The Miami Dolphins (4-5 SU, 4-5 ATS, 6-3
O/U) and Carolina Panthers (4-5 SU, 4-5
ATS, 5-4 O/U) will both be looking to
get to .500 when the mirror-like teams
square off at Bank of America Stadium on
Thursday night at 8:00 PM ET.Both
teams have alternated wins and losses in
each of their last five games while
going an identical 4-2 against the
NFL point spread over the span of
their last six contests.
The Panthers have covered the NFL
moneyline in three consecutive games
while the Dolphins had their two-game
ATS winning streak snapped their last
time out.
Dolphins at a glance
Miami may have won two of their last
three coming into this contest, but they
aren’t playing very well in my
estimation.
The Fins needed a Herculean effort on
Sunday just to beat the one-win Tampa
Bay Buccaneers 25-23 at home, winning on
Dan Carpenter’s 25-yard field goal with
just 10 seconds remaining in regulation.
Miami will have to contend with a
Panthers team that has played fantastic
football over the past three weeks,
recording two solid upsets over the
Cardinals and Falcons in the process.
The Dolphins will also likely be
without starting running back Ronnie
Brown who suffered a foot and ankle
injury in Miami’s win over the Bucs.
Panthers at a glance
Carolina has been on a roll lately,
laying two solid beatings on Arizona and
Atlanta and nearly pulling off an upset
of the undefeated New Orleans Saints in
between those victories.
Carolina’s defense has been playing
phenomenal football lately, picking off
Matt Ryan twice in Sunday’s convincing
28-19 win just one week after forcing
Drew Brees into two turnovers and
picking off Cardinals’ quarterback Kurt
Warner five times the week before that.
Even better for the Panthers, is the
fact that veteran quarterback Jake
Delhomme appears to have gotten over an
absolutely abysmal early-season slump,
throwing three TD passes and no picks
over the last three games after throwing
4 TD passes and a whopping 13 picks over
his first six starts.
Keys to Victory
Miami
The Dolphins will have to slow down
Carolina’s ferocious front four and
avoid obvious passing situations that
allow the Panthers’ defensive linemen to
pin their ears back and put second-year
quarterback Chad Henne under too much
pressure.
Running the ball effectively will be
crucial for Miami in this game if they
are to have any chance at winning. With
Ronnie Brown out for Miami, the Dolphins
need another big game from former NFL
rushing champion Ricky Williams who
topped the 100-yard mark in Miami’s win
over Tampa Bay.
Carolina
The Panthers need to continue running
the ball effectively and win the
turnover battle in this matchup. Gifted
running backs DeAngelo Williams (92) and
Jonathan Stewart (82) combined for 174
yards on 30 carries and a similar effort
with help immensely in this contest.
Carolina could also use one or two
long receptions against a Dolphins’
defense that has been susceptible to the
deep ball this season. If Delhomme can
hook up with Steve Smith for a few
sizeable pass plays, Miami’s ‘seven in
the box’ mentality should loosen up very
quickly.
