All Dolphins

Dolphins Playoff Hopes Officially Over

The Miami Dolphins did not get the help they need from the Denver Broncos

Alain Poupart

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) passes the ball in the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High.
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) passes the ball in the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
In this story:

Even before their Week 18 game against the New York Jets was over, the Miami Dolphins officially were eliminated from playoff contention with the Kansas City Chiefs' rout of the Denver Broncos.

This outcome looked pretty obvious from the start with Denver scoring on all four of its first-half possession to take a 24-0 lead.

So when the Dolphins headed into the locker room at halftime trailing 15-6 after Tyler "Snoop" Huntley threw two interceptions, that was almost immaterial because of what was happening at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver.

That help the Dolphins needed from the Kansas City Chiefs to land that final AFC playoff berth with a victory against the Jets? It didn't come close to happening in the first half and the outcome of that game basically was settled by halftime.

Denver ended up winning its game 38-0 to land the seventh seed in the AFC playoffs. The Btroncos will face the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the playoffs next weekend.

The Dolphins are out of the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

In the end, the Dolphins got one part of the outside help they needed when the Indianapolis Colts were upset by the New York Giants, but they didn't get the back-to-back losses from either the Broncos or the Los Angeles Chargers they also needed.

Published |Modified
Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of Miami Dolphins On SI and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press and the Dolphins team website. In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books, such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

Home/News