Dolphins Now Control Playoff Fate

The Miami Dolphins got a tremendous amount of help with their Week 16 Sunday results

It was a very good Sunday for the Miami Dolphins, as they sat waiting for their Monday night matchup against the New Orleans Saints.

And the best news of all was this: The Dolphins control their playoff fate.

The Dolphins also could move into the seventh spot in the AFC standings (the last playoff position) with a victory at New Orleans, but that's not even the best part.

Yes, the Dolphins — after their 1-7 start — no longer need any outside help to make the playoffs if they can continue their winning streak through their final three games of the season and finish with a 10-7 record, according to prediction and projection website FiveThirtyEight.com.

The key result Sunday, of course, was the Buffalo Bills' 33-21 victory against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

That victory put the Bills in control of the AFC East, which they will win for a second consecutive year with home victories against Falcons and Jets in the final two weeks.

More importantly, it moved New England's record to 9-6, meaning the Dolphins would tie them by winning out since the teams finish the season against each at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 9. Under that scenario, the Dolphins would win the tiebreaker by virtue of their season sweep.

If somehow there ended up being a three-way tie atop the AFC East, Buffalo would win the division title by virtue of their 3-1 record in head-to-head matchups with the Dolphins and Patriots, and the Dolphins would be second.

The other scores that greatly benefited the Dolphins on Sunday was the Houston Texans' shocking 41-29 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers, which dropped L.A.'s record to 8-7, and the Kansas City Chiefs' rout of the Pittsburgh Steelers, which dropped the Steelers to 7-7-1.

The other side of the picture for the Dolphins is that, based on FiveThirtyEight's projections, their playoff percentage is still put at 17 percent, which obviously is a reflection of the tall task of finishing off a nine-game winning streak.

If the Dolphins can't finish the nine-game winning streak but manage to finish the season 9-8, their playoff percentage goes from 8 to 20 percent depending against who the loss would occur.

But making the playoffs always was going to be a long shot with a 9-8 record. At least now, there's something clear to look forward to if the Dolphins can finish 10-7.