After a long trip many of us need a day or so to rest and recover. In the National Football League, when a team is scheduled for a game in London, that team usually gets their bye week upon their return.
Usually, but not this time.
The Miami Dolphins played the Jacksonville Jaguars across the pond last Sunday and this week host the Atlanta Falcons. No rest after a long and disappointing journey for Brian Flores and his team. They return home after being the first team to lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who came into last week’s contest on a 20 game losing streak, their last triumph on opening day of the 2020 season. The game also went overtime, so doesn’t that give the Dolphins a real problem this week?
It could, but enter the Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta opened their season with a lopsided home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, 32-6. The following Sunday, the Falcons were defeated by another lopsided score in Tampa, losing to the defending Super Bowl Champion Buccaneers, 48-25.
Not exactly the way first-year head coach Arthur Smith wanted to start his career as the head man in Atlanta.
Since those two lopsided losses, the Falcons have picked up a pair of wins over the two New York teams, Giants and Jets, and lost a competitive contest at home against the Washington Redskins, 24-20.
In other words, the Falcons are the kind of team that could compete in the NFC East Division … not exactly anything to write home about.
The interesting thing about the Falcons being scheduled to play in Miami this week is that they have had two weeks to prepare, while the Dolphins are one of the few teams ever not to be afforded a bye after an out of the country game. Is this the schedule makers trying to get even with Miami? After all, the Dolphins are one of the two teams this year that only play seven games on an opponents home field. They and the Jets have nine games at home, seven on the road and one at a neutral site.
The Falcons have only seven games on their home field this year, nine at an opposing team’s site and also one neutral field game. Two weeks ago, Atlanta played in the London game and gave up a home date in the process, and as is common, got their bye week following their visit to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
While the Falcons were getting blown out at home by the Philadelphia Eagles in the season’s opening weekend, the Dolphins enjoyed a satisfying victory over the New England Patriots in Foxboro. But, since that road triumph, the Dolphins are winless in five tries. This week, following their loss to the Jaguars and suspicious scheduling they are underdogs at home to an Atlanta team that has more questions than the Riddler of Batman fame.
The Falcons didn’t have to be favored in this game, despite them having two weeks to prepare and the Dolphins playing last week in London. In fact, the books opened this game as a pick ‘em and it was the public action that landed the Falcons on the favorite side of this contest.
Here is a caution that can serve us well, beware of bad teams when favored on the road.
Especially when that favorite role is public induced.
Qoxhi Picks: Miami Dolphins (+2) over Atlanta Falcons