Good day off yesterday. A much needed day off after a Sunday in which The Dolphinsider recorded a record number of page views for one day.
A very warm thank you to everybody who followed along.
Now, lets get you caught up:
The playoff push has hit its high gear as we enter the final three weeks of the season. And yes, the Miami Dolphins are very aware of what's at stake. Well, at least TE Charles Clay is.
"We came in with the mindset since the first day of minicamp that we were going to make a playoff push," said Clay, "We're doing that."
When asked about the playoff race, Joe Philbin told the media the easiest way to avoid any distractions or score board watching is to simply focus on the task at hand.
"The easiest thing is you are playing good football teams every single week," Philbin said. "It's easy to keep guys focused. Now we have the New England Patriots coming to town. That and your plate is already full."
Miami currently sits at a 7-6 tie with the Baltimore Ravens for the final wild card spot. However, thanks to the head to head tie breaker, the Ravens have the edge as of today.
More on that in a bit.
PATTERSON DONE FOR THE YEAR
CB Dimitri Patterson was placed on injured reserve earlier today, effectively ending his season due to a groin injury he suffered way back in week one. Patterson, who leads the team in INT's (4), has only started 5 of the team's 13 games this season due to the injury, and has been routinely replaced by CB Nolan Carroll, who's done a fine job filling in.
Look for an extended role for rookie Jamar Taylor (if he can get and stay healthy), as he'll now become the full time back up to Carroll.
WILD CARD SCENARIOS
Alright, an early look ahead to week 15.
Obviously Miami hosts New England. The team the Fins need to lose, Baltimore, will travel to Detroit for a Monday night contest with the Lions.
It's pretty simple, folks. A Miami win on Sunday, and a Baltimore loss on Monday, would put the Fins a game ahead of the Ravens with two games to play.
The easiest road to the playoffs is this:
Miami finishes the season either 2-1 or 3-0, and Baltimore finishes either 1-2 or 0-3.
What the Dolphins DO NOT WANT is a two-way tie at the end of the season with the Ravens. IF that happens, then Baltimore would take the final playoff spot.
Remember, the head to head tie breaker ONLY takes effect when two teams are involved.
A three team tie breaker is a different story.
Now, there are other scenarios that put the Fins in the playoffs, most notably one that involves the San Diego Chargers.
IF the Dolphins and Ravens both finish 9-7, with Baltimore losing to either NE or Cin, AND San Diego WINS OUT, then the Dolphins would take the final wild card spot.
In this scenario, there would be a three-way tie between Miami, San Diego, and Baltimore, BUT because the Ravens lost to an AFC team, Miami's conference record would be the best out of all three teams, therefore giving them the final playoff spot.
Obviously that scenario is out the window with a Denver win over the Chargers on Thursday night, so you'll be rooting for San Diego in a couple days.
There are two other scenarios that involve the Cincinnati Bengals.
- IF both Miami and Baltimore happen to finish 2-1 down the stretch, and the Bengals lose out, then the Fins and Bengals would both finish 9-7 with Miami winning the head to head tie breaker.
Baltimore would win the AFC North.
- IF both Miami and Baltimore win out, and Cincinnati finishes 1-2 (which they would in this scenario because Cincinnati and Baltimore play each other week 17), then Miami would be the final wild card at 10-6, winning the tie breaker over the Bengals.
Cincinnati's remaining opponents include Pittsburgh (away), Minnesota (home), and Baltimore (home).
I also suppose the Dolphins could win out, and New England could lose out, and the Dolphins could be division champs...
But, for right now, let's assume that's not going to happen.
Now, there are obviously other crazy scenarios. Some that quite frankly would make your eyes bleed.
I'm not going to get into those. Right now, it's a pretty simple formula. Win on Sunday.
Worry about next week, next week.
More to come tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment