The Miami Dolphins are kicking off their Week 9 contest against the Arizona Cardinals at 4:25PM EST, a later kick that leaves the Dolphins faithful with a few unexpected hours of flexibility this afternoon. The good news? There will be plenty of action to be had — the NFL appears ready to rock with a full slate of Week 9 contests that will provide Miami with plenty of rooting interests ahead of their own kickoff at 4:25 PM.
So, with that in mind, what should you be rooting for this afternoon before the Dolphins kick off? We’re glad you asked.
A Jaguars upset
In a clash of 1-6 football teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars will host the Houston Texans this afternoon. You already know what is at stake, Dolphins fans. If Houston falls to Jacksonville, the Laremy Tunsil draft picks are going to be surging in the 2021 NFL Draft order. The higher, the better — as Miami can get a blue chip player or continue to kick multiple first-round picks down the road for another few years by trading back. But for this pick to hit optimal value, you’ll need Jacksonville to upend Deshaun Watson this afternoon.
Seattle to dominate
The 6-2 Buffalo Bills are hosting the 6-1 Seattle Seahawks at 1PM EST this afternoon and there would be nothing sweeter than seeing Russell Wilson lay the smackdown on a Dolphins division rival. Seattle has already broken Miami’s heart this season in their own head to head clash and if the Dolphins are going to take advantage of the strength of schedule advantage they currently hold over the Bills the rest of the way, Buffalo will need to lose these types of games.
Can Seattle follow through? They’ll get SAF Jamal Adams back for this football game, so that should help.
A Chicago Bears road win
The reality of the situation this season is this: Miami is firmly in the hunt. So Dolphins fans will need to start shifting their attention to the teams on the fringe of the playoff picture and aspire to see them lose. The Chicago Bears? They’re totally benign to Miami this year as an NFC North contender. They can win as much as they’d like. And if they’d like to log a win over the Tennessee Titans (5-2), that would be terrific. When you add in that the Baltimore Ravens will be clashing with the 5-2 Indianapolis Colts, there’s a fair chance the top two teams in the AFC South could be sitting at 5-3 by the end of the day. And if that materializes, Miami could position themselves to challenge both teams in the conference standings. The less likely win is Chicago versus Tennessee, so that’s the one you should root to see.
A Steelers loss
This goes without saying. Pittsburgh is the NFL’s last undefeated team this season at 7-0. Go Cowboys.