It’ll be Joe Flacco against Skylar Thompson in a Week 18 finale with playoff hopes on the line for the Miami Dolphins. Shortly after the New York Jets announced Flacco would get the nod this Sunday, Dolphins’ head coach Mike McDaniel announced Thompson, the team’s third-string quarterback, will be under center this weekend.
Thompson will replace Tua Tagovailoa, still out with a concussion, and backup Teddy Bridgewater, who broke his finger in the team’s Week 17 loss to the New England Patriots.
A 7th round rookie out of Kansas State, Thompson has completed 40 of 74 passes this year, just 54.1%, with one touchdown and three interceptions. He’s also rushed for one touchdown. In relief of Bridgewater last week, he went 12/21 for 104 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The pick was only partially his fault, a pass thrown behind but catchable for WR Tyreek Hill, who let the ball bounce off his arm and picked by a Patriots’ defensive back.
The Jets and Dolphins will kickoff Sunday at 1 PM/EST, the same time as when the Steelers play the Cleveland Browns. If the Dolphins win this game, the Steelers will be eliminated. For Pittsburgh to make the playoffs, they must beat the Browns and have the Dolphins lose/tie and the New England Patriots lose/tie to the Buffalo Bills, a game that will also take place at 1 PM/EST.
The Dolphins are slight favorites over the Jets while the Bills are touchdown favorites over the Patriots. The Steelers are favorites over the Browns, who will be looking to play spoiler having already been eliminated from postseason contention. Cleveland won the first matchup in Week 3 but both teams will have new quarterbacks under center, Deshaun Watson and Kenny Pickett, making for a wild Week 18 around the league.
