AFC Injuries Already Taking Toll on Pre-Season Favorites
The injuries in the AFC have started to pile up to the point that before making any wagers on some of the stalwarts in the AFC, the San Diego Chargers for example, online betting fans had better take a look at that injury report.
It usually comes out every Wednesday. It has a lot to do with how the BetUS online sportstbook odds makers set the line and whether or not a team can actually cover or beat online wagering spreads.
Let’s take a look at a few key injuries this season and how they have affected online betting spreads.
Shawne Merriman is out in San Diego. The Chargers are currently 2-1-1 against the spread in their four games this season. That’s sort of a misrepresentation of how well they’ve done against the spread since they needed to score 25 points in the fourth quarter against the Oakland Raiders in order to cover the – 9 online football betting spread in that game.
They were awful against the spread in their first two games of the season, destroyed the New York Jets in a Monday nighter, and then covered versus the spread in their last game against the Oakland Raiders. I have my doubts as to how good this team really is on defense and believe that when it’s all said and done they are going to have a down year against the BetUS online wagering spread. We’ll know as soon as this weekend.
San Diego is favored by 7 points versus the Miami Dolphins on the road. I don’t believe they cover. I believe that a healthy Ronnie Brown at the running back position for the Chargers causes all sorts of issues for San Diego since Merriman is out. We shall see.
Dallas Clark and Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison should be at full strength for the Indianapolis Colts. Starting this weekend Manning, Clark and Harrison should be at full strength for the Colts. The Colts are another team that hasn’t been all that great this season. They are 1 and 2 straight-up and against the BetUS online wagering spread. But with Clark, Manning and Harrison back at full strength I fully expect this team to start beating online wagering spreads with regularity.
The early bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for the Colts who started the season with a hurt Manning. They are only favored by three points this weekend versus the Houston Texans. That has to be one of the plays of the week as the Colts should throttle a Texans defense that has been overrated all season.
Vince Young is hurt in Tennessee. This has been a blessing in disguise for the 4 and 0, and 4 and 0 against the BetUS wagering spread, Tennessee Titans. Kerry Collins is just a better quarterback in the Titans’ offensive scheme and their rookie running back, Chris Johnson, is much better than anybody anticipated.
Their defense is pretty good as well. This team should keep doing good things against the BetUS online wagering spread and long as Collins stays healthy and coach Jeff Fisher doesn’t play Young.
Tom Brady is out in New England. Randy Moss is hurt. The jury is still out on whether or not the Patriots and Matt Cassel will start winning games against the BetUS online betting spread. After Brady’s injury the Patriots stepped it up and played like gangbusters on the road versus the New York Jets. Then, they bombed against the Miami Dolphins. I believe that the loss to Miami can be attributed to the fact that Randy Moss has been banged up. This is another team that should benefit from the week off.
I have no doubt that the Pats will find a way to get the ball to Moss. If they do, then this team should start covering and beating BetUS sportsbook betting spreads. That’s the idea anyhow. This weekend’s game versus San Francisco will say a lot about this team. They are getting three points on the road.
Willie Parker is out. Ben Rothlisberger is hurt in Pittsburgh. Mendenhall Out for Season. The Steelers are still a very good team, but without Parker and Mendenhall their run game won’t be nearly as effective. Parker needs to come back for this team to challenge some of the better teams in the AFC like the Titans and Buffalo Bills. They were terrible versus the Philadelphia Eagles and will need to step it up defensively in order to make the playoffs.
They play Jacksonville this weekend, should be underdogs, and if they are able to get past Parkers’ injury should have no problem getting it done against the BetUS online betting spread.
The offensive line for the Jaguars is in shambles. Tackle Richard Collier will never play football again after getting shot fourteen times earlier this month. Guard Chris Noele is banged up and the Jags’ center, Brad Meester, is day to day. No wonder quarterback David Garrard and that offense hasn’t been clicking. Yet, the Jags are 2 and 2 overall and 2 and 0 in their division. If Naoele and Meester return at full strength, this team will definitely improve off of that 1 and 3 record against the BetUS online wagering spread.
The NFC is easily the better conference this year in the NFL. It was the better conference last year as evidenced by the New York Giants Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots.
But like the AFC, injuries have already had a huge affect on NFL bettors and their quest in securing online betting profits when betting the NFC. The BetUS online sportsbook odds makers always check injuries before setting their online wagering spreads.
Successful NFL betting fans should do the same.
Let’s take a look at some of the injuries in the NFC that have affected teams against the spread this season.
Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey are out in New Orleans. The Saints top wide receiver was hurt in the Saints’ week one victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Oh, well. It doesn’t seem to have hurt the Saints at all who are 2 and 2 straight-up and 3 and 1 against the BetUS online sportsbook betting spread. Shockey going down looked like it might hurt the Saints, but it didn’t last weekend when they destroyed the San Francisco 49’ers as 6 ½ point favorites at home.
One of the reasons for the Saints being so good against the spread is the emergence of Reggie Bush and wide receiver Robert Meacham as real offensive threats. Now that the Saints have Deuce McAllister back, they should routinely beat or cover online betting spreads the rest of the season. They are favored by three points this weekend at home versus the Minnesota Vikings. I love the Saints against that BetUS online betting spread.
Brian Westbrook is out and Donovan McNabb is banged up in Philadelphia. I didn’t think that Westbrook’s injury was going to cause the Eagles to the blow the game against the Chicago Bears, but after studying that game for some time, that’s exactly whey the Eagles lost. Westbrook adds an awful lot to this team. Without Westbrook often times McNabb, who’s battling a chest injury, is left alone in that backfield.
He needs Westbrook’s exceptional talent in order to do special things for Philadelphia. The good news is that Philadelphia is 3 and 1 against the BetUS online wagering spread this season. The bad news is that unless Westbrook and McNabb get healthy the Eagles are going to have trouble covering or beating online betting spreads from here on out. They are favored by 5 ½ points this weekend versus the Washington Redskins. Unless Westbrook is 100% for that game, I have to take the Skins.
Orlando Pace is hurt in St. Louis. Tackle Orlando Pace has to come back 100% for this team to have any chance of winning. This is the best team in the NFL to make an online wager against every single week. Now that Scott Linehan is no longer the coach things should look up for this team, right? Wrong. Jim Haslett, who is the interim coach, never got that Rams’ defense going in the right direction. Forget it. Without Pace at 100% percent this team won’t beat or cover an online betting spread this year. In fact they might not win game. In fact even if Pace comes back at 100% they might not win.
Jeff Garcia is hurt in Tampa Bay. This is an injury that means absolutely nothing because back-up quarterback Brian Greise has bought into coach Jon Gruden’s system. I love this team with either Garcia or Greise. They are 3 and 1 against the BetUS online wagering spread. Their one loss against the spread occurred in New Orleans in week one by half a point.
They are 3 point underdogs on the road versus the Denver Broncos this week. This team should not only beat that BetUS online betting spread but they should beat the Broncos straight-up.
E.J. Henderson is hurt in Minnesota. The Vikings’ best defensive player has been hobbled by injuries all season long. He hasn’t missed a game but he hasn’t been as dominant as he could be. Not only that, but the guy has off the field issues which only compound his problems on the field.
Against the BetUS online sportsbook betting spread the Vikes have been awful going 1 and 3 this season. Make that 1 and 4 after the Saints trounce them this Monday night. Granted, a lot of their issues have nothing to do with Henderson’s injuries but not being able to stop opposing offenses means the Vikes can’t give the ball to Adrien Peterson.
Anquan Boldin is out in Arizona. Boldin, along with Larry Fitzgerald, makes up the top wide receiver tandem in the NFL. He took a vicious hit in his game versus the New York Jets this past weekend. I doubt he suits up this weekend. He may not suit up for a while. How is this going to affect the Cardinals against the BetUS online wagering spread? Not good.
The Cardinals are 2 and 2 against the spread so far this season. In this weekend’s game they are favored by a point, at home, versus the Buffalo Bills. My prediction is that the Cards get spanked by Buffalo.
