Wide Open NFC to Have Unexpected Contenders for Title
With Week One of the NFL preseason a thing of the past, it’s time to take a look at how each team fared in an effort to give BetUS NFL online bettors a bit of an edge heading into Week Two of the preseason and beyond.
Here is a brief look at each team, followed by my overall analysis on the NFC up until this point.
NFC East
The Giants fell to the lowly Detroit Lions 13-10 last Thursday, and saw quarterback Eli Manning, the Super Bowl MVP, struggle on his only two series, completing just two of six passes for 19 yards in his first game without Plaxico Burress or David Tyree. Still this team is not worried in the least.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles fell to their in-state rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, 16-10 on Friday, but the good news is that quarterback Donovan McNabb looked great in completing 10 of 13 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, the Eagles weren’t able to put any other points on the board once McNabb exited. Maybe it’s me, but I am skeptical as all get out when it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles these days.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys were slammed by the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, losing 31-17 on Sunday. Still, the ‘Boys look like serious conference title contenders from where I’m sitting as starting quarterback Tony Romo looked sharp in his only series by leading the Cowboys to the game’s first touchdown on an 8-play, 54-yard drive.
Washington Redskins
The Redskins could surprise some people this season with blossoming quarterback Jason Campbell getting the hang of new head coach Jim Zorn’s version of the West Coast offense quickly. Campbell went 7-for-10 for 7 yards while backup Todd Collins completed 8-of-11 passes and threw for one score.
NFC West
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks had a field day in thrashing the Minnesota Vikings 34-17 and their supposedly, better defense, as starter, Matt Hasselbeck went 7-for-8 for 70 yards and a touchdown. While Vikings head coach Brad Childress downplayed his team’s defensive effort, calling their defense, “vanilla” the Vikings had no answer for Hasselbeck’s backup Seneca Wallace who also lit up the Vikings, completing 15 of 20 passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns.
St. Louis Rams
The Rams are in big trouble already and members of the BetUS NFL Sportsbook wagering community should know it full well – and wagering accordingly against the Rams when the situation calls for it. I know it’s still preseason, but the Rams were literally blown out of the water in their 34-13 loss to the clearly superior Tennessee Titans on Saturday.
San Francisco 49ers
The Niners have problems already as they allowed the Oakland Raiders to rush for a whopping 248 yards in their preseason opener, losing 18-6. Unbelievably, head coach Mike Nolan still can’t decide if former No.1 overall draft pick Alex Smith is the real deal or not!
Arizona Cardinals
Despite their 24-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints in their preseason opener, starting quarterback Matt Leinart looked great! BetUS NFL bettors can increase their seasonal pro football bankrolls by wagering on the Cardinals when the occasion calls for it.
NFC North
The Detroit Lions
The Lions beat the Super Bowl champion New York Giants 13-10 at home in their opening preseason contest as starting quarterback Jon Kitna threw for one touchdown and went an impressive 6-for-7 for 106 yards. While this is a good start, I’ll remain skeptical until the regular season begins.
The Chicago Bears
The Bears fell to the Kansas City Chiefs 24-20 and still have the same old immense problem – no quarterback. BetUS NFL bettors should know that I am sick and tired of head coach Lovie Smith not being able to see that he clearly needs to find a quarterback for his team. Rex Grossman and/or Kyle Orton are not … repeat, Not going to get it done. By the way, the Bears failed to cover the spread and went well under the O/U total of 44 points, something I expect out of this team all season long as they are once again going to have big problems scoring the ball on offense.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings may not be as ‘Super Bowl-bound’ as some people think following their 34-17 preseason-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks. However, Viking quarterback Tarvaris Jackson looked solid in his three series’ completing 8 of 11 passes for 118 yards and one touchdown.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers fell to the Green Bay Packers 20-17 in the preseason opene r for both clubs, but young quarterback Aaron Rodgers looked pretty good, going 9-for-15 for 117 yards and one touchdown and one interception.
NFC South
New Orleans Saints
The Saints beat the Arizona Cardinals 24-10 in a battle between two teams that I expect big things out of in 2008, particularly the Saints. All-Pro quarterback Drew Brees went an efficient 6-for-7 for 40 yards and a touchdown while Arizona’s Matt Leinart went an impressive 8-for-9 for 91 yards. The Saints also got an impressive performance from backup quarterback Mark Brunell who went 10-for-12 for 119 yards.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers beat the rebuilding Miami Dolphins 17-6 and look like hey are going to make another push for a playoff spot in 2008.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-17 in their preseason opener and there’s certainly no shame in that. However, am I the only person that can see that rookie QB Ryan is better than Chris Redman, D.J. Shockley or Joey Harrington? Mike Smith will be playing him at some point soon I suspect.
Carolina Panthers
Julius Peppers is back in a big way BetUS NFL online betting community. Peppers ran roughshod over the Indianapolis Colts in the preseason opener for both clubs. Still, I wouldn’t get too excited about the Panthers, particularly on offense where they seem to struggle on a perennial basis.
Analysis: Faithful members of the BetUS NFL online sports wagering community likely learned a few things about several NFC Teams as we move further into the preseason schedule in anticipation of the regular season opener. If not, let me open some eyes quickly.
The San Francisco 49ers look like they’re going to be totally atrocious this season. I’m also thinking the Washington Redskins aren’t going to be as bad off without Hall of Fame head coach Joe Gibbs as I originally thought.
I’m also thinking the New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks could make it to the final NFC Championship game. The St. Louis Rams really need to fire head coach Scott Linehan immediately.
I also say the Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions could each approach nine wins this season … no, really … and stop laughing for that matter.
The Packers will lose some games they wouldn’t have with Brett Favre and the Chicago Bear s will lose some too because of their mediocre quarterbacks. Matt Ryan should be starting for the Falcons by midseason and the Philadelphia Eagles have mediocrity written all over them.
Taking these observations into Week Two of the preseason and beyond, should help NFL online wagering everywhere make some more winning wagers in the coming weeks.
