The Miami Dolphins kept their playoff hopes alive by beating the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16, but there’s a chance their postseason chances will disappear entirely before they even hit the field Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.
If both the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers win their Saturday matchups, the Dolphins will officially be eliminated.
According to Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, his team’s approach to the upcoming matchup Cleveland will be the same, regardless.
“If we’re still in it or not, you get to see a lot about who a person is by the way they go about their business,” Tagovailoa told reporters Thursday. “You see guys laying down? That tells you a lot right there. You see guys fighting? I mean, that should tell you a lot as well.
“Hopefully next year you should know by that time, the guys that were going when times were hard. You kind of want them on your team and you can kind of count on those guys.”
Earlier in the season, the Dolphins had a stretch with just one win over seven games. A concussion for Tagovailoa that sidelined him for four of those games played a significant factor as the team slid to 2-6 in the first nine weeks.
In the back half of the year, Miami has won five of its last seven games, but it may be too little, too late. One of the AFC’s three wild card berths is already out of reach and the Broncos and Chargers are on the verge of securing the other two.
Tagovailoa says players shouldn’t need playoff stakes to show up and play hard, though.
“It’s an opportunity and I don’t think any of us on our team should take this for granted,” Tagovailoa said. “This is something that we’ve worked extremely hard for to be in the positions that we’re in now, to be able to play in the NFL. That in itself has been a dream, so for you to short-circuit yourself and be like, ‘oh, no, we’ll get it next year.’ Well, how do you even know that there is going to be a next year for your career or there’s going to be a next game for you?”
In 11 starts this season, Tagovailoa has 19 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and a 101.4 passer rating.
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