The Miami Dolphins (7-7) will be playing on Monday night took take on the New Orleans Saints (7-7). This is a game where both teams need win to stay in the playoff hunt. The Saints are a three-point favorite, as the game will be played in Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Miami is looking to extend their winning streak to seven games relying on an impressive blitzing defense. On the other hand, New Orleans is on a little winning streak of their own. They have won two straight against the Jets and a stunning shut out of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This article will preview the Miami Dolphins’ Week 16 game against the New Orleans Saints.
Taysom Hill is the starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. He is more of threat running the ball than he is passing. He has a lot of speed and mobility and if defenses give him space down the field, then he will burn them on the ground. As for his passing attack, he has not been the most accurate passer. He is just under 50 percent on the year, and he has five interceptions and two touchdowns. He also has 649 passing yards.
Photo courtesy of Derick Hingle/ USA Today Sports
The Dolphins defense will need to use the same game plan they had for Lamar Jackson, which is blitz a lot and make sure that Hill does not have room out of the pocket. Miami had six sacks in the game against the Jets so they should come in with a whole lot of confidence. The Dolphins secondary should also have a couple opportunities at getting a turnover or two as Hill has struggled with interceptions this year. If Miami can contain Hill, then they should have good shot at winning.
New Orleans has one of the best rushing defenses in the league. They allow opponents to average 114 yards a game, which ranks sixth in the NFL. The Dolphins on the other hand have struggled all year running the ball. They rank 28th in the league in rushing yards per game. There could be a saving grace to the Dolphins rushing attack though, which is Duke Johnson. He had over 100 yards last weekend against the Jets. He probably will not start against the Saints, but he deserves to share some carries with Gaskin after his performance. Dolphins’ fans would probably like to see if this was a one-off game for Johnson or if the Dolphins have found something here.
Tua Tagovailoa needs to play better this time around against the Saints. Yes, he still got the win against the Jets, but the Saints are better competition. He threw a lot of unwarranted passes against New York, and they made him pay with two interceptions. One was for a touchdown. Hopefully, he will have a good week at practice and correct some of these throwing mistakes. Passing the ball will be a major part of the Dolphins offense if the running game goes back to being lethargic. The Saints give up 214 yards a game when opponents pass the ball, which is the middle of the road in the NFL right now.
The Dolphins could also have Jaylen Waddle back, which will be a huge spark in the passing game for Tagovailoa. Devante Parker stepped up last week and led the Dolphins in receiving with 68 yards and a touchdown. This was expected out of Parker since he has been one of their best receivers this year.
This game is a toss-up. One team is on a major winning streak and the other team just shutout Tom Brady and the reigning Super Bowl Champions in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. These teams both have momentum coming into this game. One team has the edge though, which is the New Orleans Saints, they have an elite rusher in Alvin Kamara which will be the difference-maker in this game. Miami just does not have a reliable rushing attack and the Saints’ rushing defense is really good. It will be a close game as the Saints will win by a field goal.
Prediction: New Orleans Saints: 23- Miami Dolphins:20
This concludes this Miami Dolphins’ Week 16 game preview.
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