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The Miami Dolphins may be the biggest mirage in the NFL this season. The team is somehow 4-3 on the season but their negative-60 point-differential portends plenty of losing in their future. The Dolphins are at home in Week 9 against a three-win Oakland team but are still the underdogs, which says plenty about the oddsmakers’ feelings about them.
The Raiders have underperformed after a nice 2016 and need to pick it up quickly in order to have a shot at the postseason. Oakland has the more talented team but the home field advantage should make this one a competitive matchup.
Watch this regular season Week 9 matchup live on Sunday, November 5, 2017, at 8:30 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium.
Opening NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Oakland Raiders -3
Miami Dolphins +3
Over/Under 44
Odds Analysis
The Raiders are slight road favorites and a whopping 78 percent of the money is on them to cover that spread. The scoring total is pretty low as the Dolphins may have trouble scoring, but the “over” is the more popular choice among bettors.
The Dolphins will be an underdog on the moneyline when it is released, and that may be intriguing to some since they are the home team.
Key Stat
Four. That’s the number of Dolphins wins on the season, and all have come by one possession. Miami beat the Chargers by two points in their opener, knocked off the Titans by six points -- their largest margin of victory -- beat the Falcons by three points and the Jets by a field goal as well.
They were blasted by the Ravens last time out, 40-0, which is not a good sign to lose that badly. Miami is somehow staying alive in the playoff hunt but won’t remain that way for much longer if its close-game luck disappears.
Win-loss records can sometimes be deceiving and this is one case where Miami looks like a better team than what it has truly shown on the field.
Player To Watch
Kenyan Drake -- The Dolphins traded their top running back Jay Ajayi to the Eagles Tuesday for a fourth-round pick. Ajayi was a Pro Bowler last season after rushing for 1,272 yards and averaging 4.9 yards a carry. He has racked up 465 yards on 138 yards this season, but has zero touchdowns as Miami used him very rarely in the red zone.
Drake is expected to get the lion’s share of the carries moving forward. Ajayi was a big part of the offense but the NFL always seems to have guys who step in at the running back position and excel. Miami’s offense is below average and if the running game suffers without Ajayi it will hurt the team.
However, Miami obviously has confidence in Drake and he will aim to carry the load.
Free ATS Pick
The Raiders will welcome back running back Marshawn Lynch after a one-game suspension and he hopes to have a big game. “Beast Mode” has underperformed this season along with the entire Oakland team.
The Raiders have lost four of their past five games after a 2-0 start, and their only win in that span came when they scored on the final play of the game against the Chiefs. Despite the struggles, Oakland has a better team than Miami and should be able to come away with the road victory.
The Dolphins will get quarterback Jay Cutler back in this game, and that will help the offense, but it’s not like he has been that good on the year. If Cutler and Drake play well, Miami can win this game, but that seems like it may be too much to ask. Take the Raiders to cover this spread, while the “over” is the correct play on the scoring total.
NFL Odds: Raiders 27, Dolphins 20
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