Broncos Dolphins Spread

Written by Jack Jones

Two of the worst teams in the NFL collide Sunday when the Denver Broncos travel to face the Miami Dolphins. These two squads are certainly in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes, especially if they continue their downward spirals. While both teams have been struggling, this game will have some hype surrounding it considering Tim Tebow will be making his return to Sun Life Stadium. The Dolphins have won five of their last six meetings with the Broncos, including a 26-17 road win in their most recent meeting in 2008.

The Las Vegas odds makers have set a line of Miami -1.5 over Denver and a total set of 42 points.

Miami

Dolphin fans have had little to cheer about all season. Miami (0-5, 0-2 home) may find most of their fans cheering for Tebow in this one. The Dolphins are coming off a 24-6 loss to the New York Jets on Monday Night Football. They actually played well early and appeared poised to take at least a 6-0 lead, perhaps a 10-0 lead before an interception from Matt Moore. It was returned by Derrelle Revis 100 yards for a touchdown, and the Jets never looked back.

Moore, making his first start in place of the injured Chad Henne, finished 16 of 34 with two interceptions. He actually played better than the numbers showed, but several dropped passes from his receivers certainly didn’t help. Reggie Bush had a productive game with 71 rushing yards, but he left in the second half after suffering a neck injury. He is probable to return to action against the Broncos this week.

Miami is 1-11 at Sun Life Stadium since Week 16 of 2009. To change their fortunes, they are going to have to get much better on both sides of the ball. The Dolphins are 30th in the league in scoring (15.0 points/game) and 30th in touchdowns (six). They are also 26th in total defense (390.8 yards/game). Brandon Marshall has been one bright spot, catching 28 balls for 422 yards and a touchdown. He must find the end zone more, though. Rookie Daniel Thomas has rushed for 249 yards (4.4/carry) despite missing a couple of games due to injury.

Denver

Tebow will take over for Kyle Orton at starting quarterback this week for the Broncos. Denver (1-4, 0-2 away) made the move because they were tied for 25th in the NFL in total offense (303.6 yards/game) and 27th in passing yards (201.8 yards/game). Tebow returns to a place where he won a high school championship as a senior and a BCS national championship in 2009 as a junior in college. The Dolphins will honor Tebow and his 2009 Gators championship team before the game.

The former Heisman Trophy winner gave the Broncos a spark before their bye week. He came in during a 29-24 loss to San Diego and completed 4 of 10 passes for 79 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for a score, and nearly led his team back from a 26-10 deficit. “He’s just a baller, an all-out baller,” linebacker Joe Mays said. “Some people may call him unorthodox, but at the end of the day, he gets the job done.” Tebow went 1-2 as a starter over the final three games last season. He accounted for 850 total yards and seven total touchdowns while throwing three picks during that span.

Not making matters any easier for Tebow is the fact that they traded away leading receiver Brandon Lloyd to the St. Louis Rams on Monday for a conditional 2012 draft pick. He has 19 grabs for 283 yards on the season after leading the league with 1,448 receiving yards last year. The emergence of Eric Decker (22 receptions, 266 yards, four TD) certainly helped their decision. Plus, Demaryius Thomas and Eddie Royal are each expected to return from injuries this week. As you can see, the timing of the move only made sense.

Betting Trends

The Broncos are 16-33-3 ATS in their last 52 games vs. a team with a losing record, and 18-37-2 ATS in their last 57 vs. AFC foes. Denver is 2-6 ATS in their last 8 road games as well.

Miami is only 16-36 ATS in their last 52 games as a favorite, including 6-29 ATS in their last 35 games as a home favorite. The Dolphins are a woeful 17-47-1 ATS in their last 65 home games, and 0-7-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall.

If you want to cash in on the pro gridiron in Week 7, then turn to expert handicapper Jack Jones today.

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