The New Orleans Saints might still be perfect, they might be off another impressive win and they might be the last undefeated team in the NFC. But that doesn’t mean they are untouchable.
There is no doubt that the Saints offense is still among the best in the NFL. And their defense has clearly closed the gap and has improved. But it seems like whenever the “perfect” talk starts happening is when the tighter contests start to come.
The Denver Broncos are a perfect 6-0 on the year and are one of only three remaining undefeated teams in the NFL. They’ll get another tough test this week as they head to Baltimore to face a Ravens team that also was once perfect this season.
The Ravens started the year with three straight wins, were atop the NFC North and were considered to be one of the best teams in the league. But after three straight losses with their defense letting them down time and time again, a lot of people are wondering how good this Ravens unit really is.
Time: 1:00 ET
Venue: M&T Bank Stadium
Broncos vs. Ravens Sunday Football Lines
MoneyLine: Broncos +150 / Ravens -170
Spread: Ravens -3
Over/Under: 41.5
With a rock-solid offensive line, a top-3 defense and a power running game, you’d figure that the Giants would be pretty much recession-proof. And starting the season with five wins only added to New York’s aura of invincibility. Losing to New Orleans by three touchdowns put a few dings in the driver’s side door, but those things happen –
Brett Favre is a good old boy from Mississippi, and he proved earlier this week just why the percentage of good old boys from Mississippi in Mensa is pretty low.
In a seeming never-ending effort to stick it to the management of the Green Bay Packers, who signed his hefty paychecks for some 16 years, Favre said that his current employer, Minnesota, is the most talented team he’s ever played on.
Bob will not be offering NBA selections until the second week of the season (Monday, November 9), because the teams will be starting to show some form by then.
In Pro Basketball, winning and losing are often not the final criteria in judging a team. When one team plays better in defeat, than another does in winning, you can gain real value by seeing through the misleading results. When handicapping Pro Basketball, some fundamentals and considerations are not just the venue.
Traditionally, the Philadelphia Eagles-Washington Redskins games provide some high entertainment value. This year’s episode on Monday Night Football may be a different story.
The Philadelphia Eagles are off a very ugly loss to the Oakland Raiders. The Eagles were the NFC favorite coming into the season and were supposed to be an offensive juggernaut, yet last week they only mustered nine points in a pitiful loss to the Raiders.
Time: 8:30 ET
Venue: FedEx Field
Eagles vs. Redskins Monday Night Football Lines
MoneyLine: Eagles -300 / Redskins +250
Spread: Eagles -7.5
Over/Under: 37
The Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants are heading into their Sunday Night Football contest in very different moods.
The Cardinals are flying high after an impressive win at Qwest Field where, for a second year in a row, they stomped the Seattle Seahawks.
Time: 8:20 ET
Venue: Giants Stadium
Cardinals vs. Giants Sunday Night Football Lines
MoneyLine: Cardinals +260 / Giants -320
Spread: Giants -7.5
Over/Under: 46
The New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head to United Kingdom to put the NFL on display. Hopefully the English fans over there like to see one-sided blowouts.
The New England Patriots are fresh off a 59-0 win over the winless Tennessee Titans, who are one of the worst teams in the AFC, and now go on the road to face one of the worst teams in the NFC, the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Time: 1:00 ET
Venue: Wembley Stadium
Patriots vs. Buccaneers Sunday Football Lines
MoneyLine: Patriots -1000 / Bucs +700
Spread: Patriots -15.5
Over/Under: 44.5
Up is down is up in Pittsburgh, where the running game is in shambles and Ben Roethisberger and Hines Ward have become the most dangerous pass-catch combination in the league.
The defending Super Bowl champs have basically re-invented themselves on the fly after early-season losses losses to Chicago and Cincinnati put them in an early hole in the AFC North. Gone is the reliance on the power running game, replaced by Roethlisberger firing the ball all over the field.
Mark Sanchez has an NFL arm. Anyone who has seen him throw a football more than once or twice is convinced of that.
Sanchez also has kahones. He proved that in his second game as a pro when he engineered second-half drives in a victory over the Patriots, and in the process outplayed Tom Brady.
The Atlanta Falcons have been overshadowed in their own division and in their own conference but on Sunday Night Football this week, they have a chance to make a statement. With a quality opponent in town, an impressive win in front of a national audience would go a long way from changing the Falcons from a sleeper to a serious contender.
The Denver Broncos have been impressive to this point in the season – there is no debating that. Similar to the New England Patriots of yesteryear, they have played smart football and done just enough to win each and every week. Quarterback Kyle Orton has just one turnover, the offense is functional and the defense has been stellar.
Time: 8:30 ET
Venue: Qualcomm Stadium
Broncos vs. Chargers Monday Night Football Lines
MoneyLine: Broncos +155 / Chargers -175
Spread: Chargers -3.5
Over/Under: 44
The Houston Texans and Cincinnati Bengals are more similar than you might think. Both teams have played very tight games this year and both teams have had games decided in the dying second. The difference has been that the Bengals have been smart and successful while the Texans have been sloppy.
You might think that the Saints would have a huge advantage over the Giants this Sunday. New Orleans is coming off its bye week and has had 14 days to get ready. But the Giants last Sunday had the closest thing to a bye week –– a home game against Oakland –– and should be well-rested when the two unbeatens meet in New Orleans in the biggest game of the NFL season to date.
Seneca Wallace is a nice backup quarterback, but everyone who has even a passing interest in the NFC West knows that the fewer snaps he takes this season, the greater the chance of the Seahawks restoring themselves as the top team in the division.
The New York Jets had a loss last week and there was some concern on their part that it would open a window for the New England Patriots to take control in the division. But thanks to the Denver Broncos, the Jets maintain their one-game lead on the Patriots and can extend it tonight with a win over the Miami Dolphins.
Time: 8:35 ET
Venue: Land Shark Stadium
Jets vs. Dolphins Monday Night Football Lines
MoneyLine: Jets -155 / Dolphins +135
Spread: Jets -3.5
Over/Under: 36
