Miami Dolphins Week 15 playoff picture: Dolphins keep slim hopes going for another week

The Miami Dolphins got a win they absolutely had to have on Sunday, albeit barely, knocking off the New York Jets 32-26 in overtime at Hard Rock Stadium.  The win improved the Dolphins to 6-7 and kept them in the race for the final AFC wild card spot.  Ironically enough, the win also formally ended […]

Craig Smith — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer
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Dec 8, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith (9) runs with the ball during overtime against the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium.
Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins got a win they absolutely had to have on Sunday, albeit barely, knocking off the New York Jets 32-26 in overtime at Hard Rock Stadium. 

The win improved the Dolphins to 6-7 and kept them in the race for the final AFC wild card spot.  Ironically enough, the win also formally ended the Jets' playoff chances, eliminating the Dolphins AFC East rivals with four weeks left in the season. 

Per the NFL.com playoff picture engine, the Dolphins still have just a 13% chance of making the playoffs despite the win. Here's how things look in the AFC through 14 weeks: 

Miami still needs either the Chargers or the Broncos to lose at least two more games while winning out themselves in order to potentially secure a wild card spot.  That will be far easier said than done on Miami's end, with a trip to Houston on tap this weekend. 

Fortunately for the Dolphins, the Chargers and Broncos play each other again on December 19, meaning (absent the very rare instance of a tie), one of those teams will pick up one more loss.  Denver also hosts Indianapolis this weekend, who Miami needs to either win the AFC South and knock down Houston, or to lose another game and fall behind Miami in the wild card race.  As such, Miami will receive a positive result in some respect in Denver on Sunday. 

Here's the remaining schedules for Miami, Los Angeles, Denver, and Indianapolis:

Miami

  • at Houston
  • vs. San Francisco
  • at Cleveland
  • at NY Jets

Los Angeles

  • vs. Tampa Bay
  • vs. Denver
  • at New England
  • at Las Vegas

Denver

  • vs. Indianapolis
  • at Los Angeles
  • at Cincinnati
  • vs. Kansas City

Indianapolis

  • at Denver
  • vs. Tennessee
  • at NY Giants
  • vs. Jacksonville

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