Miami

Miami Dolphins Clinch Playoff Spot for First Time Since 2008

The Dolphins clinched a playoff spot on Sunday evening with Denver's loss

The Miami Dolphins are officially headed back to the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2008.

With a loss by the Denver Broncos on Sunday evening, Miami punched a ticket to the postseason. The Dolphins had several routes to the NFL's second season, but Denver's loss was the quickest and easiest. Miami put itself in a good position with nine wins in the last ten games.

At 10-5, Miami still has a chance to slide into the fifth slot. Doing this would enable the Dolphins to draw a slightly easier opponent in the first round. To take the fifth seed, the Dolphins would need to finish with an equal record to the Kansas City Chiefs - who helped the Dolphins make the playoffs by beating Denver. The Chiefs are 11-4 after beating the Broncos, setting up some drama for the final Sunday. Kansas City will take on the Chargers in San Diego next week.

The Dolphins will open on the road no matter which seed they get, taking on either the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Houston Texans in a game played on Jan. 7th or 8th. The opponent and date will be known after Week 17's games next weekend.

When Miami began the year with a 1-4 record, the playoffs seemed like an unreasonable expectation. Miami had big expectations going into the season, but most hope faded quickly. Beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in Miami can be looked at as a turning point for the team. Following that victory, Miami would only lose once more the rest of the way.

Even with Ryan Tannehill down with a knee injury, Miami has continued to roll off wins. Backup Matt Moore has stepped in admirably with a 2-0 record in his two starts. Moore had not started a game in five years, but has looked like a first-string quarterback in his two chances. Tannehill may return for the playoffs, but Moore has given Miami some confidence if it needs to turn to him again.

Jay Ajayi has been a huge reason for Miami's successful run as well, with multiple 200-yard rushing games. Ajayi went for over 200 yards in Miami's most recent win in Buffalo, and that included a critical long dash in overtime. The Dolphins figure to continue to rely heavily on Ajayi in the playoffs as well.

In addition to the offense, Miami's defense has also stepped up. Cameron Wake for instance has had at least one sack in all ten of Miami's wins. When Wake doesn't tally a sack, the Dolphins tend to lose. Ndamukong Suh has also played a bigger role in 2016 than he did a year ago in his first campaign with Miami.

Miami's regular season will come to a close next Sunday against the New England Patriots.

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