New England Patriots vs Miami Dolphins Betting Predictions, Odds, Lines & Picks
The Dolphins (8-5 SU, 10-3 ATS) continue to battle for the AFC playoff spot as they host the Patriots (6-7, 6-7) at the Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday in a crucial late-season online football betting game. The two teams met in Week 1 with New England taking the 21-11 win to open the season. However, a lot has changed since then and this week’s game finds teams heading in opposite directions.
New England Patriots vs Miami Dolphins Betting Line Movement
The opening odds favored Miami to win by -2.5. But, as the week went on and news of the injuries in the Dolphins squad started to come in, many early bettors heavily backed the rested Patriots moving the line to -1.5. The total also saw some movement, as a lot of early action supported UNDER, moving the line from an initial 43 to 41.5 at most bookies.
Notes On The New England Patriots
Before last week and an embarrassing defeat to the Rams, it looked, for a brief moment, that Bill Belichick might pull off another miracle and take his team to the online football betting playoffs. However, after a dud in Los Angeles on Thursday, the Patriots are all but eliminated from the playoff race. After the season ends, the Patriots will seriously have to consider Cam Newton’s future with the franchise as the former MVP had another below-par performance last week. Against the Rams, Newton threw for just 119 yards and an interception while being sacked four times. The Patriots are heading to Sunday’s matchup of a long week and will try to make the most extra time to rest and prepare. If they are to get anything from this game, it will likely be on the back of their defense, especially since Belichick loves playing against rookie quarterbacks.
We can hardly expect anything from Cam Newton on Sunday, and he is a hard no as far as the fantasy is concerned. The stout Miami defense will likely limit his running which his only chance to put some points on board. Newton’s poor passing form means that it’s hard to find any fantasy value among his teammates, too.
Notes On The Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins have their defense to thank for most of their good results this season, but their faith in rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is starting to pay off. Tua has been pretty conservative in the first starts of his career with a limited number of thrown yards but he also has only one interception so far. He may have lost for the first time as a starter last week, but Tua also exploded in a matchup against Patrick Mahomes, throwing for 316 yards and 2 touchdowns while scoring one himself on the ground. His task on Sunday may be much harder as he’ll be working with a depleted receiving corp with DeVante Parker, Mike Gesicki, and Jakeem Grant all questionable due to injuries.
Tagovailoa is still far from being seriously considered for the daily fantasy, especially in a matchup against Belichick’s defense. With most of the leading receivers doubtful for Sunday, WR Lynn Bowden could be a sneaky good pick. Bowden made the most of the increased number of targets last week, with 7 catches for 82 yards.
Online Football Betting Pick: Under 41.5
Four of the last six games between Miami and New England ended in an UNDER, including their online football betting matchup in Week 1. As both teams are better on the defensive side of the ball, there’s no reason not to expect something similar on Sunday.
