By now, Dolphins fans know what must happen to punch a ticket back to the postseason. A Miami win, coupled with a Broncos loss to the Chiefs, would make it three straight years the Dolphins made the postseason.
This week, the team's focus is simple: controlling what they can control, and that is trying to beat the New York Jets. Here's what the players and coaches are saying ahead of the regular season finale:
All in for Week 18
Head Coach Mike McDaniel – "I don't really know what's going to happen in that game and I will care about that the second our game is over. But to me the most important thing is really leaning into the lessons of this season and an overall lesson that is paramount for success of football teams, is to focus on the right things and nothing matters about a game in a different stadium if we don't find a way to beat the Jets."
Fullback Alec Ingold on Sunday's focus – "I'm going to be worried about who I got to block, what the assignment is, what my alignment is, all that good stuff. We're going to let that Chiefs-Broncos game do what it does, but I'm sure there's going to be whispers and murmurs in the stadium."
Outside Linebacker Emmanuel Ogbah – "We've got to handle business first. The Jets are priority No. 1, so we've got to handle business and hope the Chiefs pull out a victory for us. December football is playoff football. It's closer to the end of the year and guys are dealing with a bunch of injuries that they want to push through just to be out there with their brothers."
Wide Receiver Jaylen Waddle – "(Playing meaningful football in January) means a lot. We started off 2-6 and look at us now. It's a long season. We came a long way, the team grew in different ways with people being in and out the lineup, being banged up. It allowed the team to grow. Playing meaningful football in January, it means a lot. This team really stepped up to the plate, stepped up to the challenge all year, I'm proud of it."
Defensive Tackle Zach Sieler – "I think last week was a great game. I think all three units played really well together and to be able to run off of that into this game and hopefully take it up to MetLife and hopefully everything falls into place and we play next week. It's super exciting to come from 2-6 to here. It's a testament to the team, the resilience of these guys and just the attitude we have around here. So I'm excited for this weekend."
For more on Dolphins-Jets, download the Drive Time Podcast with Travis Wingfield, available wherever you get your podcasts.
