The Miami Dolphins have a long way to go to make the playoffs, but they certainly haven’t given up on the season, as evidenced by the actions (or inaction) of the NFL trade deadline.

At 2-6 heading into their Monday night game against the Los Angeles Rams, the Dolphins will clearly need help along the way while operating with a small margin for error.

The Dolphins will have to take care of their finish, and that means finishing the season with at least seven wins in their final nine games because anything less than a 9-8 record won’t give them a chance at a wild card spot. and the AFC East title is probably already out of reach.

Looking at the AFC standings, we can divide the other 15 teams into three different categories and they are evenly divided.

There are five teams through Week 9 that look like they will probably or almost certainly make the playoffs: the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans.

There are five teams that don’t seem to have much of a chance of making the playoffs: the New England Patriots, the Tennessee Titans, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Las Vegas Raiders and the Cleveland Browns.

The other five would appear to be the teams the Dolphins will compete against for the final two spots in the AFC playoffs: the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets.

The Dolphins have two games left against the Jets, in Week 14 and Week 18, so they could handle giving them two losses right there, but otherwise, the Dolphins and their fans should root for those final five teams. .

To that end, Baltimore holding on to that wild 35-34 win against Cincinnati in Thursday night’s thriller was good for Miami. Here’s how the Dolphins and their fans should want to see the rest of Week 10 before Miami takes the field at SoFi Stadium.

THE TEAMS THEY MOST WANT TO SEE THE DOLPHINS WIN IN WEEK 10

1. Arizona (vs. NY Jets), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET

When in doubt, always opt for an inter-conference matchup if a “contender” is involved. The Jets are coming off an impressive win against the AFC South-leading Texans, leading some to believe they are ready to make a run.

2. Kansas City (home vs. Denver), Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

This isn’t going to please those nostalgic Dolphins fans who want to see the Chiefs lose a game and not come close to the possibility of a 17-0 season, but they’re winning the AFC West anyway. A Broncos loss is much more valuable here.

3. Tennessee (vs. LA Chargers), Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET

Yes, the Titans have a tiebreaker advantage because they beat the Dolphins, but does anyone really think they could pull ahead in the second half?

4. Buffalo (in Indianapolis), Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

Yes, it’s painful to root for the Bills, but reality says their lead atop the AFC East is probably insurmountable. Indianapolis suffering a fifth loss is far more important to the Dolphins’ playoff prospects, as bleak as they may be.

5. Washington (home vs. Pittsburgh), Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

We don’t really envision the Steelers collapsing in the second half of the season, but there’s nothing wrong with them losing this game in case that’s in the cards.

6. Detroit (at Houston), Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET

Again, we’re not envisioning a Houston collapse, but this is a matchup between the AFC and NFC, so there’s no real disadvantage to the Lions winning this game.

7. Minnesota (at Jacksonville), Sunday, 1 pm ET

The Jaguars are spiraling and will have Mac Jones at quarterback for this game and maybe others. They just don’t seem like a threat right now.

8. Chicago (vs. New England), 1:00 p.m.

This is similar to the MIN-JAX game because there is no downside to Chicago winning, except for the positioning of the 2025 seventh-round pick the Dolphins will get as part of the Chase Claypool trade, but that’s actually not that significant. .

WEEK 10 GAMES WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES FOR THE DOLPHINS

These are games for Dolphins fans to watch for pure pleasure or fantasy football purposes because they do not involve AFC teams nor do they have implications for the future draft.

But here is the rest of Sunday’s programming, for the sake of thoroughness:

NY Giants vs. Carolina (in Germany), Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET

Atlanta at New Orleans, Sunday, 1 pm ET

San Francisco at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. ET

Philadelphia at Dallas, Sunday, 4:25 pm ET