Miami

Week 16 Preview: Vikings at Dolphins

The Dolphins are all but eliminated from the postseason with two weeks to go

The Miami Dolphins will have little to play for on Sunday when they take on the Minnesota Vikings at Sun Life Stadium.

The Dolphins have not been mathematically eliminated from the postseason yet but that could easily happen on Sunday. At 7-7 with two weeks to go, Miami would need a lot of help and is unlikely to find it. Last week's loss in New England basically sealed Miami's fate of a sixth straight season without a playoff run.

Minnesota has already been eliminated from the postseason which gives this game very little drama going in. There is no opportunity to be a spoiler and disappointment on both sidelines. What could be on the line however are the futures of several men on both sides.

Ryan Tannehill will be entering the final year of his four-year contract with Miami next season. There is an option for a fifth year following the 2015 season as well. It's been an interesting season for Tannehill with several sparkling outs. However, the quarterback has had inconsistent moments as well.

Statistically this has been Tannehill's finest season as a Dolphin and some of the blame for the losses can fall on other shoulders. The offensive line has not protected Tannehill as well as hoped. Overall the QB has been sacked 38 times which is an improvement over 2013 when he hit the ground 58 times. That number will need to come down further though in 2015 or it could be another long season for Miami.

Lamar Miller has a little to play for in this game personally. The running back is only 171 yards shy of 1,000 rushing yards for the year. A big day on Sunday could go a long way to setting Miller up for the mark in the final week. It'd be Miller's first 1,000 rushing yard season and would come after he took over primary duties from Knowshon Moreno during the season.

Head coach Joe Philbin could need a good finish in these last two weeks as well. The Dolphins remained in the playoff hunt deep into the year but Philbin could ultimately pay the price for their failure to move on. A couple of good efforts in these final weeks could possibly save the third-year head coach though.

The Dolphins and Vikings are set to kick things off on Sunday at 1:00 p.m

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