Detroit Lions at Miami Dolphins, Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
Sunday, December 26, 2010, 1:00 pm EST, TV: FOX
Opening Line: Dolphins -3.5
Current Line: Dolphins -3.5
Opening Total: 41
Current Total: 41.5
Money Line: Dolphins -190 / Lions +160
The Detroit Lions (4-10) will try to win consecutive games in the state of Florida when they visit the Miami Dolphins (7-7) on Sunday. The Lions snapped their NFL record 26-game road losing streak last week when they upset the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 in overtime. Meanwhile, the Dolphins (-3.5) have been brutal at home and will look to win there for just the second time this season.
Miami is coming off a 17-14 home loss to Buffalo last week, which followed a 10-6 road victory against the New York Jets. The Dolphins have dropped eight of their last nine at Sun Life Stadium dating back to last year and would tie the franchise record for worst home record set in 2007 when they finished 1-15 by losing to Detroit.
Kicker Dan Carpenter could easily be blamed for last week’s loss to the Bills, as he missed all four of his field-goal attempts and has failed to connect on seven in the last four weeks. However, the play of quarterback Chad Henne also needs to be questioned since he has thrown nine interceptions in the last six weeks and proven he is simply not a franchise player.
Henne completed 33 of 45 passes for 276 yards with one touchdown and one interception against Buffalo, and he was sacked three times for 15 yards. Miami’s running game also struggled, with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams combining for just 58 yards on 17 carries against the Bills.
The Lions will attempt to win three straight games for the first time this season and cover their fourth game in a row. They hope to have quarterback Shaun Hill back under center for the first time since he broke his finger in a 45-24 home loss to New England on Thanksgiving Day.
Third-year player Drew Stanton has filled in admirably with Hill and Matthew Stafford out with injuries, throwing for a career-high 252 yards and one touchdown with no picks against the Bucs. However, Stanton suffered an injury to his non-throwing shoulder and is expected to sit out.
Detroit’s running game was the difference though in helping break the road skid, totaling 181 yards on 28 carries. Maurice Morris rushed for a season-high 109 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown while four other players had 11 yards or more. Wide receiver Calvin Johnson had a monster game as well with 10 catches for 152 yards. Johnson has averaged 118 receiving yards in his last four road games.
The Lions are 4-3 against the spread away from home this season despite a 1-6 straight-up mark, and the OVER is 3-1-1 in their last five games overall. But the Dolphins have won the last five meetings with Detroit, going 4-0-1 ATS.
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