When the line for the New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins game was posted at 16.5 points in the Patriots’ favor, it quickly jumped to 19.5. Oddsmakers were a bit skittish that New England was nearly a three-touchdown favorite. The sharps brought it down to 18 at game time.
Turns out, the fears were unfounded. The defending Super Bowl champions decimated the Dolphins, 43-0, in a game that wasn’t even that close. Coach Bill Belichick was pleased with his team’s performance.
“I thought it was a good – I thought our team gave a good effort today,†Belichick said. “Obviously, Miami was ready to go and they gave us some problems early but we were able to work through that and played 60 minutes and finished the game. I’m proud of our team for doing that. It’s Game 2, long way to go, so we have a lot of work to do.â€
No Easier for Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are now 0-2 against the spread, and have been outscored 102-10. The 92-point differential in the first two games ties the 1973 New Orleans Saints for third worst, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Second are the 1961 Oakland Raiders (99), and first are the 1923 Rochester Jeffersons (116).
The opening line for Miami’s Sunday contest at Dallas was 16. It shot up to 21 within hours of being offered.
The Dolphins have now been double-digit dogs in three games and, if current form holds, they will regress even more against Dallas. Miami coach Brian Flores said he has seen improvement.
“I thought we had a better week of practice, but at the end of the day, it’s about our production in games,†Flores said. “We’ll just come back, we’ll go to work, we’ll make the corrections, we’ll get better, we’ll improve – and it’s disappointing. Those guys are disappointed. They work hard. They put in a lot of work. But we’ve just got to play better.â€
New York Jets Also Double-Digit Dogs
The New York Jets had only played one game, but sportsbooks installed them as 17-point underdogs against the New England Patriots. The Jets play Monday evening against the Cleveland Browns. They are 6.5-point underdogs in that game. They opened as a 2.5-point favorite.
Most of the reason for the line movement is the illness of quarterback Sam Darnold. The second-year signal caller is sidelined for at least three weeks with mononucleosis.
Stat of the Week
In Week 2, the favorites were 6-9 against the spread. The home team was 5-10 ATS. Underdogs were 6-9 straight up. The over hit three times, while the under hit 12 times.
Bad Beat of the Week
The Denver Broncos were getting 2.5 points, and were also a +125 on the moneyline against the Chicago Bears. The Broncos were down by seven with 2:48 to play. Denver went down the field from their own 38, and scored with 31 seconds remaining. They attempted a two-point conversion that was successful to take a 14-13 lead.
Chicago got the ball at their own 25-yard line and got to the Denver 25, aided by a controversial roughing the passer penalty. Rookie kicker Eddy Pineiro hit a 53-yard field goal as time expired to give the Bears a 16-14 victory, ruining Denver’s spread and the moneyline for bettors.