Point Spread: Mia +1/Buf -1
Over/Under Total: 42.5
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Earlier this week, the Miami Dolphins received rather surprising news when it was announced that Coach Tony Sparano was fired with just 3 games remaining in the regular season following a 26-10 loss to the Eagles. Of course Sparano and the Dolphins have struggled this year including a 0-7 start to the season, but most did not expect any coaching changes at least until the end of the year. However, Sparano was let go on Monday giving way to assistant head coach Todd Bowles to become the interim head coach for the final 3 games of the season. Now the 4-9 Dolphins must move on as they take the road this Sunday to battle the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
It will be interesting to see how the Dolphins respond to the changes or if there is any change at all. The Dolphins main problems during their 0-7 start earlier this year was on the offensive side of the football. During that 0-7 stretch, the offense averaged just 15 points per game. More recently the Dolphins offense had picked up steam with the improvement of QB Matt Moore behind center. However, Moore was knocked out of the Eagles game with a concussion and his status for this Sunday appears doubtful. If Moore is unable to play, that will open the door for backup QB J.P Losman to get his first start since December, 2008.
Losman did complete 6 of 10 passing in the 4th quarter against the Eagles last week, but this will be his first full game in quite some time. Through his career Losman has struggled with consistency and that seems to have been the issue for Dolphins' quarterbacks all year. Even if Losman does struggle, he will have to find a way to get the ball in the hands of WR Brandon Marshall who is the ultimate weapon for the Miami offense. Marshall leads the team in receiving with 937 yards and 4 scores and he gives the normally dull Miami offense some explosiveness.
The main concern will be finding a way to get Marshall the football especially if the inexperienced Losman is behind center. Running back Reggie Bush has been rather solid on the ground this season with 770 yards and 5 touchdowns. Of course many will continue to say that Bush is still not the every down threat the Dolphins would like, but he has been fairly impressive for the Dolphins this year. Anything extra Bush can provide on the ground will only help keep some of the pressure off the Miami passing attack.
On the other side of the field, Buffalo has fallen off the map after a shocking 4-1 start earlier this year. The Bills were among the pleasant surprise stories earlier this year, but have now lost their last 6 games consecutively. The Buffalo offense has been flat horrible during that stretch averaging just 12 points per game. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has been horrible during the 2nd half the season and had another poor performance in the loss to San Diego last week. Fitzpatrick completed just 38% passing in that game for 176 yards and 2 picks. It was the 9th interception thrown by the Bills quarterback in the last 6 games and that remains a concern heading into their meeting with the Dolphins this Sunday.
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Also, since running back Fred Jackson is not on the injury reserve, the Bills have failed to find many answers in their rushing attack as well. Jackson racked up just less than 1,000 yards rushing through less than 10 complete games. Since the Bills lost Jackson back in their 35-8 loss to Miami a few weeks back, the ground game has been non-existent. Backup C.J Spiller is a very quick back that is dangerous in the open field but simply has not proven to be a reliable threat between the tackles.
Considering the problems the Bills have had running and throwing in recent weeks, they simply need someone to step up to get this team back on the winning path. In the previous meeting to the Dolphins earlier this year, Buffalo managed just 247 yards of total offense and also turned the ball over 2 different times. Buffalo must avoid any similar performances this Sunday to avoid a repeat loss to the Dolphins.
Jay's Pick to Cover the Point Spread: Both offenses are going through major slumps and the bad news is I do not see any change in the immediate future. With that being said, I cannot see any way there will be a lot of points scored. Take the under 42.5.
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