Setting the Stage for the Dolphins-Titans Week 14 Matchup

The Miami Dolphins will look to go to 10-3 on the season when the face the Tennessee Titans at Hard Rock Stadium

The Miami Dolphins will look to move closer to their first AFC East title since 2008 and move to 10-3 on the season when they face the Tennessee Titans at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday night.

Here's all the pertinent info for this Week 14 Dolphins-Titans matchup:

MIAMI DOLPHINS (9-3) vs. TENNESSEE TITANS (4-8)

DATE: Monday, Dec. 11

TIME: 8:15 p.m. ET

SITE: Hard Rock Stadium; Miami Gardens, Fla.

WEATHER FORECAST: The temperature between 8 p.m. and midnight in Miami Gardens on Monday is expected to be 65-66 degree, according to AccuWeather, with mostly clear skies and no rain in the forecast. The wind is expected to be 9-10 mph with gusts up to 20 mph.

TV: ESPN

Announcers: Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Dan Orlovsky (color analyst), Louis Riddick (color analyst), Laura Rutledge (sideline)

STREAMING: fuboTV (start your free trial)

SI Sportsbook betting line: Dolphins by 13.5 (over/under 46.5)

Final Injury Report:

Dolphins — OL Robert Hunt is out; T Terron Armstead (knee/quad), RB Chris Brooks (knee) and S Jevon Holland (knees) are questionable.

Titans — CB Kristian Fulton (hamstring), DT Jeffery Simmons (knee) and TE Josh Whyle (knee) are out; DL Teair Tart (personal) is questionable.

DOLPHINS-TITANS REGULAR SEASON HISTORY

Series history: Dolphins lead 21-17

Last five meetings:

Jan. 2, 2022 at Tennessee — Titans 34, Dolphins 3

Sept. 9, 2018 at Miami — Dolphins 27, Titans 20

Oct. 8, 2017 at Miami — Dolphins 16, Titans 10

Oct. 9, 2016 at Miami — Titans 30, Dolphins 17

Oct. 18, 2015 at Tennessee — Dolphins 38, Titans 10

Dolphins' largest margin of victory: 28 (2015 at Tennessee; Dolphins 38, Titans 10)

Dolphins' largest margin of defeat: 34 (2012 at Miami; Titans 37, Dolphins 3)

Highest-scoring matchup: 65 points (1978 at Houston; Oilers 35, Dolphins 30)

Lowest-scoring matchup: 15 points (1979 at Miami; Oilers 9, Dolphins 6)

Former Tennessee players with the Dolphins:

LB David Long Jr. (2019-22), T Kendall Lamm (2021), DT Da'Shawn Hand (2021-22)

Former Tennessee coaches with the Dolphins:

Assistant QB coach Chandler Henley

Former Dolphins players with Tennessee:

QB Ryan Tannehill

Former Dolphins coaches with Tennessee:

Assistant head coach/defensive line coach Terrell Williams

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TENNESSEE SCOUTING REPORT

The Titans are headed for their second consecutive losses after Mike Vrabel started his coaching tenure with four straight winning seasons, but the positive news for Tennessee is it appears the team has found its quarterback of the future in rookie second-round pick Will Levis, who replaced former Dolphins starter Ryan Tannehill midway through the season. The Titans do have some marquee players on their roster with RB Derrick Henry, WR DeAndre Hopkins and DT Jeffery Simmons, though Simmons will miss the game because of a knee injury. Tennessee has been particularly bad on the road this season with an 0-6 record and not one outing where the Titans score more than 16 points.

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THE BIGGEST REASON THE DOLPHINS WILL WIN ...

This could be quite a long paragraph, but we'll try to condense it and start with the last sentence of the scouting report dealing with Tennessee's poor road performance this season. And then we could go to the previous graph where we point out that Simmons will be out, which is big considering he's easily their best defensive player. And then we could mention the Dolphins' performance at Hard Rock Stadium this season, where Miami is 5-0 and every win but one has been by 14 points or more. Again, there's a reason the Dolphins are favored by 13.5 points.

THE BIGGEST REASON THE DOLPHINS WILL LOSE ...

As was the case in just about every game where the Dolphins have been heavy favorites — and there have been several this season — what could trip them up are giving up some big plays or turnovers, the latter being what kept the Raiders close at Hard Rock Stadium in Week 11. The other factor we need to mention is Derrick Henry and the possibility of him having a huge night, one that could lead to an upset win for the Titans. 

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FINAL DOLPHINS-TITANS PREDICTION

This will be the Dolphins' first Monday night game at home since 2017 and their first meeting against Tennessee since the penultimate week of the 2021 season when their playoff hopes were shattered in a humbling 34-3 loss, but those extra motivation factors aren't needed in a mismatch such as this. The Dolphins won't even have to play a perfect game or close to it to make it four in a row because their offensive firepower is likely to give them a quick score at some point, where the Titans likely will have to labor for everything they get. Tennessee's weakness on defense is defending against the pass, and it's probably safe to predict another big outing for Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill and company. On the flip side, the Dolphins pass rush should create some problems for Levis behind a line that is suspect at best. While the national media has repeated that the Dolphins have yet to beat a team with a winning record at the time of the matchup, Miami has been very impressive at handling inferior opponents without much trouble. This should be no difference. Final score: Dolphins 37, Titans 17

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