Week 13 of the season will conclude tonight. This season, unlike others, features an extremely tight race for the last two Wild Card spots. With essentially eleven teams fighting for a playoff spot, every game is a potential must win. One team that is in the thick of the race is the Miami Dolphins. Opposed to other teams, the Dolphins have a pretty favorable schedule that includes two straight home games to close out the season.
Things have not been good to Miami, though. Over the last three weeks the Dolphins have lost two games. The losses bring up some cause for concern for Miami. Losing games down the stretch can be crucial to a team’s playoff chances. If you go back to last season, Miami was in position to make the postseason before a dramatic collapse. In order to change that the Dolphins must do one thing – win, of course. Here’s why this year will be different.
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Everyone who has watched the New York Jets play this season would say they are struggling. With just two wins, and uncertainties at the quarterback and in the coaching staff; there is no excuse for a Dolphins loss. That’s why tonight’s game against the Jets is a big game. A win, and Miami will establish a rise in confidence. This is particularly important because after the Jets, Miami host the Baltimore Ravens before traveling to New England to take on the Patriots.
This is where Miami will be challenged. The front seven of Baltimore has improved as the season progressed. The Patriots? Well, they continue being the Patriots. Led by MVP candidate Tom Brady, they currently hold the number one seed in the AFC. In these two games Miami will find out if they have a playoff material team.
Luckily, if things don’t go their way in both games, they will have a chance to rebound. After the games against Baltimore and New England, Miami closes out the season with two more home games. These games are against a 5-7 Vikings team and the Jets again.
That’s three games in total against teams below .500.
Let’s look beyond the schedule. The Dolphins have star talent littered throughout the defense. Allowing just 19.9 points per game, teams have struggled putting up points. Unfortunately, they have recently caught fire because of their fourth quarter collapses. However, they are still good enough to slow down New York twice and Minnesota.
It starts up front. They are tied for fourth in the league with 31 sacks. Coming off a disappointing loss to the Denver Broncos in a game where the pass rush was non-existing, they must find a way to disrupt Geno Smith. Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon need to show up tonight.
It’s not just the defense though. Let’s give credit where credit is due. Ryan Tannehill has progressed nicely this season. In his third year in the league Tannehill has turned into Miami’s star player, with twenty touchdowns and just eight interceptions. He is also posting career highs in passer rating and completion percentage. His development has helped Miami stay alive in the playoff race.
The bottom line is if Tannehill can continue to be successful, Miami will be successful. If he is not, well, then Miami will likely miss out on the postseason. So far, it looks like Tannehill has shown that he has what it takes.
A mixture of a favorable schedule, a tough defense and a young quarterback that is developing right before our eyes will help lead the Dolphins back to the playoffs for the first time since 2008.