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NFL betting Previews- New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins Point spread: New England -7 Over/Under: 45.5
The New England Patriots begin their run as this year’s 11/2 favorite to win the Super Bowl this upcoming Monday night against the AFC East rival Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. (ET) and it will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
New England will be looking for a fast start to this season to help erase the memory of a disappointing 28-21 loss to the New York Jets as a 9.5-point home favorite in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. This loss tarnished a NFL-best 14-2 record overall including a 6-2 straight-up record on the road.
All the pieces remain in-place for another big season on offense for the Patriots. Quarterback Tom Brady is chomping at the bit to take the field on Monday with a squad that was ranked eighth in the NFL in total yards per game, but first in scoring with an average of 32.4 points a game. He will have his full complement of weapons back including Wes Welker and Deion Branch, but as an added twist, Brady now has Chad Ochocinco as another option in the passing game.
Miami had a breakout season in 2008 with an 11-5 record that was tops in the AFC East, but two consecutive 7-9 seasons have head coach Tony Sparano scratching his head on how to turn things around in 2011. Of greater concern was the Dolphins’ performance at home last season, where they went just 1-7 SU.
With no one currently on the roster stepping up in the preseason, Chad Henne will get the start at quarterback on Monday night for Miami. Henne’s numbers in 2010 were not that bad, with a 61.4 completion percentage and 3,301 total yards passing, but his 19 interceptions verse 15 touchdowns proved to be costly over the course of the season. Having Reggie Bush catching balls out of the backfield will help, but the Dolphins will have to find a way to put up more than 17.1 points a game, which ranked them 30th in the league last year.
Head-to-head, New England has won seven of the last 10 games SU. The road team is 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings and the total has gone ‘over’ in four of the last six games between the two.
This game has rout written all over it as the Patriots come out in mid-season form to run away with an easy victory on Monday night. The Pick: New England 34 Miami 13
