Dolphins Game Preview: Week 16 vs. Jaguars

The Miami Dolphins will play their final home game of the season when they host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

Miami remains alive in the playoff race, but it will need plenty of help. The Dolphins will need to win their final two games and hope for assists from other games around the league. At 7-7, the Dolphins still have an opportunity to finish the season with a winning record.

Hard Rock Stadium has been a good venue for Miami this season, as it enters this game with a 6-1 record at home. Jacksonville is already eliminated from playoff contention, with a dismal 4-10 record in 2018. The Jaguars have only won a single game in their last ten tries and have witnessed struggles from multiple quarterbacks.

Ryan Tannehill was sacked nine times last week and he will need more protection this time around. Tannehill's sacks cost Miami a total of 71 yards and helped the Minnesota Vikings cruise to a 41-17 victory. Tannehill entered the game on a hot streak, but he was let down by his offensive line in the loud environment at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Jacksonville will go with Cody Kessler once again at quarterback, despite some poor results in his recent three starts. Blake Bortles has not started a game in nearly a month, after making 72 straight starts for Jacksonville. Bortles' benching came during a long losing streak for the Jaguars and he is not expected to play again this season.

Frank Gore was lost for the season after last week's game, which should result in Kenyan Drake seeing more carries. Drake only had one carry last week and has failed to make an impact on the ground this season. The 24-year old has four rushing touchdowns on 469 yards, with an average of 4.6 yards-per-carry in 2018.

Xavien Howard is officially listed as questionable on Miami's injury report, but he is expected to be available for this game. Howard was named to the Pro Bowl earlier this week and has been Miami's best defensive weapon in 2018. Miami also has Kiko Alonso and Kendrick Norton listed as questionable for this game.