Dave Golokhov has written for Playboy.com, BETUS Sportsbook, Sportsfanmagazine.com, FOX, Askmen.com, Sports-central, and the FOXSports.com Funhouse.
Nobody was expecting the Indianapolis Colts to put up such a strong fight against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game that ended with a game-ending field goal in the dying seconds to cost the home side on Sunday Night Football.
When the New England Patriots fell short on the road against the Buffalo Bills last week in a loss that ended their 15-game winning streak over their AFC East rivals, there were more than a few heads that turned as a result of the final score.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are trying to decide what kind of team they want to be in 2011. Notre Dame has shown that it can move the ball extremely well, racking up more than 500 yards against South Florida and Michigan, but the Irish have also committed 14 turnovers in 16 quarters of action this season.
In a division that features the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and the “Dream Team” Philadelphia Eagles, few would have guessed that the upstart Washington Redskins would be alone in first place in the NFC East heading in to week three.
Before the NFL regular season got underway, the majority of prognosticators had the New England Patriots and New York Jets clashing for the division title in the AFC East.
The Pittsburgh Steelers wanted to blame their quarterback following a 35-7 loss to the division rival Baltimore Ravens in which they turned the ball over seven times, including three interceptions and two lost fumbles from Ben Roethlisberger.
Time/Date: Sunday September 18, 2011 – 8:20 PM ET
NFL Odds
Moneyline: Eagles -130
Spread (ATS): Eagles -1.5
Over/Under: 49.5
When Michael Vick left the Atlanta Falcons and the NFL for federal prison five years ago, there was little indication that he would get a second chance of living out his dream of becoming a Super Bowl champion. Fast-forward to 2011 and Vick, now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, will make his return to the place that dream died so long ago looking to take the next step in his pursuit of an NFL championship, as part of a new “dream team”. Expectations are high for the Pro Bowl quarterback in his first full season as a starter for the Eagles, and this weekend’s Primetime showdown against the team that drafted him represents a crucial step towards reaching those goals.
For the Falcons, the bar is just as high after finishing atop the NFC with 14 wins a year ago, only to be eliminated by the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers in their lone playoff game. While Vick has thrived in his comeback with the Eagles, Atlanta hasn’t missed a beat with the development of Matt Ryan as their franchise quarterback, who they feel is ready to take another step forward this season. However, Ryan struggled in the opener at Chicago week one, turning the ball over twice and failing to reach the endzone despite throwing for 319 yards in a 30-12 loss. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
What was projected to be an explosive passing attack with the addition of rookie first round pick Julio Jones to a group that already consisted of Roddy White and tight end Tony Gonzalez showed flashes week one, but they will need to find a way to score. The Atlanta defense looked lost at times against the Bears, and that doesn’t project well heading into a matchup against the explosive Eagles.
Despite a slow start, Philadelphia put up 403 total yards of offense in a 31-13 win at the St. Louis Rams week one, with Michael Vick accounting for 284 of those yards both on the ground and through the air, as well as two touchdown passes. Running back LeSean McCoy looked explosive with 122 yards and one score on only 15 carries, and if he gets going again this week, Atlanta will be in trouble. The Eagles’ defense allowed a touchdown on the Ram’s first possession, but held them to six points the rest of the way to give fans a taste of how good that group can be. If Philadelphia comes out firing on all cylinders again week two, then they should be able to get the job done in their first real test of the season as Vick celebrates his return in style
NFL Betting Pick: Eagles
Time/Date: Monday September 19, 2011 – 8:30 PM ET
NFL Odds
Moneyline: Giants -270
Spread (ATS): Giants -6
Over/Under: 44
Steve Spagnuolo earned his first job as an NFL head coach by proving his merit as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants in 2007 and 2008. Now, the man who led the St. Louis Rams to within one win of a division title in his first season in control will look for his first win of year two against that same team he helped win a Super Bowl back in 2007. Both teams are battling a plethora of injuries that contributed to week one losses, and will clash at MetLife Stadium under the bright lights of Monday night hoping to avoid consecutive losses to open their respective seasons.
The Giants will likely be without two of the defensive stars that helped Spagnuolo’s units lead the league with 53 sacks in 2007, as ends Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora are both injured. New York is already without cornerback Terrell Thomas and linebacker Jonathan Goff for the remainder of the season, and as injuries take their toll on the defense it will be up to Eli Manning and the offense to get things done. Manning struggled against the rival Washington Redskins week one as he completed just over 50-percent of his passes for 268 yards and an interception, while the running game never really got going either with Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs combining for just 73 yards on 19 carries. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The offense will need to be better Monday night, and that could be tough as Spagnuolo is already familiar with their strengths and weaknesses, especially with the chance that wide receiver Hakeem Nicks could also miss the game with a knee injury.
The third-year head coach had to be happy to hear that quarterback Sam Bradford will be able to play this week after bruising his right index finger in the fourth quarter of the Rams’ 31-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. How the injury will affect his play will be one of the keys to the game for St. Louis, as well as whether or not running back Stephen Jackson and wide receiver Danny Amendola will be cleared to play. The Rams’ defense improved dramatically a year ago under Spagnuolo, but seemed to wear down against Philadelphia as the game went on. If Bradford can operate at a high level and Jackson plays then St. Louis should be able to keep this one close in Spagnuolo’s return, but it will be very tough to push a contender like New York to 0-2 on the road.
NFL Betting Pick: Giants
North Texas is a sheep that’s about to be led to slaughter. While it’s true that a Sun Belt Conference school, Louisiana-Monroe, went into Tuscaloosa and shocked Alabama four years ago, that 2007 upset was very much a product of the fact that Alabama was trying to rebuild under current coach Nick Saban.
It’s rivalry time in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, but while the locals in Bluegrass country might be very excited about this reunion of two bitter foes, it’s going to be hard for this game to draw considerable national interest.
The New York Jets have been a model of success in the two seasons since head coach Rex Ryan took over, advancing to the AFC Championship game in consecutive years.
When the New England Patriots landed a couple of big name free agents to an already talented roster back in 2007, big things were expected, and they went on to win more games than any other team in a single season and fell just minutes short of a Super Bowl victory.
The 2010 playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers will stick with the Baltimore Ravens for many years.
It seems as though the Jacksonville Jaguars are always in the playoff hunt with three weeks or fewer to go in the regular season, and that – when placed in such a position – they always seem to fold at the end.
The 2010 Indianapolis Colts’ pre-Super Bowl playoff exit might in fact be the least painful and most dismissible of the seven they have suffered during a nine-year run of heading to the playoffs.
The Houston Texans had a laundry list of expectations heading into the 2010 campaign; however, people in the Space City were heavily disappointed.
