On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins will go for their 6th win in a row. They haven’t done that in 11 years. So, this is an unfamiliar place for Dolphins fans and we want to answer some questions you might have.
First, are the Dolphins a playoff team? Well, they’re definitely in the mix at 6-4. But, it’s going to be an uphill battle. Here’s why.
The New England Patriots are going to win the division. So, the Dolphins have to make it as a wild card and right now, those two spots would go to Kansas City and Denver -- two teams that have looked more impressive than Miami. But, the Dolphins are only one game behind and here’s the good news: The upcoming schedule is favorable. In the final 6 games, Miami only plays one team with a winning record; that’s New England, at home in the season finale. It’s possible the Patriots don’t even play their starters in that game if they’ve already wrapped up the top playoff spot.
All this is moot if the Dolphins don’t get healthy. We’ve seen very clearly this year that when their offensive line is hurt the backups aren’t good enough. And against San Francisco Sunday, they have three starters who might not play. Watch that.
Playoffs or not, here’s what you have to love about the Dolphins: they finally seem to have a coach who knows what he’s doing. They have a young running back who’s hard to tackle. They have a wide receiver who can actually make his quarterback better and no matter what the fans or media think, their coach believes in that quarterback
Ryan Tannehill has made some incredible plays the last few weeks so we’ll see if they can keep winning close games.
But hey, at least for the first time in a while -- there’s reason for hope!
