Dolphins' Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Implications of Week 15

The Miami Dolphins' Week 14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs was, at the same time, encouraging for the franchise and a bump in the road for the team's playoff hopes. 

On one hand, the Dolphins took the Chiefs to the wire. Brian Flores' team showed a lot of fight as they forced them to kick a field goal with just over a minute before the game was put out of reach. Considering they trailed 30-10 going into the fourth quarter, that's a valiant effort. 

That should give fans hope as they end the season on a three-game stretch that features a home game against the Patriots before heading to Las Vegas to play the Raiders and a road game against the Buffalo Bills. 

Considering they took the Chiefs to the wire, the Patriots are out of the playoff race and the Raiders just lost to the Chargers, the team is in a good position to take care of business. 

On the other hand, the loss to the defending Super Bowl champs brought down the team's playoff chances from 61 percent to 48 percent, according to the New York Times' playoff projection tool. However, a win over the New England Patriots in Week 15 alone would get those chances back up to 65 percent. 

Still, the AFC wildcard race is highly competitive, and there will be some good teams left watching at home.

Here's a look at what the Dolphins need in Week 15 to maximize their chances of avoiding that. 

The Kansas City Chiefs (12-1) and Pittsburgh Steelers (11-2) are the only two teams to officially clinch a playoff spot. The Chiefs have sealed the AFC West already, while the Steelers have all but claimed the AFC North. 

The AFC East is still technically up for grabs, although the Dolphins are two games behind so they would need to win out while the Buffalo Bills (10-3) would need to lose out for Miami to overtake them. 

The AFC South is truly the most competitive division remaining. The Tennessee Titans (9-4) are relying on tiebreakers to hold back the Indianapolis Colts at this point (9-4). The loser of that race is holding on to the sixth spot in the conference. They are tied with the Cleveland Browns (9-4) by record right now. 

The Dolphins are clinging to the seventh and final spot at this point. However, the Baltimore Ravens are lurking at 8-5 as well after beating the Browns on Monday Night Football. 

Miami is still squarely in this wild-card race, but they have to continue to win and might need some help along the way. 

The Baltimore Ravens' wild-card hopes saw a big boost with the 47-42 win over the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football. They gained a game on their division rival, but they also drew even with the Dolphins. Miami would have to draw on tiebreakers to get in over them if the season ended today. 

It's going to be difficult for the Dolphins to keep Lamar Jackson and Co. at bay over the final three weeks of the season. The schedule is favorable for the Ravens, with the Jaguars and Giants at home before finishing the season in Cincinnati with the Bengals. 

The Giants are the best chance for Dolphins fans to get some help, but this week, Miami is stuck banking on a Jaguars win. That's something that hasn't happened since Week 1, although they have had some close calls. 

Games against the Vikings (27-24), Browns (27-25) and Packers (24-20) have been close, but the Jaguars' 31-10 loss against the Titans in Week 14 doesn't bode well. They surrendered 215 yards and two touchdowns to Derrick Henry on the ground, and now they travel to see the Ravens' vaunted rushing attack. 

Against the Titans, Gardner Minshew II made his first appearance since starting the first seven games. He'll get the start again and has the second-highest passer rating on third downs this season—if you're looking for a little factoid to give you some kind of hope. 

He should see plenty of those against the Ravens. 

Rooting interest: Jaguars

Given the ease of Baltimore's schedule, the Colts are the team the Dolphins should really be focused on passing. Their road is a little more difficult with the Texans, Steelers and Jaguars coming up. 

Yes, that's still a matchup against the Jaguars, but the New York Times' projection tool gives a 99 percent chance the Dolphins are in with wins in the next two weeks if the Colts drop their next two games. A defeat against the Steelers in Week 16 is definitely possible. The more improbable outcome is a loss to the Texans this week. 

As far as underdogs you need to root for, having Deshaun Watson on your side isn't a bad place to start. The Colts played the Texans in Houston just two weeks ago, and the Colts escaped with a 26-20 win. 

Watson kept them in the game with 341 yards, and that was with Keke Coutee and Chad Hansen leading the team in receiving. 

Unfortunately, the fight and energy they showed against their divisional opponent weren't there against the Bears in Week 14. They'll be coming into this game on the heels of a 36-7 beatdown in which the Texans defense made the Bears look like the Chiefs, a feat previously thought impossible. 

He hasn't been all that impressive this season, but the Texans will at least get David Johnson back in the lineup. He missed the Bears game after landing on the reserve/COVID-19 list, but he is expected to play. They'll also get Brandin Cooks back, who missed the Bears game with a knee injury. 

An upset here would be big for the Dolphins, and the Texans have just enough talent to make it a possibility. 

Rooting interest: Texans

The Cleveland Browns dealt a major blow to the Dolphins' playoff chances by losing to Baltimore. But the Browns would give the Dolphins' odds a sizeable boost by losing to the New York Giants on Sunday night. 

The Dolphins' other path to locking up a wild-card spot is for the Browns to lose two of their next three and allow Miami to jump them. The Browns are currently the fifth seed but are just one game ahead of the Dolphins. 

Unfortunately, one of those games is against the New York Jets. You can go ahead and mark that one as a win for the Browns. The Jets aren't winning a game this close to locking up the No. 1 pick in the draft.

However, the New York Giants are somehow still playing for something, and the Pittsburgh Steelers await the Browns in Week 17. 

That sets up the Giants-Browns game as a pivotal one in the wildcard race. 

According to FiveThirtyEight, the Giants still have a 15 percent chance to win the NFC East. A win over Cleveland would boost those odds to 33 percent. 

The Giants were riding a hot streak from their defense to a four-game win streak, including a win over the Seattle Seahawks heading into Week 14. But a 26-7 showing against the Cardinals has taken the wind out of those sails. 

The New York Daily News reported the Giants are likely to start Colt McCoy for the second time this season. He was the quarterback when they beat the Seahawks but wasn't the reason for them winning as he completed just 13 passes on 22 attempts for 105 yards. 

Still, if the defense can slow a Browns offense that has scored over 40 points in back-to-back weeks, then this one becomes a little more interesting. 

Rooting interest: Giants