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Thanks to a successful two-game road trip, Sunday's game between the Miami Dolphins and San Diego Chargers has heavy playoff stakes.

It feels great to write that and even better to know that the matchup is in Miami, where the Chargers haven't won since 1982's classic "Epic in Miami."

Even better news for the Dolphins is it's a 1 p.m. game on the East Coast, an advantage for the Dolphins as the body clock for the Chargers players will be set to 10 a.m. Add in the heat and humidity (which won't be as suffocating as usual but still a slight factor) and the Dolphins will have home-field advantage in the truest sense of the word.

Both teams have three losses on the season, with Miami having only four wins due to their Week 5 bye week, while San Diego hasn't had their bye week yet. While the Chargers are a half-game ahead of Miami, a victory by the Dolphins would swing the pendulum greatly in Miami's favor, as it would push their record vs. the AFC to 4-2, while the Chargers' record vs. the AFC will fall to 4-3.

However, in order for the team to win, the players must win their individual matchups. Here are five of the most important matchups of Sunday's game between Miami and San Diego.