HC Mike McDaniel drops bold 1-word message ahead of crucial Week 18 battles for Dolphins' playoff push

Mike McDaniel isn't losing sleep over the Denver Broncos and LA Chargers' Week 17 duels. The Miami Dolphins are in the bubble at this moment, alongside the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals.

The Broncos-Chargers game is crucial for their aspirations, as the AFC West teams would clinch the No. 6 and No. 7 seed in the AFC if the season ended today.

When asked if he would paying attention or directly watching these Saturday matchups, McDaniel had a one-word response, "No."

With two games left on the calendar, they aren't eliminated from playoff contention and have a 9% chance of making it to the big party. It could go up to 13% with a win against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

If any of these teams lose their next two games and the Dolphins win their remaining matchups, their chances to play more January football will increase.

The Browns are eliminated from the postseason, but it's during these weeks that teams can pull off upsets and ruin plans for squads trying to make it out of the regular season.

The Chargers will clash against the New England Patriots, who almost beat the Buffalo Bills last week while the Broncos will clash against the up-and-coming Cincinnati Bengals.

After a crucial win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, the Dolphins remain in playoff contention. But the challenge has gotten considerably harder with both the Broncos and the Chargers having a positive record and with two fewer losses than the Floridians.

What do the Dolphins need to stay in the playoff race?

At 7-8, the Dolphins can still finish the season with a positive record, but they'll have to bring their A-game in the next two matches. To keep their chances alive, Miami should take down the Cleveland Browns in Week 17. The Sportskeeda playoff predictor has them finishing the season with a 9-8 record.

Although this would be positive, it wouldn't be enough to secure one of the two final playoff spots.

They can't afford to lose more games and will root against the Broncos and Chargers to lose their remaining games, as well as the Colts to drop at least one of their next matchups.

While it's easy to say it, it's hard to imagine McDaniel not keeping tabs on the Chargers and Broncos' games on Saturday. After the Browns game, the Dolphins will close out the season against the New York Jets.