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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - With the Miami Dolphins at 7-7 and all but eliminated from the playoffs, defensive tackle Jared Odrick talked about playing out the season.Were on a team thats .500, he said. If you dont believe that youre a .500 team, you have to go out there and prove it. Weve got two more games to do that.So a winning record would be a significant achievement?Nah.Finishing 9-7? Odrick said. Finishing 9-7 and not going to the playoffs doesnt mean a thing.If more Dolphins could reverse direction so quickly, they might be Super Bowl-bound.Its tough to blame Odrick for having trouble convincing himself that Sundays game matters. Motivation can be difficult for teams out of the playoff chase, and thats the challenge both teams face when the Dolphins play the Minnesota Vikings (6-8).Here are things to know about the matchup between also-rans:THE STAKES: The game means a lot to Dolphins coach Joe Philbin, whose job is in jeopardy after lopsided losses the past two weeks likely ensured a third consecutive season out of the playoffs.Players have been vocal in defending Philbin and his staff.I dont think its the coaches fault, receiver Mike Wallace said. I think its our fault. I dont think weve played up to our potential throughout our games. I dont think weve played a full 60 minutes, except maybe two or three times. Were selling ourselves short — the players, not the coaches.Another loss might seal Philbins fate, while a sweep of the final two games would give Miami its first winning season since 2008, a sign of progress that could influence owner Stephen Ross.In the absence of Adrian Peterson, the Vikings have been out of the race since Thanksgiving. But theyve won two of their past three games to give them a shot at a .500 finish under first-year coach Mike Zimmer.Were moving in the right direction, defensive end Brian Robison said. Thats what you want to see out of a club thats under a new regime.QB HOMECOMING: There likely will be lots of empty seats Sunday, but dont blame Vikings rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. The Miami native will have plenty of family and friends in attendance, although he couldnt provide an exact count because his mother handles ticket requests.Im pretty loved back home in Miami, and a lot of people tell me that Im a role model in my community, Bridgewater said. So itll be amazing to see how many turn out there and get to see me play in person for the first time.Bridgewater grew up a Dolphins fan and attended a couple of their games before heading off to Louisville. He said he envisioned himself playing in the stadium someday.As a child I had high dreams and aspirations, he said. Making it to the National Football League and to be able to play there my first year in the NFL, its pretty amazing.Bridgewater will make his 11th start, passing Fran Tarkenton and Christian Ponder for the most by Vikings rookie quarterback.GOING LONG: Miamis Ryan Tannehill is finally showing progress with his accuracy on long passes.In last weeks loss at New England, Tannehill threw deep to Wallace for 50 yards on the first play, and went long to Wallace for a 32-yard score at the end of the first half. Another deep throw into the end zone was dropped.He had a number of deep balls that were as good as any we have seen him throw in games, offensive co-ordinator Bill Lazor said. We have seen improvement in practice, and we kind of felt like that it should be showing up in the game.For the season, Tannehill is 8 for 36 (22 per cent) on throws of more than 20 yards.COACHING PALS: Zimmer said his friendship with Dolphins defensive co-ordinator Kevin Coyle could be a factor in the game. They worked together with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2008-11, when Zimmer was defensive co-ordinator and Coyle coached the secondary.Ive played against guys that have been with me before, and theyll run a play and you will say, Ah, I told them about that, Zimmer said. Its one play here or there.WINTER IN MIAMI: The Vikings practice in their field house with the doors open to simulate colder conditions for late-season games, but this week the doors were closed and the heat turned up to prep for Miami.It will be 80 degrees, Zimmer said before one workout. Not sunny, but it will be 80 degrees.___AP Sports Writers Dave Campbell and Jon Krawczynski in Minneapolis contributed to this report.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL___Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steve_Wine Cheap Air Max Plus All White .com) - Novak Djokovic captured a mens Open Era-record fifth Australian Open title on Sunday by defeating rival Andy Murray in the final in Melbourne. Cheap Air Max Plus Grey . Signs of a turnaround have emerged in this series at Minnesota. Brian Roberts had three doubles and a triple for the first four-extra-base-hit game of his 14-year career, and the Yankees used their bullpen to preserve a 6-5 win over the Twins on Friday. http://www.cheapairmaxplusshoes.com/ .ca has you covered for whos in, whos out and what to expect from all 30 teams. Nike Air Max Plus Tn Ultra Cheap . In the opening game of his fourth-round match at the U.S. Open, the owner of 17 major titles got passed at the net twice, sailed a backhand long, then missed two forehands to get broken. Cheap Air Max Plus All Gold . The third baseman whipped the ball across the diamond to second baseman Aaron Hill. He quickly tossed it to shortstop Chris Owings, who flipped over his shoulder to left fielder Cody Ross.NEW YORK -- Terry Collins was watching another masterful pitching performance by shaggy-haired rookie Jacob deGrom when David Wright returned to the New York dugout with the news that his season was over because of a shoulder injury. The Mets manager had little time to think about the ramifications of losing his star third baseman, not with his team suddenly on the fringe of the National League playoff race. DeGrom pitched three-hit ball for eight dominant innings, and New York held on to beat the Colorado Rockies 2-0 on Tuesday night for its sixth win in seven games. "At the moment I was trying to win a baseball game," Collins said. "Theres a lot of discussions that are going to have to take place here to decide where we need to head." Jeurys Familia got Wilin Rosario to ground out with the bases loaded in the ninth for his fifth save, helping the Mets move five games under .500 (70-75). They are just 5 1-2 games behind Pittsburgh for the second NL wild card with three teams in front of them. "Just a really good team win right there," said All-Star second baseman Daniel Murphy, who went 1 for 3 in his return from the disabled list. "A little bit of a sour taste in your mouth with whats going on with David." Wright has been playing with a sore shoulder since mid-June. The pain became more severe Monday night and he had an MRI Tuesday, missing the game. The seven-time All-Star will be shut down for the rest of the season and begin a six-week rehabilitation program after a period of rest. "Its disappointing," Wright said Tuesday night. "But I think for me personally, making sure I end this year as healthy as can be and then do what I can, starting with this rehab program, to ensure that I will be as close to 100 per cent for spring training is the goal." Juan Lagares had an RBI single, and Curtis Granderson added an RBI double off Christian Bergman (2-3) one night after he hit a tying triple in the ninth inning of the series-opening win. In his 20th career start, deGrom (8-6) didnt allow a baserunner after Nolan AArenados one-out double in the fourth -- retiring his final 14 batters.dddddddddddd He struck out nine and walked none. "I felt like I was getting stronger as the game went on," deGrom said. "Thats a great feeling because its my first time Im pitching this late into a year." Over his last 10 starts, deGrom is 7-1 with a 1.60 ERA. He hasnt allowed an earned run in 22 straight innings. Matt den Dekkers double with one out in the fifth gave the Mets their first runner in scoring position against Bergman, and they came through. After deGrom grounded out, Lagares had an RBI single. Den Dekker was later hit by a pitch in the hand. X-Rays were negative. Bergman yielded six hits and two runs in six innings in his seventh major league start. He didnt walk a batter for his second consecutive outing. "Bergy did another nice job," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "Hes been one of those guys whove come up and been a bright spot for us -- he competes pretty well." TRAINERS ROOM Rockies: Weiss said OF Ben Paulsen has shown no ill effects from being hit in the elbow by a pitch on Sunday. UP NEXT Two pitchers who made their major league debuts this season will start the finale of this three-game series. Colorado LHP Tyler Matzek (5-9) is set to make his 17th start. Mets RHP Rafael Montero will be making his seventh career start. He is 0-3 with 4.71 ERA at Citi Field. MOVEEM IN Collins is a fan of general manager Sandy Aldersons idea to bring in the right field fence at Citi Field again. Collins said moving in the fence that is 375 feet from home plate would help players such as Lucas Duda, Wright and Granderson. "I think its going to help us a little bit, confidence-wise," Collins said. WHEELS WORKING A day after returning from a left hamstring strain, Michael Cuddyer made a spectacular diving catch on deGroms sinking liner in the third inning. The right fielder ran a long way before laying out to make the grab in right-centre. "That was a good sign," Weiss said. "He made a heck of a play on that and no issues." 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