There are a lot of bright spots for this Miami Dolphins team. Their performance lately has been far above everyone's expectations.

Ryan Tannehill is growing up right before our eyes. Reggie Bush has been having another nice year as the Dolphins’ primary halfback. The run defense has yet to allow more than 100 yards rushing in any game. Brian Hartline is leading the NFL in receiving yards.

At the risk of sounding like Jim Mora or looking too far ahead, I don't think a trip to the playoffs is out of the question.

Let's take a closer look at the AFC playoff picture:

Likely Division Winners:
New England
Baltimore
Denver
Houston

Potential Wild Card teams:
San Diego
Miami
Pittsburgh
Indianapolis
Cincinnnati

Out of those 5 teams, I could definitely see Miami beating out some of them. Indy (2-2), San Diego (3-2), and Cincinnati (3-2) are all within 1 game of the Dolphins right now. They’ve already beaten the Bengals, and have a showdown scheduled for week 9 at Indianapolis. Hell, even Pittsburgh (2-3) isn't lighting the world on fire this year. It’s not impossible to see the Miami Dolphins in the race for the last Wild Card spot come December. This is definitely the season for them to strike, as their remaining opponents currently boast a combined 27-28 record, including games against the Jets, Bills (twice), and Jaguars.

From where this team stood pre-season, maligned by fans everywhere, for Joe Philbin and Ryan Tannehill to lead this team to the postseason in their rookie seasons would be monumental. The Dolphins haven’t even been in the playoff conversation since 2008 when they won the AFC East.

To say that this is a team moving in the right direction would be an understatement. Maybe these guys do know what they’re doing after all.