MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins did more than beat the Dallas Cowboys to secure their spot in the postseason Sunday night.
They also slayed almost every narrative skeptics have cooked up about the team.
Can’t beat winning teams? Well, that’s gone.
Don’t have a quarterback who can put together a big drive in a big game? Tua Tagovailoa just put together his sixth fourth-quarter comeback and eighth game-winning drive.
Can’t get the tough yard? Jeff Wilson Jr. did just that when the game was on the line.
Can’t win away from home? Well, that one will have to wait at least another week.
But if the Dolphins can slay that dragon in Baltimore on New Year’s Eve, then only they will have to win the rest of the way to reach the Super Bowl will be played at Hard Rock Stadium.
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The Dolphins will be the AFC’s No. 1 seed if they beat the Baltimore Ravens on the road and then the Buffalo Bills at home in Week 18.
That would mean they get a week off to rest up — which would be huge, considering how banged up they are.
And it would also mean they would need just two playoff wins to punch their ticket to Las Vegas.
And that’s the ultimate goal.
“Obviously nobody’s going to remember the Miami Dolphins making the playoffs when February comes around,” wide receiver Tyreek Hill said.
“It’s always about winning the big game, and that’s where our mind is at right now, and we know we’ve got the team to do it.
“A lot of people have been saying we can’t beat good teams, and [I] feel like today we kind of showed that. So we can scratch that off the box. Now we just are looking for Stephen A. [Smith] and Shannon Sharpe and I wonder what Skip Bayless is going to say [on] First Take. So interesting.”
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Hill, like Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, apparently keeps receipts. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel acknowledged that it’s unavoidable for his players not to hear the noise. The important thing is not to get consumed by it.
“[The win] means that the team isn’t crazy for feeling the way they feel,” McDaniel said. “… I think the experience for players has changed with the advent and heavy push of social media. I think it’s really hard to ignore the noise, so to speak, or not hear it. I think you’re going to hear it, and so it’s impossible for people not to know all the things that we’re not capable of doing.
“But I’m proud of this team because regardless of what people say, you have to get to a mode where you’re solely worried about doing your job and being responsible for that with your teammates. And anything else, you get distracted and lose focus on what actually matters.”
“… Nobody on this team thought we were going to lose that game, and that’s pretty cool when everyone tells you that you can’t do X, Y, or Z.”
A few more quick playoff nuggets on the way out:
- The Dolphins would clinch the AFC East with one win in their last two games or if the Bills lose to the New England Patriots in Week 17.
- If they do lose one of their last two, they will almost certainly end up the AFC’s No. 2 or 3 seed.
- If they lose their last two games (and Bills beat Patriots in Week 17), the Dolphins will be the AFC’s fifth or sixth seed, depending on what the Cleveland Browns do down the stretch.
Want to predict the rest of the 2023 season with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? Looking for the most up-to-date NFL standings? What about a breakdown of team depth charts or the NFL schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with that and more!