Dolphins-Saints Week 16 Predictions Roundup
In this story:
The Miami Dolphins will look to extend their winning streak to seven games and move into seventh place in the AFC standings when they face the New Orleans Saints at the Caesars Superdome on Monday night.
The Dolphins are now favored in this game after COVID-19 issues knocked the Saints' top two quarterbacks (Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian) out of the game and rookie fourth-round pick Ian Book instead will be making his NFL debut.
Because of that significant development, perhaps it's not surprising that most — though not all — national analysts are predicting a Miami victory.
Here's a roundup of national predictions on this game:
CBS Sports (Pete Prisco)
Analysis: "The Dolphins have won six straight to get into the playoff hunt, but the Saints are coming off an impressive shutout of Tom Brady and the Bucs. The defense was outstanding, which will be the case here against Miami. Look for the Saints pass rush to dominate this game. The Saints will do enough on offense to pull this one out."
Prediction: Saints 21, Dolphins 13
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Athlon Sports (John La Fleur)
Analysis: "Miami and New Orleans have played several games against common opponents. The Dolphins are 5-4 against the Bills, Buccaneers, Falcons, Giants, Jets, Panthers, and Patriots. The Saints hold a record of 4-4 versus those same teams. The Dolphins have offset their disastrous start of the season. They still remain in contention for the AFC East crown. They do need help from others, requiring Patriots to drop at least one game and the Bills to lose two. However, they must win their final three in order for any assistance to matter. New Orleans' defense has carried most of the responsibility for the team's moderate level of success. In the seven games since starting quarterback Jameis Winston sustained a season-ending injury, the Saints' defense has allowed an average of 20.4 points per game. Only two teams scored more than 30 in any of those contests. The Saints require another outstanding defensive performance like the one at Tampa Bay. Barring that and without a phenomenal effort by the special teams, the Saints appear doomed. They are a depleted team that just lost even more key components. It is too much to expect them to overcome the absence of all experienced quarterbacks and several other significant contributors on both side of the ball."
Prediction: Dolphins 20, Saints 6
The Sporting News (Bill Bender)
Analysis: "Duke Johnson resurfaced with a pair of TDs for the Dolphins in Week 15. The Saints are suddenly on a two-game win streak and in the NFC playoff mix. The Saints are somehow just 1-4 in games at the Caesars Superdome, and Miami has a defense that can win on the road."
Prediction: Dolphins 20, Saints 19
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analysis: "Don’t look now, but Brian Flores has the Dolphins at 7-7, with six straight wins, after seven straight losses. Weird season. Granted, the Dolphins have beaten some very bad teams during this winning streak (Texans, Panthers, Giants, Jets twice). But they’ll stay hot with a big, defensive-minded win in New Orleans."
Prediction: Dolphins 17, Saints 10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pro Football Network (Jason Katz)
Analysis: ""The Dolphins are winners of six straight and need this game if they plan to make the playoffs. New Orleans is coming off a dominating defensive effort in shutting out the Bucs, but their offense couldn’t do anything but settle for field goals. There will be more points in this one, and I just think the Dolphins are the better team. Tua Tagovailoa gets Jaylen Waddle back, and Miami can exploit New Orleans’ pass-funnel defense. The Saints are going to struggle mightily on offense with Ian Book under center."
Prediction: Dolphins 23, Saints 10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pro Football Talk (Mike Florio)
Analysis: "With 21 Saints on COVID-19 reserve, Miami catches a break in their unlikely quest to make it to the playoffs."
Prediction: Dolphins 23, Saints 20
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analysis: "Two of the strangest teams of 2021 face off on Monday Night Football in a game that could determine their playoff fate. We don't deserve any better, but perhaps the Saints do. With the news Thursday that third-stringer rookie Ian Book will start at QB, the Saints are fighting more uphill than usual. Not to mention, the status of their standout tackles remains uncertain as of this writing. The Dolphins are so extreme with their aggressive blitzes on defense that the Saints may never pass at all. New Orleans is hyped and cohesive enough to win a game entirely on defense, but the quarterback news was enough to make me switch my pick."
Prediction: Dolphins 16, Saints 13
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analysis: "The Dolphins sure seem to have caught a break in this game with all of the Saints' COVID-19 issues, and that's been reflected in the betting line, which went from the Saints being favored to the Dolphins being favored by around a field goal. But the truth is that if New Orleans was going to win this game, it probably wasn't going to be because of Taysom Hill in the first place and that obviously hasn't changed with Ian Book now at quarterback. If the Dolphins winning streak is going to end in this game, it likely will be because of the Saints defense shutting down the Miami offense and forcing mistakes. But it may be that the Dolphins' margin for error increased with the rookie at QB because he sure should be a lot less equipped to handle what the Dolphins defense is about to throw at him. And that just might be enough to swing the outcome in this one."
Prediction: Dolphins 13, Saints 10
