NFL Week 11 Football Sports Betting - Oakland at Miami

BetUS NFL betting odds: MIAMI -10.5, Total 38.5

NOTABLE STAT: Oakland averages 12.6 ppg (last in NFL)
KEY NFL FOOTBALL BETTING TREND: Raiders are 3-20 SU in last 23 road games
(For more useful stats and trends, visit our special Matchup Tool)

Two teams who have been heading in different directions will take to the field on Sunday in a game that has definite playoff implications for the visitor, as the Miami Dolphins (5-4 SU & ATS) play host to the Oakland Raiders (2-7 SU, 3-6 ATS) in NFL sports betting action that is set to kick off at 1 PM ET at Dolphin Stadium (natural turf) in Miami Gardens, FL.

In the BetUS NFL football betting odds, the Dolphins are listed as a 10.5-point favorite, with a posted total of 38.5 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this sports betting matchup:

* OAK has covered one of its last six games
* OAK has lost six of its last seven games SU
* OAK has played four of its last five games UNDER the total
* OAK has covered two of its last six road games
* OAK has lost 20 of its last 23 road games SU
* OAK has played six of its last eight road games OVER the total
* MIA has won and covered five of its last seven games
* MIA has lost 19 of its last 25 games SU
* MIA has played four of its last six games UNDER the total
* MIA has lost 10 of its last 14 home games
* MIA has covered four of its last 14 home games
* MIA has played four of its last five home games UNDER the total

Also...

* MIA has won and covered six of the last eight meetings
* Nine of the last 13 meetings have gone UNDER the total
* MIA has won four of the last five meetings SU as the home team
* Five of the last six meetings in Miami have gone UNDER the total

The Dolphins find themselves competing for a playoff spot ten games into the season, a scenario few people would have thought possible when Tony Sporano took the reins as head coach. Yet here they are, having won three games in a row, while Oakland has dropped three in a row, and has scored 35 points in its last five games. Lane Kiffin has been fired and Pro Bowler D'Angelo Hall, a big free-agent pickup, has been cut.

There's actually a bit of a revenge angle in this game, as Oakland came into Dolphin Stadium last season and trampled all over the Dolphins to the tune of 299 yards rushing. Daunte Culpepper, who had been cut by the Dolphins just a few months before that, had three touchdown runs. And the final score was 35-17. Miami was on its way to a 1-15 season, but things have changed a bit since then. Sure, the Raiders can still find a way to run the football, but Miami is a lot stingier against rushing attacks, allowing only 3.8 yards per carry. Oakland, on the other hand, does not stop the run, and in fact has given up 849 yards over land in the last four games.

Darren McFadden has about a 40% chance of playing with his turf toe injury. He won't take painkilling shots, and we don't know whether that will make Al Davis angry enough to have another press conference. But the Raiders won't be able to mimic any of Miami's "Wildcat" stuff that McFadden played so well in at Arkansas. JaMarcus Russell was held out of last week's game against Carolina, but should be able to make the start here. Not that it's particularly exciting news or anything; Russell has completed less than 49% of his passes this season and has lost five fumbles.

You really have to hand it to his opposite number, Chad Pennington, for the way he has directed the Miami offense. Pennington has thrown only five interceptions, and is completing almost 67% of his passes, with nearly eight yards an attempt. Those stats may not get him to the Pro Bowl, but they are good enough to help the Dolphins become genuine playoff contenders (one game out of the AFC East lead). They won't likely hurt their standing on Sunday.

Yes, I am nervous about laying this many points with the Dolphins. But the alternative is not inviting at all. So it's a small play, but a play nonetheless, on Miami, the 10.5-point favorite in the BetUS NFL pro football sports betting odds.

Just lose huge, baby!

PLAY: MIAMI -10.5 *
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)