CLEVELAND BROWNS VS. MIAMI DOLPHINS INSTANT REACTION
It was a matchup of 1-5 teams. The loser could fire its coach on Monday. That was at stake between the Cleveland Browns & the Miami Dolphins in this Week 7 matchup.
Miami rallied for 14 points in the fourth quarter against the Chargers, but couldn’t stop Justin Herbert from getting Los Angeles into field goal range to punch in the winning points with five seconds left to play. Tua Tagovailoa threw three interceptions in that game and will now face one of the toughest defenses in the league. The Dolphins’ offensive line has been porous and the defense has allowed 389.3 total yards per game, which could leave room for Dillon Gabriel to have his best NFL career start.
Gabriel only completed 29-of-52 passes and was held without a touchdown against Pittsburgh, but also threw for 221 yards and avoided throwing any picks. Fellow rookie Quinshon Judkins was held out of the endzone in Week 6 but could have a rebound game against Miami’s league-worst run defense. The Browns are holding opposing offenses to 79.7 rushing yards per game, which will make it difficult for De’Von Achane to get the ball downfield.
The Browns are 2-4-0 ATS this season and haven’t covered the spread since Week 3. Plus, they had to rely on field goals to get on the scoreboard last week. However, Cleveland’s superior defense can stymie a struggling Dolphins offense in a low-scoring — and possibly quite ugly — AFC matchup. The SportsLine model projects Cleveland will cover the spread in 52% of simulations. Dolphins vs. Browns score prediction: Browns 20, Dolphins 17