Ten weeks later. The postseason picture is starting to take shape and the season has officially reached the critical juncture for the teams that underperformed at the start. It’s over for some teams, but one team with very few wins still has a small pulse after a big win this week and a recent turn of improved health.
Can the Dolphins make a run and make the playoffs?
The Dolphins’ season took a breather this week after their Monday night win over the Los Angeles Rams. With the rest of the league largely struggling, the Dolphins have a chance to save their season if they can get going right now. At 3-6, every game is essential to reach the play-offs, but if they play their cards right they can at least challenge for it.
The bones of a playoff roster are still there, but the Dolphins lost too many games early in the season with Tua Tagovailoa out with a concussion. Since his return, they have looked more like the team they wanted to be at the start of the season.
Since Tagovailoa’s return in Week 8, the Dolphins have been a functional team again. On a per-game basis, they have been just about in the top five through three games since Tagovailoa resumed his duties as starting quarterback. Miami’s defense hasn’t been as consistent as it was when Tagovailoa was out, but the group played a big role in beating the Rams and getting the Dolphins a big win on the national stage. As a whole, this team is certainly not as bad as its record suggests.
What gives the Dolphins a chance is that the bottom of the AFC is a dumpster fire. Miami’s 3-6 record ranks as the 10th seed. That’s just two games out of the seventh seed and playoff position, currently held by the Broncos (5-5). In between are the Colts (4-6) and Bengals (4-6). The Bengals are always a threat to make a run and reach the playoffs based on their offensive firepower. The Colts, not so much, although Indianapolis beat Miami in Week 7.
The Dolphins’ remaining schedule is a mixed bag. They have games against the Raiders, Patriots, Jets and Browns. They also have to play the Packers, 49ers and Texans. It will be tough, but their recent games against the Bills and Rams suggest this team has a chance to win in any of those games. The chances may be slim, but possible.
It’s a tough pill to swallow that they’re in such a big hole, but the Dolphins can at least build momentum for 2025 if they don’t make the playoffs this season. Maybe a top draft pick is what they need to push them over the top next season.
The Eagles are on the rise and have legitimate contenders
The NFC is devoid of true contenders for the Lions’ crown this season, but another team could enter the arena and establish themselves as contenders in the later parts of the season. As they get healthier and get ready for the home stretch, the Eagles look like one of the best all-around teams in the NFL with the potential to make some noise in the postseason.
Their offense will draw most of the plaudits due to the large number of star players they have on that side of the ball, but the Eagles’ improved defense also plays a big role in this equation.
They haven’t exactly put on the Greatest Show on Turf every week, but over the last five weeks when the Eagles are 5-0, Philadelphia has had the best defense in football. Yards per play, points per drive, success rate, sack rate – you name it, they’re probably first or close to first. Some of that is aided by playing the Giants, Browns and Dak-less Cowboys, but they smothered the Bengals and held them to 17 points in a blowout win. From low to low, drive to drive, this defense plays lights out and gets some strong contributions from young players.
Three players still on rookie deals – Jalen Carter, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean – have helped get this defense moving in the right direction. With the Eagles undergoing a bit of a facelift on defense from the team’s previous era, these three guys are going to be extremely important and have been a big part of their success as of late. Other young players like Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean are also starting to come into their own. Year 1 under coordinator Vic Fangio was a huge success in terms of bringing together some of the Eagles’ top defensive players.
The offense speaks for itself. As long as Philly’s stars are healthy, the unit will produce. AJ Brown, Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith are too good to go with Jalen Hurts under center. The offensive line is also getting healthier, with left tackle Jordan Mailata set to return from injury. They are hitting cylinders at the right time and have a chance to take a solid lead in the NFC East with a win over the Commanders (7-3) on Thursday evening.
The Eagles have been a circus when it comes to their coaching staff, but Fangio and the overall talent level sets the floor too high. Barring a meltdown prior to the playoffs, they have a shot at making the run. This team is certainly better than last year’s team that fell to the Buccaneers in the wild card round.
Chicago should be ashamed of itself
The Bears were defeated again, but this time it was by one of the worst teams in the league. After losing 19-3 to the Patriots and failing to score a touchdown for the second straight week, the Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who was in his first year with the team. The atmosphere is in shambles as the efforts are questioned and the performance and development of quarterback Caleb Williams is a major talking point around the league. The season is falling apart, change is coming and… they’re down to 4-5? As bad as the Bears have been lately, their season is certainly not over, even if their behavior on and off the field is trending in that direction.
Chicago is currently in the ninth seed for the NFC playoff race, just two games back of the seventh seed Packers. That’s certainly an uphill battle, but the Bears haven’t played any intra-division games yet and can still control their chances for a wild card spot. Changes were certainly needed on offense, but if the Bears can get motivated and start acting like a professional team again, they can actually compete and get back into the mix.
The good news for the Bears is that their defense is still a top quality unit. Chicago ranks fifth in points per drive, third in expected points added per play, first in expected points added per dropback and sixth in turnover percentage. By any standards, this is still one of the best defenses in the league (other than that, they allowed the Cardinals to run for a 53-yard touchdown in the waning seconds of the first half of Week 9). The bears are not lifeless, even if the other side of the ball forms craters.
There’s no need to sugarcoat this: the Bears’ offense is terrible. Besides not turning the ball over, they don’t actually do anything right and the whole operation is sloppy. Williams holds the ball too long and doesn’t show off his ridiculous arm talent enough. The wide receivers aren’t getting any separation and the offensive line is incredibly hurt. Not much good happening here and its recent high ended with Waldron losing his job. This side of the ball will likely suck for the rest of the season. Perhaps better coordination can help Chicago improve into a sub-par offense instead of one of the three worst in the league.
A 4-5 team with the mannerisms of a 1-8 team is not good. Things haven’t been the same since the Bears’ Hail Mary against the Commanders, but that’s no reason to slog through their recent games. Tackle it together, Beren. The season isn’t over yet because things have gotten tough.
Lamar Jackson has a stranglehold on the MVP race, but it could get even tighter
The MVP race has been a one-man show so far. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is still the frontrunner as he is having one of the best seasons in NFL history, but the schedule is about to intervene and every prospect is about to be put under a microscope. Think about last season, when the MVP race was hotly contested until the last few weeks, when the Cowboys and 49ers played some sloppy games, paving the way for Jackson to win his second MVP. With a little help from BetMGM, here are the real MVP candidates to keep an eye on for the rest of the season.
Lamar Jackson (+110): According to TruMedia, Jackson has generated 122.7 expected points on dropbacks. Jayden Daniels is in second place with 70.8. The distance between Jackson and Daniels is the same distance between Daniels and Russell Wilson, who is in 14th place. This is the price for Jackson to lose.
Josh Allen (+350): Allen is playing at an MVP level in a reload year for the Bills and if they can finish the season 14-3 or around that range, the voters will be clamoring for him as well.
Patrick Mahomes (+700): Mahomes hasn’t had the same statistical dominance as he has in the past, but the Chiefs are 9-0 and would have no chance of going undefeated without Mahomes.
Jalen hurts (+1300): The Eagles are winning and Hurts continues to put up numbers. He will be a factor in this race towards the end as long as the Eagles keep winning.
Jared Goff (+2000): The Lions didn’t necessarily win because of Goff, but a quarterback putting up numbers for an elite team will always draw MVP attention. But he needs to play better.
