Can Dolphins make playoffs? Fans leaning towards no

During this week’s FanPulse survey, we asked Miami Dolphins fans whether they think the 4-3 Dolphins can make the 2018 NFL Playoffs. Not surprisingly, the results lean towards no.

Polling just the fan base for each team about their respective team’s playoff chances, the Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, and Los Angeles Rams all received 100 percent of their fan base’s votes for yes, they will make the playoffs. Joining those teams with at least 90 percent yes vote were the New England Patriots (96 percent), Los Angeles Chargers (93 percent), Washington Redskins (93 percent), and Carolina Panthers (90 percent).

Looking at just the AFC, the playoff picture, based on how fans of each team see their team’s playoff chances ahead of Week 8, would be:

1 - AFC West Champions - Kansas City Chiefs (100%)
2 - AFC East Champions - New England Patriots (96%)
3 - AFC North Champions - Pittsburgh Steelers (87%)
4 - AFC South Champions - Houston Texans (76%)
5 - Wildcard - Los Angeles Chargers (93%)
6 - Wildcard - Baltimore Ravens (80%)

Missing out of the playoffs, but ahead of Miami are the Cincinnati Bengals (64%) and the Tennessee Titans (46%). That leaves the Dolphins ninth in the AFC, according to the fan vote, with 42 percent of Dolphins fans saying the team will make the playoffs.

Rounding out the AFC, the Jacksonville Jaguars (34%) are tenth, the Indianapolis Colts (32%) are eleventh, and the Denver Broncos (21%) are twelfth before we reach the teams with single digit results to the poll. The Cleveland Browns are 13th in the conference with eight percent of their fans thinking they will make the playoffs, while the New York Jets are 14th with five percent, the Buffalo Bills 15th with four percent, and the Oakland Raiders, last in both the AFC and in the league as a whole, received zero percent of their fans’ votes saying they would make the playoffs this year.

Miami face the Texans tonight in a Thursday Night Football showdown. Could a win tonight push Dolphins fans to see a better chance of making the playoffs?