A Dolphins fan’s guide to watching NFL games during the bye week
The Dolphins aren’t playing Sunday as they enjoy the final day of their bye week, but there’s still plenty of important games to monitor.
The team is 6-7 and just 11/2 games back of the seventh seed in the AFC, which is currently occupied by the Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins would give themselves a great chance to make the playoffs if they continue to run the table after a 1-7 start but a little help from the teams above them wouldn’t hurt either.
With plenty of AFC teams playing, some having head-to-head conference matchups, there will be plenty of opportunities for the Dolphins to creep closer in the playoff picture.
Here’s a breakdown of the Week 14 matchups that could impact the Dolphins’ playoff standing and who to root for/against:
Baltimore Ravens (8-4) at Cleveland Browns (6-6)
Both teams are in desperate need of a win here. The Ravens need to stay ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals atop the AFC North and the Browns need to stay above .500 as they try to keep up with the Ravens and the Bengals.
While it may seem easier for the Dolphins to catch up to the Browns in the standings, the Ravens have one of the toughest remaining schedules in the NFL and, after another season-ending injury to a starter, could be facing a late-season free-fall. If the Dolphins and Ravens happen to end the season with the same record, Miami would get the tiebreaker advantage because of their head-to-head win. A Cleveland loss would drop the team to the same record as the Dolphins with a worse conference record, one of the many records used to break tiebreakers.
Who to root for: Ravens but either team losing helps the Dolphins
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10) at Tennessee Titans (8-4)
The Dolphins will play the Tennessee Titans on Jan. 2 and Tennessee is just 11/2 games ahead of the Indianapolis Colts, so they are still in play for a wild-card spot.
Who to root for: Jaguars
Las Vegas Raiders (6-6) at Kansas City Chiefs (8-4)
After a slow start to the season, it seems like the Chiefs have caught their stride and could run away with the AFC West in the final month of the season. The Raiders beat the Dolphins in a Week 3 thriller so Miami needs to finish with a better record to avoid a head-to-head tiebreaker situation.
Who to root for: Chiefs
Detroit Lions (1-10-1) at Denver Broncos (6-6)
The Broncos are one of four teams with a 6-6 record and with a loss Sunday, they’d not only have the same record as the Dolphins, but the same conference record, too.
Who to root for: Lions
New York Giants (4-8) at Los Angeles Chargers (7-5)
The Chargers have the fifth seed and with a 5-3 conference record, the odds are against the Dolphins catching up to them. That doesn’t mean a Los Angeles loss wouldn’t be welcome by the Miami faithful.
Who to root for: Giants
San Francisco 49ers (6-6) at Cincinnati Bengals (7-5)
Rooting interests can go several ways, depending on your priorities and how you feel the final month will shake out. If you’re secretly looking ahead to the NFL Draft, you may be hoping for a Bengals win, as the Dolphins have the 49ers’ first-round pick in the 2022 Draft.
If you think the Ravens are going to stumble to the finish line and be in contention for a wild-card spot, you might want the Bengals to supplant them atop the AFC North. For now, we’ll assume Cincinnati will be closer to a wild-card spot in the final weeks of the season.
Who to root for: 49ers
Buffalo Bills (7-5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-3)
About six weeks ago, it seemed like the Bills were going to clinch the AFC East by early December. Instead, the Patriots are once again the standard-bearers in the division and the Bills have fallen to the final AFC playoff spot. Although the Bills swept the Dolphins this series, a loss to Tampa Bay would drop them out of the playoff field.
Who to root for: Buccaneers
This story was originally published December 10, 2021 at 11:29 AM.
