NFL Odds: Patriots Home Favorites Over Dolphins In Huge Week 4 Matchup
The New England Patriots will be looking to avoid losing three games in a row for the first time since October 2002 when they play host to the surprising Miami Dolphins on Sunday as 7-point favorites on the NFL Week 4 odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
New England came out flat for a second straight week in last week’s 26-10 loss in Detroit to fall to 1-2 on the season going into Sunday afternoon’s Dolphins vs. Patriots betting matchup at Gillette Stadium.
The Patriots were dominated in their Week 2 matchup in Jacksonville, with the Jaguars avenging their 24-20 loss in last season’s AFC Championship Game by tallying a decisive 31-20 victory as 2-point underdogs. Things got no better in last week’s primetime clash with the Lions. The Patriots turned in their weakest offensive performance in almost three years, generating just 209 total yards of offense in their loss to Detroit as 7-point road chalk.
However, the Patriots have responded well in recent outings following consecutive regular-season defeats, claiming victory by an average margin of 17.2 points in six straight outright victories. New England has also been a steady bet in contests on home turf, tallying straight-up victories in each of their past eight, while covering in seven of those contests, according to the OddsShark NFL Database.
Point production has also not been a problem for New England in recent home dates. The squad has scored 27 or more points on 14 occasions while averaging just under 29 points per game in 21 overall home dates since the start of the 2016 NFL season.
In addition, New England has been simply dominant when the Dolphins arrive in town, recording nine straight victories, and going 7-2 against the spread, while holding Miami to 17 or fewer points on seven occasions.
However, it is a revitalized Dolphins squad that arrives in town this weekend, leading the AFC East with an unblemished 3-0 record. Miami remained perfect with last weekend’s 28-20 win over the Oakland Raiders as 3-point chalk, and enters the weekend gunning for their first 4-0 start since 2003.
Miami has been sparked by the return of starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill. The 30-year-old has rebounded well after missing the entirety of the 2017 NFL season due to a knee injury, tossing seven touchdown passes, including a three-score performance in last week’s victory over the Raiders.
But with each of their season-opening victories coming against struggling opponents, the Dolphins’ fast start has not boosted them on the Super Bowl odds, where they lag at a distant plus-4000, well back of the Patriots at plus-900.
