New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins Odds

Betting Odds

Point Spread: New England Patriots (-1)
Game Total Line: (48)
(wagering lines available at 5Dimes)

New England (2-1, 1-2 ATS) earned a 38-30 victory over Buffalo last week, but the Patriots have lots to be concerned about. The defense has been gouged early and often, as the Pats are surrendering a whopping 27.3 points per game. The Bills are supposed to have one of the most horrendous offenses in the NFL, yet they hung up 30 points on New England. Special teams were a factor too, as C.J. Spiller returned a kick 95 yards for a touchdown. The Patriots can't afford those kinds of breakdowns with the "D" looking so sour.

If the Patriots make the playoffs this season, it will be thanks to Tom Brady. Brady has seemingly regained his form, already tossing eight touchdown passes while completing 67 percent of his passes. Randy Moss is off to an odd start. He has just nine catches for 139 yards this season, but three of those catches have gone for scores-including his only two receptions against the Bills. New England is also crossing its fingers that BenJarvus Green-Ellis can be a serviceable option in the backfield after Laurence Maroney was traded and Kevin Faulk went down with an injury. Green-Ellis rushed for 98 yards and a score against the Bills.

Miami (2-1, 2-1 ATS) suffered a tough 31-23 loss to the Jets last Sunday. The Dolphins had a chance to potentially tie it, driving deep into Jets territory with less than a minute left, but they couldn't punch it in despite four tries near the goal line. As far as positives are concerned, Miami got a great second-half effort from Chad Henne. He finished with 363 yards and two scores and has restored the confidence of the fanbase-for now, at least. The Dolphins could afford to get more out of their talented running game, though; Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams had just 18 carries for 82 yards against the Jets. They need more touches.

Defensively, Miami was killed by tight end Dustin Keller; he caught six passes for 98 yards and a pair of scores. The "D" will have to keep a close eye on New England's Ron Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez this week. Miami had done a nice job stopping the pass until last week, when Mark Sanchez threw for 256 yards and three scores. That's troubling with Brady coming to town.

The Patriots have won six of their past 10 games against Miami, though the Dolphins are 6-4 against the spread in those match ups. These teams have gone under the total in their past two meetings; Bodog has set the total for Monday's match up at 46.5 points.

Point Spread Pick

Take the Dolphins +1 at Bodog