DAVIE Christian Wilkins Miami Dolphins Jerseys , Fla. (AP) ?Howard was honored as the AFC defensive player of the week, he sat out practice with a sore knee.So it goes for the Miami Dolphins, with injuries continuing to outnumber achievement.Howard joined his team's long injury list Wednesday, and his availability is uncertain for this week's game against New England .Fellow Dolphins cornerback Bobby McCain said he was confident Howard will play. Coach Adam Gase sounded less optimistic, describing Howard's status as week to week.Gase declined to rule out surgery, but said he expects Howard back this season.Howard was hurt when tackled returning an interception during Sunday's 21-17 win over Buffalo . He missed one play and then rejoined the lineup, but the injury worsened after the game.Howard has seven interceptions, including two in each of the past two games, and had two interceptions the previous time he faced Tom Brady. Howard seemed destined for his first Pro Bowl, and Gase didn't try to sugarcoat the magnitude of losing the third-year pro.More Miami Dolphins newsMaking it official: Dolphins hire Super Bowl-winning Patriots assistant Brian Flores as 13th head coach in franchise historyJaguars CB Jalen Ramsey catches a TD on offense as AFC thumps NFC in rainy Pro Bowl in OrlandoDolphins meet again with Patriots assistant Brian FloresDolphins must wait until after Super Bowl to seal deal with Patriots LB coach Brian FloresFormer Dolphins six-time Pro Bowl selection Bob Kuechenberg dies at age 71"If you throw the ball at him and you're inaccurate, he's not just going to knock it down 鈥?he's going to pick it off," Gase said. "He's one of our best players Christian Wilkins black jersey , if not our best player, on that side of the ball. You're not going to replace him."The Patriots, already favored by more than a touchdown on the road, would love not having to worry about Howard."He's an outstanding player," coach Bill Belichick said before learning of the injury. "He's got very good instincts, very good ball skills. The interception he made against us last year and the one against the Colts this year were two of the best plays a corner could make, getting in good position and then finding the ball late and making a good catch. He's a playmaker."Led by Howard, the Dolphins (6-6) have used turnovers to stay competitive . They rank second in the NFL with 19 interceptions and third with 25 takeaways.As a result, they're on the fringe of the playoff race despite a depleted roster. Gase said weeks ago his team couldn't afford to lose any more players, but the season-long wave of injuries has continued."We're losing guys left and right," he said.Said rookie defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick: "It's hard to win games without the people you started with."Eleven players have suffered season-ending injuries. McCain, for one Christian Wilkins Jersey Mens , said Howard's injury isn't nearly that serious."He'll be just fine, I promise," McCain said. "Hopefully we can get him back Thursday or Friday." The Miami Dolphins are currently in the eighth position in the AFC playoff picture (dropping one position after the Tennessee Titans won on Thursday night). A win against the New England Patriots keeps the Dolphins in the playoff hunt, especially if they get the help they need. What help is that? We take a look at the Week 14 schedule and break down what needs to happen to help the Dolphins. New York Jets at Buffalo Bills, 1pm ETThis is a coin toss game at this point. The Dolphins have swept the Jets in their annual home-and-home meetings. Miami faces the Bills in Week 17 after having beaten them in the first half of the home-and-home in Week 13. The Bills are 4-8 this season while the Jets are 3-9, so we will take the sure bet in the strength of victory tie break as well as take the shot at getting further in front of the third-place spot of the division. By now, you should know I will never root for one of these teams, so instead...Root for: Bills loss.New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins, 1pm ETRoot for: Dolphins.Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs, 1pm ETThis game is really nice for the Dolphins. The Chiefs are currently the AFC’s top seed, one game ahead of the Patriots. The Ravens are currently the AFC’s sixth seed, holding on to the last Wildcard spot. The Chiefs holding the AFC’s top spot keeps the Patriots from having it Miami Dolphins Jersey 2019 , while a loss for the Ravens assists Miami in trying to make the playoffs. Root for: Chiefs.Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans, 1pm ETNow we start to get fun. In tie breaks, there are ways that three-or-more teams benefit the Dolphins. We will not get into those because between now and the end of the season, there are too many ways that things go both for and against Miami. We will continue to try to just get the Dolphins into the playoffs based solely on their results. That means Houston winning is better for the Dolphins because they lead the AFC South and a loss for the Colts pushes them to 6-7 and out of the tie with Miami. Root for: Texans.Denver Broncos at San Francisco 49ers, 4:05pmThis is an easy one. The 49ers are an NFC team that Miami did not/does not play this year, while the Broncos are 6-6 and tied with Miami in the AFC playoff picture. Root for the NFC team to win. Root for: 49ers.Cincinnati Bengals at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:05pmCincinnati is a game behind Miami while the Chargers hold the fifth seed and top Wildcard spot in the AFC. That makes this a tough choice. Is it better to acquiesce that the Chargers will hold on to that Wildcard spot, or is it better the the Bengals drop further behind Miami? While opening both Wildcard spots to Miami makes sense, Miami lost the head-to-head meeting between the Dolphins and the Bengals, which makes any potential tie between the two clubs worrisome. Additional losses for Cincinnati is better for the Dolphins right now. Root for: Chargers. Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders, 4:25pmThe only reason this is still in the listing is because the Ravens could reach the Steelers in the AFC North race, which would make Pittsburgh a Wildcard contender. The Steelers are 7-4-1 on the season Walt Aikens Jersey , so a loss and a Dolphins win would still keep Miami a half-game back in the playoff standings, so just rooting for the Steelers to win the division makes sense. Root for: Steelers.Strength of victory and strength of schedule considerations:Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears, 8:20pm - Root for: BearsMinnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks, Monday 8:15pm - Root for: Minnesota (assuming Miami win in Week 15)Strength of schedule considerations:Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers, 1pm - Root for: PackersDetroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals, 4:25pm - Root for: LionsGames not considered (No Dolphins impact)New York Giants at Washington Redskins, 1pmNew Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1pmPhiladelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys, 4:25pmAFC Standings with rooting guide results:1 - AFC West leader - Kansas City Chiefs2 - AFC South leader - Houston Texans3 - AFC East leader - New England Patriots4 - AFC North leader - Pittsburgh Steelers5 - Wildcard - Los Angeles Chargers6 - Wildcard - Baltimore Ravens7 - Miami Dolphins8 - Tennessee Titans9 - Indianapolis Colts10 - Denver Broncos11 - Cincinnati Bengals12 - Cleveland Browns13 - Buffalo Bills14 - Jacksonville Jaguars15 - New York Jets16 - Oakland Raiders