NFL Furious Seven – Cowboys Maintain Top Spot, Patriots Climbing Ranks
The Week 3 Rankings Are In!
Week 2 is in the bag, degenerates! Now comes the fun part. The Packers and Cowboys proved once again that they are the cream of the crop in the NFC, while the AFC continues to be a jumbled mess of corpses and tomfoolery. While the Raiders won’t make any noise in the standings, RUN-DMC showed up with a huge effort that proved to be the best rushing effort of the day.
The Patriots climbed up the standings with Cassel at the helm, and the Bills continue to be one of my favorite teams to bet on NFL football with. Who should you keep your eye on for our NFL futures, and who should you stay away from? Read on, faithful reader, to find out.
1. Dallas Cowboys (2-0 SU, 1-1 ATS)
After a thrilling Monday Night Football matchup that saw Dallas outlast the Philadelphia Eagles 41-37, those that bet on Dallas to cover might be frustrated. However, those that love the Cowboys in our NFL betting futures must be thrilled.
It takes a certain type of grit and tenacity to overcome the kind of offensive assault that Philadelphia threw at Dallas. And it wasn’t just Tony Romo’s 312 yards and 3 touchdowns that got the job done.
Felix Jones and Marion Barber found ways to infiltrate the game this week as a tandem. Jones shows his penchant for returning kicks with a 98 yard trail blazer to the house. The Barbarian even added two touchdowns of his own, including the game winner. Having two ground threats like that make Dallas a favorite to win the NFC, but that defense has to show up and create more turnovers for them to be a dominating threat for the Superbowl.
There are a slew of very strong teams in the NFC, and amongst them lie the Green Bay Packers, whom America’s Team will face next week in the biggest game of next week. Can Aaron Rodgers ascend to the throne, or will Tony Romo smile all the way to victory?
Next Game: Dallas -3 vs. Green Bay
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0 SU, 1-1 ATS)
The Steelers let down their betting faithful by going for it on a late fourth down, instead of kicking the field goal, but you can hardly blame them. The Steelers’ secondary had hawked two interceptions and shut down Derek Anderson to 155 yards. Did you really think there was a chance of the Browns hurling the ball downfield with 55-mph winds?
Willie Parker and Big Ben carried the offense once more, with Roethlisberger managing a very efficient game. He averaged 9.8 yards per completion and notched one touchdown to Hines Ward, who is enjoying a resurgence while entering the twilight of his career.
The Steelers are displaying the kind of balance necessary to win a Superbowl. They have a smooth, balanced offense, and a ball hungry defense that can get to the quarterback and create turnovers. The defense has given up a collective of 11.5 points thus far, but now rolls in to Philadelphia for a Sunday afternoon showdown that will test the mettle of their storied Steel Curtain.
Next Game: Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia -3
3. Green Bay Packers (2-0 SU, 2-0 ATS)
Ok, so now all we know is that Jon Kitna and the Detroit Lions are nothing more than…Jon Kitna and the Detroit Lions. When you hang 48-points on anyone, however, that’s a big deal. Aaron Rodgers rewarded those that bet on him and the Pack this week by notching 328 yards, and 3 touchdowns.
The big story here was the defense, which came up with three picks and a fumble, which turned the tide for the Cheese Heads. If they can do that to Tony Romo. But if Ryan Grant doesn’t show up again, then Green Bay will fall back to the middle of the pack.
Next Game: Dallas -3 vs. Green Bay
4. Buffalo Bills (2-0 SU, 2-0 ATS)
When you cover the spread two weeks in a row, and nobody else does, you get to be the big dog for a week. People hate the Bills because of their lack of sex appeal. Well who needs sex appeal? This is football, dammit!
Trent Edwards played another methodical game, completing his first nine passes and ending the day on 20-for-25. He compiled 239 passing yards and linked up with rookie James Hardy for the game winning touchdown against an overhyped Jacksonville team.
The Bills are balanced, and the oddsmakers hate their inability to boast a real, break away scorer. They’ve got a small target on their backs now, but the Bills will continue to reward their betting faithful and you’re an idiot not to get on the wagon and win with them in our sportsbook.
Next Game: Oakland vs. Buffalo -9
5. New England Patriots (2-0 SU, 1-1 ATS)
Ok, fine. I was wrong. Everyone was glued to the TV waiting for Matt Cassel to screw up. When that didn’t happen, everyone thought, “Hey! This kid is good!” Really? Throwing 165 passing yards and zero scores is good? Really? Seriously?
It’s not that the Patriots didn’t play astounding, it’s that the Jets played way below their level. They failed to maintain any rhythm on offense because Mangini is still an idiot. This front line can block for the run, so giving Thomas Jones a limited amount of carries with Tony Richardson leading the way is inexcusable. But this isn’t about the Jets. Not today.
The patriots were held to 104 yards on the ground, and only 165 passing yards. Even Randy Moss was kept quiet with two catches and 22 yards. Lamont Jordan, of all people, was the leading rusher on the day with 62 yards and 11 carries. It almost feels like this team is lacking an identity. As such, making NFL betting play on this team will be difficult. We could be seeing a resurgence of the Patriots against the spread while the oddsmakers scratch their heads. Better cash in before Cassel shows his true colors…whatever those may be.
Next Game: Miami vs. New England -13
6. Denver Broncos (2-0 SU, 1-0-1 ATS)
I love it when a ref admits he made a mistake, but because of the rules, can’t reverse the decision. If Ed Hockley wasn’t so jacked, Norv Turner might have put up a little more of a fight. Yes, it was a fumble combined with a botched call, but the Broncos got the win and are now tops in the AFC West.
Jay Cutler showed his definitive arm strength and linked up with Brandon Marshall on his way to a 350 yard day with 4 touchdowns and one pick. The defense got shredded by Darren Sproles, but the offense generated play after play to keep the Broncos in action. Maybe they don’t deserve to be here, but when you do an eff-you two-point conversion with the game on the line, and you throw the ball, you deserve some sort of high five.
They host New Orleans at home again, and will prove that they are a tough team to beat at home. Until they hit the road against a contender, I’m not willing to vault them in to the realm of “championship caliber” yet. But they look awfully close if Cutler continues to rampage through the league like this.
Next Game: NO vs. Denver -4
7. Indianapolis Colts (1-1 SU, ATS)
Is anyone else tired of their friends blurting out, “Vinatieri is the most clutch kicker of all time” whenever the game is on the line? Holy crap, dude, we all know this! Indianapolis was torn apart by Adrian Peterson for 160 yards, but held them out of the red zone which says a lot about this defense.
The offensive line continues to struggle without Jeff Saturday, and Peyton Manning was doing a Joey Harrington impersonation for the entire first half. I love it when a quarterback’s feet begin to chatter with fear! Still, the Colts showed that they have alligator blood, and Reggie Wayne proved he was the playmaker, as the Colts marched through the fourth quarter en route to victory.
They’re still the Colts at the end of the day, and while it’s easy to count them out after two tight games against NFC North teams, they’ve proven that they can always survive the worst. The Colts’ betting faithful still has questions about Joseph Addai (20 yards and one touchdown on the day), but in Peyton they trust. As well they should.
Next Game: Jacksonville vs. Indianapolis -6
