Dolphins vs. Steelers Point Spread: NFL Week 8 Odds, Prediction
The winless Miami Dolphins don’t deserve to be on prime-time television, but they are this Monday night as they visit the Pittsburgh Steelers.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
It will be very interesting to hear the ESPN Monday Night Football guys talk about the atrocious Dolphins during this game because that franchise is 100 per cent tanking, but the NFL doesn’t want its broadcast partners bringing that kind of stuff up.
Miami actually has a reason to root for Pittsburgh to lose as much as possible because in September the Dolphins traded top cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Steelers along with a 2020 fourth-round and 2021 seventh-round pick for a first- and fifth-round pick in 2020 and a 2021 sixth-rounder. That first-round pick could be incredibly valuable for Miami to go along with its own as the team looks to rebuild. The Dolphins also own Houston’s 2020 first-round pick from another trade made this year.
The last time these teams met, the Dolphins were actually a playoff team! That was following the 2016 season and a Wild-Card round game in Pittsburgh. The Steelers won 30-12. Ben Roethlisberger threw two TD passes to Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell rushed for two scores. Both Brown and Bell are gone now. Matt Moore was the starting QB for Miami; he’s now in Kansas City.
Pittsburgh has won six of the past 10 in the series but has failed to cover the past three.
Miami Dolphins
The winless Dolphins are so bad that it was simply a moral victory that they only lost by 10 in Buffalo on Sunday. Miami led 14-9 entering the fourth quarter. Two turnovers were a killer, however. In a bit of a surprise, first-year coach Brian Flores switched back to journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback after previously saying young Josh Rosen would keep the job the rest of the season. Fitz threw for 282 yards and a touchdown but threw a pick and fumbled twice (both recovered by the Dolphins). He also rushed for a score. Flores says Fitzpatrick will start again Monday. The 21 points scored were a season high. The Dolphins are 3-12 ATS in their past 15 road games.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh comes off its bye week and upset the Chargers 24-17 in Los Angeles in Week 6 despite starting undrafted rookie Devlin Hodges from little Samford at quarterback. He was solid enough, completing 15 of 20 for 132 yards, a touchdown and a pick. It’s expected that Mason Rudolph will return from a concussion and start this week. Of course, Roethlisberger was lost to a season-ending injury early on. The Steelers have a top Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate in linebacker Devin Bush, who was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 6. He returned a fumble for a touchdown, had an interception and seven tackles vs. the Chargers. Looks to be the next in a great line of linebacker for this franchise. Pittsburgh has lost defensive end Stephon Tuitt to a season-ending torn pectoral muscle suffered in L.A. The Steelers are 5-1 ATS in their past six on Monday.
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