The Miami Dolphins have decided on a replacement for the injured Ryan Tannehill. The Dolphins signed Jay Cutler to a one-year, $10 million contract and it looks like he will get the starting job ahead of Matt Moore. Head coach Adam Gase has a relationship with Cutler, having coached him both in Denver and Chicago and knows that the veteran signal caller is familiar with his offense. Cutler won’t see the field on Thursday night against the Atlanta Falcons, but should see repetitions in Miami’s next preseason game.
This matchup in Week 1 of the preseason will take place on Thursday, August 10, 2017, at 7 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium.
Week 1 NFL Preseason Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Atlanta Falcons PK
Miami Dolphins PK
Over/Under 37
Odds Analysis
Gase led Miami to a 2-2 preseason record last year. Unlike virtually every other team in the preseason though, the Dolphins didn’t have one close game of the bunch. The smallest margin of victory was 11 points and that meant the traditional ploy of grabbing a team on a teaser was unsuccessful. Keep that in mind when debating whether or not to tease Miami games in 2017.
Dan Quinn has been good in the preseason in his two seasons as a head coach for Atlanta. Quinn has a 5-3 record and led his team to a 3-1 record last season. The lone game that Atlanta failed to win was against Miami down in south Florida. The Dolphins won that game 17-6 as the Falcons running game failed to get going.
Matchup to Watch
Miami has the potential to have one of the best linebacker corps in the NFL if everything pans out just right. The Dolphins acquired Kiko Alonso before last season and were impressed with how Alonso played. However, Alonso is once again moving positions, this time from middle linebacker to weakside linebacker in order to make room for free agent signing Lawrence Timmons.
Timmons was the glue that held Pittsburgh’s linebacker corps together for a number of years and was a much more measured locker room personality than teammate James Harrison. Over the years, the Florida State product has made a name for himself as a great coverage linebacker and the Dolphins are hoping he can do the same in a division with Rob Gronkowski.
The final piece is second-round draft pick Raekwon McMillan. McMillan was listed as a starter on the team’s depth chart yesterday and has the measurables to make a difference in his rookie season. He needs to be able to mesh well with Timmons and Alonso to ensure a fine-tuned unit.
The key to it all is the performance of Alonso. He has been pulled around from position to position and system to system over the course of his short career and gets pushed into a new role as soon as he learns the old one. If he can flourish in the weakside linebacker role, this unit can be great.
Player to Watch
Mohamed Sanu is going to be the feature option for Atlanta’s quarterbacks as long as he is on the field. The Falcons are unlikely to have No. 1 WR Julio Jones or No. 3 WR Taylor Gabriel for this one, both have been dealing with injuries, and that is going to give Sanu a chance to see more passes than usual.
That’s very good news for every young wide receiver trying to make the team. Justin Hardy is the incumbent No. 4 WR, but someone could supplant him with a solid preseason performance. Atlanta currently has 10 wide receivers on the training camp roster and may want to use them all.
Free ATS Pick
Both offenses have a small incentive to leave their better players on the field for a little bit longer. For Miami, the reason is because of the injury to Tannehill. Moore might not be the starter anymore, but giving him reps with some of the starters in game action is important.
Atlanta might want to give new offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian a little better idea of what he has to work with. Sarkisian hasn’t been an NFL assistant since 2004 and he may need some time to adjust.
Week 1 NFL Preseason Odds: Falcons 24, Dolphins 19
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