The Dolphins are a couple wins away from cracking the playoff field. (Getty Images)
DAVIE–There wasn’t much conversation about
the Dolphins striving for the playoffs coming into this season, and even 8-8 seemed a overly ambitious. It looked nearly impossible after a 1-4 start, too.
But quite a bit has changed over the past few weeks. Miami knocked down the Jets 27-23 on Sunday for its third straight win, moving to 4-4, and now stands in seventh place in the AFC.
The Dolphins are 1.5 games behind the Broncos for the final playoff spot and two games back of fifth-place Kansas City. With the division certainly out of reach because of New England’s 7-1 start, Miami will have to vie for a wild card spot.
While it seems like the Dolphins do this dance every year, there are legitimate causes for optimism at the moment. There aren’t many teams behind Miami that appear primed to make a run, though Pittsburgh (4-4) and Cincinnati (3-4-1) have the potential to do so.