Dec. 14, 2025, 7:45 a.m. ET
If things don’t go the Miami Dolphins‘ way on Sunday, there’s a chance they could be eliminated from the playoffs with a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday.
Even if they go right, Miami’s path to the postseason is an awfully narrow one. The team needs at least a couple AFC contenders to crash and burn down the stretch and the Dolphins can’t afford to drop a single game along the way.
Still, there are several results that Dolphins fans can root for Sunday that could help leave the door ajar for Miami. Here are six finishes in Week 15 that would help the Dolphins’ slim playoff chances:
Houston is riding a five-game win streak and enter Sunday as a significant home favorite against the three-win Cardinals.
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If Arizona managed to pull off the shocking upset, it would give the Dolphins an opportunity to climb just one game behind the Texans, who currently sit in the No. 7 and final seed in the AFC playoff picture.
If the Dolphins win out, they probably won’t have to worry about this game mattering. But if the Ravens also win out, both Miami and Baltimore would have matching 10-7 records and the tiebreaker wouldn’t go the Dolphins’ way.
The Bengals can erase the Ravens from consideration by winning at home Sunday.
Jacksonville currently leads the AFC South, but both the 8-5 Texans and 8-5 Colts are a game back. If the Jaguars slip, they could soon occupy one of the wild card spots and the Dolphins would be hoping their slide continued.
Alas, a loss at home to the rudderless Jets would be one of the most shocking results of the year.
Chiefs beat the Chargers
The Dolphins don’t really want to see the 6-7 Chiefs go on a run and challenge them for a wild card spot. But that’s a problem for another week. Right now, it’d be much more helpful if Kansas City dealt the Chargers a fifth loss, especially with a pretty tough slate ahead for Los Angeles.
Patriots beat the Bills
Rooting for the Patriots is not something many Dolphins fans would like to stomach. But rooting against the Bills doesn’t take much convincing.
New England can’t be caught by Miami, but 9-4 Buffalo could be. And if the Bills lost to the Patriots, they’d probably be on the wrong end of a tiebreaker if they finished with the same record as the Dolphins.
The Philip Rivers story is one for the ages, but the Dolphins’ playoff chances are doomed if he turns it into a Cinderella run for Indianapolis. The Dolphins need to catch two AFC contenders and it’s hard to imagine a path for Miami if the Colts don’t continue their tailspin.