Many people thought they\u2019d go winless but the Miami Dolphins did it: they won their first game of the 2019 NFL season last weekend. They\u2019ve actually been far more competitive than expected over the last few weeks, but can they keep it up as a double-digit road dog? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This week, they\u2019re visiting the Indianapolis Colts, who suffered a bitter defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett was forced to leave the game early last week and is questionable for Sunday\u2019s contest. The line is still up on the board, so the oddsmakers clearly don\u2019t see this as a big issue for the Colts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Indianapolis Colts definitely won\u2019t have star receiver T.Y. Hilton in uniform for this game and we\u2019re also not certain of the status of Brissett. It looks like he\u2019s trending towards playing but it\u2019s not quite clear yet. The Hilton loss in and of itself is a big loss for an offense which struggles to get some of its secondary players involved, such as tight end Eric Ebron and others who have not had statistically prolific seasons. Brissett will probably play but if he does, he won\u2019t be 100 percent. His mobility in the pocket could be limited, and the Dolphins, who tormented New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold this past weekend, could once again thrive on defense. Miami intercepted Darnold once and forced a safety when Darnold got confused in the backfield. Brissett is better than Darnold when healthy, but in his injured state, who knows what to expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Colts scored only 15 points in their most recent home game against the Denver Broncos, and that was with Brissett healthy. The lack of Hilton looms large as a reason Miami can cover a double-digit spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miami has been competitive for weeks now as they were up 14-0 in Pittsburgh and had a big lead in Buffalo in the third quarter too. Prior to that, they lost at Washington by a point when they failed an end-of-game two-point conversion. Are they good? No. Have they been competitive? Absolutely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even with Hilton out, the Colts can cover the spread because the Miami Dolphins is still very flawed. They\u2019ve mostly been competitive because their opponents have made mistakes and the Dolphins took advantage. Typically, it\u2019s the Dolphins who make back-breaking mistakes \u2013 and they do it by the boatload. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the Colts, the formula is quite simple: just line up and hand it off to Marlon Mack as much as possible. They have an elite offensive line and should be able to blown the Dolphins off the line of scrimmage. Miami allows 150.8 rushing yards per game \u2013 the second-most in the NFL \u2013 and the Colts aren\u2019t going to lose if Mack approaches those numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s also worth noting that Brian Hoyer came in last week and played pretty well for the Colts. He finished 17-of-26 for 126 yards, three touchdowns and a pick. If Adam Vinatieri didn\u2019t miss a field goal and an extra point, the Colts would have won. Hoyer is more than capable of lead the Colts this week if Brissett needs the week off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Colts are not in a position to score big and given their injuries on offense, they\u2019re probably going to be running a conservative offense where they run the ball plenty. On top of that, you have Vinatieri with his kicking issues, which is not something you want to deal with if you\u2019ve got the over. Look for this to be a Colts win and an under.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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