Are the Dolphins invincible with their starting quarterback?

This Sunday, the Bears and the Dolphins will meet in Chicago. While the host could only win one of the last five games, Miami seems to be almost unstoppable with Tua.

The visitors have yet to lose a single game in which their starting quarterback has been on the field for the entirety of the game. Between the Chicago Bears and the Miami Dolphins, a tip on the visitors therefore seems inevitable.

The Dolphins were able to recover after a small dip in form and are on two wins in a row. The brief dip was due to Tua Tagovailoa’s injury, as Miami lost all three games without the starting quarterback. His replacement, Teddy Bridgewater, was unable to take advantage of his chance to possibly recommend himself for further games.

On the eighth day of the NFL there was a pack for Chicago, because against the Dallas Cowboys the Bears lost with 49:29 – blow-out. Coach Eberflus’ defence seemed to be completely overwhelmed. The surprising win against the Patriots in week seven was thus quickly forgotten. If we look at the betting odds before the game between the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins, it quickly becomes clear that the home team is the clear underdog in this duel.

Chicago Bears – Statistics & current form

The Chicago Bears are currently ranked fourteenth in the Northern Football Conference. There are only six teams in the NFL that have won fewer games so far, so the play-offs don’t seem to be an issue. Matt Eberflus’ team has not had a good season so far, with no real success apart from the surprising win against the New England Patriots. The other two wins against San Francisco and especially against Houston were more or less planned for.

Oppositions on offence

The Bears are not necessarily one of the NFL’s strongest teams on offense. In the first eight games, Matt Eberflus’ team averaged 19.4 points and has not been able to compensate for the weaknesses in the defence. This is mainly due to the poor passing game, because no team has as few passing yards as Chicago. Quarterback Justin Fields didn’t get over the 200-yard mark once and that’s almost scary.

Without the strong running game, the Bears probably wouldn’t have gotten a win yet. With 188.4 rushing yards per game, there is no better NFL team in that statistic. Khalil Herbert is the number one rusher with 563 yards and four touchdowns, but Justin Fields and David Montgomery also rank in the top-30 in rushing yards. That makes Chicago pretty darn tough to defend, because unlike most teams, the Bears don’t have just one or two excellent runners.

Defensively, it’s the opposite, as Chicago allows just 188.0 passing yards per game, making them one of the best defenses against the passing game. Only four NFL teams are better in this statistic. Against the run game, however, it’s a different story, as only the Texans allow more rushing yards at 156.0 yards per game. Fortunately, the running game is not the opponents’ prime discipline, so between the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins, the odds are likely to be somewhat deceiving.

Key Chicago Bears players:
QB: Justin Fields – RB: Khalil Herbert – WR: Dante Pettis – IL: Roquan Smith – K: Cairo Santos

Miami Dolphins – Statistics & Current Form

The Miami Dolphins are in sixth place in the American Football Conference and have thus started the season much better than the Bears. With five wins from their first eight games, Mike McDaniel’s team is on an excellent path to make the playoffs this year. With a win against Chicago, the Dolphins would take a big step and also in the following games Miami seems to be the favourite as of now.

Passing game top, running game flop

Through the first eight games, Mike McDaniel’s team is averaging 292.5 passing yards per game, among the NFL’s elite. That’s primarily because of wide receiver Tyreek Hill. No player in the NFL has as many receiving yards as he does. With Jaylen Waddle, Miami has another player in the top four. This duo is almost unstoppable and has already scored a total of seven touchdowns. But also tight end Mike Gesicki contributes a big part to the good passing game with four touchdowns.

The running game is hardly working this season, as the Dolphins are one of the weakest teams in the NFL with only 88.1 rushing yards. The only bright spot is Raheem Mostert, who has already put 452 rushing yards on paper. However, with only one touchdown, his rushing yards are rarely productive. Just where the Bears have their weakness on the defensive side, the Dolphins lack some quality and penetrating power.

But the Miami Dolphins’ defence also seems to be excellently prepared for the upcoming duel. Especially against the running game, the visitors have their strengths, because Coach McDaniel’s team allows an average of only 100.6 rushing yards. The weakness against the passing game will probably not be so decisive, because the Bears are enormously weak in this category. Therefore, it seems that between the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins, the prediction falls on a lower scoring game.

Key players for the Miami Dolphins:
QB: Tua Tagovailoa – WR: Tyreek Hill – WR: Jaylen Waddle – S: Jevon Holland – K: Jason Sanders

Chicago Bears – Miami Dolphins Head-to-head comparison / H2H record

The direct comparison between the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins goes somewhat surprisingly to the hosts. Matt Eberflus’ team has won thirteen of the twenty-four duels and also walked away victorious in the last meeting. However, as this is only a pre-season game in 2021 and the last duel under competition conditions was four years ago, the direct comparison has almost no significance.

hicago Bears – Miami Dolphins Tip

Looking at the odds before the duel between the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins, the bookmakers assume a win for the Dolphins. However, we think that this bet is risky, because based on the team analysis we expect a close game. Both teams will probably not be able to play to their strengths as well as they usually do.

The offensive strengths meet the defensive strengths and therefore we play the tip under 49.5 points between the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins. Since a close game is on the horizon, we also recommend a handicap bet on the Bears. The best odds for this are offered by Bet365, who offer a good selection of tips, especially in the NFL.