Patriots-Dolphins Week 8 Odds: New England Opens As Heavy Favorite
The New England Patriots will make their third prime-time appearance this season when they take on the Miami Dolphins on “Thursday Night Football” as 9-point home betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The undefeated Patriots opened the season with a 28-21 Thursday night victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, recording a push as 7-point favorites, and topped the Indianapolis Colts 34-27 on “Sunday Night Football” two weeks ago, but suffered their first loss of the season against the spread while favored by 8 1/2 points.
New England enters Thursday night’s Dolphins vs. Patriots betting matchup at Gillette Stadium with a solid 6-1 SU record in its last seven games in prime time, but is a middling 3-3-1 ATS during the stretch.
The Patriots are on a high after quarterback Tom Brady orchestrated a fourth-quarter comeback with a pair of touchdown passes last week, leading the team to a 30-23 win over the New York Jets to widen their lead atop the AFC East to two games.
The Jets’ top-ranked defense succeeded in holding New England to just 16 yards on the ground last week, but the Dolphins’ defense has been far more porous against the rush, allowing a 30th-ranked 129.3 yards per game this season.
If the performance of Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill in last week’s 44-26 win over the Houston Texans is any indication, Thursday’s game will be settled in the air.
Tannehill threw for four first-half touchdowns and 282 yards in the win, marking the fifth straight game in which he has thrown multiple scoring passes, and powering the Dolphins to 82 total points in their last two outings.
The victory over the Texans was Miami’s second straight, SU and ATS, ending a three-game skid and keeping the team in playoff contention.
Miami’s visit to New England marks its first of two appearances under the lights this season, after playing in prime time just once in each of the last two seasons, winning on both occasions.
The Dolphins are also 2-1 SU and ATS in their last three games against the Patriots according to the OddsShark NFL Database, but are winless SU in their last six visits to Foxboro, Mass., covering the spread in three of those contests.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
