The San Francisco 49ers got Week 15 off to a rollicking start by winning their seventh game in a row, defeating the division rival Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football.
The weekend slate is a bit different than usual, as the NFL will treat us to three Saturday games and just 10 Sunday contests this week. A different schedule isn’t going to stop us from making our usual group of bold predictions, though. We’re just going to make sure we spread them out through the weekend, so there’s a Saturday prediction to start things off for you fine folks that will be tuned into your TV sets.
Without further ado …
Dolphins continue offensive slump
Through the first 12 weeks of the season, the Dolphins had one of the NFL’s best and most explosive offenses. They checked in third in the NFL in yards per play and per game, sixth in points per game, second in Tru Media’s expected points added (EPA) per play, and second in Football Outsiders’ DVOA. They also created big plays at the highest rate in the league, with 25.6% of their snaps resulting in a gain of 10 or more yards, according to Tru Media. In the two games they’ve played against the 49ers and Chargers over the last two weeks, the Dolphins have gained 527 total yards and scored 34 combined points. They recorded a season-low 14 first downs in each of those games, during which Tua Tagovailoa went a combined 28 of 61 for 440 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions, while taking five of the 17 sacks he’s yielded all season. As we wrote last week, the Dolphins will face a similar challenge this week to the one posed by the 49ers when they take on the division rival Buffalo Bills. Throw in the expected poor weather (there’s a significant chance of snow and the temperature will be south of 30 degrees) that should suppress passing game production and it’s not difficult to see Miami once again having a slow offensive game.
The Saints have lost four of their last five games, with the only victory coming against a Rams team that lost Matthew Stafford mid-game. New Orleans has been occasionally vulnerable to blow-up games from opposing rushing attacks, and we’ve seen throughout this season that despite not having high-level personnel, Arthur Smith can scheme the Falcons into rushing success against almost any opponent. That’s what happens here, as the Falcons minimize the work their rookie quarterback has to do and secure a…
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