Posted on 1/15/2008 5:43:54 PM

NFL Betting - XBOX 360 AFC Divisional Playoff Game Recap

By Mike Rose

The XBOX 360 simulation of the Jacksonville/New England game foresaw a win/cover by the home team with the ‘Total’ staying just below the posted number. New England closed as a 13.5-point home favorite with the ‘Total’ set at 51 at BetUS.com. The 31-20 final score unfortunately cashed all Jacksonville backer’s tickets, and the 51-combined points fell smack dab on the posted number offering up a kiss your sister type push to those that sweat out the entire game. The XBOX 360 game sim called for a 31-17 final score in favor of Head Coach Bill Belichick’s Patriots, and it called for a lower scoring game. The final score of the game simulation didn’t offer up much value with either the spread or ‘Total’, so it came without a shock that the final score of the official game ended so close to the posted side and ‘Total’.

The game sim called for Jacksonville to control the first half of the game, and go into the locker room with a 10-3 lead at the half. That however wasn’t the case as NE QB Tom Brady had a game for the ages, and Jacksonville could not for the life of them stop the Pats offense. The only stop occurred when K Stephen Gostkowski shanked a 35-yard field goal to the right. The teams went into the break tied at 14-apiece whereas the simulation foresaw a 10-3 Jacksonville lead.

The third quarter is where the simulation expected New England to take over the game, and that’s exactly what happened. They scored the 14-points that was predicted to take a stranglehold of the game, while the defense only allowed Jacksonville a FG. They entered the 4th Quarter with a 28-17 lead, and the predicted final of 31-17 was only a New England FG away from becoming official. That however did not occur since the Jags marched right down the field to open up the last quarter of play, and kicked a FG to come within a single score at 28-20. NE then kicked another FG after that to increase its lead to 11 at 31-20, and that’s the score the game officially ended on.

XBOX 360 Simulation

Official Game

Game simulation = Black

Official game = Yellow

QB Garrard: 18/30 210 yards 2 TD 5 INT QB rating 63.8

QB Garrard: 22/33 278 yards 2 TD 1 INT QB rating 100.3

- The game sim projected him to have a big day, but it also projected 5 INT’s that allowed NE to pull away in the second half.

QB Brady: 20/26 228 yards 2 TD 1 INT QB rating 99.5

QB Brady: 26/28 262 yards 3 TD 0 INT QB rating 141.4

- The game sim projected a 20 of 26 day for Mr. Brady, but we all know he went on to post a 26/28 effort and broke the all time playoff record for completion percentage.

RB Taylor: 19 carries for 112 yards

RB Taylor: 13 carries for 47 yards

- The Pats limited the Jags ground attack to 80 yards, but he had a majority of the yards as predicted.

RB Maroney: 18 for 148 yards 2 TD 1 FUMBLE (long of 72)

RB Maroney: 22 for 122 yards 1 TD 0 FUMBLE (long of 29)

- The Jags “D” had problems limiting Maroney, and they had even more trouble bringing him down once they got to him.

WR Wilford: 5 receptions for 73 yards 1 TD

WR Wilford: 2 receptions for 21 yards 1 TD

- He didn’t play as big a role in this game as predicted, but he did snag one of QB Garrard’s 2 TD passes.

WR Moss: 6 receptions for 97 yards 1 TD

WR Moss: 1 reception for 14 yards 0 TD

- Mr. Moss was a no show in this game which leads me to believe he’ll blow-up this week…

XBOX 360 Simulation

Official Game

The game simulation predicted that Jacksonville would play well against Brady and company, but fall short due to a woeful night by QB Garrard. Taking a look at the box scores from the two games shows the simulation almost nailed the amount of yardage New England would gain on the ground and through the air. It also predicted New England would win the battle of turnovers and time of possession. It was off in suggesting Jacksonville would convert at a high rate on 3rd down, but it was very close in predicting the Jags amount of total offense.

All in all, this game sim was spot on. I didn’t feel there was much value in any position be it side or total, so it’s no surprise to me that Jacksonville barely cashed its backers tickets and the ‘Total’ pushed at the closing number of 51.

Be sure to stop by BetUS Sportsbook next week for the XBOX 360 simulation between the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots…

> > Check NFL Playoffs 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!