Four ways how Dolphins can make playoffs. And details on big nights for Gaskin and Hollins
The Miami Dolphins can make their playoff path simple by beating the Buffalo Bills in upstate New York next Sunday. If they win, they’re in.
But if the Dolphins lose that game, Miami - in order to make the playoffs - will need one of the NFL’s worst teams to defeat a team in direct competition with the Dolphins for a playoff berth. And in some cases, they’ll need additional help, too.
If the Dolphins lose at Buffalo, here are the three ways Miami can make the postseason:
▪ If Cleveland loses Sunday at the Jets and then loses at home against Pittsburgh. The Browns on Sunday will be without their top five wide receivers because of injury (Odell Beckham Jr.) or COVID-19 contact tracing (four players including Jarvis Landry).
▪ If Indianapolis loses at Pittsburgh on Sunday and then loses at home against Jacksonville.
▪ If Baltimore loses its regular-season finale against Cincinnati.
If Miami loses to the Bills, the Dolphins would win tiebreakers against the Browns, Colts or Ravens in these three aforementioned specific scenarios because Miami would own a better conference record.
Sunday’s Ravens-Giants game has no bearing on the Dolphins’ playoff chances for reasons I explained here.
And even if the Tennessee Titans lose their final two games at Green Bay and at Houston, the Titans (who would be 10-6 in that scenario) would win a playoff tiebreaker with Miami (conference record) if the Dolphins lose at Buffalo to finish 10-6.
BIG NIGHT FOR GASKIN, HOLLINS
Running back and wide receiver will be high on the Dolphins’ list of needs that must be addressed in the 2021 draft.
But even with that reality, the Dolphins never would have reached 10 wins on Saturday without huge contributions from one running back and one receiver who seemed on the bubble simply to make the team back in June.
Myles Gaskin - who had missed six of the past seven games because of a knee injury and COVID-19 - returned with his best game as a pro: 14 carries for 87 yards rushing (6.2 per carry) and 5 catches for 82 yards, including two touchdowns - none more important than when he took a short pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick and raced 59 yards for a go-ahead late touchdown, a lead that proved short-lived.
Gaskin’s 169 total yards were the most scrimmage yards by a Dolphins player in a game since running back Kenyan Drake had 193 on Dec. 11, 2017 vs. New England - the game which ended with a play dubbed “The Miami Miracle.”
Also, Gaskin’s two receiving touchdowns were the most in a game by a Dolphins running back since Reggie Bush had two in 2012 against Buffalo.
Gaskin credited Mike Gesicki and Hollins for key blocks on his 59-yard TD.
“I got spun around after the catch, and I saw my dogs out there, Mack and Mike,” he said. “I saw Mike’s block, I didn’t really see Mack’s block. He told me about it though. It was great.”
Gaskin, a former seventh-round pick, now has 564 yards rushing on 4.2 per carry in nine games, including six starts.
Meanwhile, Hollins did great work getting both feet in bounds on his 34-yard catch that set up Jason Sanders’ game-winning field goal.
“I’m not sure from their end what happened,” Hollins said. “I’m sure ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) did something – usually when safeties or corners go somewhere they are not supposed to be, they’re following quarterback eyes.
“I’m not sure how he even got the ball off [because of a blatant face mask penalty]. If I had to guess, I’d say one of the safeties was following quarterback eyes and ended up losing me on the backside.”
Here’s how Fitzpatrick - whose helmet was twisted on that throw to Hollins - described that big play:
“They were going to be in two-high safeties, playing pretty soft. We had Mike going right down the pipe and a 20-yard in-cut coming behind him. I just wanted to see what that safety on the left was going to do. I tried to make him believe that I was throwing it to Mike. It was a desperation throw, but I was going to put it on the sideline to Mack and just hope for good things. In that case, really you’re throwing up a prayer a little bit and along with the facemask, it ended up being awesome for us.”
Hollins, who projected to be either Miami’s No. 6 receiver or not on the team at all back in June, caught two passes for 42 yards - giving him 15 for 173 for the season.
Hollins had dropped a pass at the goal line a few minutes earlier (Miami then settled for a field goal), but he redeemed himself not only with that big late catch but also with a jarring block that cleared out a defender on Gaskin’s 59-yard catch-and-run touchdown.
“I think as a player you always have to forget about the last play, good or bad,” he said. “Remembering old stuff is never going to do you any good whether you made a great play or a drop like I had. Over my career I’ve learned how to just put those type of things in the past and move on to the next thing.”
Hollins relished the opportunity to make that big late catch.
“For me, I live for that,” he said. “I don’t know if there are any camera angles, but I’m smiling ear-to-ear when we start that huddle right before that play because that’s why I play the game. I don’t play the game to get easy wins and get stuff that doesn’t get my blood going. For lack of better term, I live for that [expletive]. Plain and simple.”
▪ Though Miami had five available running backs, all the offensive snaps went to two of those backs - Gaskin (48) and Salvon Ahmed (15).
With Jakeem Grant limited to 15 snaps by an ankle injury that sidelined him for the second half, Hollins ended up playing 49 of 63 offensive snaps, with Lynn Bowden logging 58, Isaiah Ford 33 and Malcolm Perry one.
The Dolphins played without DeVante Parker, who missed a second game in a row with a hamstring injury, and Preston Williams, who is on injured reserve with a foot injury.
This story was originally published December 27, 2020 at 10:26 AM.
