Last Updated on December 30, 2010 12:39 am by Anthony Rome
Dolphins vs. Patriots Preview
Foxboro, MA (AP) – With little on the line in Week 17 last season, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick gave his starters plenty of playing time – and ended up losing one of his biggest stars to injury.
Whether that changes Belichick’s approach to Sunday’s meaningless game against the visiting Miami Dolphins remains to be seen.
According to latest NFL odds, oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the Patriots 3.5-point spread favorites for Sunday’s game against the Dolphins. Current NFL Public Betting Information shows that 83% of more than 3,097 bets for this game have been placed on the Patriots –3.5.
Having already secured the top seed in the AFC playoffs, the Patriots may opt to rest Tom Brady and others for part of their final tuneup for the postseason.
Last year, New England had locked up the AFC East title going into the regular-season finale and couldn’t gain a first-round bye, but Brady and many others still played in a 34-27 loss at Houston.
That decision was second-guessed when Wes Welker – the 2009 NFL leader in receptions – suffered a major knee injury in the first quarter, causing him to miss a 33-14 loss to Baltimore in the wild-card round.
Most of the intrigue Sunday will revolve around how Belichick chooses to play it this time after New England (13-2) clinched home-field advantage until the Super Bowl with last Sunday’s 34-3 win at Buffalo, the team’s seventh straight victory.
“There’s a lot of things that would go into that conversation, a lot of things we’ll take into consideration,” Belichick said. “There’s some players individually whose situations are a little different than other guys. … We’ll do what’s best for the football team, both individually and collectively.”
The coach may opt to give an extended rest to several rookies playing key roles, including tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, linebacker Jermaine Cunningham and Pro Bowl cornerback Devin McCourty. Hernandez and Cunningham didn’t play in Buffalo.
Brady has said he wants to play, an understandable request given how well things have gone for him recently. The odds-on favorite for league MVP has thrown 24 touchdowns and no interceptions in his last 10 games, extending his streak of attempts without being picked off to 319 against the Bills to break Bernie Kosar’s NFL record.
“I think as much as everyone points at me for that, so much goes into what (we’re) doing offensively with protection from the offensive line,” Brady said on his weekly appearance on WEEI radio. “I’m never forced into rushing throws.
“We’ve also been ahead in a lot of games so don’t have to try to jam balls into tight spots, areas that you would if you were really desperate in the second half.”
The league low for turnovers in a 16-game season is 13 by Miami and the New York Giants in 2008, and the Patriots have only nine going into the finale.
They haven’t turned the ball over during their seven-game winning streak while scoring more than 30 points each week – a stretch unprecedented in NFL history. The Patriots forced the Bills into seven turnovers last week, increasing their NFL-best differential to plus-27.
That may not bode well for Miami, which has given the ball away 11 times in its last four games, losing three to stumble from playoff contention.
While the Dolphins (7-8) are tied with Pittsburgh and Chicago for the league’s best road record at 6-1, they finished their home slate at 1-7 to match a franchise worst.
Recent home losses to Cleveland, Buffalo and Detroit – including a late meltdown in last Sunday’s 34-27 defeat to the Lions – intensified talk about the potentially shaky job status of coach Tony Sparano.
“We’re a tight-knit team. Nothing can tear us apart,” linebacker Channing Crowder said. “I talked to Tony on Sunday night on the phone, just shot the bull with him, saying, ‘We’re right here with you, babe. I’m going to go out there for the next 10 years, however long you’re here, playing hard for you.'”
The Dolphins, though, rank 30th in the NFL with 17.7 points per game, and quarterback Chad Henne has come under fire lately, posting a 66.9 passer rating in his last four games.
The Patriots intercepted Henne three times and Tyler Thigpen once in a 41-14 win at Miami on Oct. 4, also scoring touchdowns on a kickoff return and a blocked field goal return during a 35-point second half.
The only time the Dolphins have beaten Brady in Foxborough in eight tries was Jan. 1, 2006, when Brady played one quarter in a playoff tuneup.
The Patriots are looking to finish the regular season undefeated at home for the second straight season and fifth time since 2003. A victory would also give them their fourth season with at least 14 wins under Belichick, something no previous coach has done.
Bet Dolphins vs. Patriots Odds
Want More From TheSpread.com? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook or Subscribe to Our News Feeds!