Six teams are in action tonight as the National Football League presents its Friday preseason schedule, and four of tonight’s combatants advanced to the playoffs last season. The action starts in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers host the Houston Texans. In Miami, the Dolphins entertain the Atlanta Falcons. The final game of the night is a contest from Baltimore where the Ravens welcome the Philadelphia Eagles.
Of the six teams in action tonight, only the Falcons and Eagles missed the playoffs last season. In 2023, the Eagles fell from a possible top seed in the National Football Conference to not among the six conference teams to advance when they closed out their season in defense of their NFC Championship with losses in five of their final six games.
Tonight, they meet John Harbaugh’s Ravens, a team that has piled up the best preseason record in NFL history over the past eight seasons. Baltimore had won 24 consecutive preseason scrimmages dating back to 2016 until that streak was snapped by a pair of losses in their final two 2023 preseason games. In that same stretch, their 24-2 straight-up mark generated a profitable 20-5-1 point spread record.
Yet, before you rush off to bet on them for tonight’s game against the Eagles, know that in addition to 2-2 in their last four preseason games the Ravens are 0-4 against the point spread.
Catching the Ravens winning preseason train may have already left the station.
The other team, in addition to Philadelphia, in action tonight that was not among the dozen playoff teams from last season are the Atlanta Falcons. They travel to Miami to meet a Dolphins team that although they advanced to the postseason, they had a number one seed slip away last year when they dropped three of their final five regular season games. Miami opened the playoffs with a one-sided loss at Arrowhead Stadium on a freezing cold night in Kansas City.
The Florida based Dolphins are like a fish out of water when they need to play in cold conditions. Their record is 25 and 48 in outdoor games played in temperatures below 40 degrees, and they were no match for the Chiefs to open last year’s playoffs with gametime temperature pegged at minus four degrees with a wind chill factor of -27. The Chiefs postseason run to their second consecutive Super Bowl title began with a 26-7 triumph over the Dolphins.
Tonight, the weather will be much more to the liking of the home-standing Dolphins. The Miami forecast calls for temperatures to be in the low 80’s and the rain that has been pelting Florida in recent days is expected to subside before the evening kickoff.
The weather may be on the Dolphins side, but this game does not bode well for Mike McDaniel’s squad. And you know who doesn’t care? The Dolphins.
Their game plan is not focused on the final score, but rather getting some rhythm established with a roster that has seen a number of key players depart, particularly on the defensive side of the Dolphins depth chart. Head Coach McDaniel has not started Tua Tagovailoa in either of the opening preseason games the past two seasons, and he is not expected to have his projected starting quarterback see action on Friday night either.
That leaves the quarterbacking duties up to veterans Mike White and Skylar Thompson.
The Falcons have an intriguing quarterback situation given they spent the eighth overall pick in the draft to tab Washington Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. They have also added Kirk Cousins to their roster, and he is expected to be the opening day starter. But, like Tua, Cousins will not see action tonight as new head coach Raheem Morris takes a cautious route with his new signal caller who is coming off a season that ended for him with an Achilles injury.
That means Penix and veteran Taylor Heinicke will serve the majority of time behind center in the preseason opener.
These two teams have had a pair of scrimmages against each other this week, and that should lead to a spirited battle Friday night in Miami. History tells us that new head coaches have an extra incentive to get a win even in a meaningless preseason matchup. Morris is making his second head coaching stop, having served in that capacity with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for three seasons beginning in 2009.
Meaningless for Miami, confident of who they are, and more inspiring for the Falcons, who are looking this season to end a string of six straight losing campaigns.
Qoxhi Picks: Atlanta Falcons (-2½) over the Miami Dolphins