The Week 7 meeting between the Miami Dolphins and the Pittsburgh Steelers may be a turning point for the south Florida squad. Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion forced him to leave the Dolphins’ Week 4 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, which has somewhat altered the course of their season.
Miami was undoubtedly criticised by the media and the public for allowing Tagovailoa to play in that contest as well as for how they handled his concussion-like symptoms the week before against the Buffalo Bills. Without their quarterback, the Dolphins have dropped their previous two games. In their Week 5 loss, backup Teddy Bridgewater was forced to leave the game early. Skylar Thompson, a rookie, was forced to act as a result.
According to reports, Tagovailoa will return to the Dolphins this week. That would be a tremendous help to this club, both in terms of their offence and their whole mindset.
Let’s move on to our Week 7 Dolphins predictions for their contest with the Steelers.
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4. Chase Edmonds gets more work in Dolphins offense
This is undoubtedly a daring move. Chase Edmonds, a running back for the Dolphins, has largely been phased out of the offence over the past few games. Though not just because of him, I believe we will see more of him this week.
Raheem Mostert, the starting running back for the Dolphins, is suffering from a knee issue. Mike McDaniel, his head coach, is well aware of how frequently Mostert is hurt. In San Francisco, he used that as his running back. Mostert has amazing breakaway speed and the potential to make a major play. In the 2019 NFC Championship, he demonstrated that by scoring four touchdowns on the ground.
But due to an ACL tear, he missed the entire previous season. He missed the first half of the season and all of 2019 as well.
I’m not predicting that Edmonds will handle most of the job. Mostert has only participated in a little amount of practise this week, thus it is likely that he will play and be the team’s leading rusher. But it makes sense not to overwhelm the injured Mostert in a game where the Dolphins are favoured by a touchdown.
3. Dolphins defense holds Steelers under 300 offensive yards
The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, 20-18. In place of an ailing Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky performed admirably. However, the Steelers are a prideful organisation that had just suffered a 38-3 thrashing at the hands of the Buffalo Bills. The events of last week weren’t wholly unexpected.
Pittsburgh’s offensive line is still very subpar. The Dolphins front seven has performed admirably this season and ought to do so once more in this contest. Even the secondary has improved significantly over the past few weeks. Whether Pickett or Trubisky are the quarterbacks, the Steelers should have trouble moving the ball.
2. Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle ball out
There was hope when the Dolphins acquired All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill in a trade during the winter. But I doubt anyone anticipated that he and Jaylen Waddle would both be able to control games in this manner. With 701 receiving yards through six games, Hill is the NFL’s top receiver. Waddle follows closely. He has 533 receiving yards, which puts him fifth in the league.
With the possibility that Tagovailoa will make a comeback this week, we can anticipate more exciting plays. The Dolphins had one of the league’s most potent offences before Tua’s injury. Two of the league’s quickest receivers are Hill and Waddle. They both have the ability to take wide receiver screens for 60 yards or overwhelm the defence. They are therefore exceedingly challenging to defend against.
Connor Williams Lead Blocking for Jaylen Waddle 50 yards down field is just insane! #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/HAwLP6vdD4
— Bobby Shouse (@B_Shousejr) October 20, 2022
This season, the Steelers have almost given up more big plays to opposition passing games. Every game, they allow 277.8 throw yards. The NFL ranks that as 30th. The likelihood that this will not continue this week is low.
1. Tua Tagovailoa returns in Dolphins victory
This weekend, Dolphins supporters ought to have enough to celebrate. Tua, in my opinion, will play and play well. To be honest though, Bridgewater should be able to guide the Dolphins to victory on Sunday even if he decides not to play. In spite of last week’s victory over the Buccaneers, the Steelers’ defence is a complete wreck.
Mid-October in Miami is expected to be warm and muggy. For the Dolphins, that’s always a great benefit.
How impressive Miami appeared throughout the first couple weeks of the season has been forgotten. After the Dolphins comfortably defeat a poor Pittsburgh Steelers club, I believe they will remember.
Miami Dolphins: 4 audacious predictions for Week 7 matchup vs. Steelers first appeared on ClutchPoints.
