One can’t imagine a more unsatisfying result than what the Miami Dolphins had last week against the Carolina Panthers. They could neither run the ball nor stop the opponent from doing so.
And head coach Mike McDaniel, who doesn’t necessarily like to speak to the press to begin with, seemed to be stuck for answers. What’s happened this season has led many to believe that his way of doing things has gotten stale.
He’s certainly on the hot seat. McDaniel described a recent conversation he had with Stephen Ross in which the owner was “really frustrated, just like I was.”
Jim Harbaugh is not on the hot seat. But his team, the Los Angeles Chargers, are also trying to rebound from a rough loss as they visit the Dolphins at 1 PM ET Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.
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Pro football betting odds on the Chargers vrs Dolphins game
The Chargers are a road favorite as it is posted at BetUS:
Los Angeles Chargers -4
Miami Dolphins +4
Over 43.5 Points -110
Under 43.5 Points -110
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Odds say McDaniel may go
Blowing a 17-point lead at Carolina, of course, did not do McDaniel’s cause a lot of good. And he is listed at -150 to be the first head coach fired in the NFL this season.
There’s not a whole lot to say when you lose to the lowly Panthers, in the process surrendering 239 yards on the ground. With an overall yardage differential of 418-248, this was no fluke.
Injuries have killed the Chargers’ offensive line
What would anyone expect from the Chargers right now? They are a team that was built with a powerful offensive line in mind. Now that O-line is without either of its tackles, as Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt are lost to the club with injuries. As a result, we have seen a team scrambling around, looking for any combination that might work for the time being.
They’re still looking for it.
Austin Deculus, who they have inserted at left tackle ( in effect, the team’s third-string guy) gave up three sacks by himself against Washington last weekend. Justin Herbert suffered five sacks and threw for just 5.7 yards an attempt. It is clear that he is going to have to operate under some pressure.
Even the backfield is crippled for L.A.
The Bolts envisioned a 1-2 punch in the backfield. That’s up in smoke as well. Najee Harris tore his Achilles and is out for the year. And now Omarion Hampton, their first-round draft pick, has been placed on injured reserve with his ankle injury. Hampton had run for 128 yards against the Giants and it looked as if he was about to come around.
Now the Chargers will have to make do with Hassan Haskins, who played for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, and Kimani Vidal, a sixth-round draft pick from last year.
A good question is whether the Dolphins can take advantage of LA’s injury problems. What was absolutely not impressive was the way Miami dealt with Rico Dowdle, a 1000-yard rusher for Dallas last year but the #2 guy at Carolina, who ran for 206 yards against them.
Right now the Dolphins are giving up 5.6 yards per carry, and only the Chicago Bears (6.1) have been worse than that.
What that tells us is that it could be possible for the Bolts to get something going on the ground.
Since the offensive line problems started to accelerate, Herbert’s numbers have suffered. He’s only thrown for 5.3 yards an attempt in the last two games, over which time the guy who tossed only three INT’s all of last year has been picked off three times.
So what will happen in the Dolphins-Chargers game?
We’ll continue to say that even without the injured Tyreek Hill, Miami has weapons. And we say that even while noticing that De’Von Achane had only 16 yards on ten carries against Carolina.
Could they have a repeat performance along that defensive line? Yes, they could. And perhaps Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman is a guy who can exploit that.
On an overall basis, however, I would feel much hesitation about laying more than a field goal on the road with a team that does not have a full offensive line and a VERY banged-up backfield.
THE PLAY: DOLPHINS +4
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