NFL Week 13 is well underway, as Thanksgiving saw three upsets, all with playoff implications. The Green Bay Packers beat the Detroit Lions, the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Cincinnati Bengals handled the Baltimore Ravens. There are a ton of other matchups this weekend that will affect the postseason. But the New Orleans Saints vs. Miami Dolphins game is not among them.
But that does not mean there is not a lot on the line. Indeed, there is. But instead of playoff positioning, it is NFL Draft positioning.
The Saints enter the contest at 2-9, tied with the New York Jets and Las Vegas Raiders for the second-worst record in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Dolphins have won two straight to improve to 4-7.
While each fan base might be looking toward next season, the players play to win.
So, let's diagnose this matchup with our Saints-Dolphins bold predictions.
De'Von Achane tops 150 total yards
The Dolphins' offense has mostly had a frustrating season. But one shining light has been the play of running back De'Von Achane.
Miami's tailback has rushed for 900 yards on 164 carries, for a 5.5 yards per carry average. He has also been the biggest weapon in the passing game, reeling in 54 of 71 targets for another 370 yards.
The Saints' defense, on the other hand, give up 123 yards per game on the ground. With the offense struggling to move the ball, Miami should excel at time of possession. That means plenty of opportunities for Achane.
I expect a big game from the former Texas A&M Aggie with over 150 total yards.
Devin Neal catches 7+ passes
It was confirmed Friday morning that the Saints will be without Alvin Kamara, who suffered an MCL sprain in the Saints' Week 12 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
After going down on that game, sixth-round rookie running back Devin Neal took over. But not as your typical running back. He ran seven times for 18 yards while Taysom Hill rushed 10 times for 17 yards. Obviously, both were incredibly inefficient.
However, Neal caught five of seven passes for 43 yards. I look for a similar performance on Sunday against the Dolphins.
Saints' quarterback Tyler Shough is inexperienced and checks it down quite often. The Saints traded wide receiver Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks, and Chris Olave is questionable to even play. Plus, the Dolphins' secondary has quietly played well this season.
All of that leads me to believe that Neal will be very busy in the passing game.
Dolphins beat Saints by 17+ points
Normally when two poor football teams play, the game is highly competitive and could go either way. I do not expect that to be the case on Sunday in Miami.
Mike McDaniel may still very well be coaching for his job. The Dolphins enter the game playing well on both sides of the ball. All while the Saints are in staring at a potential top-2 pick in the NFL Draft.
I would expect Miami to move the football and be able to score, with the Saints struggling to keep up. Miami will win this game going away.
