Monday Night – Miami Dolphins at Carolina Panthers

Monday Night Football in Week 10 features a couple of teams that could go either way in 2017. Both squads have some terrific talent, but also have a tendency to underperform a little bit. On one side we’ve got the practically unstoppable Cam Newton and then there’s nasty, defensive dominator Ndamukong Suh on the other side. At this point in the season, this is going to be a game that both sides could really use in the win column, so we should see a pretty hard-fought contest all the way through. Let’s see how this MNF matchup breaks down.

Keys to the Game

Dolphins

Miami’s biggest goal will be to keep the football out of Cam Newton’s hands. It will be easier said than done, but it will swing the game in the Dolphins’ favor. That can be done by establishing the run game early. Carolina is tough up front, but if you gouge that weak secondary a few times, the safeties will have to respect the pass and stay out of the box. That gives Jay Ajayi more room to work. Grinding it out on offense will keep the defense fresh, allowing them to really go after Newton when they’re on the field. That’s important because Cam does a great job of wearing defenses down and punishing them in the 4th quarter.

Panthers

This could be an easy Monday night victory if the Panther defense can hold their own in the passing game. Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill hasn’t exactly been the model of consistency under center and he has a tendency to turn the ball over when pressed. If the Panthers can force a turnover or two, Cam Newton and company will take care of the rest on offense. That will only put more pressure on Tannehill… Rinse and repeat. What the Panthers don’t want to do is get into a shootout with Miami, which would make this one more of a toss-up.