The NFL 2021 season is going along at a rollicking pace and we begin Week 10 on Thursday night when the Miami Dolphins host the Baltimore Ravens in what is a clash between two sides offering very different campaigns in the AFC.
The Miami Dolphins know that even this early in the season pride is all they have to play for but that certainly isn’t the case for the Ravens who top the AFC North beginning the week but there is nothing between all four sides in the division so a slip up could be costly.
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins come into this match off the back of a win, just their second one of the season after their victory in the opening week of the campaign. You should never criticise a team for winning but before Dolphins fans get carried away that victory was only against the Houston Texans, who are one of the worst teams in the entire league. That win ended a slump of seven consecutive defeats so it was a significant victory but one which needs to be built on before we can claim any corners have been turned.
To be fair to the Dolphins, three of those defeats were by a field goal or less so it isn’t like they have been thrashed all the time, but sometimes poor teams find ways to lose rather than win and that is a habit Miami need to get away from. The big issue for them is that in nine matches only twice have they scored more than 20 points. They have had problems at quarterback and injuries on the offensive line which accounts for some of that, but you’re not going to go very far in the NFL these days if you can’t put points on the board.
Special Offer
Sign up for a Boylesports account to get up to £25 in free bets! Perfect offer for this league! Click the image below for this great offer! New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
Baltimore Ravens
This has been a slightly strange season for the Baltimore Ravens. They are 6-2 coming into this match but rarely have they played their best stuff or shown us signs of the Ravens teams we have become accustomed to seeing. You could offer that as a bad thing but it is also a positive because there is probably more in the tank. The Ravens know the importance of building through the campaign but they are under pressure to keep winning because the AFC North is so tight right now.
One area of concern for the Ravens will definitely be their defence. They have coughed up 72 points in their last two matches and you wouldn’t say they have played one of the truly powerful offenses in the league in those games, with no disrespect for what they are going in Cincinnati right now. To be fair to the Ravens offense, they have been able to outscore the Minnesota Vikings last week but they were given a reminder in Cincinnati that if you get behind it isn’t always a given that they will come back.
Betting
If you are a regular reader you will know that I’m loathe to get involved in these Thursday night games from a match outcome point of view because it is hard enough to recover and prepare in the NFL on a long week let alone when three days are taken out of that timespan. Both teams won last week so you would hope we’ll see a good game here but I’ll go to the side markets for a bet on the opener to the new week.
That comes in the receiving yards of Mike Gesicki, the Miami Dolphins tight end. He has a line of 54.5 yards and I like the over here. There are a few reasons why I like the over. Gesicki is the leading receiver for the Dolphins in terms of yards and second in the list is Jaylen Waddle who is likely to be shadowed by Marlon Humphrey all night which might mean whoever is at quarterback for the Dolphins has to target the tight end over the wide receiver. The other thing I like is that the Ravens seem to be having trouble covering tight ends. In their last three matches, Jared Cook has caught four passes against them, C.J. Uzomah three catches for 91 yards with Tyler Boyd taking four catches for another 39 and then last week Tyler Conklin caught five passes. With Miami likely to have to target Gesicki more often I like him to go beyond 54.5 yards here.
Tips
Back M.Gesicki – Over 54.5 yards for a 3/10 stake at 1.85 with Betway
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2021
