5 most interesting NFL matchups to watch Week 16

4. Dolphins vs. Raiders

If the postseason started today, Miami would squeak in as the last qualifier in the AFC. Obviously, a win over Las Vegas would be enough to keep them in that position.

Just a few weeks ago, it looked as if the Raiders were cruising to a Wild Card berth of their own. Consecutive losses to the Colts and Chargers now have Jon Gruden’s squad on the outer fringes of the playoff picture. They need to knock off Miami and receive a lot of help if they want to keep their postseason hopes alive for another week.

Any hope Las Vegas has of winning this game will depend on their defense’s ability to stop the run. Tua Tagovailoa has played well since being installed as Miami’s starting quarterback, but his coaching staff is doing a great job of keeping things simple for him on game day. The Raiders’ defense needs to find a way to make Tagovailoa beat them by throwing the ball more than he’s comfortable with.

Nothing about the Raiders’ defensive play as of late gives any indication that they’re going to step up and be the team to put the shackles on the Dolphins’ offense. Expect a shootout of sorts to develop. Miami has more than enough firepower to win this game by multiple scores, but a key turnover or two could easily swing this game in Las Vegas’ favor.