Dolphins Playoff Scenarios: Is Miami out of the playoff picture after loss to the Patriots on Sunday?

The Miami Dolphins lost their most important game of the season, as they lost 23-21 to the New England Patriots and are now out of the playoff picture with only a week to go.

With the loss, the Dolphins must beat the New York Jets in Week 18 and hope for the Buffalo Bills to beat the Patriots so they can get back on the #7. Any other results different than this will knock Miami out of the postseason.

With five straight losses and with franchise quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffering multiple concussions throughout the year, the Dolphins went from playoff contenders - and even a dark-horse Super Bowl candidate - to struggling to even make it to the postseason. There's a lot to fix for the team.

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Dolphins leave playoff picture, need help from Bills to clinch postseason spot

Things can change in the blink of an eye in the NFL. Miami fought Buffalo for the AFC East title and was even with an outside chance of getting the first seed and home-field advantage. This was just under a month ago.

Now? They can't even clinch a playoff spot on their own. They have to win a game and hope for a loss of their division rivals for a wild card spot.

There are a few things to unpack as to why this was happening. Tua Tagovailoa's level dropped, the run defense could not sustain good performances in recent weeks and even the passing offense suffered with different strategies from the 49ers and the Chargers. All of this resulted in five straight losses that sees Miami with a .500 record with one game to go.

If the Dolphins fail to qualify, you can bet that a lot of changes will be coming to the franchise. Mike McDaniel's job is safe, but Tua Tagovailoa's future will be an interesting discussion: he again failed to lead Miami to the postseason and his future in the league is also up for discussion with so many head injuries.

Miami can still qualify for the playoffs. But their problems this season will go way beyond 2022.