NFL media makes their picks, and final score predictions on the Dolphins vs. Titans.
All is quiet on the southern front during the Miami Dolphins bye week.
All eyes are on whether Tua Tagovailoa will be activated off of the injured reserve when he’s first eligible next week, but before that, they prepare for the Indianapolis Colts.
The Dolphins are in survival mode until that time, but quarterback Tyler Huntley got an extra week to study the offense and prepare for the Colts, so if you couple that with the positive game he had against the New England Patriots, the Dolphins might finally have something cooking in Tagovailoa’s absence.
That’s at least compared to what they’ve had the last few years with a backup in. If I were a betting man, I’d bet on Huntley recording his first multi-touchdown game as a Dolphin.
I can’t go as far as to say that the offense will flourish, but I’d expect this to be the best version of the Mike McDaniel offense without Tagovailoa out there.
The Colts don’t come without their own concerns. Although a 3-3 team, they’re having injury issues at the most important position, quarterback. Anthon Richardson is a second-year player who’s already missed 15 of his first 23 games with three different injuries.
The Colts signed Joe Flacco over the offseason, who’s given the Colts some juice off to the bench, but Richardson took all the starter snaps this week and is on track to play.
Although Flacco has looked better than Richardson in their starts, the latter is the franchise guy and is getting right back on the horse, which could give the Dolphins a slight advantage with Richardson missing a few weeks and playing poorly before that.
If the Dolphins defense can capitalize on said poor play and force some turnovers, the Dolphins might be able to squeak their way to 3-3 just in time for a Tagovailoa return.
Let’s see what the media thinks about the Dolphins last potential survival game:
ESPN:
- Kalyn Kahler – Colts 24, Dolphins 14
- Eric Moody – Colts 23, Dolphins 17
- Seth Walder – Dolphins 22, Colts 21
NFL.com:
- Ali Bhanpuri – Colts 24, Dolphins 18
- Brooke Cerosimo – Colts 27, Dolphins 25
- Dan Parr – Colts 25, Dolphins 21
- Gennaro Filice – Colts 24, Dolphins 20
- Tom Blair – Colts 23, Dolphins 19
ProFootballTalk:
- Mike Florio – Colts 24, Dolphins 16
- Chris Simms – Colts 24, Dolphins 20
Bleacher Report:
- Brad Gagnon – Dolphins
- Kris Knox – Dolphins
- Gary Davenport – Dolphins
- Brent Sobleski – Dolphins
- Maurice Moton – Dolphins
- Wes O’Donnell – Colts
- Ian Hanford – Dolphins
- Consensus prediction – Dolphins 23, Colts 20
CBS:
- Pete Prisco – Colts 21, Dolphins 17
- Will Brinson – Colts
- Jared Dubin – Colts
- Ryan Wilson – Colts
- John Breech – Colts
- Tyler Sullivan – Colts
- Dave Richard – Dolphins
- Jamey Eisenberg – Colts
USA Today:
- Tyler Dragon – Colts 21, Dolphins 20
- Lorenzo Reyes – Colts 22, Dolphins 16
- Jarrett Bell – Colts 21, Dolphins 17
- Chris Bumbaca – Colts 23, Dolphins 18
Fox Sports:
- Data Skrive – Colts 30, Dolphins 11
It’s looking like the consensus pick for the matchup is a close Colts win.
The Dolphins will likely keep this game close by leaning on their defense, but their kryptonite has been good offensive lines, and quarterbacks that like to run. The Colts have both.
The Dolphins will need a big game from Zach Sieler and Calais Campbell. The Colts may look to keep the ball on the ground as much as possible, and if the Dolphins don’t put a stop to it, it’ll be a long day. The offense can’t keep pace if the score gets into the late 20s to early 30s.
Like the whole backup quarterback stretch, the defense has to be the best unit on the field for the Dolphins to win.
One more game. Just survive!
Let us know your prediction for the Miami Dolphins vs. Indianapolis Colts game.
