Houston Texans vs Miami Dolphins.
The Miami Dolphins just keep on rolling. The Dolphins picked up their 5th win in a row by defeating the Texans 30-15. The final score wasn’t indicative of how much of a rout this was.
The Dolphins ended up leading 30-0 at halftime against the listless Houston Texans. Tua Tagovailoa had another error-free day. He was 22 of 36 for 299 yards and a touchdown. Tua Tagovailoa has 18 TDs and 3 INTs for the year. His performance today only solidifies his place in the MVP Conversation.
The dynamic tandem of Tyriek Hill and Jaylen Waddle made an impact as they both had 85 yards receiving. However, the Miami defense stepped up in a big way. They forced 3 Houston Texan turnovers and got a defensive touchdown. This occurred when Xavien Howard recovered a fumble at the Texans 16-yard line and returned it for a touchdown. This put the game out of reach as the Dolphins went up 27-0 in the second quarter.
.@Tua extending the play ➡️ TOUCHDOWN.
????: #HOUvsMIA on CBS
????: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/z2IvxW4deW pic.twitter.com/fHAfR4mTFo
— NFL (@NFL) November 27, 2022
The Miami Dolphins are still tied for 1st place in the tough AFC East.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Cleveland Browns.
A serious question must be asked. Does any team want to win the NFC South? It seemed like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were poised to seize control of this less-than-stellar division. However, they fell short to Jacoby Brissett and the Cleveland Browns in OT 23-17.
The kryptonite for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the running game for the Cleveland Browns. In particular, it was Nick Chubb. Nick Chubb had 26 carries for 116 yards and the game-winning 3 yard touchdown in overtime that finished the Buccaneers off. The Browns had 189 total rushing yards.
Tom Brady was 29 of 43 for 246 yards and 2 touchdowns in a losing effort. Chris Godwin had a stellar game as he had 12 receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown. Mike Evans surpassed 10,000 career receiving yards during the contest.
The 96th different player to catch a TD from Tom Brady pic.twitter.com/4gl0vGHExV
— Boston ???? Mike (@boston_sp0rts20) November 27, 2022
Amazingly enough, the Buccaneers are still in first place in the NFC South at 5-6.
Baltimore Ravens vs Jacksonville Jaguars.
In what could be one of the finest moments of Trevor Lawrence’s career, the Jacksonville Jaguars upset the Baltimore Ravens 28-27. Trevor Lawrence was 29 of 37 for 321 yards and 3 touchdowns. However, it was his performance in the last two minutes that will have smiles on the faces of many Jaguars fans. After Lamar Jackson put his team ahead 27-20 with a TD and 2-point conversion, Trevor Lawrence responded with a 10-play, 75-yard drive in the final 2 minutes despite not having any timeouts. Marvin Jones’s clutch 10-yard TD will be remembered for quite a while.
Not surprisingly, Doug Pederson rolled the dice by going for 2. Lawrence threw a game-clinching pass to Zay Jones for a successful two-point conversion.
The @Jaguars 2-point conversion is GOOD.
They have the lead with 14 seconds left!
????: #BALvsJAX on CBS
????: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/2Ee22k7O7c pic.twitter.com/DIqdZOlOIe
— NFL (@NFL) November 27, 2022
This win should serve to make Jaguars fans much more hopeful of the franchise’s future with Trevor Lawrence at the helm.
Predictions:
Miami Dolphins vs San Francisco 49ers.
It is not out of the realm that the Miami Dolphins and the San Francisco 49ers may be two of the most dangerous teams in all of football. With this matchup, worlds will collide and there’s no way that any football fan can be upset about it.
It is no secret that the defense of the San Francisco 49ers has been absolutely stellar. The 49ers defense has shut out their opponents on offense in the second half of each of the last four games. That statistic is quite frightening. For Dolphins fans, it’s particularly concerning when you consider that the Miami Dolphins did not score a second-half point against the lowly Houston Texans last week.
However, the 49ers’ last four opponents were the Rams, Chargers, Cardinals and Saints. Other than the LA Chargers, their opponents as of late aren’t necessarily anything to write home about when it comes to offense.
The Miami Dolphins will present the toughest challenge that the 49ers have had since they faced the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct 30th.
However, there is a flipside to this coin. While Tua has been absolutely terrific the last 5 games, the games have been against the Steelers, Lions, Bears, Browns and Texans. None of those teams are sniffing the postseason. Therefore, the 49ers will also be the toughest challenge that the Dolphins have had.
However, the Dolphins will benefit from the fact that coach Mike McDaniel was a long-time assistant of both Mike and Kyle Shanahan. Therefore, it stands to reason that he will have a leg up in preparations with regards to figuring out their tough defense.
No matter how promising the 49ers offense may be, this game will come down to the QB matchup. I have much more faith in Tua Tagovailoa as opposed to Jimmy G. The 49er defense will have a tough test facing the dynamic WR duo of Tyriek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. This will be a close game, but the Miami Dolphins will pull it off.
I pick the Miami Dolphins to beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17.
New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This divisional game would be a marquee matchup in recent years. While it will be competitive, the quality of football will definitely not be the same as it once was. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear poised to be without the services of RT Tristan Wirfs. If that is the case, expect DE Cameron Jordan to play a bigger defensive role for New Orleans.
The Buccaneers managed to have an inconsistent performance against Cleveland. New Orleans won’t be any easier. It will indeed be physical. Expect the Saints secondary to attempt to jam up on Mike Evans and the other physical Tampa Bay wide receivers.
Even though the offense of the New Orleans Saints is better than the Buccaneers, they had no answer for the 49ers defense last week. I can’t imagine their offense being this bad again. I feel the Saints will be motivated to pull off a win and throw this division into more chaos. We have the makings of an ugly game in an ugly division. New Orleans will take this one.
The New Orleans Saints will beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12-10.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs Detroit Lions
One can expect that this game will be a high scoring affair.
I believe that Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars offense will carry the momentum of last week’s game into this matchup against the Lions.
The Detroit Lions’s offense has managed to hold its own all season. Despite being 5 games behind the Vikings in the NFC North they’ve managed to outsscore the Vikings when it comes to points. Their kryptonite is defense. They are at the bottom of the league when it comes to stopping teams from scoring. Expect the Jaguars to have a good day offensively.
However, the Lions will put their offensive firepower on display as well. They will be a tough test for the Jaguars defense.
In the end, I expect Trevor Lawrence to have a big-time game and lead the Jaguars past the Lions in a shootout.
I pick the Jacksonville Jaguars over the Detroit Lions 38-31.