Bills Favored By 2 1/2 Over Winless Dolphins

NFL News - September 30th, 2009 - Written by Scott

The Miami Dolphins have not gotten off to a great start this season and things have only gotten worse after losing starting quarterback Chad Pennington for the season.  Pennington suffered a shoulder injury in last week's 23-13 loss at San Diego.  He has elected to go ahead and have surgery to repair a torn capsule, which will be his third on his throwing shoulder.  The 0-3 Dolphins will have an opportunity on Sunday to get their first victory as they host the Buffalo Bills (1-2).  In last year's meeting, the Dolphins limited the Bills to just 163 yards in their 16-3 win.  On Sunday, Land Shark stadium along with the Miami players, will be colored in pink to show their support for breast cancer awareness.

The Dolphins will have to go with back up quarterback Chad Henne.  Henne replaced Pennington in the third quarter of last week's game and finished the day connecting on 10 of 19 passes for 92 yards and 1 interception.  The second year quarterback did not look comfortable moving the offense and will need to gain some confidence heading into Sunday's game, as Miami is only averaging 155 yards per game in the air. The Dolphins signed Tyler Thigpen on Tuesday to give them depth at the quarterback position.  Pat White will play the back up role to Henne.  White was selected by the Dolphins in last year's draft to bring a scoring threat in their Wildcat offense.   The running back tandem of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams have been the lone bright spot for the Dolphin's offense.  They have combined for 417 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns. 

The Bills will look to avenge last week's 27-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints.  They are still awaiting the production from wide receiver Terrell Owens that they expected when they signed him during the offseason.  Owens has hinted that he is not happy with their play selection, which could be the reason he has only 5 catches on the season for 98 yards and one touchdown.  He was also held without a catch in last week's loss.  His relationship with quarterback Trent Edwards seems to be in tact, but running back Fred Jackson appears to be Edwards' favorite target as he already has 15 catches for 134 yards.  The Bills have yet to score a rushing touchdown this season, but Jackson does have 291 yards on the ground. 

According to Bodog sportsbook, Buffalo is favored by 2 1/2 with a payout set at -115.  The Dolphins have their payout set at -105 and the over/under is set at 37. 

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