The Minnesota Vikings are set to travel to Hard Rock Stadium to take on the Miami Dolphins in a week six matchup. The Vikings are coming into the game with a record of 4-1 while the Dolphins enter the contest with a record of 3-2. Although both teams have very similar records, they have very different outlooks for the remainder of the season. The Vikings appear to have a strong hold on their division with the Green Bay Packers off to a slow start. Even if Green Bay ends up catching Minnesota, the Vikings should still have a playoff spot secured. On the flip side, Miami is in a very competitive AFC East division. With the Bills all but guaranteed to win the division, the Dolphins will be fighting for a wild card spot at best. With their quarterback Tua Tungaviola injured early in the season with a very scary stretch of head injuries, the Dolphins have looked like a shell of themselves. He may make a return this week, however, his availability is still up in the air. If Tua is able to suit up on Sunday, this could end up being a very close game between two very talented teams.
Minnesota Vikings Look to Continue Reign Over NFC North
As previously mentioned, the Vikings currently hold a one game lead over the Green Bay Packers for first place in the NFC North. Coming into the season, many thought that the Vikings would once again be playing second fiddle to the Packers, however, Minnesota has come into the season ready to play. Their offense has emerged as one of the best in the league this season. They have a very balanced attack with elite weapons at skill positions.
If Tungaviola is not able to play on Sunday, the Dolphins will once again be forced to start Skylar Thompson. After Thompson’s performance last week against the New York Jets, the Vikings defense will have nothing to worry about if he starts. However, slowing down Tua is a much taller task.
Miami Dolphins Hope to Keep Afloat Possibly Being Without Tua Tungaviola
The Dolphins are coming off of a very embarrassing 40-17 loss to the New York Jets. As previously mentioned, the Dolphins were forced to play their third string quarterback Syklar Thompson after Teddy Bridgewater suffered an injury during the game. If Thompson starts again this week, this game becomes almost unwinnable for the Dolphins.
Without a viable option at quarterback, Miami’s offense can not move the ball. With most of the talent on the roster lying on the offensive side of the ball, if the Dolphins struggle on offense, they have a very slim chance to win a game. While it may be very tempting for Miami to rush Tua along to play this week, it may be in the best long term interest of the team for him to rest another week or two. He has suffered very severe head trauma already this season and some have called for him to retire. While the Vikings do not have a very vicious defense, it is crucial that they give their potential franchise quarterback a proper amount of time to recover before throwing him back to the wolves.
