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Stakes are high for the Dolphins

Daytona Fin

Daytona Fin

Queeks Draw
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Have to find a way to win today and figure a way out to win at home. Most of the games at home have been dismal. Game of the year so far.

How’s this for drama: The next 12 days might determine more than the direction of the Dolphins’ 2014 season.

Some in football believe it could shape the franchise for years to come.

Joe Philbin probably needs to make the playoffs, or to come very close, to keep his job. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross demanded “progress” before the season, and another 8-8 year (or worse) is not that.
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The problem is, there’s nowhere for the Dolphins to hide in November. The schedule softeners of the past month — Oakland and Jacksonville — can’t help them any more. Six of the next seven games are against teams that entered Week 9 with a winning record.

Their next four opponents have a combined .710 winning percentage — making for the most difficult month Philbin has seen as a head coach.

But even that might be selling it short. According to STATS LLC, the last time the Dolphins had a tougher stretch of games this late in the season was 1998, when their final four regular-season opponents had a combined 42-12 record.

Miami went 2-2 in those game, good enough to send it to the postseason.
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The Dolphins will probably need at least the same level of success in these next four to get back there.

And in truth, few give Miami much of a chance in Denver in three weeks, where Peyton Manning has won 19 of 21 regular-season games with the Broncos.

That means the margin for error is next to nil in between now and Nov.13 — with home games against the Chargers and Bills and a trip to Detroit.

The players know the stakes. Dolphins defensive tackle Jared Odrick agreed that this upcoming stretch could define Miami’s season.

“And I think we approach it that way, in terms of knowing how important these next couple of games are and how good these opponents are,” Odrick said. “It’s definitely in our vision. It’s something that we think about.”
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Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nfl/miami-dolphins/article3514383.html#storylink=cpy
 
Could move up to #7 seed if the following happens.
Miami beat Chargers
Jets beat Chiefs

Probably not good odds on the second one happening.

And if Ravens and Steelers tie we could be #6 seed
 
We win at least 2 of the next 4 and we are in great shape. Win 1 needs to be today!!
 
Huge game for playoff tiebreakers also. Have to win this game.
 
Must win in my opinion....anything can happen but I don't like our chances should we lose today.
 
Honestly, I think this one's our season. 5-3 with a crucial tiebreaker win and knocking a serious AFC playoff competitor down a peg, or 4-4 looking up with three really tough matches ahead.
 
We can't afford another home loss but I wouldn't say our home record has been dismal. The Packers and Patriots are clearly elite teams, we were always doing well to split those. The KC game was horrible but the Chiefs are proving to be a lot better than most gave them credit for. I count the Jax and Raiders games as neutral at worst, for me we only have 6 real road games this year. Win today, steal another one in Detroit and we're in great shape. And the road games at Denver and New England both could have huge playoff implications, those are where we can prove we're not pretenders anymore.
 
J. David Wannyheimer said:
Honestly, I think this one's our season. 5-3 with a crucial tiebreaker win and knocking a serious AFC playoff competitor down a peg, or 4-4 looking up with three really tough matches ahead.
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Exactly this. This is a total season changer if we win.
 
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