The high-powered Miami Dolphins clash against the new-look Washington Commanders in week two of the NFL preseason Saturday night inside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. They kick it off at 7:00 pm sharp, and this would be a fun regular-season game to watch between two teams with high expectations heading into the season.
Bookmaker has installed the Dolphins as a slim -1 point favorite in this clash.
On paper, the Dolphins have one of the most electric and explosive offenses in the entire league, and they have speed at every skill position. They just paid their franchise quarterback, and now they hope he can go out and deliver. Miami and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa agreed to a monster four-year $212.4 million contract extension, with a whopping $167.1 million in guaranteed money. In their preseason debut. Miami defeated the Atlanta Falcons, 20-13, as they quickly covered the number.
Miami saw very little from their backup signal callers and might be in trouble if their franchise QB goes down during the regular season. Don't be shocked if he does not play at all, and we see a heavy dose of backups, which means this offense will not be lighting up the scoreboard over the next two games.
The Dolphins have a legit shot at not only winning the AFC East but also making a deep march into the playoffs. They will clean some things up as well, including trying to get to the quarterback. Overall, their defense played well against the Falcons, and look for them to make some plays against Washington, too.
There is a positive feeling and outlook in DC, which has been nonexistent for a long time. The franchise feels they have a star in rookie QB Jayden Daniels, who looks the part. Now, the tricky part is getting the rookie to perform at a consistent level for 17 weeks. In his preseason debut, he completed 2-of-3 passes for 45 yards in his only series, which included a 42-yard gorgeous toss in a 20-17 loss to the New York Jets.
Look for the Commanders and Daniels to get more reps in against Miami, which means trying to finish off drives his seven, not three.
Washington had over 300 yards of offense in the loss, and they might open it up a little against Miami, which, even with backups, has an excellent run defense. The over could be in play here. The total in this game is 37 1/2, which seems a tad low even for a preseason game.
Miami won 11 games last season after its win total sat at 9 1/2. Except for them to win at least 10 games this season (9 1/2), even with a strength of schedule of 19. Their odds to claim the AFC East sit at + 200 with the Buffalo Bills as the slim favorites. Bills are +125, and the Jets are + 300. Washington went 4-13, and many believe they can win at least six or seven games. Their win total is 6 1/2, and their odds of winning the NFC East are currently +1100.
