NFL Predictions: Patriots vs. Dolphins Preview

Written by Jake Thompson
Monday, 12 September 2011 18:12

Predictions on the score are ready to go as we preview tonight’s game between the Patriots and the Dolphins.

The first of two Monday Night Football games tonight will pit the New England Patriots (0-0) against the Miami Dolphins (0-0), and our NFL preview will make predictions on what you should expect.  The Patriots vs. Dolphins game has a 7:00 PM ET start time and will be shown live on ESPN.

These AFC East squads are no stranger to one another, and the Patriots won 41-14 in Miami and 38-7 in New England last season.  The Patriots covered the point spread in both games and are currently listed as 7-point road favorites at Legends Sportsbook for Monday’s meeting.  Roughly 80% of tracked NFL bettors are going with the Patriots, making this game one of the most lopsided of the week when it comes to the ratio of bets being made on one team.  Tonight's Patriots vs. Dolphins total sits at 46.5 and both of last year’s games went over their respective lines.  The road team in this series has covered the point spread in 6 of the last 8 games and New England will be looking to keep that streak going here.

Newly acquired New England defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth is listed as probable with an illness, but the Patriots are relatively injury free when it comes to their star players.  We know the Patriots will find success in the passing game with Tom Brady at quarterback, and it is going to be interesting to see if Miami’s offseason additions will be able to slow down a team that had no problem scoring points against them last year.

Chad Henne will get another crack at the starting job in Miami, but the quarterback may be without top draft pick Daniel Thomas.  The Kansas State running back is listed as questionable with a hamstring injury and was a bit of a disappointment in the NFL preseason.  Wide receiver Brandon Marshall has looked great since battling injuries last year and Henne should find him early and often.  That being said, I do still have questions about how many points the Dolphins will be able to score with the possibility that their running game stumbles out of the gate.  Henne is a solid quarterback but he’s not a Brady or Peyton Manning type that can carry the team without help.

Bet on the Patriots vs. Dolphins game at Legends Sportsbook and receive a 25% cash bonus just by clicking our link to get started.  These guys have a variety of betting options and I recommend checking out the prop bets they are offering for this game.

Predictions here call for the Dolphins to make more of a game of it then they did in either of the meetings last year, but ultimately I still don’t believe their defense can stop the Patriots from putting up points.  Miami just isn’t built to go score-for-score with the better offensive teams in the NFL and I don’t think they can keep up.  Look for the Patriots to cover the point spread and it might be wise to parlay the over with that bet because I think that if New England wins big, they’ll score plenty of points while doing so.

Patriots vs. Dolphins Score Predictions:

Patriots 34

Dolphins 20