The Miami Dolphins return to action this weekend after a long trip to Madrid followed by their bye week. They will be hosting the New Orleans Saints – and suddenly, things are looking up for a franchise that was on the verge of firing its head coach just last month.
The Saints are a bad football team. Quick – can you name their starting quarterback? Didn’t think so. One of the players you know – running back Alvin Kamara – will not be playing after straining his knee in an awful loss to the Falcons. Their defense has a couple of decent players but not much else. They just cut their kicker, who missed two makeable field goals against Atlanta and was 17 of 25 on the season.
You know how bad it has become in New Orleans? The Saints actually invited former Ravens kicker Justin Tucker for a tryout. The same Justin Tucker who was suspended for the first 10 weeks of the season due to violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy after it was reported that 16 massage therapists at eight different spas in the Baltimore area accused Tucker of sexual misconduct in incidents that reportedly occurred between 2012-16. He was made eligible for reinstatement on Nov. 11.
Watch Dolphins-Saints on Fubo
No confirmation whether Saints officials wore bags over their heads during the tryout like their long-suffering fans used to do back in the day when they were the Aints.
We could continue to kick the Saints while they are down but we’re professionals here.
Enjoy The Post’s predictions along with your holiday meal and leftovers:
Joe Schad – Dolphins 31-13
Miami wins its third straight and fourth in five to pull to 5-7. De’Von Achane should have a huge day. New Orleans lacks talent and discipline. This could be a breakout game for Chop Robinson, who has only one sack. The Dolphins should crush a banged-up team that’s one of the league’s worst.
Hal Habib – Dolphins 24-16
There’s no logical reason for the Dolphins to lose to the Saints, which kinda worries me. Despite having only two wins, the Saints do have some players who can hurt you if you aren’t careful or (ahem) are taking this as an extension of the bye week.
Tom D’Angelo – Dolphins 31-6
Quick, what do you get when that plate of leftover turkey from Thanksgiving dinner is left out for three days? You get Saints vs. Dolphins. Considering the Saints will arrive with the worst offense in the league, and nobody is better than the Dolphins at making sure they are just good enough to finish around .500, Miami will continue to slide out of the top 10 of the draft with a resounding win.
Nick Pugliese – Dolphins 24-14
The Dolphins’ march to the playoffs continues! Of course, playing one of the worst teams in the league at home and coming off a bye week helps. Nonetheless, expect this to be close for a while and then for the playmakers – Achane, Waddle – to make, well, plays. The Miami defense should keep improving, not that New Orleans offense is anything to worry about.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins predictions for Week 13 game vs. New Orleans Saints
Reporting by Nick Pugliese, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
