Miami Football Blog

Now sitting just a game behind the New England Patriots in the AFC East, the Miami Dolphins’ hopes for a repeat division crown are very much alive. However, with the two teams schedules in the last quarter of the season very similar (both teams have a road game and home game with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans but the Patriots face the Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills instead of the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers), neither of which is very intimidating, especially for the mostly healthy Patriots, the Wild Card might be a more realistic expectation. With two division races all but wrapped up and 2nd place in the AFC West likely to take a Wild Card spot, there appear to be 7 teams with any semblance of a chance to take the 6th spot.

Right now the Jacksonville Jaguars lead that pack of 7, and the Miami Dolphins are nipping at their heels, with a chance to take a valuable tie breaker away from Jacksonville this Sunday. With a win this week, the Miami Dolphins would be 7-6, with tie breakers over the Jaguars and New York Jets, neither of whom would be any better than 7-6. With the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, both currently 6-6, still set to face off in Baltimore in Week 16, the Miami Dolphins would be in prime playoff position with a win this weekend. The Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans are both currently 5-7, giving the Miami Dolphins the opportunity to end those team’s respective playoff hopes in Weeks 15 and 16.

So what are the keys to victory? With Jacksonville the game plan always starts with Maurice Jones-Drew. The explosive 4thyear tailback from UCLA has taken to his starting role nicely this year, already eclipsing the 1000 yard mark and tallying 13 touchdowns and over 1300 total yards through 12 games. Miami needs to slow Jones-Drew down to have a chance in this matchup as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ passing offense is very average. David Garrard is an acceptable quarterback and Mike Sims-Walker has been a huge surprise at wide receiver this season, but Tory Holt is well past his prime and Marcedes Lewis is an inconsistent tight end in the passing game. Essentially, if the New England Patriots couldn’t beat the Miami Dolphins with their passing game, then there is no reason the Jacksonville Jaguars should. Jones Drew is the real weapon on offense for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Miami Dolphins game plan needs to reflect this.

On offense, it will be important to have a good balance in the attack once again, as Ricky Williams has been great, but cannot handle the load all by himself. Last week against the Patriots Chad Henne threw for a career high 335 yards on a career high total of 29 completions. While he does not need to necessarily match that stat line, if he can throw for 225-250 yards and no interceptions, the Miami Dolphins should have a chance to win this game.

It might as well be playoff football already for the Miami Dolphins as any loss from here on could end the Miami Dolphins playoff hopes. With the season on the line week in and week out, you won’t want to miss any of the action. Miami Dolphins Tickets has you covered for both the road and home games, and still has seats and tailgate passes available for the Week 16 game against the Houston Texans and the Week 17 sellout against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Be there as the Miami Dolphins fight for a playoff spot in the homestretch of the season!