Posted on
10/23/2007 2:13:38 PM
Football Betting Odds Week 8 in the NFL
By D.S. Williamson
The mid-point of the NFL season is upon us and things are getting crazier by the week! What do you do with anybody facing the New England Patriots? The Pats look unbeatable at this point. The Dallas Cowboys, the only team to put forth an illusion so far that the Pats can beat, are off this weekend. That means that it’s catch-up time for some NFC teams looking to make up ground on the Cowboys.
Here is a run-down of this week’s NFL action:
Detroit Lions ( + 5) vs. Chicago Bears ( - 5) The last time these two teams faced each other the Lions ended up scoring 34 points in the fourth quarter to get the win. The Bears showed a lot of guts versus the Eagles, but the Lions showed guts too by keeping Tampa Bay, for the most part, out of the end-zone last weekend. All of the trends in this one say the Bears, but those trends are based on the Bears’ D from the last two years, not this one that has shown signs of wear and tear. With Detroit RB Kevin Jones suddenly healthy, and Calvin Johnson finally looking like the best pick of the 2007 draft, the Bears will have problems winning this game even though they are at home. Take the points and the Lions.
New York Giants ( - 9.5) vs. Miami Dolphins ( + 9.5) The Giants have been playing well but this is the sort of game that could catch the G-Men napping. All of a sudden Miami has no RB and no QB and their defense is lousy. Why wouldn’t the G-Men win this thing by about 20 points? I don’t know. But, I’ve got the feeling, even though the trends say otherwise, that the Dolphins come up big in this game. I’m taking the Fish + 9.5.
Oakland Raiders ( + 7) vs. Tennessee Titans ( - 7) Oakland was a big disappointment last weekend. Tennessee barely got by Houston. Forget trends in this one. This will come down to Vince Young. If Vince can play, then giving up 7 points to a one-dimensional run team like the Raiders is a gift. If Vince doesn’t play, then getting 7 points against a Kerry Collins quarterbacked team is a gift. Wait until Sunday morning and then make your wager.
Philadelphia Eagles ( - 1) vs. Minnesota Vikings ( + 1) The Eagles gave it up big-time versus the Bears last week. The trend, which came to fruition the last time the Eagles faced is an NFC Central team, is that Philadelphia is very, very good versus NFC teams. Uh…not so fast. The Eagles run defense will have a really hard time stopping the Man-Child, Adrian Peterson, from getting close to 200 yards on the ground. I like the Vikings in this one.
Pittsburgh Steelers ( - 4) vs. Cincinnati Bengals ( + 4) I thought the Steelers were an excellent bet on the road last week versus the Denver Broncos. They didn’t do so well, but don’t jump off of their bandwagon just yet. The Steelers own the Bengals - - literally. The trend says that the Steelers cover when getting into a shoot-out or not when they play their AFC Central rivals. That means they can either stop the Bengals or run with them. Either way the Steelers cover this spread.
New Orleans Saints ( - 3) vs. San Francisco 49’ers ( + 3) Don’t look now but the 0 and 4 Saints just became 2 and 4. Granted, one of those wins came against the lowly Atlanta Falcons, but in that game the Saints managed, for the second game in a row, to apply pressure to the quarterback. Hmm…I see a new trend developing. If the Saints D can get pressure on the quarterback, then they can keep the other teams’ offense off the field and put the ball into the hands of superstar Reggie Bush. That makes the Saints a pretty good bet this weekend to cover the 3 point spread.
Washington Redskins ( + 16) vs. New England Patriots ( - 16) The new trend with the Patriots is that they cover no matter what happens. Even if pigs learn to fly, the Patriots cover. Even if Tom Brady has to play one quarter blind-folded, the Patriots cover. I’m a big believer that trends can break. That’s why I think the Skins have the right defense to cause the Patriots some problems. Now, maybe not less than 28 points problems, but enough problems that the Skins could score two touchdowns and beat the spread. That’s where I’m going in this game.
Indianapolis Colts ( - 6.5) vs. Carolina Panthers ( + 6.5) Carolina is coming off of a bye. I don’t care. Even if Delhomme starts, that Carolina defense is overrated and has virtually no chance of stopping the Colts. The Carolina offense - - yeah, they’re overrated too. This is an easy win, or, at least it should be. The Colts will cover this spread.
Jacksonville Jaguars ( - 4.5) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers ( + 4.5) Two tough defensive teams with quarterbacks who don’t make mistakes. That’s where the similarities end. One team has played against tough AFC opponents while the other team has built its record around beating Atlanta, New Orleans, and Carolina. The trend is that when the Buccaneers don’t get into the end-zone, they lose. They didn’t get into the end-zone enough versus the Lions and they lost. Do they have a better chance getting into the end-zone enough versus the Jaguars? I don’t think so. The Jaguars D got shredded by Peyton Manning and the Colts offense. Those were the Colts. These are the Buccaneers. The Jags should cover this spread.
Green Bay Packers ( +3) vs. Denver Broncos ( - 3) The Monday Nighter pits the coming off of a bye
Packers versus the can’t die attitude
Broncos. The Broncos hung on for dear life versus a Pittsburgh Steelers team that is better than they are last week. Now, they play a one-dimensional Green Bay Packer team. The Pack can’t run. They can throw, however, and they do have Brett Favre. My thinking is that the Broncos are feeling somewhat lucky after that win versus the Steelers. There is a serious possibility that the Broncos suffer a letdown in this game. Coach Mike McCarthy, of the Packers, will find a way to get his wide receivers open and Favre will hit them. I like the Packers in this one.
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(Charles Jay of TotalActionExtra.com is a member of the NFL too - which means "not for long" if you don't get results. He is now a regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room)
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