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On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins got their season back on track. After an embarrassing defeat the week before on Monday night in which they let a win slip through their fingers against the Tennessee Titans, they stomped the New York Jets at home, 30-0.
Even with MVP candidate Tyreek Hill sidelined with an ankle injury, the Dolphins put a hurting on that stout Jets defense. At halftime, they were up, 24-0. In the first half, Miami outgained New York 197 yards to four. That’s right. The Jets managed to gain a total of four yards in 24 minutes of game action. They gained 99 yards in the second half, but were still not able to put points on the board. Zach Wilson got hurt early, so it was the Trevor Siemian show for most of the afternoon.
While the Jets were clearly undermanned, they were still playing against a division rival. They also had an outside chance at making the playoffs following a win in Week 14 against the Houston Texans.
No wins are small in the NFL. Teams game plan all week ,17 times per year. Every one of those games holds massive importance. Also, responding after an embarrassing showing the week prior is evidence that the Dolphins are one of the better teams in the league. However, the Jets entered that game without a viable starting quarterback. It is unlikely that Miami will have a postseason matchup against a team struggling that mightily at the most important position.
Many teams the Dolphins beat have that problem. It is one of the reasons that Monday night loss left such a pronounced scar. They have lost four games this season to the Titans, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, and Kansas City Chiefs. The next two games on the Dolphins’ schedule are against arguably the two best teams in the NFL — the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens. They then finish the season with a home showdown against the Bills.
If the Dolphins want to host at least one playoff game, they will have to do something they have not done all season: Beat the best teams in the league. The only potential playoff team they have beaten this season was their 70-20 mauling of the Denver Broncos. At that time, the Broncos were 0-3 and considered one of the worst teams in the NFL. They have since turned their season around.
For the next three weeks, the Dolphins will be playing football against teams that are not only postseason caliber, but also looking to solidify their positioning. The Ravens are trying to clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC and the Cowboys will be battling for an NFC East title. The Bills might need that Week 18 win to ensure that they even get into the playoffs. If the Dolphins lose to both the Cowboys and Ravens, that game against Buffalo will likely be for the AFC East title.
Good for the Dolphins that they responded after their Monday night meltdown. They played against a division opponent and needed that win to give them 10 on the year. While they have not mathematically clinched a playoff spot, 10 wins should be good enough to get them in even if they lose these next three games.
But if they do finish the regular season with three defeats to these good teams, they will have every reason to play the “nobody believes in us,” card in the playoffs. If the Dolphins don’t win at least one of these games, no one outside of that locker room and their loved ones will believe they have a chance at a deep playoff run.
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