The Miami Dolphins downed the Cleveland Browns on a dreary day by a final score of 20-3. With this win, the Dolphins are still mathematically alive in the playoff race and can even clinch a postseason spot in Week 18, but they’ll need some help. Miami will need to win its game against the New York Jets, and the Kansas City Chiefs will need to beat the Denver Broncos for the Dolphins to make the playoffs.
“I’m very, very proud of the locker room and the coaching staff, and just really everyone because this one was important for the obvious reasons, but also we were 2-6 and staring at the LA Rams,” said Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel in the post-game press conference. “Winning this game put us at 6-2 since.”
“Some of the best things in team sports occur when you have to galvanize together, and there’s a lot of people telling you you’re seasons over,” he continued. “It speaks to all of that.”
McDaniel then gave credit to his defense, which held the Browns to a season-low three points in the game.
“Defensively, team football. They rose to the occasion,” he said. “Having a couple of turnovers and not letting them into the end zone. Guys made some plays just across the board. It was a team win that felt really good… That was one I thought was earned through not only this last work week but the accumulation of work weeks as we’ve bonded together.”
The Dolphins close out the season with a road game against the Jets, who were eliminated from playoff contention weeks ago.
