6-7 Dolphins' playoff path revealed heading into MNF vs. Steelers

Matt Sullivan

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6-7 Dolphins' playoff path revealed heading into MNF vs. Steelers image

The Miami Dolphins are in the middle of a four-game winning streak, which began with a major upset over the Buffalo Bills. That win sparked this winning streak, and now, the 6-7 Dolphins are looking to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Heading into Week 15's Monday Night Football matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Dolphins will face a Steelers team missing T.J. Watt and a sick Jaylen Warren. But it won't be easy for Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins as the Steelers are at home.

A win on Monday Night Football is the only way to stay alive; otherwise, the Dolphins would be eliminated. If they do win, the path for Miami is far from clear.

Dolphins' playoff path despite 6-7 record is shaky at best

Beating the Steelers on Monday night is the only way for the Dolphins to keep their playoff hopes alive. Even after that win, if they get it, the Dolphins will then have to win out against the Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the New England Patriots.

If that happens, Miami would be 10-7, but still not guaranteed a playoff spot. There are three teams that Dolphins fans should be paying extra close attention to. User DRP3838 on the Dolphins subreddit highlighted the Dolphins clear, but slim path to the playoffs.

The Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, and Indianapolis Colts will decide the Dolphins' season even if Miami wins out to finish the 2025 season.

For the Texans, the rooting interest is clear. The Dolphins will need the 9-5 Texans to lose out, or lose two games while tying the other. A win would eliminate the Dolphins.

As if Dolphins fans didn't have any more reason to root against the Bills, if the 10-4 Bills lose out, then the Dolphins would have a chance.

But, how likely are those scenarios? Unfortunately, not very likely. Houston gets to face the Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, and Colts to close out the year. Buffalo, meanwhile, will get the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Jets.

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Fortunately for the Dolphins, they don't need both the Texans and Bills to lose out; just one team losing out would open a pathway for the Dolphins. The bad news is that the Bills and Texans should be able to easily get one more win this season with their schedules.

But, even if the Dolphins do manage to win out, and one of the Texans or Bills loses out, the Dolphins will still need the Colts and Philip Rivers to help out.

Miami needs the Colts to finish with a worse record than the Dolphins, meaning Indianapolis would need to win one game at most the rest of the season; otherwise, the Dolphins' only path to the playoffs would be over.

With the Colts facing the Texans in the final week of the season, the Dolphins' odds look slim to none, even if they do manage to win out.

One Dolphins loss, or Bills and Texans wins in Weeks 16-18, would eliminate the Dolphins from playoff contention this season.

The path to the playoffs for the Dolphins entering Week 15 against the Steelers is clear. While their odds are slim to none, the Dolphins are still alive and have a fighting chance of stunning the NFL if all of these things go their way.

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Senior Editor