NFL Football Season Preview: Week 9
Well, that was a long time coming. The San Diego Chargers (3-5 SU, 3-4-1 ATS) finally gave defensive co-ordinator Ted Cottrell his walking papers on Tuesday. Inside linebackers coach Ron Rivera is his replacement.
Cottrell was under fire from the start of his tenure in 2007; his conservative 3-4 defense had the Chargers at 5-5 SU and ATS until the unit’s strong suit – its linebackers – got the green light to put on the pressure. San Diego went on an 8-0 SU and ATS run, then gave the New England Patriots (-14) a 21-12 scare in the AFC title game.
Will Rivera get the Chargers back on track? We’ll find out after the bye week. Meanwhile, here are the top three betting games on the Week 9 schedule. Lines listed are accurate at time of submission and subject to change.
Dallas at N.Y. Giants
Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
4:15 p.m. ET, FOX
15% chance of rain, 55 degrees, light winds
Dallas: 5-3 SU, 3-5 ATS, Over 5-3
New York: 6-1 SU, 5-2 ATS, Over 4-3
After going 1-3 SU (0-4 ATS) with losses at Arizona and St. Louis, the Cowboys went home and stopped the bleeding with an ugly 13-9 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+1). The win did nothing to shore up faith in QB Brad Johnson. He was 19-for-33 for just 122 yards and a single touchdown; however, Johnson went pick-free against his old team, and the defense held Tampa out of the end zone.
It appears Johnson will start against the Giants, with Brooks Bollinger at the ready just in case. It’s uncertain whether TE and top receiver Jason Witten (broken rib) will be able to join them. The offense will also be without RB Felix Jones (hamstring) until after next week’s bye.
The bigger problem for this Sunday’s matchup is in the secondary. CB Terence Newman is out until Week 11, SS Roy Williams is on injured reserve after breaking his arm for the second time this season, and CB Pacman Jones remains suspended until at least Week 12 and possibly much longer. The Giants have the most efficient offense in the NFL; wideout Plaxico Burress could double his season total of three TD catches on Sunday.
Dallas is 3-1 SU and 2-1-1 ATS in its past four meetings with the Giants. The one loss came in last year’s NFC Divisional round, which New York won 21-17 as a seven-point road dog.
Get all your NFL odds in the Bodog Sportsbook.
New England at Indianapolis
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
8:15 p.m. ET, NBC
50 degrees, light winds
New England: 5-2 SU, 3-4 ATS, Under 2-4-1
Indianapolis: 3-4 SU, 3-4 ATS, Over 4-3
This could be the beginning of the end of the road for Peyton Manning’s decade of dominance in Indianapolis. Manning’s 79.0 passer rating is the worst since his 1998 rookie season. He already has nine interceptions this year, matching his total for the entire 2006 campaign. And the Colts are going to have to mount a strong turnaround just to get a wild card berth in the playoffs.
Compare and contrast to Patriots QB Matt Cassel (84.6 passer rating). Tom Brady’s understudy is improving, although his two picks helped the St. Louis Rams (+9) get the cover in last week’s 23-16 Patriots victory. New England is a six-point road dog on Sunday night; 
the Colts are 3-1 SU and 4-0 ATS in their last four contests, before Manning’s two offseason knee surgeries.
Pittsburgh at Washington
FedExField, Landover, Md.
Monday, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
10% chance of rain, 50 degrees, light winds
Pittsburgh: 5-2 SU, 3-4 ATS, Over 4-3
Washington: 6-2 SU, 5-3 ATS, Under 5-2-1
We’ve been here before, but it looks like the Washington Redskins are back for real. QB Jason Campbell has enjoyed an Eli Manning-like growth spurt, posting a 100.5 passer rating and going pick-free through the first half of the season. The Redskins defense is solid, holding opponents to 18.1 points per game. The main problem is the punting – neither Durant Brooks nor Ryan Plackemeier has panned out.
The Steelers are coming off a tough 21-14 loss at home to the Giants (+3). Outside of a blowout win over the pathetic Bengals, Pittsburgh hasn’t played all that well. The defense is saving the day by giving up only 15.7 points per game. The Steelers offense will get a lift Monday night with the return of WR Santonio Holmes (22 catches) after he was deactivated last week following a marijuana arrest. For current lines, see Bodoglife.com.
