The Miami Dolphins are hoping the return of Ryan Tannehill and a remade roster can get them back to the postseason. Finally healthy and recovered from injuries, Tannehill played his first game since near the end of the 2016 season when he was behind center in the Fins preseason opener last week. He looked confident, mobile and excited to be back on the field. Now he needs to transfer those emotions to the rest of the team as they look to recover from a 6-win last season. Tannehill takes another step when the Fins visit the Carolina Panthers in Week 2 of the preseason.
This matchup in Week 2 of the preseason will go down Friday, August 17, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. ET from Bank of America Stadium.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Miami Dolphins +3
Carolina Panthers -3
Over/Under 43
Odds Analysis
It’s another typical preseason betting line for this matchup with the Panthers favored by the value of home field advantage. Carolina won outright on the road last week while the Dolphins failed to cover the spread in their contest. Both clubs exceeded the total by a wide margin in their openers and must contend with a high total by preseason standards in this one.
Players to Watch
Following the departure of longtime backup Derek Anderson, the position behind Cam Newton is up for grabs. The Panthers moved forward with hopes that either Garrett Gilbert or Taylor Heinicke would take over the role and lead the team to victories should something happen to their franchise signal-caller.
Both players looked good in last week’s win over the Bills, but after some sporadic play during camp, they need to prove their worthiness on a consistent basis. Heinicke could have an edge in the competition having worked under offensive coordinator Norv Turner at Minnesota. And he’s the only one of the backups to throw a pass during a regular season game.
Heinicke improved his status by completing 7 of 9 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown last week. He took over midway through the third quarter and played mostly against Buffalo’s third-string defense. Gilbert, the second quarterback used in the rotation, threw for 93 yards on 7 of 12 passing with a touchdown.
The odd man out of the competition appears to be rookie Kyle Allen, who got into last week’s game late in the fourth quarter. He misfired on his only pass attempt as the Panthers went three-and-out in his only full series. Allen took a knee twice to close out the game. Newton was strong in his first game, completing 6 of 9 passes for 84 yards and leading a touchdown drive before exiting after two series.
Quarterback Rotation
It’s been nearly two full years since Tannehill played a game, but he looked good last week and has taken over his leadership role in the huddle. Tannehill started fast completing his first four throws and drove the Fins into field goal range, only to come away with no points. His day ended after one series with 32 yards on 4 of 6 passing. Demonstrating his leadership in practice this week, Tannehill booted a teammate out of the huddle after he missed a blocking assignment that resulted in a sack.
The battle between David Fales and Brock Osweiler for the backup job also heated up. Fales was solid leading the Fins to a field goal against Tampa’s first-string defense and later directing a touchdown drive. He was 8 of 11 for 115 yards. Osweiler is looking to hang onto a job, but he didn’t do himself any favors by going 10 of 21 for 83 yards. “This is going to take all of training camp,” Adam Gase said of his backup QB battle.
Free ATS Pick
The Dolphins could be without two of their top receivers after Kenny Stills and DeVante Parker got banged up in practice this week and Gase isn’t going to risk any further setbacks by putting either one of them in the lineup. That could impact Miami’s offensive production.
We will see a battle of backup quarterbacks with both clubs needing to determine the roles. And if Osweiler gets snaps the Dolphins are in trouble. A starter and hot commodity just a few years ago, Osweiler has fallen on hard times and is another bad outing away from being a former NFL quarterback. Both teams struggled defensively last week and while that will be a point of emphasis, the over looks like a winning play in Carolina’s victory.
NFL Odds: Panthers 30, Dolphins 23
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