How the Dolphins can make playoffs for first time since 2016, explained

The Miami Dolphins are in a good position to make it to the playoffs for the first time in six years. Here are their paths to a playoff berth.

The Miami Dolphins have had quite the year. They brought in a new head coach in former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. With quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, McDaniel has coached Miami into one of the more dangerous offenses in the NFL.

This past week, Miami had the chance to improve their playoff odds by defeating the rival Buffalo Bills. That didn’t come to fruition, as Buffalo overcame a 29-21 deficit late to win the game 32-29 to clinch a playoff berth for the fourth-straight year.

With this loss, Miami is 8-6 on the year. While that’s good and all, they don’t have a playoff-clinching scenario for Week 16 when they face the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Day. For those wondering how Miami can clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2016, here’s how they can do so with just three weeks remaining on the schedule.

How the Dolphins can make the playoffs, explained

There is one simple path to the postseason for the Dolphins, and that’s winning their remaining three games this season. If they are to beat the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, and New York Jets, they clinch a playoff berth.

Even if the Dolphins are to lose to the Packers in Week 16, they can still clinch a spot by defeating their rivals in the Patriots and Jets in the final two weeks of the season.

As of this writing, the New York Times gives Miami a 62-percent chance of making the playoffs.

There are other scenarios in which the Dolphins can make the playoffs, courtesy of the New York Times. Check out some of the scenarios below:

1. Dolphins beat Patriots (Week 17) and Jets (Week 18)
2. Cincinnati Bengals beat Patriots (Week 16), Dolphins beat Patriots (Week 17)
3. Dolphins beat Packers (Week 16) and Jets (Week 18), Bills beat Patriots (Week 18)
4. Dolphins beat Packers (Week 16) and Patriots (Week 17), Jets lose to either Jacksonville Jaguars (Week 16) or Seattle Seahawks (Week 17)
5. Jets lose out, Bills beat Patriots (Week 17), San Francisco 49ers beat Las Vegas Raiders (Week 17)

Again, these are just a few examples of how Miami can clinch a playoff spot. Realistically, Dolphins fans will want the team to take the easy path of either winning their remaining three games or just beating the Patriots and Jets in the final two weeks of the season. That way, they don’t have to focus on rooting for other teams in the league to help them out.