Thursday, September 8, 2011

NFL Betting Preview - New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins

Point spread: New England -7

Over/Under: 45.5

The New England Patriots kick-off their regular season against a familiar opponent when they tangle with the Miami Dolphins this Monday night at Sun Life Stadium in this AFC East matchup. The game is slated to get underway at 7 p.m. (ET) and it will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

New England raced to an NFL-best 14-2 record last season only to lose to its bitter rival, the Jets, 28-21 as 9.5-point home favorite in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. The Patriots have been instilled by Bodog as the favorites to win the Super Bowl this season at 11/2.

Quarterback Tom Brady appeared to be in mid-season form in limited play in the preseason and has the majority of the weapons back from an offense that finished the season ranked eighth in the NFL in total yards per game and first in points with an average of 32.4 a game. Wes Welker and Deion Branch will once again anchor the receiving corps, but New England added Chad Ochocinco as an added twist to the passing game.

Miami?s miraculous 11-5 record and AFC East title in 2008 must seem like a faded memory to fourth-year head coach Tony Sparano after his team posted back-to-back 7-9 seasons. An even bigger issue for this game was the Dolphins dismal performance at home last season, where they went just 1-7 SU.

The much maligned Chad Henne will get the start at quarterback on Monday night for Miami. Henne completed 61.4 percent of his throws in 2010 for 3,301 yards and 15 touchdowns, but he is better known for his 19 interceptions and inconsistent play. The addition of Reggie Bush catching balls out of the backfield will help, but the Dolphins will have to find a way to improve upon the 17.1 points a game they averaged last year, which ranked them 30th in the league.

Head-to-head, the Patriots have won seven of the last 10 games SU. They outscored Miami 79-21 in the two games last season, easily covering the spread in each. The road team is 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings and the total has gone ?over? in four of the last six games between the two.

Count on Brady to come out firing on Monday in an effort to put this one away early. The Dolphins are just too outmatched in offensive fire power to stand toe-to-toe with this team.

The Pick: New England 34 Miami 13

NFL Betting Preview - New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins

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