Fair or not, Prime Time games shape perception of a team
Good teams win under the lights of Prime Time
The Dolphins are just hours away from playing their third Prime Time game in a row. Having gone 0-2 so far, and being a heavy underdog against the Carolina Panthers, many say 0-3 in Prime Time is a forgone conclusion.
Maybe, maybe not. We’ll soon know for certain.
Considering the Panthers are sporting one of the best Defenses in the League, allowing only 17.7 points per game, which is 4th best in the NFL, you can’t fault the negative talk. Combine this with the fact that the Dolphins Offense has struggled like a teetering drunk walking a tightrope, things look downright grim.
But the Dolphins now have a scheme that Adam Gase feels comfortable with, a full compliment of Wides, more controlled locker room, and a little extra time to plan and rest his players for this game. Yes, Ja’Wuan James is on I.R., but such is the NFL. This is Gase’s opportunity to prove he is more than just an adequate Head Coach. His current 0-6 record in Prime Time games must change.
Yes, this team needs to add players. Yes, they suffered a load of injuries. But this is a critical game with just about everything on the line… they must find a way the rise about it. They had the chance to make good last week and instead beat themselves with penalties and mistakes.
Prime Time should bring out the best in teams… not flops
To the Fins credit, the Offense was a lot more effective with Parker in the lineup and more versatile running backs with Williams and Drake catching balls out of the backfield. Just maybe, the offense can build off the encouraging performance, but they won’t have the Raiders soft secondary this time to get cheap yards underneath this time.
We’ll get a good idea how this one will go early… depending on how smart and what level of penalty-free football they play, because they have zero chance of winning with sloppy ball.
The pile on predicting the Dolphins loss included the money guys, who have been right most of the time this season. And the best bookie services in the world opened this line with the Panthers as a -10 point favorite, it’s now sitting at -9. There’s slightly more action on the Panthers, but not even double the amount, which means there are some poor souls that are betting their hard earned money on the Dolphins.
No matter what anyone predicts, it will ultimately come down to how the Dolphins and Panthers play. That’s why they play the game. So Fin Fans, get ready to see what Gase and this 2017 team is all about. Go Fins!!!