The Washington Commanders will travel south to take on the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium for Week 2 of the NFL preseason. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Can Jayden Daniels start the game and energize the Commanders to an upset?
Let's preview the game and dive into my Commanders vs. Dolphins prediction, which is backing the home team because of its backup quarterback play.
Commanders vs Dolphins Prediction
In the latest Commanders vs Dolphins lines, Miami is a 4.5-point favorite. My Commanders-Dolphins pick tonight is on the Dolphins to cover the spread of -4.5. Make sure to shop around for the best lines using our live NFL odds page.
Commanders vs Dolphins Odds, Betting Trends
| Commanders Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -115 | 36.5 -105o / -115u | +180 |
| Dolphins Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -105 | 36.5 -105o / -115u | -230 |
- 50% of bets and 49% of the money are on the Commanders to cover the spread.
- 45% of bets and 56% of the money are on the over.
All data via Action Network's public betting percentages and as of Saturday.
Chris Baker's Commanders vs Dolphins Preview
The Commanders QB room is respectable with veteran names like Marcus Mariota and Jeff Driskel mixed in with some young talent in Daniels and Sam Hartman.
Hartman and Driskel led the Commanders in snaps and passing yardage in their first preseason game last week. Hartman and Mariota are out for this game, so we should expect the trio of Daniels, Driskel and the newly signed Trace McSorley.
The Commanders should be playing all of their starters for a few drives on Saturday. The Commanders offense has respectable talent up and down the depth chart at the skill positions. The WRs room of Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Luke McCaffrey, Dyami Brown, Olamide Zaccheaus and Byron Pringle should give the Washington offense an opportunity to succeed here.
The Commanders also feature Brian Robinson Jr, Austin Ekeler and Chris Rodriguez in the backfield.
I’d expect Daniels to have some success during his reps but it’s hard to get too excited about the duo of Driskel and Trace McSorley managing the rest of the game. Most of the Dolphins' injuries right now or are on the defensive side of the ball so Daniels shouldn’t be going up against the entire first-team defense.
Ultimately, I would probably be looking to fade the Commanders once Daniels leaves the field on the live line.
The Commanders brought in a ton of new players on defense, which is a unit that doesn't have much experience playing together yet. I’d expect them to struggle with this motion-heavy Dolphins offense.
When Tua Tagovailoa and the rest of Miami's starters leave the field, we should see average QB play in Skylar Thompson and Mike White. Both Dolphins QBs have more big-game NFL experience than most second or third-string QBs, so I’d expect them to have some success here against a weaker Commanders defense.
I think that Thompson and White have a significant edge over Driskel and McSorley. That means there will likely be value in betting on the Dolphins live once we get the transition to backups at some point in the first half.
Commanders vs Dolphins Game Info: How to Watch Start Time, Channel, Location
Commanders vs. Dolphins will be available to stream on NFL+. Commanders-Dolphins is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Use Quickslip to Bet Commanders vs Dolphins
My Commanders vs Dolphins Prediction: Bet on Miami to Cover the Spread
I like the Dolphins -4.5 for my Commanders vs Dolphins best bet for the game, but I think betting their spread live will be the best way to attack this game. Once the starters are out, I'm looking to back Miami with Thompson and White at quarterback against the inferior Washington QBs.
Again, the best time to bet Miami live will be when the starters are out of the game, so keep an eye on when Thompson or White takes over for the Dolphins and when Daniels exits the game for Washington.
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Commanders vs Dolphins Weather
The weather forecast at kickoff at Hard Rock Stadium calls for a temperature of 85 degrees with 51% humidity and a chance of thunderstorms. Wind gusts are up to 11 mph.
