Posted on 10/24/2007 11:01:14 PM

NFL Odds Week 8: New York Giants vs. Miami Dolphins (In London)

By Charles Jay

BetUS NFL betting odds: NY Giants -10.5, Total: 48

NOTABLE STAT: Giants have a league-leading 27 quarterback sacks

KEY NFL BETTING TREND: Miami is 2-6-2 ATS in its last ten games, all SU losses

(For more useful stats and trends, visit our special Matchup Tool)

The New York Giants (5-2 SU & ATS) have a lot of momentum right now, and they hope they can continue it across the pond as they face off against the Miami Dolphins (0-7 SU, 1-4-2 ATS), who are looking for their first win of the season, in a game that will be played at London's Wembley Stadium (natural grass), which will start at 1 PM ET on Sunday. The Giants are listed at -10.5 in the BetUS NFL football betting odds, with the over/under posted at 48 points.

The Dolphins have been designated as the home team by the NFL, but it is the Giants who have the player in this game who can actually call London his hometown - defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who is one of the leaders of a Giant defense that has recorded an NFL-high 27 sacks and who scored on a 75-yard fumble return after a sack against the San Francisco 49ers last week. Meanwhile, the Dolphins were getting embarrassed last Sunday against New England, who scored 42 points in the first half en route to a 49-28 win, highlighted by six TD passes from Tom Brady.

Let's take a quick look at some NFL football betting trends that are relative to this matchup:

* GIANTS have won five games in a row, by an average of 14 ppg

* MIAMI has lost ten straight games SU

* MIAMI is 2-6-2 ATS in its last ten games

* MIAMI is 3-10-1 ATS after a straight-up loss

* MIAMI has played five of seven games over the total in '07

* GIANTS have played four of seven games over the total in '07

Miami QB Cleo Lemon, who replaced Trent Green (who is done for the year) managed to put together 24 completions for 236 yards against the Patriots, but most of that was long after the game had already been decided. Lemon lost his best receiver when Chris Chambers was traded to San Diego last week, and then his top running back, Ronnie Brown, went down on Sunday and is out for the year with a knee injury. Hard-working backup Jesse Chatman, who had 73 yards in relief of Brown, will have to pick up the slack, as will first-round draft pick Ted Ginn, who has not produced much from the wide receiver spot yet (six catches so far).

The Giants don't have the set of receivers New England does, but they are still one of the top groups in the NFL. Plaxico Burress (35 catches, eight TD's) is on his way to the Pro Bowl, Jeremy Shockey (28 catches) has been there and will go again, and Amani Toomer (29 catches, 342 yards) is not a bad outlet either. Running back Brandon Jacobs had 107 yards against a decent San Francisco defense last week, so there is balance. Eli Manning ought to be able to move the football against a porous Miami stop unit that has been the league's worst against the run for most of the year and which gave up 12.4 yards per attempt to Brady.

Miami is just too depleted to recommend right now. Besides the top three skill players (Green, Brown, Chambers), this team is now thinning out in the secondary. Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor, the two defensive standouts, have to be thinking about where else they could be right now. Against a Giant team that has found a groove, it could get worse before it gets better. We'll take the guys from Gotham, a 10.5-point favorite in the BetUS NFL football betting line.

JAY'S PLAY: NY GIANTS * (Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

> > Check Week 8 Odds Here

The 2007 NFL betting season is here in full force! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The BetUS sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join BetUS today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLII and beyond!

(Charles Jay of TotalActionExtra.com is a member of the NFL too - that is, "not for long" if you don't get results. He is now a regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room)