Dolphins Will Crush Browns To Keep Playoff Hopes Alive

Dolphins vs. Browns, 4:05 ET

Dolphins vs. Browns, 4:05 ET

Looking through the list of all the Sunday games, I can’t say that many stood out to me as “can’t miss” games in terms of needing to watch them. I suppose this is going to happen when you have games on Wednesday and on Saturday. This game was expected to be one of the better ones when the season first started, but the teams haven’t quite lived up to expectations this season. The Dolphins had injury issues and the Browns have just been a disaster all season, but they square off with one of them hoping to stay alive in the playoff race.

As unlikely as it seems, the Dolphins are still in a position to make the playoffs. The issue is that they don’t control their destiny, they need some help in order to get into the playoffs. They will need the Chargers or Broncos to lose, and both losing would help them even more. This season has been rather interesting for the Dolphins. It started with high expectations after last season showcased how explosive and dynamic their offense could be. The team lost Tua Tagovailoa, their quarterback, to injury rather early in the season, but they’ve bounced back with his return. They have just 20 receiving touchdowns on the team this season. Last year they had 30, with Tyreek Hill hauling in 13 of them himself. He hasn’t looked like the dynamic receiver we are accustomed to. Running back Devon Achane has been better over the second half of the year, but it hasn’t been enough to carry the team. The defense has been better than expected with the Dolphins passing game being in the top 15 of the league. They also have held opposing rushing games to just over 100 yards per game on the ground. If they could get the offense from last year and the defense from this year, the team would probably be a Super Bowl favorite.

Nov 17, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA;  Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston (5) throws against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Browns have been a disaster for the majority of the year. Starting the season with Deshaun Watson was a terrible decision and I am genuinely curious what would’ve happened if he wasn’t injured. Jameis Winston took over for Watson and provided a bit of a jolt, but the team really didn’t improve. He has thrown for 2,121 yards with 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. There really just hasn’t been anything that has gone right for the Browns this year. The defense, which was very good last year is just average against the rush and against the pass this season. Is this a coaching issue? Are there things in the front office contributing to the issue? The Browns are broken and have a lot of work to do before next year. Aside from pride and playing for a spot next year or on another team, the Browns have very little incentive to win this game.

Trusting the Dolphins on the road isn’t something I want to make a habit of, but I do think Miami has a chance to win this game and win it by a bit margin. I don’t have much faith in the Browns stopping many offenses. I think that the Dolphins have a better offense and a better defense than their opponent. I am going to back the Dolphins in this one to cover the -6.5. 

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