Patriots fall and Cowboys Rise
Week Three in NFL wagering Sunday is in the books, so let’s get to the highlights!
Miami Dolphins + 13 + 550 vs. New England Patriots – – The + 13 was bad enough but how about the Dolphins coming out and not just destroying the spread in their game versus the New England Patriots but beating the Pats straight-up on the BetUS Sportsbook moneyline at + 550? Yes, Matt Cassel was starting ahead of Tom Brady, but the Pats were at home. This was a devastating blow to not only the Patriots but online wagering fans who believed the Patriots would squash the Dolphins. Tough loss.
Dallas Cowboys – 4 vs. the Green Bay Packers – – The Cowboys were a four point favorite on the road versus the Packers at Lambeau Field. What did they do? The blew out the BetUS spread by beating the Packers 27 to 16. How good are the Cowboys? Very good. Incredibly good. 16 and 0 good? Probably not, but they’ll be close. Yes, they’re that good.
Jacksonville Jaguars + 5 ½ + 200 vs. the Indianapolis Colts – – Another team goes into the Colts’ new stadium and took it to them on Sunday. What’s going on here? Nobody really knows. At least the Colts aren’t the Raiders. Anyhow, the online betting spread was 5 ½ points and the Jags busted out with a win straight-up at + 200 on the BetUS online sportsbook NFL moneyline.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers + 3 ½ + 140 vs. Chicago Bears – – Brian Greise threw for over 400 yards and the Bucs beat the Bears at Soldier Field 27 to 24. The Bucs have turned things around since their first week loss to the New Orleans Saints. Online betting fans should note that the Bucs have not covered or beaten two BetUS online wagering spreads in a row. That means something in this NFL.
Oakland Raiders + 10 vs. Buffalo Bills – – The Raiders were supposed to lose this game by around 30 points. Instead they lose by 1. The Bills had to score 17 points in the fourth quarter to win this game. But NFL betting fans that backed the Raiders had to like the way they almost pulled over the major upset at + 550. Alas, these are the Raiders. Still, beating a 10 point spread is a pretty good indication that this team can play some football.
Cincinnati Bengals – 14 vs. New York Giants – – The Giants were supposed to win by 17 according to some prominent football handicappers. Instead, like the Bills, they win by a field goal in a very tough game in overtime 26 to 23. What was really disturbing in this game was how the Bengals’ running back, Chris Perry, suddenly looked like Thurman Thomas. BetUS online sportsbook fans are going to have to reevaluate the merits of that Giants’ defense after this game.
New Orleans Saints + 6 ½ vs. Denver Broncos – – The Saints fell behind by 18 points early in this game. They rallied and had a chance to win on a Martin Grammatica 43 yeard field goal but Grammatica pushed it right. What a loser. In any case online betting fans who took a chance on the Saints at + 6 ½ were greatly rewarded. How about that BetUS over/under of 51 ½ points? These two teams buried that by scoring a total of 66 points.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Philadelphia Eagles – 3 ½ – – In what was supposed to be a game where offenses were going to be front and center, the BetUS online sportsbook over/under was 45 ½, the Eagles lose Bryan Westbrook and Donovan McNabb and the Steelers get Ben Rothlisberger banged up in the second half. But the Eagles covered and that’s all that matters by winning 15 to 6. I’m worried about that Pittsburgh offense. After week one, they’ve sputtered in two straight games again. Not only that but the Steelers’ D couldn’t handle a Westbrook/McNabb less Eagles’ team. Shameful.
Carolina Panthers vs. Minnesota Vikings – 3 ½ – – I really thought that the Panthers would beat the Vikings pretty handily in this. Not so. The Vikings showed life with Gus Frerotte under center and covered the BetUS online betting odds by taking it to the Panthers 20 to 10. How good are the Vikings? I don’t know yet. How bad are the Panthers? Not bad. But they should have made the game closer. In fact Carolina had the lead in this game at one point.
Other Home Favorites Make Good Against the Spread
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Atlanta Falcons – 6 – – The Falcons easily covered winning 38 to 14. The Falcons are now tied for the top spot in the NFC South.
Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans – 6 – – The Titans are 3 and 0 and Kerry Collins is starting to look like the year 2000 version. Houston has run into some bad luck this week but that’s probably not an excuse to go 0 and 3. The Titans destroy the online betting spread by winning 31 to 12.
Arizona Cardinals vs. Washington Redskins – 3 – – Jason Campbell is hot. It took this team a couple of weeks to get it together but the Redskins are definitely a team to watch in the NFC from an NFL betting point-of-view. They easily covered in what should have been a difficult game by beating the Cardinals 24 to 17.
St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks – 9 ½ – – This should have been an easy one for online betting fans. The Seahawks were 0 and 2, returning to Seattle, and playing the worst team in the NFL. They easily covered the spread by winning 37 to 13.
Detroit Lions vs. San Francisco 49’ers – 4 – – San Francisco dominated the hapless Lions by beating them 31 to 13. Note to Lions’ Coach Rod Marinelli – – if you’re going to emphasize the run game, then you have to have someone on your team that can run the football.
Clevelenad Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens – 2 – – The Browns looked like they had this game after scoring 10 points. Then the Ravens decided that they were better than the Browns and put up four touchdowns. They dominated Cleveland by winning this game 28 to 10. How good are the Ravens? I don’t know. But the NFC North appears up for grabs again with the Steelers suddenly looking less than super.
