'Monday Night Football' odds: No. 1 NFL expert picks Patriots-Dolphins
Week 14 of the NFL season concludes Monday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami when the New England Patriots travel to face the Dolphins at 8:30 p.m. ET on "Monday Night Football."
The Patriots are 11-point favorites after opening -12. The over-under is 48, down half-a-point from the opener of 48.5.
Before you make any bets on this AFC East battle, you'll want to hear what SportsLine Stat Geek R.J. White has to say.
On Sunday, White told readers to take Chicago (+6.5) over the Bengals, saying the Bears would steal a road win. The result: The Bears not only covered, they got the victory as White predicted. Anybody who followed his advice never broke a sweat in a 33-7 decision.
Part of his success: White has years of experience analyzing NFL statistics and trends, dating all the way back to Super Bowl XXV. He has finished in the top two percent in the Las Vegas SuperContest, the nation's most prestigious handicapping contest, and is currently in the top nine percent of that contest this season.
He's also SportsLine's top NFL expert this year, using his analytical approach to help $100 bettors cash almost $1,500. He's No. 1 out of 20 experts on SportsLine in NFL picks.
Now he has broken down Monday's night game and revealed his pick. He's sharing it over at SportsLine.
The Patriots have been dominant both straight up (10-2) and against the spread (8-4) this season. No matter how high the line has gone, they've continued to crush the books.
New England just hung an 18-point win at home on the Dolphins in Week 12. Miami has lost six of its past seven, with those six losses coming by an average of nearly 16 points.
But that doesn't mean the Patriots will again be able to cover a large spread this week, especially on the road.
Miami finally got it together last week against the Broncos, producing an impressive 35-9 win that kept their slim playoff hopes alive.
And New England will be without all-world tight end Rob Gronkowski (suspension). Gronk scored two touchdowns against a Miami defense that was helpless in covering him in Week 12. Without him, New England might struggle to capitalize in the red zone, turning potential touchdowns into field goals.
Furthermore, running back Dion Lewis (illness), who ran for 112 yards in Week 12, is questionable, as is receiver Chris Hogan. The Patriots could also be caught looking ahead to a showdown against the Steelers next week that might determine who gets the top seed in the AFC. Monday night screams "trap game."
White knows there's a critical stat that no one is thinking about that ultimately determines which side of the "Monday Night Football" spread you should be all over. And SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh, who is 12-5 in his past 17 NFL picks, agrees with him.
So which side should you back in Patriots-Dolphins on "Monday Night Football?" Visit SportsLine now to see what critical stat determines which side of Patriots-Dolphins you need to be all over, all from the expert who is up nearly $1,500 on his NFL picks this year and is in the top tier of the nation's most prestigious handicapping contest, and find out.