Dolphins making push for playoffs

The Miami Dolphins were 1-4 and looked like one of the worst teams in the National Football League. Miami was going down the drain in a major way, and then head coach Adam Gase stepped up. He shuffled the entire offensive line, and went to running back Jay Ajayi.

Suddenly, everything changed. Ajayi had a pair of 200-yard rushing games and helped Miami pull off an upset over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Hard Rock Stadium. The Dolphins then took care of business against the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, San Diego Chargers and Los Angeles Rams, getting themselves to 6-4 and in the first spot out of the AFC playoff picture.

Miami still has some serious work to do if it wants to reach the postseason, but it isn’t out of the realm of possibility. The Dolphins face the San Francisco 49ers this weekend, a team that is 1-9 without a win since the opening week. Miami should be able to crush the 49ers, who are dreadful on both offense and defense under perceived guru Chip Kelly.

After that, the Dolphins play the following schedule in order:

at Baltimore Ravens
vs. Arizona Cardinals
at New York Jets
at Buffalo Bills
vs. New England Patriots

This is not going to be easy. Record-wise, the worst team remaining is the Jets, who sit at 3-7. However, that game is on the road and its a divisional matchup, so don’t put that one in the left column yet.

Other than the contest with New York, things are going to be tough. Going into Baltimore won’t be easy. The Ravens have the best run defense in the NFL and will be at home, a place they have been very hard to beat throughout John Harbaugh’s tenure.

A home date against the Cardinals is certainly winnable, although Arizona is miles better than its 4-5-1 record suggests. The Cardinals are going to be desperate to win that game, trying to stay in the NFC wild card race. Should the Dolphins win that game, they would have to feel very good.

After the Jets, another trip to New York is in the wings with a visit for the Bills. Buffalo might be in the postseason chase and going into the cold weather of western New York won’t be fun. The Bills are always very tough in this type of spot, especially against a warm-weather club like Miami.

Finally, a home game against the Patriots is going to be brutal. The Patriots have struggled to beat the Dolphins in Miami over the last few years, but it’s not something to bank on. Can Miami take this one if everything is on the line?

After 1-4, the Dolphins still have work to do. Yet, anybody would take this current situation.