Charlie Cummings breaks down his prediction and pick for Sunday’s Week 13 clash between the New Orleans Saints and the Miami Dolphins.
Is it worse to be as bad as you planned? Or trying to be good and failing miserably? That’s the distance between the New Orleans Saints and the Miami Dolphins, two teams bound for an offseason full of uncomfortable questions. But first, they’ll do battle in South Beach this Sunday.
The Dolphins enter as 5.5-point home favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, while the Saints are listed as +210 underdogs. The game’s total is set at 42.5 points. Here is my preview, pick and prediction for Sunday’s Week 13 matchup between the Saints and Dolphins.
Saints vs. Dolphins Preview
Miami has problems across the board. Its defense is exactly 28th in rushing and passing yards allowed per attempt. Not enough turnovers and sacks are being created to offset that lack of down-to-down success. Tua Tagovailoa’s lack of big-play ability and penchant for turnovers have sunk the offense more than once. It seems the only thing that has consistently gone right for them is De’Von Achane.
Achane is running for 5.5 yards per pop while being second on the team in receiving. But he can’t do it all himself.
Against this New Orleans team, however, Achane may be enough. The 2-9 Saints are second-to-last in points per game and well below average defensively. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they’ll be without Alvin Kamara on Sunday. It’s a lot of pressure on the shoulders of rookie quarterback Tyler Shough.
Will that pressure break the Saints? Or can they pull the upset on the road?
Saints vs. Dolphins Prediction, Pick
It isn’t easy to see a road through for the Saints. But it’s equally challenging to be comfortable with a decisive Dolphins win. Both teams are mistake-prone offensively, with little upside on either side of the ball. Even with New Orleans’ injuries, the team can keep this one in striking distance for a full 60 minutes.
Best Bet: New Orleans Saints +5.5