The Dolphins are 8-5 and here’s their road to the playoffs

The Miami Dolphins might have lost Sunday, but their path to the postseason is still wide open entering Week 15. 

The scoreboard read 33-27 when the clock struck zero in Hard Rock Stadium, but few would view Sunday as a total a loss. The Miami Dolphins traded blows with the defending Super Bowl Champions Kansas City Chiefs, showing that defense can help a team win championships.

Entering Sunday, Patrick Mahomes had thrown two total interceptions on season. He threw three before the game was over, including a stellar acrobatic grab from interception league-leader Xavien Howard. Tua Tagovailoa showed he has the skills to lead this franchise to multiple winning seasons, throwing for 316 yards and two touchdowns.

Sitting at 8-5, Miami will finish at .500 or better for the first time since 2016. On top of that, they still remain in the AFC playoff picture as the No.7 seed. However, these final three weeks will decide their 2020 fate.

Here’s how Miami makes the playoffs

The Dolphins will close the season out with games against New England, Las Vegas and Buffalo. After the debacle at SoFi Field on Thursday, so long as the defense can stop the running of Cam Newton, they’ll be favored to improve to nine wins.

Las Vegas will be the game to watch as both teams remain in the hunt. Derek Carr needed a Hail Mary to beat the Jets, but he also is the only quarterback to hand Kansas City a loss. Depending on how well Las Vegas’ secondary can play against Miami’s limited receiving corps, that could decide the final score.

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Josh Allen is playing near flawless football for the Bills, but Miami is known for causing turnovers. Depending on if the Chiefs or Steelers can clinch the No.1 seed before Week 17, Allen might be sitting this one out in order to rest for the playoffs. If he does, the secondary will need to play as they did Sunday in man coverage.

It’s simple really; Miami wins out, they’re in. If they win and hold the tiebreaker over Las Vegas, they’re also in. At this point, the Dolphins just need to secure a pair of victories to improve to double digit wins in 2020.

After that, it’ll all be about seeding from other teams with high records in the AFC playoff picture. Here’s to a strong finish from one of the best storylines in the league from 2020.