Miami Dolphins vs Dallas Cowboys Prediction & Betting Tips - NFL

Prediction published on 22/12/2023, 16:25  by Matthew Newman in NFL Predictions

One of the top games on Sunday comes from Miami where the 10-4 Dolphins welcome the 10-4 Dallas Cowboys. Miami has lost just once at home this season, two weeks back in a shock against the Tennessee Titans. They were up 27-13 with only four and a half minutes left on the clock in the fourth quarter so it has to go down as a poor effort to allow a 5-9 team their only win on the road this season. That could easily have weighed on the Dolphins mentally but they shook it off by shutting out the Jets 30-0 last week. This will be a much bigger test for them as they look to maintain their grip on their first possible AFC East crown since 2008. Tua Tagovailoa has turned himself into a reliable quarterback in the last two seasons having looked all at sea in his first two years. That maturation has been aided by the addition of Tyreek Hill and even with that star receiver struggling with injuries of late (missed last week) Tagovailoa has managed to continue to progress. Running back Raheem Mostert has not practised this week but that is more down to giving him some rest to recover from niggles than anything untoward. Hill was limited in practice but he will be hopeful that he can go on Sunday, the pair add so much to the offence that their loss would be a huge blow for the Dolphins.

The big issue for the Cowboys this season has been their inability to get results on the road. 7-0 on their own patch, they are 3-4 when away from home and the teams that they have managed to get results against on their travels are not close to the same level as the Dolphins. They were never at the races at the Buffalo Bills last week, their only touchdown coming in garbage time with less than three minutes on the clock in the 4th quarter. 10 points were as few as they have put up in any game this season, matching their visit to the San Francisco 49ers. The Dolphins have a higher ranked defence than the Bills so the Cowboys need to find a way to get points on the board. At home, quarterback Dak Prescott has 20 touchdowns and just two picks, on the road he has eight TDs and five picks. A 74% pass completion rate at home becomes 63 on the road and an exceptional 122.5 quarterback rating falls to a below-average 84.2. If their leader can't find a way to fix his road woes, the team will continue to struggle away from Texas.