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The 5-3 Miami Dolphins will take on the 2-6 Los Angeles Chargers during Week 10 of the NFL season in a battle between two rookie quarterbacks.
Dolphins gunslinger Tua Tagovailoa will face off against Chargers signal-caller Justin Herbert. Both youngsters have gotten off to strong starts in their NFL careers, so this Week 10 game should be thrilling from start to finish.
Miami is 2-0 since replacing Ryan Fitzpatrick with Tagovailoa. The Dolphins defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8 and then took down the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9.
The Chargers, meanwhile, have lost two straight games to the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders. Los Angeles fell to the Raiders in heartbreaking fashion, as their game-winning touchdown was taken off the board with zero seconds left on the clock.
With the Dolphins-Chargers game almost here, let's take a look at four bold predictions from a Miami point of view.
1. Tua Tagovailoa throws two touchdowns, zero picks
Since taking over for Fitzpatrick, Tagovailoa has thrown three touchdown passes and zero interceptions while completing 65.4 percent of his passes. The lefty has racked up 350 yards through the air and his confidence is going to soar moving forward.
Against the Chargers, we have Tagovailoa throwing two touchdowns and keeping the ball away from the Chargers' defense. The 22-year-old, dating back to his days in college at Alabama, has always been a smart quarterback who protects his wideouts and doesn't make errant throws.
The Chargers have one of the worst defenses in the NFL, as they are ranked 21st in the league in points allowed. Look for Tagovailoa to continue his sound start to his pro career and have a productive, turnover-free game against Los Angeles in Week 10.
2. Dolphins intercept Justin Herbert twice
The Dolphins have the fourth-best scoring defense in the NFL. Although Herbert hasn't really looked like a rookie this season, we expect that to change in Week 10 against a hot Miami defense, which has played well against Jared Goff and Kyler Murray in back-to-back weeks.
The Dolphins' defense has come away with seven interceptions on the season, led by Xavien Howard's four. Look for Miami to pick off Herbert not once but twice in Week 10 and set up Tagovailoa and Co. with good field position on offense.
Herbert has thrown five interceptions on the season. We expect that number to rise to seven since he's playing against an aggressive and tough-minded Dolphins defense in Week 10. Miami may give up a few big plays to Herbert since he's got a rocket arm, but overall, look for the 22-year-old to struggle against Dolphins defensive coordinator Josh Boyer's schemes.
3. DeVante Parker eclipses 100 yards
Parker had a great game in Week 9 against the Cardinals. He caught six balls on seven targets for 64 yards. We have Parker having a big outing versus the Chargers since Los Angeles' secondary isn't that good. Don't be surprised if the wideout eclipses the 100-yard mark for the second time this season and the first time with Tagovailoa as his passer.
Overall on the season, Parker has 36 receptions for 431 yards and three touchdowns. We have the 6-foot-3 playmaker breaking free for some explosive plays in this contest and showing off his deep ball skills, especially since Tagovailoa has a big arm and he hasn't really been able to showcase it yet.
In four career games against the Chargers, Parker has caught 17 balls for 345 yards and one touchdown. He's had some of the biggest games of his career versus Los Angeles, so Parker's fantasy owners are likely in for a big day in Week 10.
4. Dolphins defeat Chargers to improve to 6-3
Miami is playing really good football on both sides of the ball right now, while the Chargers just can't seem to find any luck when it comes to winning games.
With that being said, we have the Dolphins defeating the Chargers to improve to 6-3 on the season. This team has rallied around head coach Brian Flores and his vision for the franchise and the offense is energized now that Tagovailoa is starting.
To make the playoffs in the AFC, the Dolphins will likely have to clinch a Wild Card spot since it looks like the Buffalo Bills will win the AFC East. With that being said, Miami has to win games they are favored in and that will be the case against the lowly Chargers.
Since Tagovailoa isn't a turnover machine like Fitzpatrick, the Dolphins have a good shot of making the postseason for the first time since 2016. It's going to be fun to track this team moving forward with Tua leading the charge.
