A late change to the Dolphins–Browns forecast offers major implications for Mike McDaniel’s team and their effort to quiet the noise
Mike McDaniel said we needed to wait to game day before assessing the weather. So…how we lookin’, coach?
The Miami Dolphins landed in Cleveland last night ahead of their Week 7 matchup with the Browns and had as good a view as anyone at the skies to the west. Here’s hoping they liked what they saw — as the weather forecast for Sunday’s matchup between the Dolphins and Browns has been a major point of focus over the past few days.
It will be a wet and windy morning in Cleveland. But what about at kickoff? Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel alluded on Friday that there would be some consideration given to the weather, but not until the night before the game.
“I prepare and kind of weave it into the conversation closer to the game, the night before the game is when the weather predictions are a little bit more accurate,” said McDaniel. “We all know weather predictions are an inexact science, so I think you make the opponent the team you’re playing, not the weather. And then as you get closer, you start talking about the details and the fundamentals of what your plan will be when that’s closer to reality, but until it is, you try to focus on the opponent and nothing else.”
So, what’s the forecast look like this morning?
Dolphins appear set to miss the worst of Sunday’s storms in Cleveland
The AccuWeather forecast in Cleveland now has a wind advisory this morning from 3 AM through noon, warning of potential wind gusts up to 50 mph. It should make for entertaining warmups ahead of the game. But the hourly forecast starting at 1 PM offers significantly reduced wind gusts. Still blustery? Yes. But not the 50 mph screaming winds that the city appears primed for earlier this morning.
Here’s the top forecasted wind gusts for each hour between kickoff and the end of the game window.
AccuWeather forecasted wind gusts by hour during Dolphins vs. Browns
- 1 PM: 24mph winds, gusts up to 36mph
- 2 PM: 21mph winds, gusts up to 33mph
- 3 PM: 20mph winds, gusts up to 33mph
- 4 PM: 20mph winds, gusts up to 28mph
Miami and Cleveland will need the short passing game and the ground game to help keep their offenses on track. Which group do you trust to execute that more? Miami has the more experienced quarterback. Cleveland has a significantly better run defense at this stage.
The worry for Miami is that the wetness will cut down on their speed. Much of McDaniel’s philosophy is to create angles with speed — what do you have if that’s spoiled by poor footing and wet grass? It will require a different psychology to move the ball, first and foremost.
McDaniel is rightfully under fire after a 1-5 start. Sunday’s contest versus a downtrodden but young Browns franchise figures to be a big opportunity to quiet the noise. But if the Dolphins lose? Buckle up. It’ll be a rough flight home — even with that wind everyone’s been talking about clearing out before the game.
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