I know people; there is a fricking game already! NFL betting on Thursday Night is pretty awesome, and this might be the game I’m most pumped to watch out of all of them. It’s pretty tough to top the Monday night clinic Mike Vick and Co. put on, but Bears and Dolphins are going to play a hell of a football game, I can tell. The brains in Vegas think so too as Chicago comes in as the one point dog despite their 6-2 mark, that and Miami likely starting their third string guy. But just because my boy Tyler Thigpen is getting the start on Thursday Night NFL, doesn’t mean this one is a walk for Chicago.
Last Sunday was the first start for Chad Pennington in what felt like years, and it only lasted two plays. He busted up his right shoulder on a harmless looking tackle and is done for the year, and quite possibly the count. The bad day turned into nightmare when Chad Henne went down in the third quarter with a knee injury, forcing Tyler Thigpen into action. But you know what, it didn’t slow the Dolphins down a bit. They ran some wild cat all up in the Titans face, reeling of 41-yards before Thigpen finished them off with a touchdown strike to Tony Fasano from 9-yards out.
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Chicago has looked pretty good themselves lately, especially that defense. They did a number on the Minnesota Vikings last week, holding Adrian Peterson to 51 yards on the ground and picking number four three times. That’s what they’ve been doing to everyone lately, leading the league in turnovers while sitting second in scoring defense. Good defense has carried this team a long way in the past, all the way to the Super Bowl with Rex Grossman at the helm in fact.
That defense is going to want to make an early statement against the Dolphins, but Miami can burn you many different ways. They know Chicago is going to be coming after Thigpen, which means that they have to get creative with their play calling. That’s when guys like Brandon Marshall and Ronnie Brown get involved. In fact, I think this is the game Brandon Marshall has been waiting for.
You’ve seen the frustration build as his numbers have dropped the past few weeks, but this guy is a play maker, and when you get the ball into a playmakers hands, the guy makes plays! There are a bunch of guys on this team that can actually burn you, including Tyler Thigpen, and that’s tough to defend because who can the really key on?
I see Miami having a great game plan from the outset, coming out with some big plays early. Chicago will be back on their heels and that’s when Jay Cutler starts tossing up lollypops. Cam Wake is going to bring the heat and as long as defense makes a couple big plays, they have this Thursday Night Football game in the bag.
