JOHNSTOWN —
The problem – well, one of several problems – with the Bills and the Dolphins is they are capable of playing some real stinkers. Miami managed one last Sunday, when it was thrashed at home by Tennessee, and Buffalo has done it against the Jets and the 49ers.
When they meet Thursday night, NFL Network surely will be hoping for something more like Miami’s performances in wins over the Raiders and Jets, matched by Buffalo’s outings in victories against Kansas City and Cleveland.
The Bills are 11⁄2-point favorites over a franchise that used to suffer freezer burn heading up to Western New York this time of year. But these Dolphins are better built for the cold than in past years. Hey, they might be better built for the cold than the Bills.
Miami plays things close to the vest, which works well if the elements are a factor. Buffalo is far more wide-open in its offensive approach, and without injured running back Fred Jackson, it has lost a ton of versatility – even though sidekick C.J. Spiller is having a terrific year.
“Yeah they say it’s a great environment. The fans love their football, they love Buffalo,” Dolphins rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. “It’s going to be cold, so it’s going to be fun.
“I played a few cold weather games back in Texas,” added Tannehill, who was a receiver and QB at Texas A&M. “It gets cold out in the winter in West Texas, and then we played in Kansas and Iowa in college.”
He doesn’t see last week’s 37-3 debacle against Tennessee having a carry-over effect.
“Our guys are resilient. We’re realists; we know we didn’t play well, we know we didn’t perform like we’re capable of, but we’re ready to move forward, ready to go out and try to take it up a few notches against Buffalo.”
Upset special: DOLPHINS, 22-20
No. 19 San Diego (plus 7) at No. 5 Denver: Broncos are rolling, Chargers are reeling.
Best bet: BRONCOS, 34-24
No. 12 Indianapolis (plus
9 1/2) at No. 8 New England: Oddsmakers obviously don’t believe in Colts. We do – at least against the spread. PATRIOTS, 28-24
No. 6 Green Bay (minus 3) at No. 18 Detroit: Time for Packers to begin second-half surge. PACKERS, 30-23
No. 21 Arizona (plus 10) at No. 2 Atlanta: Falcons should be ticked off at how they performed with chance to win at New Orleans. FALCONS, 23-10
No. 13 Tampa Bay (minus 1) at No. 28 Carolina: Bucs can score anywhere, and Panthers don’t match up well. BU-CCANEERS, 27-20
No. 29 Cleveland (plus
7 1⁄2) at No. 16 Dallas: Hard to trust the Cowboys. Impossible to trust the Browns. COWBOYS, 30-17
No. 25 New York Jets (plus 3) at No. 26 St. Louis: Sam Bradford hates the idea of ties. He need not be concerned about one here. RAMS, 17-3
No. 32 Jacksonville (plus 16) at No. 1 Houston: Lots of points to give, most in any game this year. Give them! TEXANS, 37-13
No. 17 Cincinnati (minus
3 1⁄2) at No. 31 Kansas City: If Bengals turned things around last week against Giants, it will show in KC. BENGALS, 17-10
No. 24 Philadelphia (plus 3 1⁄2) at No. 22 Washington: Nick Foles will be no match for RG3 and rested Redskins. REDSKINS, 31-16
No. 13 New Orleans (minus 4 1⁄2) at No. 30 Oakland: Saints believe playoff berth is possible. Stumbling here would erase that. SAINTS, 33-23
No. 7 Baltimore (minus 3) at No. 9 Pittsburgh: No Roethlisberger the difference here, but barely. RAVENS,
21-20
No. 3 Chicago (OFF) at
No. 4 San Francisco: Monday night. Jason Campbell vs. Colin Kaepernick? ESPN must love that prospect. 49ERS, 13-12
2012 Record
Against spread: 7-7 (60-82-3). Straight up: 9-4-1 (85-60-1)
Best Bet: 5-4-1 against spread, 8-2 straight up.
Upset special: 7-3 against spread, 5-5 straight up.
Pro
Related Photos
-
A disgruntled Dolphins fan watches the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 37-3 loss to the Titans in Miami. AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Charles Trainor Jr
Discussion
Pro picks: Buffalo may give Dolphins cool reception
- Pro
-
-
Goalie Anderson gives Senators a chance
Craig Anderson has his game back, and just in time to give the Senators a chance.
-
Ottawa rallies to top Pittsburgh
Colin Greening scored 7:39 into double overtime, and the Ottawa Senators rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins that cut their series deficit to 2-1 on Sunday night.
Daniel Alfredsson got Ottawa even 1-1 by scoring a short-handed goal with 29 seconds left in regulation just after the Senators pulled goalie Craig Anderson for an extra skater. -
Locke grinds through as Pirates blank Astros
Jeff Locke didn’t have his best stuff Sunday. He didn’t need it to shut down the majors’ worst team.
Locke allowed three hits over seven innings, Pedro Alvarez homered and the Pittsburgh Pirates won for the eighth time in 10 games, 1-0 over the Houston.
Locke (4-1) won his fourth straight decision and gave up one run or fewer for the fifth time in his past eight outings. He struck out four and walked three. -
Bengals’ Hawkins visits Windber for charity tourney
Andrew Hawkins never forgets his roots.
-
Astros beat Bucs in extra innings
Jason Castro led off the 11th inning with a double and scored the go-ahead run on a close play at the plate as the Houston Astros topped the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 on Saturday night.
-
Senators offense to get boost vs. Pens
Jason Spezza doesn’t have much time to return to form if the Ottawa Senators want to extend their season.
-
Crosby hat trick gives Pens 2-0 series lead
The Ottawa Senators have plenty of respect for Sidney Crosby.
-
Richland’s Urban makes connection with Orioles
Last week, Austin Urban used his contacts to arrange his own personal showcase in front of Major League Baseball scouts at Point Stadium.
-
Astros drop the ball in Pittsburgh
Jimmy Paredes dropped Russell Martin's bases-loaded fly ball when he collided with second baseman Jake Elmore with two outs in the ninth inning, the second missed catch by a Houston right fielder, and the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied past the Astros 5-4 Friday night.
- Local sports in brief 5/17/2013
- More Pro Headlines
-
Voters Could Elect LA's First Female Mayor
Huge Tornado Kills Dozens Near Oklahoma City
Raw: Rescuers Pull Tornado Survivors to Safety
Oklahoma Gov: 'Hearts Are Broken' After Tornado
Raw: Walking in a Flattened Okla. Neighborhood
Raw: Rescue Workers Search Oklahoma School
Raw: Witness Describes Scene After Okla. Tornado
Raw: Aftermath of Massive Tornado in Oklahoma
Raw: House Burns After Massive Oklahoma Tornado
Raw: Tornado on the Ground in Oklahoma
Split-second Choice Ended With NY Student Dead
White House Backs 'Shield Law' for Media
Wave of Attacks Kills Scores in Iraq
Pug Life on Display at Wisconsin Festival
Company Promises to Make All Snail Mail Digital
Analyst: Tumblr Fills Void in Yahoo's Offerings
Commuters Face Delays After Conn. Train Accident
Raw: Swarm of Tornadoes Slams Plains
Raw: Fierce Bombing in Qusair, Syria
RAW: TV Staff Take Cover From Tornado
