Dolphins vs. Jets Week 5 opening odds: Miami slight road favorites

There are a lot of questions swirling around the Miami Dolphins right now, not they least of which is the health of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. During Thursday Night Football last week, Tagovailoa hit his head on the turf as he was sacked, a situation similar to the previous Sunday’s game when Tagovailoa’s head hit the ground and he stumbled as he got back to his feet. Initially believed to have a concussion after the Sunday impact, Tagovailoa was cleared to return to that game after halftime with the injury determined to be a back injury and not a head issue.

Four days later, after being sacked, Tagovailoa was taken off the field on a stretcher and was taken to the hospital with an obvious concussion. He was released later that night and flew home with the team. Since Thursday, Tagovailoa has said he is feeling much better, but he is still in the league’s concussion protocol. His recovery takes precedent over any on-field considerations for the Dolphins, but his availability, or lack thereof, does impact the on-field situation for Miami this week.

The Dolphins face the New York Jets on Sunday, opening the home-and-home series with their AFC East rivals for 2022. Miami has already tallied a win against each of the other two teams in the division, beating the New England Patriots in Week 1 and the Buffalo Bills in Week 3. Now heading into Week 5, the Dolphins find themselves slightly favored in the game.

According to the opening line for Sunday’s game from DraftKings Sportsbook, the Dolphins are 3-point favorites over the Jets. The point total for the game is set at 44.5 points.

The game was initially held off the board as the lines for the other games in Week 5 were released, at least in part because of the questions surrounding Miami and Tagovailoa’s availability. The Dolphins seem to be planning for Teddy Bridgewater to start as Tagovailoa continues through the NFL concussion protocols. Should Tagovailoa be cleared some time this week, it will be worth revisiting the line to see how it changes.

Kickoff on Sunday is at 1 p.m. ET from East Rutherford, New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.