Miami Dolphins could move up to the 8th spot after this weekend

Seven teams will make the post season in the AFC and when this weekend concludes, the Miami Dolphins could move all the way up the 8th seed. One spot out of the post season.

For Miami, it is all about what happens on Monday night. They have to beat a very good defensive team and Miami’s own defense will need to keep Alvin Kamara in check. The Saints have been an up and down team but they have talent. They are not a team the Dolphins will be overlooking.

Call it the Dolphins next litmus test.

The rest of the AFC this weekend is going to be interesting. Earlier today we looked at the Colts and the Browns who will play on Christmas day. The Browns face the Packers in the early game while the Colts face the Cardinals in the late game.

On Sunday, things get a lot more interesting.

Of the bubble teams, that include the Ravens, Dolphins, Broncos, Raiders, Steelers, and Browns, the Ravens are the only team with 8 wins. The rest of the teams all have 7 wins while the Steelers have seven wins but only 6 losses thanks to a tie.

The Ravens will be without Tyler Huntley who was placed on COVID IR today. He is backing up Lamar Jackson who has been out for two weeks and may not be available for more than a backup role on Sunday. If the Ravens lose to the Bengals and the Browns lose to the Packers, the Bengals will have a clear path to the division and the Ravens will have a much lower shot at the wild card with the Dolphins potentially matching their 8 wins.

The Broncos will face the Raiders and Miami fans should be pulling for Denver because the tie breaker, head to head, with the Raiders favors Las Vegas.  A win by the Broncos will drop the Raiders behind Miami leaving the Dolphins, Ravens, and Broncos tied with 8 wins, assuming the Browns lose.

Finally, the Steelers will face the surging Chiefs and with their 7-6-1 record, they are a half game ahead of the Dolphins. Come Monday night, the Dolphins could be sitting in the 8th seed, one game out of the playoffs with two weeks left.

The two teams sitting in the 6th and 7th spots? The Chargers and Bills are holding on to a slim lead. The Bills own the tie-breaking head to head against the Dolphins and frankly, a tie with the Bills will immediately eliminate the Dolphins so the Bills need to win the division outright or lose two games. The Bills play New England while the Chargers play the Texans.