NFL Football
2026-11-08 - Detroit Lions at Miami Dolphins
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : NFL Week 9
Sunday 8th November 2026 - Scheduled 1pm EST
6pm (British Time)
Preview
Prayers up for Jack Campbell.
An unfortunate situation developed in the Detroit Lions (5-2) win over the Minnesota Vikings when Linebacker Jack Campbell made a tackle that left him unable to move on the turf. He has indicated that there is now some feeling in the lower half of the body, but work to do in order to get the upper half of the body back up to 100% and that will have impacted the players all week.
Head Coach Dan Campbell addressed Jack Campbell's situation during the week, but also made it clear that the team have to rally for their fallen colleague, who would insist it is about winning games and making sure the Lions are focusing on trying to reach the Super Bowl at the end of the season.
The Lions will travel to the Miami Dolphins (1-6) in Week 9 after beating the Vikings and ending the last unbeaten record in the NFL in 2026. The win also means Detroit are only a game behind Minnesota in the powerful NFC North and former interim Miami Head Coach Dan Campbell will be reminding his players how quickly momentum can be lost if they are not focused.
Playing on the road in South Florida in November is tough with conditions different to what most teams would come to expect, but the Lions are the much better team.
Credit has to be given to the Dolphins for the competitive spirit they have been able to produce and they are not going to finish with a winless season to be the absolute antithesis to the only team to ever complete an unbeaten season in the NFL.
The last three defeats suffered by the Miami Dolphins have been by 7 points or less and they have a win in between those defeats, which also has to be respected. Despite the injuries that have been suffered to important players, Miami are doing the fundamentals right and that will always give a team an opportunity to win games, no matter the difference in talent.
De'Von Achane has gone down to a season ending injury, but the Miami Offensive Line have still been creating solid running lanes and that has helped the Offensive unit move the chains. However, the challenge will be running the ball against a Detroit team that have been much improved at the Line of Scrimmage all season and who have been thriving on stopping the run in recent wins.
You have to imagine Detroit are almost going to be daring Miami to beat them through the air, even with the issues the Lions have had in the Secondary. They just stymied the Minnesota Vikings though and Malik Willis has not been very consistent with his passing game, which is also influenced by the absence of the kind of Receivers Miami fans have been watching in recent seasons.
It has also meant some indecisiveness in the passing game and Malik Willis is going to be feeling the heat of the Detroit pass rush, which could lead to mistakes.
The Lions have been well balanced Offensively and that is likely to continue in South Florida.
The running game is now largely powered by Jahmyr Gibbs behind one of the more impressive Offensive Lines in the NFL and recent games have seen Detroit power the Offensive unit on the ground. They will respect how well Miami's Defensive Line has played, which is again a testament to some of the character within the locker room, but the Lions will feel they can stay ahead of the chains and especially with the threat of the pass from Quarter Back Jared Goff.
Amon-Ra St Brown is a doubt for this game having been listed as Questionable following a big hit suffered last week, but Jared Goff should have time in the pocket and that can see him have success throwing into this Secondary. The Quarter Back has been looking after the ball pretty well this season and that will also keep the Lions in a confident mood as they look to produce a positive performance for Jack Campbell.
The scheduling spot is not ideal after a tough run of games, but the Lions have momentum and they may be able to follow Cincinnati by winning this one on the road by just enough to cover the line set.
Prediction
Lay the points with the road favourite in this game.
The Pick :
Miami Dolphins 17-24 Detroit Lions
