Game by game predictions: Week 6/8 vs St. Louis Rams, @ Jets

Gotta speed it up, time's running out.  Lets do it.

Overall record after week 5:  2-3

All-time record against:  9-2


Could there be a little bad blood in this one with Jeff Fisher back in town after blowing off the Fins in the offseason?  Absolutely.  I expect Miami to come out of the gate hard in this one, especially coming off two straight losses.  The Fins matchup well with the Rams, on both sides of the football, and could potentially pose problems all day for QB Sam Bradford.  St. Louis posted the 31st overall offense last season, and put up a mere 12 points per game on average.  Cameron Wake needs to be a factor in this game and continually pressure Sam Bradford, not allowing him to be comfortable in the pocket.  IF Wake, along with the likes of Jared Odrick and Randy Starks, find themselves in the backfield for a majority of the day, then expect good things out of this Dolphin defense.

Offensively, this could be the break out game for the Dolphins rushing attack.  The Rams, while ranking in the top 10 last season against the pass, ranked second to last against the rush, giving up over 150 yards a game on average.  Expect Mike Sherman to game plan with this in mind, utilizing the duo of Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas (and even Lamar Miller) early and often, and then letting the rookie QB take advantage of open passing lanes.

Overall, I love this matchup for the Miami Dolphins.  If they can continually put pressure on QB Sam Bradford, and take advantage of the Rams rush defense to open up the field for Ryan Tannehill, then I believe they can put on a good show for the Dolphin faithful at home.

Final: Rams 16 Dolphins 28


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Overall record after week 7:  3-3

All-time record against:  44-48-1


Second meeting of the year between these two teams, and I can see this being a tougher test for the Fins then back in week three.  Why?  The location.  The Fins have struggled in the past in New Jersey, and I don't expect that to change in 2012.  Ryan Tannehill will be facing one of the better defenses in the NFL, and unlike week three, he doesn't have the crowd on his side if he makes a mistake.  The rookie QB's composure will be tested this week like no other, and how Tannehill responds to adversity will directly impact how this game unfolds.  Expect Rex Ryan to throw every blitz in the playbook at the Dolphins offensive line, from every angle, on every down, and as often as possible.  This could be problematic for an already shaky offensive line, and if they don't protect Tannehill for the majority of the night then the rookie could seriously struggle.

Defensively, I expect the Fins to contain the Jets QB "duo" of Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow.  CB Sean Smith must stick with embattled, yet still gifted, WR Santonio Holmes, while the Fins linebacking core must, MUST, contain TE Dustin Keller.  If Sanchez has time to throw, then expect him to look to Keller early and often, which, as I've said before, could be a problem for the Fins defense considering their track record with tight ends.  One more person not to forget about:  RB Shonn Greene.  The fourth year running back out of Iowa has a tendency to put up big games when you're least expecting it, and if the Dolphins overlook Greene then this could be one of those games.

Overall, I have a bad feeling about this game.  I know I picked the Fins to beat the Jets earlier in the season, but that one was in Miami.  This one, unfortunately, is not.  That, and that alone, gives the Jets an edge in this football game.

Final: Dolphins 13 Jets 20