Detroit Lions vs Miami Dolphins Picks and Prediction for Sunday November 8 2026

Detroit heads to Miami Gardens on Sunday, November 8, for a 1 PM ET game against the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. CBS has the broadcast, and the Lions are favored by seven points, with the total sitting at 50.5. On paper, this looks like a mismatch. Detroit is winning football games, Miami is finding ways to lose them, and the Lions have a much better offense. But laying a full touchdown on the road? That’s where I start asking a few questions. Check out our free NFL picks for more predictions.

Detroit Lions Keep Finding Ways to Win

Detroit is 5-2 after beating Minnesota 19-15 on Sunday, and that’s three straight victories for the Lions. They also beat Green Bay 20-17 and Arizona 45-21. Those are three very different games. Detroit blew out Arizona, then had to grind through a couple of close ones against divisional opponents. I actually like seeing that. You aren’t going to win every Sunday by three touchdowns.

The Lions’ offense hasn’t been nearly as explosive over the last two weeks, though. Thirty-nine points combined against Green Bay and Minnesota isn’t what people expect from Detroit. The running game did some heavy lifting against the Vikings, and that might be the way to attack Miami. The Dolphins have been struggling to put opponents away, so there’s no reason for Detroit to get cute if it can control the game on the ground.

The concern is Detroit’s defense. Jack Campbell suffered a neck injury against Minnesota, while Brian Branch entered the concussion protocol. Those are important pieces, and their availability matters. The Lions have been winning with defense lately, but losing key defenders could make this a little more interesting than the records suggest.

Miami Dolphins Need Something to Go Right

Miami is 1-6 after losing 24-19 to New England on Sunday. The Dolphins actually had a 13-3 halftime lead before everything fell apart. New England scored 21 straight points, and Miami couldn’t recover. That’s been the story of the season. The Dolphins do enough to make you think they’ve got a chance, then something goes wrong.

Miami has scored only 117 points through seven games, which works out to about 16.7 per contest. That’s not enough offense to feel good about facing Detroit. The Lions have been holding opponents down lately, and Miami hasn’t shown much ability to put together four solid quarters. The Dolphins need to establish the run and avoid putting themselves in obvious passing situations.

But here’s why I wouldn’t completely write Miami off against the spread. The Dolphins have been competitive in some losses, including that five-point defeat against New England. They’re at home, Detroit is dealing with defensive injuries, and the Lions haven’t exactly been running up the score recently. Miami doesn’t need to win to cover seven. It just needs to avoid falling apart.

Detroit Lions vs Miami Dolphins Picks and Prediction

Spread Pick: Detroit Lions -7

I’m laying the seven with Detroit, although I’d feel better getting 6.5. The Lions are clearly the better team, and Miami’s offense has been one of the least productive in football. Detroit doesn’t need to score 40 to win this game. It just needs to control the ball, keep Miami from getting easy points, and avoid the kind of mistakes that let a bad team hang around. The defensive injuries concern me, but I still think Detroit has enough to win by more than a touchdown. Something like 27-17 makes sense.

Total Pick: Under 50.5

Give me the under 50.5. Detroit’s last two games finished with 37 and 34 combined points, and Miami is averaging fewer than 17 points per game. That’s not exactly screaming shootout. The Lions can score in bunches, and I know the Miami defense isn’t particularly intimidating. But Detroit has been comfortable running the ball and controlling games lately. If the Lions get ahead, I don’t see much reason for them to turn this into a track meet. Miami might contribute a couple of touchdowns, but I don’t think that’s enough to push this over 50.

Final Picks: Detroit Lions -7 | Under 50.5