Chiefs. While a Broncos loss is unlikely, considering the Chiefs might be resting their top players with the No. 1 seed locked up, it is still very possible.
After Sunday’s game, head coach Mike McDaniel came into the locker room and delivered an inspirational message to his team with just one week to go in the season.
https://twitter.com/MiamiDolphins/status/1873777495855817051
“There was a lot of people that told us to give up on the season,” McDaniel said. “F**k am I glad the people in this room did not.”
The Dolphins were able to get a win in this game even without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who missed this one with a hip injury. Tyler “Snoop” Huntley filled in and played his best game of the season, finishing the day 22-for-26 with 225 yards and a touchdown while collecting 52 yards and another score on the ground.
Can Dolphins make some noise in the playoffs?
It’s still unlikely that the Dolphins will even make it into the playoffs, but if they somehow do, what do their chances look like?
The Dolphins would be locked into the No. 7 seed with a win this week and a loss by the Broncos. That means that they would have to go on the road and take on the Buffalo Bills in the first round, which is a very tall task.
The Bills have dominated the Dolphins over the last few seasons since Josh Allen became one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, and this season was no different. Buffalo dominated the first meeting in a 31-10 win and also pulled out a victory in the second meeting between the two teams, 30-27.
Normally, you would think of this Dolphins offense as an explosive group that can hurt you through the air with the combination of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. However, that hasn’t been the case this season, as Mike McDaniel and company seem to have lost that explosive element of the offense that made them so lethal over the last few seasons. Now, this is a team that can’t run the football consistently and relies a ton on underneath passing to create long, sustained drives that score points.
That just isn’t a good formula against a Bills team that is very explosive. Add that onto the current health concerns of Tua Tagovailoa and his hip injury, and the Dolphins would be looking at a steep challenge if they make it to Buffalo for Wild Card Weekend.
Troy Finnegan is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoint
