Dolphins Are Road Favorites vs Denver
Any time the Miami Dolphins make the trip from sea-level to face off against the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium, a pretty good football game tends to be had. This will not be one of those weeks as these two teams currently find themselves trending in opposite directions. The Dolphins, proud owners of a five-game winning streak, seem to have found their identity by playing a balanced, complementary brand of football in all phases. The Broncos, on the other hand, have been mired in a season-long quest for consistent quarterback play, reliability at the running back position, and avoiding further injury to an already depleted defense.
The Miami Dolphins are 5-0 against the spread over their last 5 games and 8-1 against the Broncos over their last 9 contests. This might seem lopsided, but keep in mind this game is being played at Mile High Stadium in November, where the weather can be as unpredictable as late afternoon August thunderstorms in Miami. When this week’s NFL odds came out Miami opened as an EVEN point spread, but in the days since the Dolphins are now a 3.5 point favorite.
Still, even the generous (-3.5) points the Dolphins are gifting the Broncos doesn’t have the feel of a significant difference-maker. The over/under of 45, on the other hand, maybe a line you want to shy away from given what we know about the Dolphins and have yet to see from Denver.
So how should the Miami Dolphins approach this week’s game versus the Broncos? Stay the course and continue to work on the plan forged by Brian Flores. The Broncos lead the NFL in turnovers giving the ball away 21 times, sixteen by interceptions alone. That doesn’t bode well for the rotating Denver quarterback position and must have the Miami defense chomping at the bit.
The Dolphins are also using ball control on offense to keep their defense fresh, evidenced by their snap rate of almost 30 seconds between plays. That alone will be important in helping to keep the Miami roster fresh in the thinner atmosphere of Denver. Let’s also not forget about the gift that keeps on giving; empty or poorly attended crowd attendance thanks to COVID-19. Broncos fans are passionate about their football team and keeping that “12th Man” at home or in the sports bars must be leveraged by the Dolphins. As long as Miami keeps playing their newfound brand of tough, disciplined football, the Dolphins ought to make this trip to Denver all business.
Final: Dolphins 31, Denver 10
