Week 8 is set to wrap at Heinz Field on Monday Night Football when the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers collide under the lights in the first meeting between these non-divisional AFC rivals since the 2017 playoffs when the yellow and black laid the smack down. Though the betting markets jumped on the Fins early, linemakers clearly believe Mike Tomlin’s troops cruise to a second straight win after installing them gargantuan 17-point favorites coming out of the bye. See how it all unfolds against the current NFL odds on ESPN at 8:15 p.m. ET.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Miami +14.5
Pittsburgh -14.5
Over/Under 43
Miami vs. Pittsburgh Odds Analysis
The betting markets haven’t bought into the Steelers laying such a huge number to the Dolphins; especially after “FitzMagic” easily led Miami to a cover at Buffalo in a similarly lined game last week. The number to beat initially hit the board at -17 but has since fallen to -14.5 with both public and sharp bettors snagging the points with the Fins in early betting. Miami has logged an absurd 80 percent of the bet count to go along with upwards of 90 percent of the money. A majority of the betting public is yet to get involved with this matchup, but once they do, you can bet your bottom dollar Steelers money shows up. If not, online sportsbooks will find themselves in an envious position rooting for Pittsburgh to take it to a Miami team that’s yet to win a game and only has a pair of pointspread covers through six tries.
Miami Dolphins Odds
You have to hand it to Brian Flores and his staff; the Dolphins have been much more competitive since returning from their Week 5 bye. They took the Washington Redskins down to the wire before ultimately succumbing 17-16 as 6-point dogs, and then followed it up with arguably their best showing of the season in a hard-fought 31-21 loss at the Buffalo Bills that easily saw them cover the closing 17-point spread. Ryan Fitzpatrick played a huge role in both outcomes throwing for 414 yards and a 2:1 TD/INT ratio since taking the job back from Josh Rosen. That said, this is still one of the absolute worst teams in the league from a talent standpoint that’s no doubt in over its head entering this nationally televised matchup against the win hungry Steelers.
Pittsburgh Steelers Odds
Last we saw Pittsburgh in live action; they took it to the Los Angeles Chargers out on the left coast. The 24-17 outright victory sent the team into their much-needed bye week on a high after incurring a multitude of injuries in the game. Unfortunately, Stephon Tuitt will no longer be suiting up for the defense because of it, and his loss could be a big one provided the rest of the unit can’t replace his production. On top of that, Devin Bush Jr., T.J. Watt and Joe Haden all suffered injuries that forced them from the game. The time off should have them each back in the lineup once Sunday night comes around, but be sure to check the injury reports leading up to kick-off for confirmation. Mason Rudolph is also expected back under center after getting knocked out by the Ravens in Week 5.
Last Meeting
Le’Veon Bell rushed for 167 yards and 2 TD. Antonio Brown reeled in five of his nine targets and turned them into 124 receiving yards and 2 TD. Man those were the days, right?! Those two helped lead the Steelers to the decisive 30-12 win and cover the last time they squared off against the Dolphins in the Wild Card round back in 2017. The triumph snapped a two-game SU and three-game ATS losing streak to Miami dating back to 2010.
Key Trends
I was hesitant to lay the chalk with the Bills versus the Dolphins last week simply due to the fact that I didn’t believe Buffalo had the offensive arsenal to get ahead of the number and ultimately win by margin. The Steelers do however which leads me to believe the betting markets have taken a “what have you done for me lately” approach to this matchup with the belief that Miami can “FitzMagic” its way to a third straight pointspread cover. I beg to differ! Provided all of the key ingredients are back and lining up on the defensive side of the ball, I foresee a long night for Mr. Fitzpatrick. Buffalo has a rock solid defense, but it’s not as good at forcing turnovers as the Steelers who’ve already tallied 15 total takeaways; second behind only the Patriots. Pair that with an offense that could have a field day against the league’s worst scoring defense, and the signs are there for this to possibly become a runaway winner for the black and yellow.
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