MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The Dolphins are back in the hunt.
A team that was projected to be stripped for parts three weeks ago has now won two games in a row and sits three games out of the AFC's final playoff spot. With the 2-9 New Orleans Saints and New York Jets awaiting over its next two games, Miami could be just one game below .500 when it faces the Pittsburgh Steelers on "Monday Night Football" in Week 15.
But players and coaches laugh off the idea that the possibility of the playoffs has reenergized the locker room; they're just focused on Sunday's game against the Saints (1 p.m. ET, Fox).
"We've got to win this weekend, that's what matters," safety Minkah Fitzpatrick said. "What happened in the past is the past, whether we won or lost. There's going to be tape put out this weekend and we've got to play at a high level, whether we have a playoff chance or not."
The Dolphins aren't looking ahead because they've seen how fleeting momentum can be in the NFL.
They captured their first win of the season against the Jets in Week 4; the following week, they blew a 17-point lead in a loss to the Carolina Panthers. Miami also routed the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8 only to receive the same treatment from the Baltimore Ravens just four days later.
But the third time was the charm for the Dolphins, who blew out the Bills in Week 10 before winning an overtime, overseas game against the Washington Commanders in Week 11.
"Yeah, it feels like we're getting some momentum. We put together two pretty good games playing team football," linebacker Bradley Chubb said. "The Buffalo one was more of everybody hitting their groove, everybody feeling good, and the Madrid one, we came down to the wire. We had to play real team football and buy into one another each phase. Now we're just trying to build that momentum and keep it going.
"I feel like we've seen the blueprint of what happens when we play like that, so now it's just about continuing to do it."
The momentum Chubb referenced has been put to the test over the past two weeks, with Miami's bye in Week 12 and Thanksgiving week immediately after.
To combat any potential lapse in focus, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said he met with the team's captains early in the week to set his expectations for the team -- from there, he says he trusts his captains to enforce those expectations.
"You just leave no gray area -- you set forth expectations and then you observe," McDaniel said. "And then if things are off, you jump on it on the front end to the point that maybe it doesn't even get to me. ... We have a lot of young guys. So with clarity and direct communication, you hit that on the front end.
"You have to just continue to put forth the effort and energy towards the things that we're emphasizing, and everybody knows what we're emphasizing, so it's hard to hide on our field. I feel like I know where our players are at based upon what they've told me through their actions and through their execution."
The Saints' offense has struggled to score this season and is tied with the Las Vegas Raiders for fewest points scored per game. But defensively, the Saints rank 11th in yards allowed and ninth in passing yards allowed per game.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa praised New Orleans' defensive camaraderie, adding that it plays "with a chip on their shoulder."
The sixth-year quarterback said Miami "can't look forward" as it looks to put together its first three-game win streak since November 2024 -- even if it's against a team that could be picking first overall in next year's draft.
"I don't think you look at their record. I think you look at the team for what it is," he said. "For myself, I have to look at their defense for what it is, and they have a really good defense. They've played a lot of really good offenses, and it's been really close games as well. ... This is the NFL -- all these guys are getting paid.
"We're all getting paid to do a job and that doesn't mean you show up Sunday and you're guaranteed a win. It's any given Sunday that anything can happen, and so we're not looking at this as we're just going to show up and win the game. I don't think any of us think that. We've got to prepare the way we need to to put ourselves in the best position to help ourselves win this game, and we've got to go out and prepare for a 60-minute battle."