NFL Sunday Recap
Pittsburgh Solidifies Their Top AFC Standing and the Patriots and Jets Keep Pace with One Another
On Sunday the Pittsburgh Steelers gave a signal to the rest of the NFL and sports betting fans by proving that they not only could play a knock down drag it out game but that they could beat a proven team on that team’s home field.
About the same time the Pittsburgh Steelers were making online NFL betting fans happy by beating the spread and the Baltimore Ravens, the New England Patriots were proving that maybe, just maybe, they are hitting their stride by dominating the Oakland Raiders on the road.
We’ll start with those two games in our weekly run down of what happened on Sunday in the National Football League!
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens – – The Steelers won the way that Pittsburgh should, by beating the Ravens with their defense. The defense was phenomenal, making rookie quarterback Joe Flaaco look like a rookie, and allowing Big Ben and that Steelers’ offense to wear down Ray Lewis and Co. The BetUS online wagering spread was Ravens by 2 ½ to 3 points at kick-off. Well, forget it. Pittsburgh is a tough minded team. My NFL pre-season Super Bowl pick sure is looking good right about now. I wouldn’t bet against them!
New England Patriots vs. Oakland Raiders – – Yes, it was Oakland. Yes, the Pats were favored in the BetUS online sportsbook by 6 ½ points. Yes, there’s no way that Raiders’ coach Tom Cable outcoaches Bill Belichick. But what the Patriots did to the Raiders on Sunday was flat out ridiculous. New England built up a 35 to 14 lead by halftime and just coasted to a victory. Matt Cassel was awesome. Randy Moss was awesome. Wes Welker was awesome. The Patriots aren’t going to go softly into the night. This team will be tough to beat in the next two weeks.
Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets – – “Touché Patriots, touché”, is what the New York Jets were saying after the Patriots’ victory over the Raiders. A few hours earlier the New York Jets had put the pressure on the Pats by escaping with a 31 to 27 victory over the Buffalo Bills. No, the Jets didn’t cover because the online football betting spread was 6 to 7 points in favor of the Jets. The Jets haven’t been a covering stud this season but they keep winning games. Hey, that’s good enough for now, right? Uh…no. Come on, Brett! NFL wagering fans need you guys to start covering spreads or just lose already!
San Francisco 49’ers vs. Miami Dolphins – – The Dolphins sure looked like a lousy team early on in this game, but somehow, someway, they pulled out another victory. The Fins are now 9 and 5 and tied with the Patriots and Jets atop the AFC East division. Against the BetUS online betting spread, the Dolphins failed – – again – – by not covering the 7 point spread.
Detroit Lions vs. Indianapolis Colts – – For a while there it looked like the Lions had a chance. Detroit was only down 14 to 10 but then Peyton Manning and Dallas Clark went medieval on their butts and the Lions ended up losing 31 to 21. But the Colts didn’t cover the spread. Believe it or not, the Lions have been pretty good against the spread lately. Next week might actually be the week that BetUS online sportsbook football betting fans make some serious cash on Detroit on the money line. They play the Saints who have already been knocked out of the playoffs.
Washington Redskins vs. Cincinnati Bengals – – The other worst team in the NFL, the Cincinnati Bengals, pulled out their second win of the season when they ended any chance of the Redskins making the playoffs by beating Washington 20 to 13. Since Washington was favored against the spread, the Bengals did a good job by bringing home a nice money line bet for those brave enough to have made a wager on them. I’m not sure how many of you are out there. For the Redskins, there shouldn’t be a lot of worry. They had a rookie coach this year and this team is super young. They will improve next year.
San Diego Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs – – Forget about the Chargers ever covering or beating a spread ever again as long as there is online betting on football. Seriously. The Chargers had to score 12 points in the final quarter of their game against the Kansas City Chiefs to secure a 22 to 21 victory and keep their playoff hopes alive. How stupid is that? What’s amazing is how Norv Turner, in less than two years, has turned LaDanian Tomlinson into a mediocre running back. That’s even stupider. The Chargers didn’t come close to covering the spread but who cares? The Bolts never cover the spread! San Diego is like Beavis and Butthead of the online betting world except it’s not very funny any more.
Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers – – So, why are the Chargers still alive for a playoff berth at 8 and 8? Because the freaking Denver Broncos are horrible. They were up 10 to 7 over the Carolina Panthers in the first half of their game on Sunday. It was short lived because Carolina throttled the Broncos 30 to 10. The Broncos are imploding. Could they implode enough for the Chargers to sneak into the playoffs? Sure, they could. This is Denver. Oh, yes, the Panthers easily covered against the BetUS online betting spread meaning that Carolina has now covered in two straight games. They are in line for home field advantage in the playoffs.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Arizona Cardinals – – The Cardinals are in the playoffs. The Vikings are close but they need the Bears to lose and they need to win next week or the week after. With that being written, which team is ready for the playoffs? It’s so obvious that it’s the Vikings. The Cardinals were atrocious in this game. Kurt Warner pretty much decided that he didn’t want to win the NFL MVP by playing like a chump. Adrian Peterson had over 100 yards in the first half and the Vikings back-up quarterback, Tarvaris Jackson, threw for four touchdowns. Ouch. Against the BetUS online betting spread, the Vikings easily beat the 2 ½ point spread. They also got some lucky online wagering fans a few bucks by scoring on the money-line.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons – – Is there any reason for anybody to believe that the Buccaneers can still make the playoffs? I really thought they were the best team in the NFC Conference to get a wild card spot, but they’ve blown two games in a row. Today was terrible. They worked their butts off to tie the game and then they lose it in overtime. I believe the game ended up as a push because the Falcons weren’t favored by more than three points over the Bucs. Atlanta meanwhile now has a serious shot at a wildcard berth.
Green Bay Packers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars – – Both of these NFL pre-season Super Bowl favorites are now 4 and 9 after the Jaguars covered the BetUS online betting spread by beating Green Bay 20 to 16. Neither team even deserves more than what I just wrote. So, I’m going to leave it at that.
Seattle Seahawks vs. St. Louis Rams – – I applaud any NFL betting fan that threw some money onto either one of these teams. The Seahawks brought their record to 3 and 11. That’s the way to send Coach Mike Holmgren into retirement! The Rams are now 2 and 11. And to think that at one time some folks were worried that Jim Haslett would break the Rooney Rule by winning six games and getting the head job in St. Louis. I laugh. The Seahawks actually covered the spread, if it stayed at 2 ½, by beating the Rams by 3 points 23 to 20.
New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys – – I was the first online betting fan to say that the Cowboys were going to lose three games in a row, starting with their Sunday night battle against the Giants, and not make the NFC Conference playoffs. Well, I was wrong. The Cowboys not only beat the Giants on Sunday night, but they covered against the spread as well. With Tampa Bay losing, the Saints throwing in the towel, and Washington giving it up, the Cowboys are actually in a good position, should they win one of their next two games, to make the playoffs. I’m eating crow right now.
