NFL Week 6 Predictions: St. Louis Rams vs. Miami Dolphins

St. Louis Rams at Miami Dolphins
Sunday, 10/14/12, 1:00 PM EST, TV: FOX
Opening Point Spread: Miami -3
Current Betting Line: Miami -3.5
Opening Total: 38
Current Total: 37.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

Miami Dolphins RB Reggie Bush is definitely a player to watch against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday

St. Louis hits the road after picking up a pair of divisional home victories against the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks, while going UNDER the total in the last three contests. The Rams are above .500 for the first time since 2006, which is significant to mention under first-year head coach Jeff Fisher. Offensively, the team has continued its struggles from a year ago, ranking 29th in the league in averaging 278.0 yards per game. St. Louis is 0-2 ATS off two straight division games.

The Rams are hoping that quarterback Sam Bradford can turn the corner, as he has a 78.6 passer rating, but it’s hard to imagine due to leading receiver Danny Amendola going down with a broken clavicle. St. Louis may need to win this game on the defensive end, which means containing Miami running back Reggie Bush, who has gained 139 yards on 22 carries in three meetings. The defensive unit sits 18th in the NFL in holding opponents to 117.2 yards per game on the ground.

Miami picked up a 17-13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals as three-point road underdogs last week, which snapped a two-game losing streak, with each of those setbacks coming in overtime. The Dolphins have been very pleased with quarterback Ryan Tannehill through five games, as the’s thrown for 1,269 yards on the season, becoming the first rookie in NFL history to pass for more than 1,250 yards and record at least two wins in his first five games. Wide receiver Brian Hartline has been his main target, leading the league in receiving yards with 514. Miami is 1-3 ATS as a home favorite of 3.5 to 7 points, with the UNDER going 3-1 in those contests.

The Dolphins defense doesn’t get much notoriety, but it’s important to note that they haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in their last 19 games, while picking up 11 sacks in the their last two contests. Miami has won nine of 11 meetings in the series, including four straight when serving as host. The entire team is now focused on trying to get back to .500 heading into its bye week.