Dolphins Week 16 Rooting Guide
We're down to three weeks left in the regular season with still a lot unsettled when it comes to the AFC playoff picture.
The Miami Dolphins began the weekend alone in second place in the conference seedings and with a clear path to the top seed where they land it by winning their final three games — against the Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills — without needing any outside help.
The Dolphins also have a magic number of two to clinch their first AFC East title since 2008, meaning any combination of Miami wins or Buffalo losses adding to two will do the trick, with the reminder those teams face each other in Week 18 and it becomes it winner-take-all for the division if Miami doesn't clinch it in the next two weeks.
And if it so happens that the Dolphins don't win the AFC East, then we'll have to get into wild-card possibilities with the reminder that Miami needs one win to clinch their postseason appearance.
With that stage set, here were our Dolphins rooting rankings for Week 16:
THE TEAMS THE DOLPHINS MOST WANT TO SEE WIN IN WEEK 16
1. L.A. Chargers (vs. Buffalo), Saturday, 8 p.m. ET
As we've mentioned many before, the first objective for the Dolphins (as stated by Mike McDaniel) is taking care of the AFC East title. And if the Chargers can upset the Bills, it would put the Dolphins right on the doorstep of achieving that goal.
2. San Francisco (at home vs. Baltimore), Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET
This is about landing the No. 1 seed in the AFC and a loss here would help the Dolphins, even if they clinch it no matter what with three season-ending victories and even if they can't get that top seed without winning at Baltimore in Week 17. This is about providing some margin for error for the Dolphins if they finish 12-5, though they then would need some help from ...
3. Las Vegas (at Kansas City), Monday, 1 p.m. ET
Yep, the Raiders could help the Dolphins big time, or the Bengals or Chargers the next two weeks. Bottom line if the Dolphins defeat Baltimore and finish 12-5, they'll land the No. 1 seed only if the Chiefs fail to run the table the rest of the way. So a Vegas win here would take care of that issue immediately.
4. Tampa Bay (at home vs. Jacksonville), Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET
It would take some kind of a catastrophic series of events for the Dolphins not to make the playoffs, but it doesn't hurt to have potential contenders going down. This game would be a good place to start.
5. Atlanta (at home vs. Indianapolis), Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
Same deal as with the Jacksonville game, and the fact it's an AFC-NFC game makes it clear where the rooting interest needs to go.
6. Cleveland (at Houston), Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
At 9-5, the Browns seem likely to make the playoffs and it could be that the Dolphins would want them to lose this game in the event both teams end up as wild-card entries and a higher seed is at stake. But losing a higher seed isn't as bad as losing out on a playoff spot (again, this is only in the event things go south for the Dolphins down the stretch).
7. Pittsburgh (vs. Cincinnati), Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET
A Pittsburgh win would give both of these teams seven losses on the season and it's probably preferable to the Steelers being knocked out but the Bengals lurking around.
8. New England (at Denver), Sunday, 8:15 p.m. ET
The Broncos likely aren't a concern for the Dolphins because they've already got seven losses and can only finish tied with Miami but again in a worst-case scenario the head-to-head victory might not apply should there be a third team tied with a 10-7 record.
WEEK 16 GAMES OF NO CONSEQUENCE TO THE DOLPHINS
These are games for Dolphins fans to watch for pure enjoyment or fantasy football purposes because they don't involve AFC contenders, though we should add that since the Dolphins own the Bears' 2024 sixth-round pick as a result of the training camp trade of center Dan Feeney, Detroit should be the choice in their matchup).
But here's the rest of the slate, in the interest of thoroughness:
Green Bay at Carolina, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
Detroit at Minnesota, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
Washington at N.Y. Jets, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
Seattle at Tennessee, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
Arizona at Chicago, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET
N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia, Monday, 4:30 p.m. ET
