Earlier this season, you’d have looked at the Carolina Panthers traveling to the Miami Dolphins in Week 12 as a total waste of TV time. Carolina was struggling, Miami was in a rut, and neither team seemed to be pushing for a playoff position. But Carolina quarterback Cam Newton has turned the corner, the Panthers are one of the hottest overall teams in the NFL, and Miami QB Ryan Tannehill has helped guide his team from the ugly distractions of Incognito to make today’s live 1pm EST / 10am PST game on FOX a showdown with very real playoff implications. If you can’t see the NFL action unfold live on TV, you can watch Panthers vs Dolphins game online free streaming using one of several different methods.
Records aside, Miami would seem to be up against some troubles today, as Carolina’s physical defense will be a big challenge against the Dolphins’ inconsistent offense. The Dolphins don’t do anything particularly well on offense, with the team ranked just 20th in the NFL in passing and 24th in rushing. Through 11 weeks, for that matter, the Dolphins haven’t scored more than 27 points in a single game. That’s not exactly a good omen for a team headed into a showdown with the Carolina Panthers, who have the NFL’s third-ranked defense and are allowing a mere 84.5 yards rushing per game and 13.5 points per game. That’s nine fewer points than the Dolphins’ defense allows.
It would be tempting to look at the quarterback comparison and say Miami has the edge. After all, Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill has gone 224-366 for 2,474 yards and 14 touchdowns. While those are respectable numbers, Tannehill’s been anything but efficient while putting them up, posting a meager 28th ranking out of 32 quarterbacks on ESPN’s QBR sheet. Cam Newton, meanwhile, has gone “only” 189-299 for 2,179 yards and 16 touchdowns, but he’s done a lot of that damage during the past several weeks, and his QBR is currently #13 and climbing. What’s more, Panthers QB Newton is being considered by some NFL analysts as a legitimate MVP candidate.
In fact, it will pay to watch Panthers vs Dolphins game online free streaming if for no other reason than to see what Cam Newton cooks up next. Although he had higher passer ratings in his back-to-back wins over the Vikings and Rams, last week’s 24-20 victory over the New England Patriots was by far the most impressive performance of his career. By the time the clock had ticked down to zero, Newton had delivered his third NFL game with at least three touchdown passes and 60 or more yards rushing. Since Newton has been in the NFL, only Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (RG3) has pulled that off.
But this isn’t just a one-man game, and as a team, the Panthers have gelled enough to rattle off six consecutive wins. Carolina hasn’t won six games in a row since 2005, so they certainly have momentum. Miami, however, also impressed last week, with an incredible win over the San Diego Chargers amid a whole heap of Jonathan Martin controversy. The big thing for the Miami Dolphins will be whether QB Ryan Tannehill can get out of the pocket and make plays with his mobility. Panthers QB Cam Newton certainly can, but that’s partially what he’s known for. Tannehill, not so much. The Panthers made Tom Brady uncomfortable last Monday with their solid pass rush, and Miami’s pass protection has been terrible this season. The Dolphins offensive line, in fact, has allowed the most sacks in the NFL this season (41), so they’ll have to repeat their successful showing from last week’s victory over the Chargers if they want to keep give their quarterback a chance to make it two wins in a row.
You can watch Panthers vs Dolphins game online free streaming on DirecTV’s website if you have the NFL Sunday Ticket with MAX Package. The package requires a subscription, but anyone who has one can watch the live streaming version free of any game, including today’s 1pm EST / 10am PST NFL game between the Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins.
