I think its best just to concede the division to New England at this point and hope that Denver or Oakland can claim the #1 seed instead. Its over.

Honestly, Denver beating San Diego helps push the Chargers down the ladder, and Tenn beating Jacksonvile does the same. We need to root against KC, but Indy losing isn't all bad. The ones that hurt are the Texans beating the Lions and the Raiders coming back to beat the Bucs.

 

I was disappointed about the Oakland a Cincy games as both of them should have lost given competent kicker play.

 

It's very difficult to envision a scenario where the AFC West doesn't take both wild card spots.

 

It may take 11 wins this year.

Jets missed the playoffs last season with 10 wins.

 

I agree. Unless KC falls back a bit with Smith out.

Those teams still play each other a bunch though so they'll all pick up some losses

 

This. I think the Dolphins, Bills, and just about everyone can just relax and plan for next season.

 

Playoffs?.....Playoffs? hahahahaha

 

I just want us to win the majority of our games the second half of the season. If we finish with a winning record, I will call this season a success, personally. Like most have said...the AFC West could well take both WCs. If we finish 9/7 or even 10/6 and dont make the playoffs...Ill be disappointed only because I want to see the Phins in the playoffs, but it wont be a let down.

Still a ton of football left though.....We just need to take care of our business.

 

this team is going to be what it always is. 7-9, 8-8, 9-7 its what we are we will be out of the top 10 in picks and pick up margianl free agents.

 

We already have 4 losses. I don't see anyone with a record of worse than 10-6 making the playoffs in the AFC and I don't see us losing only two games the rest of the way. We don't need help from other teams, we need help with better drafting.

 

IMO stability has been a much bigger issue than drafting. Teams are built through the draft but that's only possible when you have a consistent philosophy based on stability in coaching and systems. Hopefully Gase can provide that.

As for the remainder of the schedule, there's no game we should chock up as an automatic loss. Last I checked every opponent except for NE was .500 or worse. Even week 17 at NE might have us facing a team that's locked up home field and is playing their back-ups. I see @ SD as the toughest game. So while I'd never expect to win 10 in a row, I'm not going to expect losses either. I never worry about playoff scenarios this early so I'm not predicting playoffs or wins. But I also am not the guy who's going to say there's any game we can't win or that we should forget about the playoffs.

 

Its not over until its over.

Our schedule is easier than many of the teams ahead of us.We will pass some of those teams and who knows we may just be in play for the wild card.

Hope is the fuel that keeps fans going.

 

That's exactly how I see it as well. Besides, we just beat two top ten teams in the league...suddenly we are supposed to panic by 8 opponents who have our record or worse, yet didn't have anywhere near the dominance we've experienced the past few weeks? This is not a conversation solely about records- we played our first 5 games with an average to horrible back-up line. Now we're healthy while others have key payers sitting.

It's way too early to be obsessing over playoffs. I've told this story here before- I asked Marino about the playoffs mid season in the late 90's and he absolutely went off on me. He said that the only thing you can do is prepare for the week and ignore all the other outside influences. You get to the playoffs by winning one game- the one that you're playing this Sunday. NOTHING else matters.

 

The reason there's been instability in coaching and management is that their drafting has consistently sucked. They've failed to draft talent between 2000 and maybe 2014. We have a couple good players from the last couple drafts, so maybe that's signaling a turnaround, but we need a lot more help. And we've still been striking out at the LB position.

 

I'm curious, when before have 2 wildcards come from the same division? Im sure it's happened...but it has to be rare. Pitt, Cincy,Baltimore perhaps ? Still doubt it happens this year, especially if it's Oakland/KC you're counting on....

.... on the notion that you'll need 10 wins to get in.

3 ten win teams in one division??

 

No, you have it backwards. Every time you change philosophy you change the type of players that are desired so players don't get a chance to develop. You end up getting rid of players like Vontae and Smith at CB and retooling all the LBs again. You end up with more holes that you have to fill. You need continuity before you can draft successfully.

 

Essentially for the phins to have a good shot at the post season the need to go 9-0 or 8-1 over the rest of the schedule. As others have 10-6 probably isn't going to get it done this year in the AFC, and 9-7 almost certainly won't. The biggest thing in our favor is that we have one of the easiest remaining schedules in the NFL.

9-0 is the thing we have to do to be division champs, and then it involves that Pats dropping at least another 2 games on top of the game they'd drop to us if we swept it the rest of the way. Mathematically possible, but pretty inconceivable in reality.

 

On top of that there has been the general failure of coaches to develop talent once players have been drafted. You see teams like Pittsburgh and Green Bay draft a player and see him steadily improve year after year. With us Reshad Jones is a unicorn, with other teams coaching up late round draft picks is what is the norm. We've seen too many talented youngsters riding the pine when the veteran ins front of them weren't better and only getting an opportunity to play and improve because of injuries. and when we have had young players develop we've mostly let them walk OV, Lamar Miller, Rishad Mathews, Jared Odrick to name a few. I understand that you can't keep everybody but you shouldn't be losing most of them.

 

Us beating San Diego would be a good thing. But it looks like Denver and Oakland for Division and one WC (toss up). I don't think they (Sand Dogs) will beat out 2nd from AFC N or E, be that Bmo, Pitt or Barfalo or....just maybe us.

I think Cinci takes the North and NE east and the WC best of.

Loser of Texass Undies and Jagoffs doesn't make it.

 

I disagree. Good coaches adjust to the types of players they have. We haven't had good coaches.

 

You're right. Pittsburgh, Cincy, and Baltimore as recently as 2014, and also in 2012. Denver, KC and SD in 2013. Indy, Jacksonville and Tennessee in 2007 in the AFC, and Dallas, the Giants and Washington in the NFC the same season. Dallas, Philly and the Giants in 2006. Those are the examples since the divisions changed in 2002, and with them how many wild cards there are each year.