Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins, Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
Sunday, December 19, 2010, 1:00 pm EST, TV: CBS
Opening Line: Dolphins -6.5
Current Line: Dolphins -5.5
Opening Total: 41.5
Current Total: 40
Money Line: Dolphins -220 / Bills +180
The Miami Dolphins (7-6) probably wish they could play all of their games on the road considering they have lost only once away from home this season. The Dolphins (-5.5) own a 6-1 road record compared to a 1-5 mark at home heading into this AFC East matchup with the Buffalo Bills (3-10) on Sunday.
Miami is coming off a 10-6 road win against the Jets last week that involved a bit of controversy when New York strength coach Sal Alosi tripped Nolan Carroll during a punt return. Alosi has since been suspended for the rest of the season without pay and fined for his actions.
The Dolphins were able to win the game despite producing a season-low 131 yards of offense, including 30 net passing yards. Quarterback Chad Henne continued to regress from his surprisingly good performance in a 33-17 win at Oakland in Week 12. Henne had not played in the previous game at home against Chicago due to a knee injury but started against the Raiders, throwing for 307 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He has thrown for 229 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions in two games combined since then.
Miami has won four of the last five meetings with Buffalo both straight-up and against the spread but has not been able to string together consecutive wins in the team’s last 11 games overall. The Dolphins won their first two games of the season, with both taking place on the road.
The first game was a 15-10 victory at Buffalo that saw Henne complete 21 of 34 passes for 182 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams split carries, combining for 127 yards between them and scoring a touchdown.
However, the Bills were a much different team offensively in the season opener, as Trent Edwards was their starting quarterback and Marshawn Lynch the top running back. Edwards was later released in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick while Lynch was dealt to Seattle. Fred Jackson has assumed the role of lead back, averaging 92.4 rushing yards in the last five games.
Buffalo has rebounded nicely following an 0-8 start, going 3-2 with a 4-1 mark ATS. The only game that the Bills were not competitive in over their last eight games was a 38-14 loss at Minnesota in Week 13. Every other game during that stretch was either a win or a three-point loss. The UNDER is 5-2 in Buffalo’s last seven games.
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