Miami Dolphins Playoff Prospectus

Had the Miami Dolphins won in Tennessee this past weekend, they would be locked in a 3 way tie at 8-6 for the 5 and 6 playoff seeds with the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens, however the loss dropped Miami to 7-7, part of a six way tie on the outside looking in. The Dolphins obviously need to win out, but they will need some help to play twice in January.

What needs to happen first for the Miami Dolphins to make the playoffs is a loss by either or both of the teams sitting at 8-6, which is not at all out of the question. The Ravens visit the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are tied with the Dolphins at 7-7, this weekend, which is a losable game, and then close at the Oakland Raiders, who have proven to be a tough opponent in recent weeks. The Broncos, meanwhile, are in the midst of another late season tailspin, losing 6 of their last 8 and still having to visit the 10-4 Philadelphia Eagles before hosting the Kansas City Chiefs.

Should the Dolphins get help from the 8-6 teams, they would clearly need to win their final two at home. The Houston Texans visit this weekend, followed by the Pittsburgh Steelers on January 3, both of whom are currently 7-7. Should the Dolphins finish 9-7, the Steelers and Texans would be at best 8-8, eliminating those two, and the Dolphins would hold head to head tiebreakers over 9-7 New York Jets or Jacksonville Jaguars teams. However, should the Tennessee Titans finish 9-7 as well, last weekend's loss would come back to haunt the Miami Dolphins. Tennessee has to host the 11-3 San Diego Chargers on Christmas night though, and the Chargers will be looking to lock up a first round bye, so a Titans loss is still possible.

However, none of this even assures the Miami Dolphins a playoff spot, as the tie breaker scenarios are completely muddled right now. With 8 teams still in the running and several matchups between these teams, there are simply too many possibilities to predict for sure what needs to happen. We KNOW the Miami Dolphins need to win out, and should the New England Patriots lose to both the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans along with the Dolphins winning out, guess who would be repeat AFC East Champions? What we, as Miami Dolphins fans, need to do is get out to Land Shark Stadium this Sunday and next to support the Miami Dolphins in their critical final two games of the season. From there, if the team responds and gets a little help from others around the AFC, then we can start talking about a playoff road trip to Cincinnati or New England. Just a heads up for those interested in a more in depth look, check out the Phinsider's playoff scenario thread here.

Coaches constantly talk about taking it one game at a time, which will undoubtedly be Tony Sparano's plan over the next two weeks. The Miami Dolphins won't make the playoffs if they lose to the Houston Texans, so that needs to be step one, everything else we just have to hope for.