We’re entering Week 4 and it appears the wheels are falling off for the Dolphins and Titans seasons. Tennessee remains winless while Miami has lost two straight without star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and have to turn to their third starter in as many weeks. Which team can save their season Monday night? Let’s find out.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
The Miami Dolphins have major issues at quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa is out with a concussion. Backup Skylar Thompson was hurt in Seattle. Third-stringer Tim Boyle came in relief and looked like a 3rd stringer. And recently signed Tyler Huntley, who was the backup in Baltimore, could be thrown into the fire Monday. The game plan may be simple: Run. The. Ball. Huntley has shown he can scramble and with De’Von Achane could be reunited with Raheem Mostert, who missed Week 3 but could be ready with the extra rest for this one. The Titans gave up 188 yards to the Packers and are allowing an average of 124 rushing yards per game. So a slow moving offense that eats clock may be the best avenue to victory for the Fins.
TENNESSEE TITANS
The Titans defense has been playing well under new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, giving up under 5 yards per play, tied for 6th fewest in the league. But they have squandered two big leads. However, the offense has to take some of that blame, particularly Will Levis. The quarterback hasn’t been able to handle the pressure and has made some terrible decisions, throwing five interceptions, including a couple returned for a touchdown. He rates among the worst pivots when feeling pressure.
BEST BET: UNDER 36.5 POINTS
Combined, the two teams average just 27 points a game and rank 28th and 29th in pace, meaning they don’t really hurry to get to the line. There is also a possibility of bad weather in Florida, meaning points will definitely come at a premium in this tilt. While both teams have issues in the secondary, the lack of quality at the QB position makes it feel like this will be more of a ground and pound, and rely less on Levis and Huntley to make throws.
PLAYER PROP BEST BETS
Tony Pollard: Over 50.5 Yards
When Tony Pollard has been handed the ball often, he’s been successful. In the first two games he carried the ball 16 and 17 times and ran for 82 and 62 yards respectively. Last week, just 6 attempts for 14 yards but the Titans got away from the run game after falling behind early. In a game where both offenses will struggle, Pollard should get plenty of work.
De’Von Achane: Over 60.5 Yards
Just like Pollard, when De’Von Achane gets the bulk of the workload he’s a horse. He ran for 96 yards on 22 carries vs Buffalo but just 30 yards on 11 attempts vs the Seahawks. With a Titans run defense that has some holes, the speedy Achane should get big chunks, and if Mostert doesn’t play, this number will be easy to hit.
GAME BETTING ODDS
Titans +1 (+100)
Dolphins -1 (-113)
Total: 36.5
RECENT TRENDS
Both teams are 0-3 ATS this season
Titans have won and covered the last two meetings
Tennessee is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Miami is 0-6 ATS in its last 6 games
Miami is 0-5 UNDER in their last 5 games
