Ryan Tannehill returns this week to take on the Titans. (Getty)
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For a game between two losing teams, there’s a whole lot at stake Sunday in Nashville. With two struggling teams and all these variables, it makes Sunday’s Dolphins-Titans matchup impossible to predict. But let’s take a look.
First there’s the Dolphins. The Dolphins have tons of talent, and are coming off a bye week. But that’s not all. They’ve also fired their coach, and Sunday marks the start of the Dan Campbell Era in Miami. Campbell was a coaching intern just five years ago; who knows how his first game running the sidelines will fare. If anything, expect an extra measure of physicality from a Miami team that hasn’t been running the ball much this season.
For the Titans, mistakes keep getting in the way of progress. For the second straight game, the Titans blew a fourth quarter lead last Sunday, losing to Buffalo 14-13. It was a game that Tennessee controlled for the majority of the day. In fact, the Titans are second in the league in possession, and hold the ball for an average of 34 minutes per game. But the Titans have struggled in the fourth quarter the past two weeks, especially on defense. The biggest challenge for the Titans will be slowing down Ryan Tannehill in the fourth quarter, when the fear of another letdown creeping in their minds.
The Dolphins are just a one point favorite, giving the indication that nobody knows how this one will turn out. Over the last nine games against the spread, Miami is 1-8 and the Titans are 2-7. Something’s gotta give. I’m taking Dan Campbell and the Dolphins, as well as the under in what should be a tight game late.