The Miami Dolphins are reeling. Without their top two quarterbacks, the Dolphins will host the Minnesota Vikings at Hard Rock Stadium in Week 6. The Dolphins are coming off back-to-back losses and hope to recover some lost ground in the AFC East. Here are our Dolphins Week 6 predictions as they take on the Vikings.
These are two teams moving in divergent directions. The Vikings have scored at least 28 points in each of their previous three games and appear to be unstoppable on offense. Meanwhile, the Dolphins haven't even set a firm return date for starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Keep in mind that last week's 40-17 setback to the New York Jets was the Dolphins' second consecutive defeat. After starter Teddy Bridgewater was injured, Miami was forced to rely on rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson. He threw for 166 yards on 19 of his 33 attempts.
With all these in mind, here are our four bold predictions for the Dolphins in their Week 6 game against the Vikings.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel announced that Tua Tagovailoa will throw at practice on Wednesday as he progresses through the concussion protocol, but has already ruled him out for Week 6.
Rookie Skylar Thompson will start on Sunday against the Vikings. pic.twitter.com/pw1jfLz2nD
— ESPN (@espn) October 12, 2022
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4. Chase Edmonds leads Dolphins in rushing yards
Current RB1 Raheem Mostert was a DNP at practice on Wednesday due to a knee injury. This came three days after a considerable increase in work compared to Chase Edmonds against the Jets. He was not listed as injured last week, so this is something new and unexpected.
Even if Mostert recovers, though, the greater issue is what to expect from the Dolphins' backfield in Week 6. Although Edmonds was the more hyped acquisition before the season began, Mostert has emerged as the clear starter ahead of him. Edmonds had 16 touches to Mostert's six in Week 1. Mostert, on the other hand, has surpassed Edmonds in each week since.
Having said that, if Mostert sits out Week 6 or is hampered in any significant way, we feel Edmonds, being the healthier of the two, should have more touches. His best performance so far was in Week 2 when he had 6.6 yards per carry. We hope to see him reprise that with a high number of touches in Week 6. As long as he's healthy, Edmonds should lead Miami in carries and rushing yards against the Vikings.
3. Tyreek Hill will be Miami's No. 1 option
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Dolphins are hopeful that their No. 1 offensive weapon, Tyreek Hill, will be available for Week 6. Hill's foot was stepped on late in their Week 5 game against the Jets, and he was later spotted wearing a walking boot. However, it appears that was done more out of caution.
He has also participated some in practice this week, so we expect him to suit up and get his usual touches against Minnesota. Hill should actually be in his regular form in Week 6. He should put up high numbers again as he will be the main focus of this team's offense.
We have him down for 100+ receiving yards in Week 6.
2. Skylar Thompson struggles but gets his first TD
With Tua Tagovailoa already ruled out and Teddy Bridgewater not participating in practice yet as of this writing, rookie QB Skylar Thompson will take the field. Against the Jets, the seventh-round pick got some help from Gang Green pass-interference calls. In fact, the Dolphins accumulated nearly 100 yards thanks to those penalties. A flurry of drops didn't help Thompson, though. He also threw an interception along the way, on a pass when his arm was struck. Still, he held his own in Miami's cautious passing game.
When Bridgewater went down on the first offensive play last week, Thompson was thrown into a far greater role than expected. After completing 19 of his 33 attempts for 166 yards, the rookie finished with a passer rating of 58.4. He will certainly struggle again here in Week 6, especially opposite a Vikings defense featuring D.J. Wonnum and Za'Darius Smith.
Having said that, there's potential we see in Thompson. He won't break the 200-yard threshold in Week 6, but we see him finally getting his first official NFL touchdown.
1. Dolphins continue to drop in the standings
It's difficult to picture the Dolphins finding the end zone more than once or twice with Skylar Thompson under center on Sunday. Remember that some key players are also out, with Raheem Mostert probably being hampered or missing the game altogether. It's a good thing both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle will be available, but the Dolphins' lack of overall offensive health and defensive talent will lead to a disappointing outcome.
This is something worth considering, though: the Dolphins are on an eight-game winning run at home. Additionally, despite quarterback issues, Miami is averaging 6.0 yards per play this season. That's tied for fifth overall in the NFL. Of course, the Vikings are no pansies, either. They actually have the NFL's seventh-best third-down conversion rate at 42.9 percent.
We could be in for an interesting, offensive-minded game here. Still, there should not be much stopping the Vikings from getting an all-important W.
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