Monday Night Football Betting

The New England Patriots are busy keeping up with the Joneses, also known as the New York Jets, in the AFC East. And with New York thumping the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, even more pressure is on the Pats to come away with a win when they visit the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football.

Most betting markets opened this divisional showdown as a pick, but money on New England had it sitting as a 1-point favorite at 5Dimes as of Sunday afternoon. Patriots bettors haven't fared that well when going against the Dolphins in recent seasons. Miami took two paydays away from the Patriots last year and is 4-1 against the spread in the past five contests with New England.

The one thing that should have Pats backers clinging to their wallets is the dismal performance of New England's defense. The Patriots' stop unit comes into Week 4 ranked 28th in the NFL, behind such bottom feeders as Seattle, Detroit, and Cleveland.

The most glaring weakness has been the pass defense, which has allowed opponents to air it out for over 260 yards per game. Opposing quarterbacks are putting up 7.5 yards per pass and have managed to score seven passing touchdowns on New England this season. In comparison, the Pats have only allowed one score on the ground through three games.

In order to avoid embarrassment on Monday Night Football, New England must establish a stronger pass rush and keep Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne on the move. Henne had his best day as a starter in last week's 31-23 loss to the Jets, passing for 363 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. He connected with wideout Brandon Marshall for 166 of those yards and a score, which has to have the Patriots' defensive coordinators worries.

New England has been burned by some elite-level receivers already this season. In their Week 1 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Chad Ochocinco hauled in 12 balls for 159 yards and a touchdown. Against New York in Week 2, tight end Dustin Keller and receiver Braylon Edwards combined for 160 yards and two scores, leading the Jets to victory. And, even against the lowly Bills, Buffalo WR Roscoe Parrish caught five ball for 83 yards.

Books opened the total for Monday's game at 46, which has jumped two points to 48. The average number for the Pats and Fins' last 10 games has been 38 points. These teams have posted a 4-6 over/under mark in that span.

Pick: Miami and Over 48