Dolphins' Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Implications of Week 12

The 6-4 Miami Dolphins are fighting for a playoff spot under second-year head coach Brian Flores. 

Miami is in a three-way tie with the Las Vegas Raiders and Baltimore Ravens for the seventh and final AFC playoff spot. Las Vegas holds the edge by virtue of the conference record tiebreaker.

Overall, six AFC teams have six or seven wins, and the playoff race should be a fight to the finish.

Therefore, scoreboard viewing could be on the docket for Dolphins fans when they're not watching their team take on the winless New York Jets at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. 

Here's a look at who to root for in Week 12 and why.

First, a Quick AFC Playoff Rundown

The 10-0 Pittsburgh Steelers and 9-1 Kansas City Chiefs should duke it out for the AFC's No. 1 seed. Miami likely won't need to be concerned about passing either team in the standings for a playoff berth barring monumental collapses for either franchise.

The Dolphins are one game behind the 7-3 Buffalo Bills for the AFC East lead. The 7-3 Indianapolis Colts hold the AFC South edge to round out the top four in the AFC field. 

The 7-3 Tennessee Titans and 7-3 Cleveland Browns currently hold the AFC's first two wild card spots ahead of the trio of aforementioned 6-4 teams.

Overall, the Dolphins have two realistic routes into the playoffs either via the division or wild card.

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

The Dolphins will be Steelers fans on Tuesday when Pittsburgh hosts Baltimore in an AFC North battle. Any Ravens loss is ultimately beneficial to Miami's playoff chances.

Unfortunately, the Ravens are suffering from a COVID-19 outbreak, which has seen quarterback Lamar Jackson added to the reserve/COVID-19 list. He will sit in favor of backup Robert Griffin III.

The game was originally scheduled for Thursday but was moved five days to accommodate the team.

Rooting Interest: Steelers

Las Vegas Raiders at Atlanta Falcons

The Dolphins will jump over the Raiders with a win and a Las Vegas loss at the Atlanta Falcons.

A Raiders defeat to the 3-7 Falcons is harder to envision than a Ravens loss. The Raiders nearly picked off the Chiefs, who they beat earlier this season, last Sunday before ultimately falling 35-31.

Las Vegas also took down the 8-2 New Orleans Saints en route to its winning start, so this team has no problem facing the league's best and excelling.

The Falcons are certainly talented but not among that group. They also just lost 24-9 to the Saints sans starting quarterback Drew Brees on Sunday, so this team isn't coming into this game with good form.

Rooting Interest: Falcons

Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars

The Dolphins will leap over the Cleveland Browns in the playoff picture with a win and a Cleveland loss. They would be tied in the standings, but Miami would own the conference record tiebreaker (4-3 vs. 4-4).

However, the 1-9 Jags have lost nine straight. They are bottom five in points per game and points allowed per game.

Chances are Miami won't be sailing over Cleveland this week.

Rooting Interest: Jaguars

Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts

Barring a miracle run from the 4-7 Houston Texans, either the 7-3 Titans or 7-3 Colts will be winning the AFC South and earning an automatic playoff berth. As such, the Dolphins' focus is obviously on the second-place AFC South finisher.

The loser of this game will become one of Miami's chief AFC playoff rivals, while the winner will separate itself from the wild card pack for at least one more week.

Ideally, Miami would like to see both these teams lose as much as possible down the stretch, but they both can't lose Sunday.

Picking which team to root for in Week 12 is ultimately splitting hairs, but the guess here is that a Titans win would be more helpful.

The Colts have a tougher schedule with games at the Raiders and Steelers on the docket. A loss to the Titans could give Miami a better chance to eclipse (and hold off) Indianapolis down the stretch. Indianapolis would also fall to 3-4 in the AFC with a loss, so conference tiebreakers may be detrimental to their chances by the regular season's conclusion.

Rooting Interest: Titans

Los Angeles Chargers at Buffalo Bills

Miami's preferred route to the playoffs is through the AFC East: Winning the division grants the Dolphins an automatic top-four seed and a home game to start the playoffs. Therefore, any Bills loss is a huge win for the Dolphins, so Miami should root for the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

A Dolphins win and a Chargers victory at the Buffalo Bills would create a two-team tie atop the AFC East at 7-4. Buffalo would still be in first because of the head-to-head tiebreaker (the Bills beat the Dolphins 31-28 in Week 2).

Ultimately, the Bills are clear favorites over the 3-7 Bolts, but the race is clearly on as the calendar nears December.

Rooting Interest: Chargers