The 2022 season has been one of streaks for the Miami Dolphins. They began the year with three straight wins, followed by three consecutive losses, only to follow up with a five-game win streak and yet another trio of losses immediately after that.
It’s been a rollercoaster of a season in a number of regards, but the final loop is approaching. Starting on Sunday, the Dolphins will be one of six Christmas Day teams, as they host the Green Bay Packers.
The 8-6 Dolphins enter Week 16 ready for a home game against the 6-8 Packers. Miami is 10-5 against Green Bay in their all-time series, with the Packers winning four of the last five. Miami’s last win in this series was at Green Bay in 2010, and their last home win was back in 2000.
The Dolphins and Packers first faced off against each other in 1971. From that game through the mid-90s, the Dolphins went 8-0 in the series, and Green Bay’s first win against Miami came on September 14, 1997.
Back to the present, the Dolphins are in a position to earn a playoff spot without winning out, however, after three straight games without a victory, Miami could make life much easier for them, and shoot for anything other than the seventh seed. A seventh seed is a ticket to Buffalo or Kansas City, pending who earns the bye or the second seed.
Heading into Week 16, Miami would face the Chiefs, but could even move up to the fifth seed with a whole lot of luck and some losses from the Los Angeles Chargers and Baltimore Ravens.
For any conceivable shot at a fifth seed, would mean a doable road Wild Card game against the Tennesse Titans (as of now) or even a shocking thought of potentially the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Believe it or not, after beating the Jets on Thursday night, they face the Texans in Houston and will play the finale against the Titans, which could be for the division.
There’s also the mathematical possibility that the Cincinnati Bengals play up to the second seed, thus making the Bills or Chiefs a third seed, in which that team would face the sixth seed in round one, which could be Miami.
Without getting ahead of the Packers, the Dolphins must take care of business at Hard Rock Stadium, a place where they’re 11-1 in their past 12 games. They’re looking to go 12-1 at home for the first time since the mid-1980s.
That lone loss was without Tua Tagovailoa, when Skylar Thompson started against the Minnesota Vikings back in Week 6, only to be injured and have Teddy Bridgewater come in to finish the game.
Miami begins this vital stretch with the Packers, before traveling to New England next Sunday and concluding the regular season with a home game against the New York Jets, which could very well be a win-and-in situation…for both teams.
Here are some things to note heading into Sunday: