The Dolphins got no favors in Week 15 but what’s really at stake down the stretch goes far beyond playoff math
The Dolphins’ playoff hopes are on the brink but there’s something bigger at play for Miami anyway.
The Miami Dolphins did not get a lot of help from the rest of the NFL in Week 15. Miami entered this week’s slate of games on the fringes of playoff contention and, before even playing their Monday Night Football contest against the Steelers, saw their pathways to the postseason whittled away to almost none. Teams like the Ravens, Chargers, Texans, and Bills all won — leaving Miami on the brink.
But that’s okay. You always want to make the tournament if you can. But this season for the Dolphins stopped being about the playoffs a long time ago. The moment Miami embraced change and dismissed general manager Chris Grier, something larger was afoot in South Florida. That’s still paramount the rest of the way.
2025 season’s finish is still vital for the Dolphins despite team’s dwindling hopes of a playoff berth
Let’s address the elephant in the room. The Dolphins will play tonight against the Steelers and, with a loss, would be eliminated from playoff consideration. But even with a win, the Dolphins are staring at nearly impossible odds. Even with running the table, we could see Miami eliminated as early as next week.
This all marks an important opportunity for the Dolphins and head coach Mike McDaniel. Miami, in four seasons under McDaniel’s direction, has never kicked off a regular season game without being mathematically eligible for the playoff field. In 2022 and 2023, Miami made the postseason. In 2024, the Dolphins turned a 2-6 start into an 8-8 record entering Week 18 — needing a win and Broncos loss to make the playoffs. They got neither.
But it is what happened in the heart of that Week 18 game against the Jets that should serve as the standard Miami must hold themselves to be better than. No their playoff percentages are (or aren’t).
Surely you remember the Tyreek Hill tirade after the game. And the focus on him removing himself from the game. It’s often overlooked that Hill played two snaps in the second half — he played his final rep of the game with 10:40 remaining in the third quarter with the Dolphins trailing 15-6.
How would the these Dolphins handle the chance to play games with the prospect of their season being over hanging over their heads? Would they handle it better than last year’s team? We’ve heard plenty of talk about Miami potentially changing their culture this season. Any games played without playoff viability would be a chance to prove it. So, too, is Miami’s game tonight against the Steelers. No one will believe anything different about Miami — or Mike McDaniel, for that matter — until the Dolphins prove something is actually different.
With change lingering over this team in the weeks ahead, we’re in the endgame of assessing the power players in Miami. Who deserves to stay? Who needs to go? Miami’s performance tonight and in the weeks ahead, no matter what the playoff circumstances area, will go a long way in offering the final word on that. Confidence there is worth plenty more to the Miami Dolphins entering 2026 than a miracle playoff berth as a wildcard.
Miami Dolphins record under Mike McDaniel
- 34-30 record
- 0-2 in playoff appearances
- 7-7 in December
- 13-10 versus AFC East
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