The loss dropped Miami to 0-3. How hard is it for a 0-3 team to reach the postseason? It hasn't been done since 1998. In fact, since the NFL expanded to a team 12-team playoff format, just three teams (1992 Chargers, '95 Lions, '98 Bills) have reached the playoffs after starting the season with three losses. None of the three made any noise in the postseason, with only the Chargers winning a game.

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Miami's situation was worsened by the news that starting QB Chad Pennington, last year's NFL MVP runner-up, suffered what turned out to be a season-ending injury in Sunday's loss. Reportedly Pennington has torn the capsule in his right shoulder but will see noted specialist Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion before the team makes any news official.

I am here to tell you that losing Pennington, the most accurate passer in NFL history, might make Miami better as soon Sunday's game with the Bills – the Dolphins are +2 ½ on Bodog's football betting odds. You see, while Pennington was very accurate, he never threw downfield. That shouldn't be a problem for new starter Chad Henne, who was 10-for-19 for 92 yards in relief of Pennington against San Diego.

Henne, a 2008 second-round pick out of Michigan, has a much stronger arm than Pennington but obviously isn't as accurate. Thus Dolphins backers on Bodog will have to live with the good and the bad: More deep throws and the chance for big plays, possibly helping open the field for the running game, but also potentially more mistakes — like the interception of a Henne pass returned by the Chargers' Eric Weddle for a 31-yard touchdown on Sunday. Coach Tony Sparano says the offense won't be limited by Henne's presence, and he led the team to 10 points on Sunday in limited action.

The 2009 season is over for the Dolphins from a playoff standpoint, but getting the franchise's future starting QB in there now might benefit this team this year and in the long run.

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Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, and Roddy White were all injury-free, and the defense stayed relatively intact. There's no guarantee the team can stay so healthy this season though.

The Dolphins struggled early in the 2008 season on the road vs. good offenses. They gave up 31 points to Arizona and 29 to Houston when the team opened losing four of its first six games. If the Falcons put multiple touchdowns on the board will the Dolphins be able to keep up?

The Dolphins, who are 4-point underdogs, have a couple of capable backs in Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, who should help the Fish control the ball.

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Monday's exhibition opener against the New York Giants did nothing to alleviate concerns about the Panthers' run defense. In the opening quarter, Brandon Jacobs ran 22 yards to the left and backup Ahmad Bradshaw rambled 19 yards for a touchdown to the right side.

Of course it is really hard to take a lot from a preseason game where not a lot of planning is done, but still backers can't be pleased.

New York went on to beat the Panthers 24-17 on a TD on the final play.

Miami beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 12-9 on Monday night in a game that saw quarterbacks Chad Pennington and David Garrard come out after one quarter. Pennington went 4-for-7 for 38 yards and led a 35-yard drive that ended with a field goal.

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David Garrard had a lackluster season last year and will be looking to return to his glory of 2007, but after losing all three receivers, including Reggie Williams, the Jaguars QB will need to find new receiver Torry Holt down field.

The objective last year for the Dolphins was to establish positive vibes and to build momentum for the 2008 regular season. That is not the case this year as backers will have expectations for their club.

How will the Fish handle being the hunted this season as opposed to being the surprise team of the year?

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Chad Pennington was a revelation, coming off the Jets scrap heap to become the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 3,500 yards (3,653) and have seven or fewer interceptions. His completion percentage of 67.4 led the NFL and set a single-season record by a Dolphin, surpassing Dan Marino's 64.2 mark in 1984. He was named Comeback Player of the Year and finished second in NFL MVP voting. Despite this, there are whispers that second-year player Chad Henne might take over at QB this year if the team struggles at all. After all, Henne is considered the future at quarterback for Miami, while Pennington is only signed through this season and doesn't have many years left.

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Also watch for rookie Pat White to get a decent amount of playing time this year in the Wildcat package. Who could run that better than White, one of the best dual-threat QBs in NCAA history at West Virginia? However, this team still lacks enough playmakers at wide receiver.

The defense welcomes back Jason Taylor after his unsuccessful stay in Washington. He and Joey Porter should create major problems for the opposing QBs if both can stay healthy. Miami also tried to improve a mediocre pass defense from last season by focusing on the secondary first in the NFL draft.

Did Miami overachieve in 2008? I think yes, and that a step back is coming.

Here is the Dolphins' 2009 schedule, and we'll break it down after:
Sept. 13 at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m.
Sept. 21 vs. Indianapolis Colts, 8:30 p.m.
Sept. 27 at San Diego Chargers, 4:15 p.m.
Oct. 4 vs. Buffalo Bills, 4:05 p.m.
Oct. 12 vs. New York Jets, 8:30 p.m.
Week 6: Bye
Oct. 25 vs. New Orleans Saints, 4:15 p.m.
Nov. 1 at New York Jets, 1 p.m.
Nov. 8 at New England Patriots, 1 p.m.
Nov. 15 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m.
Nov. 19 at Carolina Panthers, 8:20 p.m.
Nov. 29 at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m.
Dec. 6 vs. New England Patriots, 8:20 p.m.
Dec. 13 at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m.
Dec. 20 at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m.
Dec. 27 vs. Houston Texans, 1 p.m.
Jan. 3 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m.

Strength of schedule: 1st (opponents combined to go 152-104, .594, in 2008)
Projected record: 7-9
Bodog over/under total: 7
Bodog odds to win AFC East: 33/4
Bodog odds to win AFC: 20/1
Bodog odds to win Super Bowl XLIV: 40/1

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Here's why Miami won 11 games last year: It had one of the easiest schedules in facing the AFC West and NFC West, divisions that produced a combined .352 winning percentage and one winning record. This year it's about polar opposite, with Miami facing the tougher NFC and AFC South divisions, which combined had just one team under .500 last season (Jacksonville).

The Fins do return to prime-time action this season with four games scheduled. Last year was the first in 39 years that the franchise didn't have any national prime-time games. That opening three-game stretch is pretty rough, with all three clubs legitimate Super Bowl teams. Plus Miami will have to face San Diego off a short week thanks to a Monday night game against Indy (it's Miami's first home opener on a Monday night since 1975).  It's never easy to win on a short week while also having to travel across country. San Diego has lost seven in a row to Miami, but that streak ends this year. I see a 0-3 start for the Dolphins.

Miami was an excellent 6-2 on the road last year. That success will be put to the test starting after the Oct. 25 game against the Saints this year, with six of the next eight on the road. Miami's final seven games are against teams that could be called playoff contenders (Miami has never beaten Houston, by the way), culminating in the season finale with the Super Bowl champs.

This team has better talent than it did in 2008, but the record won't show it. But look for the Dolphins to be a possible big-time contender in 2010.

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Just about everything went right for Fins last season.

Miami finished is No. 1 in the NFL with a plus-17 turnover differential as it turned the ball over a record-tying 13 times, becoming only the seventh team in league history to average less than one turnover per game.

Meanwhile, quarterback Chad Pennington had the season of his career in his first year in South Florida. He set a Dolphins record by completing 67.4 percent of his passes (for a career-high 3,653 yards) with just seven interceptions in 476 attempts, finished second in the NFL MVP voting and was the NFL Comeback player of the Year. Pennington’s 97.4 quarterback rating was better than all but one of Dan Marino’s seasons in Miami.

Yet there are signs that last year was a bit of a fluke.

First off, Pennington was terrible against the Ravens in the wild-card round. He had four picks, which broke a Dolphin record and was more interceptions than Pennington had thrown in the final eight games of the regular season. In fairness, Pennington was facing a stellar Baltimore defense and was without injured receiver Greg Camarillo, but it brought back all those questions other teams have had about his lack of arm strength.

And if you look at Pennington’s career numbers with the Jets, he never really has put together back-to-back strong seasons. For example, in his best season in New York, Pennington threw for 3,120 yards and a TD/INT ratio of 22:6 in 2002. The following season his rating dropped 20 points with a TD/INT ratio of 13:12, albeit in five fewer games. That is a trend his career has seen, either because of ineffectiveness or injury.

In addition, Miami, which is 45/1 odds to win Super Bowl XLIV on Bodog, faces the NFL’s toughest schedule this season as calculated by its 2008 opponents’ records. The Dolphins have six games in the incredibly tough AFC East, plus matchups against 2008 playoff teams Atlanta, Indianapolis, San Diego, Carolina, Tennessee and Pittsburgh. The Fins probably will be a road dog in all eight away games and a home dog three times (vs. Indy, New England and Pittsburgh).

Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano did an incredible thing in South Florida last season, but the 2009 Dolphins look like a below-.500 club. Also look for Chad Henne to be the team’s new quarterback by midseason. He’s the future and Pennington is in the last year of his contract.

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The Jets can still make the postseason if they can beat Miami on Sunday and have the Bills help them out by beating the Patriots.

Another interesting point in this game is Miami quarterback Chad Pennington getting the chance to stick it to his former team. The Jets dumped Pennington in favor of Brett Favre and the switch hasn’t paid off lately. Pennington torched Kansas City for 235 yards and three touchdowns last week, while Favre struggled against Seattle, passing for 187 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. In his last four games Favre has only one touchdown to four interceptions, while Pennington has six touchdowns and only one interception in his last four contests.

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The Chiefs have still managed to turn a profit with two weeks remaining. QB Tyler Thigpen (15 TDs, nine INTs) has played far better than your typical third-stringer, and the offensive line has improved from 47 sacks allowed last year to 33 this year after 14 games. Kansas City has covered its last three contests and six of the last eight.

This is the time of year when home dogs howl, so the Miami Dolphins (9-5 SU, 6-8 ATS) had best keep their heads up if they want to nail down the AFC East division title. Temperatures at Arrowhead are supposed to dip below 20 degrees.

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Bodies are breaking down as we hit the last vestiges of the season. Niners RB Frank Gore (4.3 yards per carry) is reportedly a game-time decision with a sprained left ankle; DeShaun Foster (3.8 yards per carry in his career) is the No. 2 tailback. The Dolphins running game will suffer from the absence of guard Justin Smiley (leg), who went on injured reserve after Miami’s 16-12 win over St. Louis (+7) in Week 13. Get your NFL picks in the Bodog Sportsbook.