Final NFL Week 15 Observations ... With Miami Dolphins Angles
Pretty much all the AFC playoff contenders took care of their business in Week 15, but it was two huge upsets that caught the most attention — and for completely different reasons.
And both of those could end up having ramifications for the Miami Dolphins, this year and beyond.
We'll start with the New York Jets, whose victory against the Los Angeles Rams very well could mean the Dolphins won't have to face Trevor Lawrence twice a year — unless the Jacksonville Jaguars "mess up" and go ahead and win one of their final two games.
Yes, such is the system in the NFL that the Jets will end up paying a big long-term cost for that one victory against the Rams, which did help them avoid the shame of an 0-16 season and made them feel good about themselves if only temporarily but won't help them next year and beyond the way Lawrence would have.
Yes, there's something wrong with a team being incentivized to lose to get the reward of a generational talent like Lawrence.
Maybe it's time for the NFL to adopt a lottery system for, say, the top three or top five teams because there never should be any incentive to lose — and Lawrence is a major incentive. The NBA and NHL do it; the NFL should follow.
As for the other huge upset, it obviously was Cincinnati's Monday night victory against the Steelers that extended Pittsburgh's losing streak to three games and made the Buffalo Bills the current second seed in the AFC playoffs.
That also will impact the Dolphins — if they end up making the playoffs.
If the Dolphins get in as the seventh seed, they will travel to face the second seed in the first round because, remember, only the top seed will have a bye.
At this time, it's pretty clear the Bills would represent a much tougher matchup because the Steelers are in major free-fall mode. Their defense is still good, though not dominating right now, and their offense is a mess.
On to other observations, all with a Dolphins angle:
-- A nasty replay is playing out with the Raiders, who are collapsing in the final weeks for a second consecutive year. It wasn't so long ago that Vegas was 6-3 and then gave the Chiefs a really good game before losing. But that was followed by three more losses in the next four games that would have been four losses if not for the bizarre ending to the Jets game. The Raiders had plenty of chances against the Chargers last Thursday night, but were done in by their failure to score a touchdown in overtime after getting a first-and-goal at the 4-yard line (with some dubious play-calling to blame there).
-- While on the Raiders, former Dolphins linebacker Raekwon McMillan finally was a factor on defense for them in that Chargers game. McMillan played 28 defensive snaps, his highest total of the season and more than he had played in the previous 10 games combined, and had five tackles plus a forced fumble.
RELATED: Baker Ready for Buckeyes Reunion With McMillan
-- For the second time this season, the Houston Texans took the Indianapolis Colts down to the wire before a turnover ended their comeback attempt and the loss dropped them to 4-10 on the season. After the Monday night game, Houston (therefore the Dolphins) have the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, but there could be bad news ahead. The problem is that the Texans are hosting the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday and it's a game that Houston logically will win — even after the Bengals' upset of the Steelers. That would make Houston slide way down the draft list because there are seven teams at either 4-9-1 or 5-9 and its strength of schedule is higher than all but one (Denver). And remember that the higher the strength of schedule, the lower the pick. So the Dolphins and their fans should face the reality that the Houston pick could fall out of the top 10 very easily.
-- Related to that draft position, the Dolphins absolutely should root for the Chargers in their home game against the Broncos on Sunday because both teams are 5-9 but Denver has the toughest strength of schedule and therefore likely would stay behind Houston if both have the same record.
-- We haven't checked in on former Dolphins first-round pick Charles Harris in a bit, so we can update his stats: 11 games, one start, three sacks. The last number represents a career high. Harris played 12 and 10 snaps the past two games, his two lowest totals of the season.
-- Finally, we close with a look at running back Kenyan Drake, who's coming off a disappointing 10-carry, 26-yard outing in Arizona's 33-26 victory against the Eagles. Drake already has a career-high 874 yards on the season and is averaging 4.1 yards per carry. He's playing on the transition tag and is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
