Could Week 17 Decide Coach of the Year?
The stakes are high for the Miami Dolphins in their regular season finale against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday because a victory would clinch a playoff berth, though they still could reach the postseason despite a loss with some help.
A victory also could go a long way toward helping Brian Flores land NFL Coach of the Year honors.
Heading into Week 17, Flores actually was the co-favorite to win the award along with, ironically, Sean McDermott of those same Buffalo Bills, according to BetOnline.ag.
Flores and McDermott both were listed as 3/2 co-favorites, ahead of Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns at 5/1, Ron Rivera of the Washington Football Team at 8/1, and Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs, Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers and Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers at 12/1.
The case for Flores is pretty strong, given that the Dolphins already have doubled their victory total after going 5-11 in his first year as Miami head coach.
That he has the Dolphins in control of their playoff destiny heading into Week 17 truly is impressive, given that the team's talent level probably still isn't on par with most of the other AFC contenders.
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Flores also should get credit for the Dolphins rebounding from a 1-3 start and having his team always ready to compete, as evidenced by the fact the Dolphins haven't been blown out once all season.
"What he's doing with that team is really impressive," an executive said of Flores. "Defensively, they have exceeded expectations. I think they've got talent there, but they're playing above their level of talent. And they have a style and they dictate the tempo of the game."
Keep in mind, though, that the Coach of the Year award is voted on by NFL writers and not anybody affiliated with the league.
And this is where McDermott could find himself out of the running.
While he certainly has done a great job with the Bills, who have clinched either the second or third seed in the AFC, Buffalo also made the playoffs in 2019 after finishing 10-6. And the biggest reason for Buffalo's continued improvement this season clearly has been the play of quarterback Josh Allen, and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is considered a leading candidate for Assistant Coach of the Year honors. That logically could play against McDermott in the eyes of voters.
Stefanski will be a very strong candidate if the Browns in Week 17 defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will be resting quarterback Ben Roethsliberger and three other key starters, and clinch their first playoff berth since 2002.
RELATED: NFL Week 17 viewer guide with countdown of the matchups and SI team publisher predictions
Remember that the Browns were 6-10 just a year ago with pretty much the same nucleus, so Stefanski deserves a lot of credit for getting them over the hump.
And this is where what happens Sunday could make the difference and ultimately decide who wins the Coach of the Year award.
Flores' resume is strong and would be almost impossible to ignore if the Dolphins make the playoffs one year after some analysts were suggesting they were tanking to get as high a pick as possible in the 2020 draft.
Regardless of what happens, Flores most definitely is deserving of the Coach of the Year award, but it just might be that a playoff berth would clinch it, otherwise Stefanski might become the logical candidate to win.
For the record, the only Dolphins head coach to win the award was Don Shula, who got it for the team's perfect season in 1972.
The last Dolphins head coach to get votes was Adam Gase in 2016 after the Dolphins earned a wild-card playoff berth one year after finishing 6-10.
