The Dolphins are learning the difficult lesson the Jets did last season…
and the stakes are rising in the AL Central.
Another Ailing AFC East QB
What Happened: Last year it was the New York Jets. This season, the team whose chances to compete seem doomed already due to an injured quarterback is the Miami Dolphins.
Uncertainty abounds as Tua Tagovailoa hit the IR yesterday with yet another concussion, casting doubts on Miami’s chances this season, as well as Tua’s long-term health and career in this game.
Why It Matters: There probably isn’t another 1-1 team in the NFL that feels as doomed heading into Week 3 as the Dolphins. No one figured the 49ers to be a .500 team right now, but few think that will continue either.
The Dolphins, on the other hand, are watching their odds lengthen. They opened with the ninth-best odds of any team to win Super Bowl LIX, but have sunk to 13th at BetMGM. Their odds to make the playoffs have worsened as well, from +115 before the season began to +180. A date on Sunday with the 2-0 Seahawks is unlikely to help those odds.
There’s a vocal segment of NFL fans who downplay Tagovailoa’s impact on Miami’s offense. The argument typically cites the talented playmakers around him, as well as Mike McDaniel’s superiorly designed offense and play-calling prowess. But Tua hitting the IR shows how instrumental he is to the Fins’ high-powered attack on offense. The odds tell the whole story here.
What We’re Watching Today
Champions League (3:00 PM ET) – The match catching our eye today features a rematch of the 2023 UCL final, as Manchester City take on Inter Milan. We’re also curious to see how Borussia Dortmund fare against Club Brugge coming off last campaign’s loss in the final. And what does a Kylian Mbappe-less Paris Saint-Germain look like, and is this team a real threat? Girona could prove a feisty opening test.
Tigers at Royals (7:40 PM ET) – We don’t want to jinx anything here (j/k jinxes don’t exist) but things sure seem to be lining up for the Tigers to sneak into the playoffs don’t they? Detroit is 10-5 since September 1st and is now just 1.5 games out of the American League’s third wild card spot, behind the Twins. Just three games separate the Tigers and the Royals in the Central/playoff race, and with the best pitcher in the AL by WAR going tonight (that would be Tarik Skubal), Detroit has a chance to affect a full game swing in the standings.
The Look Ahead
Tarik Skubal OUTS RECORDED – Speaking of Skubal, a line of 17.5 outs recorded for his start tonight feels low to us. In what’s shaping up to be one of the biggest games of the season for the Tigers, they’ll need to rely on their ace in this spot. Skubal is the leading contender for the Cy Young award in the AL, and games like this are why he makes the big bucks. We’d bank on him getting through at least six innings.
