The Miami Dolphins are back after their bye week. Due to the addition of an extra game this season, this is the latest bye week in NFL history. They play this game in the midst of a five-game winning streak.

No team in history has won five games on the bounce after going 1-7. No team has ever made the playoffs after starting the season with such a record. Can the Dolphins make the postseason for the first time since the 2016 campaign and create further history?

The Perfect Team To Play After A Bye Week

A bye week plays a great role in teams getting fresh for the remainder of the season, particularly the later it occurs. However, the Dolphins went into this year’s bye week in good form, which has sparked concern that the week off could kill the momentum. After all, we have seen plenty of struggles for teams who have a bye. Most recently, we saw the Baltimore Ravens lose in the Divisional Round to the Tennessee Titans despite being the best team in the regular season and earning a playoff bye.

The Jets are the perfect team for Miami to face. They are 3-10 and despite their shock wins over the Titans and Cincinnati Bengals this season, they have been underwhelming for the majority of the campaign. They gave the Dolphins a game when they were defeated 24-17 by Miami earlier this season. Miami will know where they went right and wrong in the game and will hope that the week off means that they are fresh rather than rusty.

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Tough Trips Down The Stretch: A Test Of Miami’s True Ability

Miami faces an easy game on paper against the Jets. They will then come up against three good teams. The New Orleans Saints may not be the same this season, but they have an excellent head coach in Sean Payton and Alvin Kamara, one of the best running backs in the league who made a return from injury last week where he ran for 120 yards against the Jets.

The Dolphins’ defense has improved, currently sitting eighth in rushing yards allowed this season (1,350). They will hope this also works against Saints quarterback Taysom Hill, whose biggest strength is scrambling with the ball.

Head coach Brian Flores will be wary of the Dolphins’ final two opponents when they face the current number two and three seeds in the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans respectively. Miami will hope that either team has secured the number one overall spot and rest some individuals. The same goes for either team if they secure second or third seed, where they know they can’t get the top seed and know they have a game the following week to plan for.

The chance for Miami to win the Titans game comes due to their injury issues. Star running back Derrick Henry, who was arguably one of the front runners for MVP before his regular season-ending injury. Wideouts A.J. Brown and Julio Jones are both returning from injury, but it remains to see how healthy they will be by the time both teams face each other in Week 17. The same can be applied to defensive end Denico Autry arrived in the offseason after three seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. He was having an excellent season, recording 6 sacks, 21 total tackles, 7 tackles for loss, and 15 quarterback hits in 11 games.

Finally, it is the old enemy in the season-ending week 18 clash. Miami beat the Patriots in Week One, but a lot has changed since. They have had an excellent run of form, one that could see them move back up to the number one seed if they win this weekend. Their defense is back to their best and quarterback Mac Jones has been one of the best rookie QBs in recent years. Bill Belichick is a certain contender for Coach of the Year and the job he has done deserves so much praise. Miami will hope to continue their recent good run during home games with the Pats and for their third straight win against their AFC East foes.

These are all games that Miami can win, with their win against the Baltimore Ravens earlier this season is proof that they can beat anyone on their day. Dolphins players, it is time to go out and try and create NFL history.