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AFC East Division Title on the Line: Miami Dolphins Playoffs Picture Through Week 18

Originally posted on Gridiron Heroics
By Sarah Witherspoon | Last updated Jan 1, 2024 4:27 PM ET

It was a battle for the top seed in the AFC as the Miami Dolphins took on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Unfortunately, Miami’s defense was unable to fight off a dominant Ravens’ offense and came out short in a 56-19 loss to Baltimore, who claimed the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

As the Dolphins headed into their Week 13 bye, they were 8-3, and atop the AFC East and powering through to get that top seed across the entire AFC. The Buffalo Bills sat at 6-6, and they were a team that the Dolphins weren’t really worried about in terms of sealing up the AFC East division title.

Miami Dolphins Fighting for AFC East Title.

Heading into Week 18, the picture is looking very different. Since that Bye week, the Dolphins have gone 3-2 while the Bills are 4-0. Buffalo sits a game back of Miami at 10-4, and Miami sits at 11-5.

The last time Miami won the AFC East was in 2008, whereas the Bills have won the last three years. With their loss on Sunday, the Dolphins are fighting for not only the AFC East title, but the No. 2 seed in the AFC.

Miami’s defense gave up 56 points, 491 yards, and 24 first downs in Sunday’s loss and while the defense has proven to be a deadly weapon, they took a beating against Baltimore, which isn’t what the Dolphins need right now as they head into some of their more important games.

It wasn’t a great day for Miami’s offense either as they couldn’t seem to get into a good groove behind Tagovailoa. The QB was 22/38 for 237 yards with two touchdown passes. Tagovailoa acknowledged after Sunday’s game that the team pressed when things were starting to get tough, and that he has to be better.

“That’s exactly what we didn’t need to do. We didn’t need to press. And I say ‘we’ as in me. I didn’t need to press and force throws down the field that weren’t there with certain looks. I should’ve just [taken] the checkdowns. Yeah, I’ve just got to be better.”

The Dolphins are now down Bradley Chubb, after it was announced on Monday that he suffered an ACL tear on Sunday, ending his season. This injury is a huge blow to the Dolphins, especially after their underwhelming defensive performance. Chubb cuts his season short with strong stats: 74 total takes, 11.0 sacks, six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and some pass deflections.

While the Dolphins have their playoff spot secured, hosting a playoff game as the two-seed or being on the road as a wild card team are absolutely crucial and Miami will need other players to step up in place of Chubb.

It’s important for the Miami Dolphins to put their focus into each and every single game as they go down the stretch because these are the ones that truly matter. For a team who hasn’t brought home the Lombardi Trophy since the 1970’s, it’s quite literally now or never for them.

This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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