Although the online football gambling community wasn’t quite sure how the Miami Dolphins would fare under first year head coach Adam Gase, and even though the majority of sportsbooks had the Dolphins placing last in their division, Gase ultimately proved that he was the right man for the job. Under his wisdom the Dolphins have advanced to 8-5 and have legitimate playoff hopes. Unfortunately, since they share a division with the New England Patriots – a team that enjoys perennial success – Miami’s chances of winning the division are very slim. The Dolphins could try and settle for a Wild Card berth but that won’t be much easier. This season the AFC West is producing 3 formidable teams; the 10-3 Kansas City Chiefs, the 10-3 Oakland Raiders, and the 8-5 Denver Broncos. Only one of those will win the division, but the other two are in pristine positions to win the two Wild Card berths available. If the season ended today the West would produce three playoff teams, a testament to how exigent that division truly is. Luckily enough for the Dolphins there are still three games left in the season; plenty of time for the chips to fall in Miami’s favor.
In Week 15 the Dolphins will have to face off against the New York Jets, providing this year’s first Saturday Night online football gambling action. The Dolphins will be traveling to the Meadowlands for this contest and since the Jets are 1-5 at home they are likely to come in as the underdogs.
NFL Odds – Week 15 – Saturday, December 17th
New York Jets +2½ (-110) 40 (-110)
Miami Dolphins -2½ (-110) 40 (-110)
With a 2 ½-point spread prediction, football betting lines are predicting a rather close affair, most likely due to the fact that the first time these two faced each other the Dolphins ended up winning by 4 points. But a lot has happened since then, most notably the Jets have fallen to 4-9 and the Dolphins have proven that they should not so easily be dismissed. A playoff finish would be ideal for Gase’s first year as head coach, but the Dolphins will need some other teams to lose. Right now all they can focus is on is winning this Saturday, but will New York pose a problem for Miami?
From a numbers point of view, the Jets seem pretty easy to beat. They have the 10th best rushing offense in the league, but the 26th worst passing offense and 22nd worst total offense in the NFL. New York doesn’t score a lot of points, but since Miami has the 30th worst rushing defense in the league, and since they are division rivals, New York could soil Miami’s playoff aspirations. The online football gambling odds don’t seem too overly convinced about Miami’s success, and neither should the fans.
