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Dolphins defeat Patriots, make it harder for Ravens

The Ravens now NEED to win on Monday, after the Dolphins got the win on Sunday against the Patriots.

Marcus Thigpen scoring the game-winning touchdown for the Dolphins against the Patriots.
Marcus Thigpen scoring the game-winning touchdown for the Dolphins against the Patriots.
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens are in a very close race for the AFC's 6th playoff spot. The Dolphins needed to get a win on Sunday to keep themselves in the race.

Miami scored a touchdown (Ryan Tannehill 14-yard pass to Marcus Thigpen) with 1:21 to play, and then picked off Tom Brady in the end zone with two seconds left, which would ultimately lead them to their 8th victory of the season.

Now that the Dolphins have won, it is up to the Ravens to do the same. If Baltimore can win on Monday against the Detroit Lions, they will still be able to control their own destiny. If they lose, they'll have to depend on Miami to lose to either Buffalo or the New York Jets, both unlikely.

Baltimore owns the tiebreaker between themselves and Miami, since they defeated them in Week 5, 26-23.

The playoffs could possibly be on the line tomorrow night in Detroit for the Ravens, and if they can't pull it out, this may be the end of the road for the defending champions.

One good thing for Baltimore is this: the playoffs are possibly on the line, and they're in prime time. If you weren't aware by now, the Ravens seem to play their best football when everyone is watching them (refer to Super Bowl run last season) and this will definitely be a widely-seen game by many households, especially those in Baltimore and Detroit.

If there was ever a TRUE must-win game for the Ravens this season, the one tomorrow night is the one.