On opening day in the National Football League, the Miami Dolphins beat the New England Patriots in Foxboro and the Buffalo Bills were upset at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In second week action, the Bills met the Dolphins in Miami. In an unusual twist, the team that won their first game was getting points on their home field against the team that lost.
For good reason.
The Dolphins have a lot of pieces to a winning puzzle, but they are misfiring more often than connecting and have not won since that opening triumph in Foxboro. Their six straight losses include ending the Jacksonville Jaguars 20 game losing streak two weeks ago with a setback in London, 20-23.
The Bills 35-0 road win as a favorite in second week action flew in the face of some basic handicapping principals. The Dolphins were a home team underdog off a win against a visiting favorite that lost the prior week. That set of circumstances would typically favor the underdog.
But there were unique factors in this second week matchup that ran counter to conflicting fundamentals. The Dolphins win in Foxboro could more accurately be seen as Miami being on the field when the Patriots lost the game.
This week, with most of the Dolphins defeats landing in single digits, it could be considered a bargain to be getting nearly two touchdowns on the point spread. The 13½ point line clearly fishing for Miami money.