Breakdown of 49ers @ Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins (8-5 SU, 6-7 ATS) are in a flat-footed tie with the Patriots and Jets for the East lead. On Sunday they will try to separate themselves from the pack, but first they must get by the San Francisco 49ers (5-8 SU, 6-7 ATS) in NFL pro football sports betting action that is set to kick off at 1 PM ET at Dolphin Stadium (natural turf) in Miami Gardens, FL.
In the BetUS NFL football betting odds, the Dolphins are listed as a 6,5-point favorite, with a posted total of 41.5 points.
BetUS NFL betting odds: MIAMI -6.5, Total 41.5
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco is last in NFL in road rushing (70.8 ypg)
KEY NFL FOOTBALL BETTING TREND: Niners have covered four of last five games
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* SF has covered four of its last five games
* SF has lost seven of its last ten games SU
* SF has played four of its last six games OVER the total
* SF has covered four of its last 13 road games
* SF has lost four of its last five road games SU
* MIA has covered one of its last five games
* MIA has won six of its last seven games SU
* MIA has played six of its last seven games UNDER the total
* MIA has covered one of its last five home games
* MIA has won four of its last six home games SU
* MIA has lost 11 of its last 16 home games SU
* MIA has played five of its last seven home games UNDER the total
Also….
* SF has won and covered five of the last six meetings.
Although well on their way to a complete turnaround from last year’s 1-15 disaster, the Dolphins have by no means been dominant, eking out some tight games. They have wins of two points over both Seattle and Oakland, four points over woeful St. Louis and if Buffalo was the same team they were at the start of the year, the 16-3 win at Toronto would have been a much closer game. Miami is in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC East, but has covered just one of its last five home games.
On Sunday they will be lined up against a team that is not just playing out the string. Mike Singletary had the “interim” designation as head coach after Mike Nolan was fired, but he’s trying to erase that. His team has won three of its last four games, beating the Bills and Jets the last two weeks. Shawn Hill has done a good job doing exactly what Singletary wants him to do, take care of the ball. The former third-stringer has thrown 10 touchdown passes since taking the position from J.T. O’Sullivan and has tossed only four interceptions. Isaac Bruce had a nice game last week against the Jets with six catches for 70 yards. There has been more of an emphasis on pounding the ball with Frank Gore (978 yards), although there is a red flag here because Gore has an inside ankle sprain that may keep him out. If he can’t go, DeShaun Foster will take his place.
San Francisco has been hard-nosed on both sides of the ball lately; the defense held Brett Favre to just a measly 137 yards and the offence to 182 total yards with just one third down conversion. The challenge here for the Miami offense, which has operated with efficiency behind Chad Pennington (66%, 12 TD’s, 6 INT’s), will be maintaining a running game with the 1-2 punch of Ronnie Brown (760 yards) and comeback player of the year candidate Ricky Williams (552 yards). Because Pennington is such a short-range passer, the most important wideout has been Greg Camarillo (55 catches, 613 yards). On the other side of the ball San Francisco will have to look out for is a hard-charging Joey Porter (league-leader with 16.5 sacks), though it should be mentioned that abandoning Mike Martz’s wide-open attack has resulted in better pass protection.
This is a 49ers team that can compete and have shown they are motivation to do so; they are the only team from the west coast to go into the Eastern time zone and pick up a win, a victory two weeks ago in Buffalo. They can conceivably get to the .500 mark which would be a big win in terms of saving their season. We’re grabbing the points with the 49ers, the 6.5-point underdog in the BetUS NFL pro football sports betting odds.
