Taking a look at which teams will be squaring off on Thursday Night Football in Week 8 of the 2017 NFL season, getting things underway in primetime.
The Baltimore Ravens are preparing to host the Miami Dolphins in primetime as the two face of on Thursday Night Football in Week 8. The Ravens are coming off of 24-16 road loss to the Minnesota Vikings in which their offense failed to score a touchdown until the final play of the game. With that loss the Ravens find themselves 3-4 this season and two games behind the Pittsburgh Steelers, who they already lost to in Week 4. The Dolphins won a 31-28 nailbiter over division rival New York Jets in Week 8. Miami is now 4-2 and tied for second in the AFC East.
The Dolphins achieved an impressive win despite losing quarterback Jay Cutler to a rib injury. Cutler completed 12 of 16 passes for 138 yards in the first two and a half quarters of the game. Backup quarterback Matt Moore completed 13 of 21 passes for 188 yards after coming in midway through the third quarter. Each quarterback threw for two touchdowns and one interception.
The Dolphins have had an easy schedule through the early portion of this season, with wins over the Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, and New York Jets. Their schedule will start to get harder soon as they still have to play the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills twice, as well as the Oakland Raiders, Carolina Panthers, and Denver Broncos. With the schedule set to get more difficult, it is important that the Dolphins stock up on wins early no matter who their quarterback will be.
Next: 2017 NFL Picks, score predictions for Week 8
The Dolphins would currently be the second Wild Card team in the AFC if the playoffs were to start today, with the Ravens a game and a half behind. As Baltimore continues to falter and fall in the division, it is vital that they set up for the AFC Wild Card race in case they can not catch up to the Steelers. A win in this game would not only close the gap between the Ravens and the Wild Card spot but also give them the tiebreaker over the Dolphins which could be vital.