Dolphins face the Rams looking to go for 5 wins in a row.
5 in a row would go a long way towards getting a Playoff birth.
The Miami Dolphins are entering Sunday’s game against the Rams in a position to win their fifth game in a row. This is an opportunity that they haven’t had in a very, very long time.
But, big news has hit just before their game today.
We all know by now that Miami isn’t going to have their 5 stud offensive lineman playing together: Branden Albert had a dislocated wrist and surgery will force him to miss 2-3 weeks, and Mike Pouncey will be out because of lingering hip issues.
But, a specialist gave an encouraging report and Pouncey should be back by next week.
This is big news as he will not need surgery and will resume his role as leader of the O-Line.
Further news sprung out of Miami having to use its reservists Kraig Urbik and Antony Steen fill in for Albert and Pouncey. Needing new back-ups, Miami promoted center Jake Brendel onto the active roster from the practice squad. Brendel will back-up Steen, and Steen will back-up Urbik.
But, Brendel’s promotion had a downside as they had to make a cut to fit him on the active roster.
Chris Culliver had been expected to bolster the secondary, but even after three weeks, he still was a step behind corners in coverage during practice. The Dolphins were uncertain if Culliver could contribute at all this season and weren’t willing to take a gamble.
So, along with 300k for his services, Culliver was handed his walking papers in order to make a spot for Brendel. While you hate to see Culliver not pan out, if the Dolphins made the right diagnosis, you can’t fault them on the call.
5 in a row would give the Dolphins a 6-4 record.
Despite the news, the money still believes the Dolphins will win.
The best pay per head in the world opened up this game with the LA Rams being a -1 point favorite. The action actually began coming in pretty steady on the Dolphins, and when the Rams announced that Rookie Jared Goff was going to get his first career start, the line quickly moved in favor of the Dolphins to -1. Even after the Dolphins announced their offensive line injuries, the line still crept up in favor of the Dolphins. At the moment, it’s -2.5 for the Dolphins.
The action is definitely coming in lopsided on the Dolphins at a 6 to 1 ratio, and as we have said in the past that is generally not a great sign for the team that the public is wagering on. However, the one big difference in this case compared to other such scenarios is that this line started out with the Rams being the favorite and has flipped a large 3.5 points to the other team in Miami. Usually when lines move this much and flips to the team that initially started out as the underdog, then this is usually a good sign for the team that becomes the new favorite.
But, even though the money favors a win — and that’s never a bad thing — this game will certainly be a tough one due to the injuries. But, on good note, all these back-up players receiving valuable experience will pay dividends down the road — when injuries arise again. And as far as the news goes, while the loss of Culliver is a downer, getting Pouncey back as early as next week will be huge for the Dolphins as they look to make it 6 in a row! Go Fins!!!