Redskins at Dolphins
THE STORY: The Miami Dolphins notched their first win of the season last week, surprising Kansas City 31-3 with a dominant performance on both sides of the ball. Things actually look easier for the Dolphins in their quest for their second win when they host struggling Washington, which has lost four straight games and is decimated by injuries. The Redskins have faded out of playoff contention in the rugged NFC East and have shown little sign of being able to snap their current skid.
TV: CBS, 1 p.m. ET. LINE: Dolphins -4, O/U 37.5
ABOUT THE REDSKINS (3-5): The wheels have falling off in Washington. The Redskins have not only lost four straight games but are without many of their best skill position players. Washington has scored just one touchdown in the past two games and that came with just a minute left on a pass from John Beck to Jabar Gaffney. The Redskins ran for just 52 yards last week, which was double the 26 yards it gained on the ground the previous. After a fine start, they are ranked 21st in total offense and 28th in rushing. Santana Moss, Chris Cooley and Tim Hightower are all out and several others are questionable for Sunday.
ABOUT THE DOLPHINS (1-7): Another win and Miami will be out of the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. While the Dolphins are 0-3 at home, they have been competitive in just about every game this season. Miami had Denver beaten a couple of games ago before Tim Tebow worked his magic and should have won at Cleveland. But it was the near-win at the New York Giants that seemed to have given the Dolphins the confidence to play a complete game. Miami is a very respectable 10th in the league in points allowed and it scored a season-high 31 points in its rout at Kansas City last week. Matt Moore threw a career-best three touchdown passes in the game and Reggie Bush looked fantastic in going for 142 combined yards with a TD. Rookie RB Daniel Thomas is healthy and expected to see action.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. The home team has won the last six games in the series.
2. The quarterback matchup is a wash as both Matt Moore and John Beck have very similar numbers and overall experience.
3. Miami coach Tony Sparano is 10-5 in November games.