Games Miami Dolphins fans should keep an eye on this week

The Miami Dolphins come into week 11 riding a two-game win streak.  To the tank brigade this is not good news.

The Miami Dolphins have gone from the overwhelming favorite to get the 1st overall pick in next years draft, to looking like a team that could win 4 or 5 games based on the team’s improvement and some winnable games that remain on the schedule.  Even with the win the Dolphins draft slot did not change last week. They still currently sit at #4 overall, for now.

(Last) Thursday – 8:00 pm – Pittsburgh Steelers (5-5) at Cleveland Browns (4-6) 

The obvious takeaway from this game was the ugly incident involving Myles Garret and Mason Rudolph that resulted in Garrett being suspended for the rest of the season.  It’s sickening to see these type of things in society, let alone on the sports field. But with that being said, the Cleveland Browns did a favor for the Dolphins and their fans.  Cleveland won the game 21-7 moving the Steelers first round pick that the Dolphins own to #15 overall. Normally I’m someone who passively routes for the Steelers on a weekly basis, but the more they lose this year, the happier I am.

Sunday – 1:00 pm – Atlanta Falcons (2-7) at Carolina Panthers (5-4)

The Falcons last week pulled off an upset over the New Orleans Saints that no one saw coming.  That win keeps the Falcons safely behind the Dolphins in the overall draft order but for how long remains to be seen.  The Falcons again travel this week, this time to Carolina to take on the Panthers. The Panthers are hard to figure out.  Some weeks they look really good, and some not so much. Even though Atlanta was on the road last week they were aided by the fact that New Orleans also plays in a dome, a climate Atlanta is well accustomed to. Atlanta is not the same team outside in the elements. Look for Carolina to take care of this one on their home field.  Carolina Panthers 23 – Atlanta Falcons 16

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Sunday – 1:00 pm – New York Jets (2-7) at Washington Redskins (1-8)

This is a game Dolphins fans will have a close eye on.  The Jets currently sit at #5 overall, one spot behind the Dolphins while Washington sits at #2 overall, two spots ahead of the Dolphins.  Like a lot of teams in the NFL you just don’t know what you are going to get with the Jets. Do you get the Jets team that beat the Cowboys or the one that looked pathetic against the Dolphins.  A Washington win here would be good news for Miami. Washington has the benefit of coming off a bye and playing at home. Going against Washington is the fact that they like to run the football and the Jets have been stout this year against the run.  They currently give up just 3 yards per carry (1st in the league) and hold opponents to just 89 yards per game on the ground (2nd in the league). Combine that with Washington starting the rookie, Dwayne Haskins makes for a long afternoon for Washington.  The Jets win comfortably on the road.  New York Jets 22 – Washington Redskins 10

Sunday – 1:00 pm – Houston Texans (6-3) at Baltimore Ravens (7-2)

This could be the game of the week in the NFL.  This game has several early playoff implications.  The Ravens are the sole team to beat the New England Patriots.  The Ravens need to keep winning and hope for another New England loss if they hope to have the AFC’s road to the Super Bowl finally go through somewhere other than Foxborough.  Houston currently sits one game behind Baltimore in the overall standings and the current #2 seed in the playoffs. It also features two of the young rising stars at the quarterback position in Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson.  This has all the makings of a fun one. A Baltimore win would help the Dolphins and the first round pick they acquired from Houston, currently #26 overall. There are currently nine teams with records within one game of the Texans so a Baltimore win could help improve that pick for the Dolphins.  I’m going to give the nod to the home team here in a very exciting game. Baltimore Ravens 34 – Houston Texans 28

Sunday – 4:25 pm – Cincinnati Bengals (0-9) at Oakland Raiders (5-4)

This may be the last week Cincinnati shows up in this article as it’s looking more and more like they have the #1 overall pick locked up.  This team is just not good and it’s obvious they are ready to move on from Andy Dalton. The Raiders have been playing decent football and a win here keeps them a half game behind the Chiefs for the division lead.  The Chiefs have a game in hand at this point. Look for Josh Jacobs and the Raiders to have a huge game this week.  Oakland Raiders 33 – Cincinnati Bengals 14

Sunday – 1:00 pm – Buffalo Bills (6-3) at Miami Dolphins (2-7)

The Dolphins are coming off their second win in a row after traveling to Indianapolis and upsetting the Colts.  The Dolphins return to Miami this week to host the Buffalo Bills. A big question that could be answered today is, are the Bills as good as their 6 and 3 record says they are or is it a product of a fairly week schedule.  Five of their six wins have come against teams who currently make up the top five picks in next year’s draft. Their only quality win, if you want to call it that, is against the 5-5 Titans. The wildcard in this game will be Josh Allen’s ability to make plays with his feet.  Historically the Dolphins struggle against mobile quarterbacks. The Dolphins will keep this game close but in the end the Bills defense is the difference. Buffalo Bills 27 – Miami Dolphins 17.