Miami Dolphins @ Carolina Panthers
The 4 – 5 Dolphins travel to Carolina to take on the 4 – 5 Panthers. The big news surrounding this game is that the Dolphins star RB Ronnie Brown is out for the season. This is a massive blow for the Phins as not only is Brown their best offensive option at running back, he is also the player that takes the direct snaps out of the ‘Wildcat’ formation. The Panthers aren’t without their injury worries, after left tackle broke his ankle at the weekend, leaving him out for the rest of the year. The majority of the offensive plays in this game should be run plays. The Panthers are 3rd and the Dolphins are 4th ranked in rush offence (although the Phins numbers may be affected by the loss of Brown). So you would think that the performance of the defences against the rush would be the key to the game. The Dolphins are 7th, and the Panthers are 25th in this category. Carolina QB Jake Delhomme has improved significantly over the past few weeks, and after throwing 13 INT’s in his first 6 games, he hasn’t thrown any in his last 3. He will need to take care of the ball in this game, against the ball hawking Dolphins defence. The Dolphins QB is first year starting Chad Henne. Although Henne has done ok since taking over from Chad Pennington in week 3, he is still learning. He may well struggle in this game against the Panthers impressive secondary (ranked 4th against the pass). I believe the performance of Ricky Williams (Dolphins number 2 RB) will be the key to this game. If he can gain a good amount of yards the Dolphins will have a chance. If he struggles, the Panthers rush attack will overwhelm them, and probably finish the Dolphins playoff hopes.
Lee’s Prediction: Dolphins 10 Panthers 17
The 4 – 5 Dolphins travel to Carolina to take on the 4 – 5 Panthers. The big news surrounding this game is that the Dolphins star RB Ronnie Brown is out for the season. This is a massive blow for the Phins as not only is Brown their best offensive option at running back, he is also the player that takes the direct snaps out of the ‘Wildcat’ formation. The Panthers aren’t without their injury worries, after left tackle broke his ankle at the weekend, leaving him out for the rest of the year. The majority of the offensive plays in this game should be run plays. The Panthers are 3rd and the Dolphins are 4th ranked in rush offence (although the Phins numbers may be affected by the loss of Brown). So you would think that the performance of the defences against the rush would be the key to the game. The Dolphins are 7th, and the Panthers are 25th in this category. Carolina QB Jake Delhomme has improved significantly over the past few weeks, and after throwing 13 INT’s in his first 6 games, he hasn’t thrown any in his last 3. He will need to take care of the ball in this game, against the ball hawking Dolphins defence. The Dolphins QB is first year starting Chad Henne. Although Henne has done ok since taking over from Chad Pennington in week 3, he is still learning. He may well struggle in this game against the Panthers impressive secondary (ranked 4th against the pass). I believe the performance of Ricky Williams (Dolphins number 2 RB) will be the key to this game. If he can gain a good amount of yards the Dolphins will have a chance. If he struggles, the Panthers rush attack will overwhelm them, and probably finish the Dolphins playoff hopes.
Lee’s Prediction: Dolphins 10 Panthers 17
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