Christmas Eve will bring a clash of two generations and a clash of two Michaels, with Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and his West Coast offense headed to Miami to take on Mike McDaniel and his Shanahan-descendant Wide Zone scheme.
Both of these teams have earned a reputation, one that doesn’t have a positive connotation. They’re “front-runners” in the sense that they can beat up on the bad teams in the NFL, but when it comes to big-time matchups against other teams over .500, they’ve consistently lost. Dallas’ losses have come against Arizona, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Buffalo. Miami’s losses have come against Buffalo, Kansas City, and Tennessee. Both teams had one-off losses to teams below .500, but the theme is that when it came to proving themselves against top-flight teams, they fell short. Sunday will give football fans a chance to see which front-runner can rid themselves of the stigma first.
In their common losses to the Buffalo Bills, both offenses were held below their usual scoring output. Dallas ranks fourth in PFF’s defensive power rankings while Miami is eighth, giving them a slight edge in who can replicate this formula. The margin is still very thin, which makes this a very juicy matchup to watch.
Tua Tagovailoa’s best weapon, and the best weapon in the NFL according to PFF’s WAR, Tyreek Hill, is listed as questionable with an ankle injury for Sunday. The “Cheetah” has ripped the NFL to shreds this year, and if he isn’t able to go, it would be a major disadvantage to the Dolphins’ offense.
Dak Prescott has been in the MVP conversation for the entire year, although the Bills game put a dent in that. Prescott ranks second in the NFL in PFF grade at 90.6 for the year. This has been the best season of Prescott’s career, and he and CeeDee Lamb will look to continue this great play against a star-studded Dolphins secondary. Another possible key injury for the Dolphins is in the back end; safety Jevon Holland is questionable with a leg injury.
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Game Info
Date: Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023
Start time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Location: Miami Gardens, Fla.
Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium
TV Info: FOX
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of DraftKings.
Point Spread: DAL +2 (-110), MIA -2 (-110)
Moneyline: DAL (+110), MIA (-130)
Over/Under: O/U 49.5 (-110)
Miami opens as two-point favorites. The sportsbooks expect this to be a close, competitive game.
What To Watch For
Both sides of the ball for both teams will be very interesting to watch. What will be the most consequential will be Miami’s offensive line versus Micah Parsons. Terron Armstead will most likely miss the game, leaving an already bad offensive line in a worse position. Tyreek Hill may gut out his injury, but if he doesn’t, this could be a big problem for Miami. Unless they decide to double Parsons the entire game, there will be opportunities for him to affect Tagovailoa in the pocket.
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