AFC East: Week 7 Preview
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has been cleared to play.
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was cleared to play football Friday, bringing an end to a controversial few weeks of will he-won’t he. Perhaps.
Ever the cagey one, head coach Bill Belichick listed Gronkowski as questionable on this week’s injury report, stating he has a 50 percent chance of playing. Patriots’ fans and the rest of the world will have to wait until 1:00 p.m. ET to find out for certain if the star player will be back.
News of Gronkowski’s potential return has been headline material for 48 hours, ushering in Week 7 in the AFC East.
New England Patriots at New York Jets
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ, 1:00 p.m. ET (matchup)
Geno Smith will look to lead the Jets to victory.
New England sports fans had plenty to cheer about Saturday as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers to advance to the World Series. Make no qualms about it; while a Patriots (5-1, 3-0 home) win over the New York Jets (3-3, 1-2 road) might not be held in the same regard, it will be celebrated.
The two teams meet for the second time this season, with the Jets looking to avenge a 13-10 defeat in a soggy Thursday night game back in Week 2. Rookie quarterback Geno Smith was playing just his second professional game back then. He completed 15 of 35 passes for 214 yards that night, but three interceptions proved the NFL learning curve is a steep one.
While Smith looked every bit the rookie, Tom Brady had a tough outing at Gillette Stadium that night, going 19 of 39 for 185 yards and a touchdown. Lacking in receivers, he did what had to be done to win the game. Gronkowski’s return on Sunday, if indeed it comes to fruition, will give his another string to his passing bow, something the veteran will be more than grateful for.
The Patriots will be without WR Danny Amendola (concussion) and CB Aquib Talib (hip) in Sunday’s game, while WR Julian Edelman (thigh) is listed as questionable. Talib intercepted Smith in the first meeting between these teams, while Edelman caught the game’s only touchdown. The Jets will be without WR Santonio Holmes (foot/hamstring).
The Patriots have dominated the recent head-to-head series, going 19-6 when Tom Brady starts under center. Belichick’s side has won five straight and six of the last seven against the Jets, and two straight at MetLife Stadium.
Since taking over the reins in 2009, New York head coach Rex Ryan has not seen his team pick up a victory over the Patriots in their second meeting of any season. In fact, the Patriots have crushed the Jets in showdown No. 2 in all four seasons, outscoring Gang Green to the tune of 162-52 – an average of 41-13.
Get New England Patriots vs. New York Jets odds and trends now.
New England (-190) opened as the favorite over New York (+171) on the moneyline.
The spread opened at 4.5 but has slipped to 3 as kickoff approaches. New England (3-3-0 ATS) has covered the spread in three of its last four games, but failed to do so against the Jets (4-2-0 ATS) back in Week 2. The Patriots are 12-2-0 ATS in their last 14 games against the Jets on the road.
The total opened at 43.5 and has risen to 44. New England (2-4-0) has favored the under while the Jets (3-3-0) have split the over/under evenly.
Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins
Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL, 1:00 p.m. ET (matchup)
Thad Lewis will start for Buffalo, pending injury.
The Buffalo Bills (2-4, 0-2 road) will travel to Miami Gardens, Fla., Sunday looking to pick up a first road win of the season. The Miami Dolphins (3-2, 1-1 home) will be looking to shine in their first divisional game of the season.
Both sides arrive at Sun Life Stadium on the back of a pair of tough losses. The Bills faded against the Cleveland Browns two weeks ago on Thursday Night Football before losing in overtime to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6. The Dolphins lost a close game to the Baltimore Ravens two weeks ago having dropped their first game of the season – a 38-17 drubbing at the hands of the New Orleans Saints – a week prior. Both need to stop the rot now if they’re to get anything out of this season.
The Bills got a solid performance from quarterback Thad Lewis in his debut last weekend. However, Lewis – spelling an injured E. J. Manuel (knee) – suffered a foot injury in the loss. He’s listed as probable on the Bills’ injury report and is expected to play. If he can’t go, Bills head coach Doug Marrone will need to make a decision between Jeff Tuel and Matt Flynn. Having been released by the Oakland Raiders two weeks ago, Flynn signed with the Bills on Monday, becoming the ninth quarterback to appear on the team’s roster this season. The Bills are also hoping RB C.J. Spiller (ankle), WR Steve Johnson (back), and DE Mario Williams (hip) are able to take the field.
Miami has had an extra week to prepare for the Bills, a week that will hopefully have been spent on looking after Ryan Tannehill. The second-year quarterback has been sack an NFL-leading 24 times this season. He’ll be facing a Buffalo pass rush that has 21 sacks on the season, good enough for third in the league. If the Dolphins don’t protect Tannehill, they might be looking at a third straight loss.
The Dolphins however have the biggest advantage: playing at home. The Bills are a meager 8-26 on the road since the start of the 2009 campaign. That includes a 3-5 record against Miami. The Dolphins have actually taken seven of the last 10 meetings between the sides, including four of five in South Florida.
Get Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins odds and trends now.
Understandably, the Dolphins (-360) opened as the favorite over the Bills (+300) on the moneyline.
The spread opened at 10.5 but has seen plenty of movement. At time of publication, the spread was anywhere between 6.5 and 9, depending which sportsbook you bet on, meaning this one’s really worth shopping around for.
Both Buffalo (4-2-0 ATS) and Miami (3-2-0 ATS) have fared reasonably well against the spread this season, although the Dolphins have failed to cover in two straight. However, Miami is 4-1-0 ATS in its last five home games against the Bills.
The over/under opened at 41 and has climbed to 43. Both Buffalo (4-2-0) and Miami (4-1-0) have favored the over this season. However, the total has gone under in five of the last six meetings between the two sides and six of the last seven played at Sun Life Stadium.
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