Broncos vs. Dolphins Week 7 Gambling Preview
When the New England Patriots fell to the Cleveland Browns in one of the most surprising results of last year’s regular season, it was simply an aberration for a team that went on to win 14 games and clinch the best record in the NFL.
Venue/Stadium: Sun Life Stadium, Miami, Florida
Time/Date: Sunday October 23, 2011 – 1:00 PM ET
NFL Odds from TheGreek
Money Line: Dolphins -120
Spread (ATS): Dolphins -1.5
Over/Under: 41.5
When the Indianapolis Colts lost Peyton Manning before the regular season, expectations were tempered and the 0-6 start that followed hasn’t been much of a surprise. The same cannot be said about a Miami Dolphins’ team that opened their season 0-4 even with their starting quarterback Chad Henne under center, and then extended their slide to five games with backup Matt Moore at quarterback in a 24-6 loss at the New York Jets this past Monday. The Dolphins return home now to host a Denver Broncos’ team that has had similar struggles out of the gate, but could be at a turning point in their season after making a significant change of offense.
Enter Tim Tebow, the former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback that went 1-2 through three starts for Denver to close out his rookie season. Tebow threw for five touchdowns compared to three interceptions a year ago, but also rushed for three more to fain the respect and approval of Broncos’ fans. Those same fans chanted his name throughout Denver’s loss to the San Diego Chargers two weeks ago before head coach John Fox made the decision to bench Kyle Orton in favor of Tebow. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The former national champion threw for a touchdown and ran for another as the Broncos nearly came back to beat San Diego, which undoubtedly influenced Fox to stick with Tebow going forward. The offense will have had some time to get in to a rhythm coming off a bye week, and it will be interesting to see how efficiently they can move the ball against the 29th ranked pass defense.
While a big part of Miami’s struggles have been their play at quarterback, the fact remains they haven’t been above average in any area of the game. The running back tandem of Daniel Thomas and Reggie Bush was inept against the Jets, and they will need to do a better job of establishing the rush against Denver. The defense could make things a little easier if they can slow down the Broncos’ attack, and their performance could have a huge impact on head coach Tony Sparano’s future with the club.
Although this game may not have the major playoff implications of some of the other afternoon matchups, all eyes will be on Miami for the “Tebow factor”. The pressure is on one of the biggest names in the sport to produce at a high level, and if he does, the Broncos could earn a big win on the road.
NFL Betting Pick: Broncos
