Saturday, October 3, 2009
 | NFL - Regular Season 2009
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Date: October 04th
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The New York Giants are coming off their best defensive road showing in nearly 26 years. That isn't the best of news for the winless Kansas City Chiefs, who are looking to avoid going 0-4 for the first time in 29 years.
Undefeated New York will try to keep the Todd Haley/Matt Cassel era in Kansas City winless for another week when the teams clash this Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Giants are coming off a dominating 24-0 victory at Tampa Bay last weekend that saw them hold the Buccaneers to just 86 total yards and five first downs. It was New York's first road shutout since a 23-0 victory in Philadelphia on November 20, 1983.
The victory was a change of pace for the G-Men, who had won their first two games over Washington (23-17) and Dallas (33-31) by a combined eight points. Still, behind 226 team rushing yards and a pair of touchdown throws by Eli Manning, the Giants improved to 3-0 for the second straight season after beginning last year with four straight wins.
New York has also won the first two tests of a three-game road trip that concludes with the club's first visit to Kansas City since 2001.
The Chiefs are on their third head coach since that 2001 meeting, with Haley taking over this year for Herm Edwards after his three-year tenure with the team.
Haley and Kansas City's new quarterback, Cassel, have yet to get that first win and play their second home game of the season this Sunday. After a 13-10 loss to Oakland on September 20 at Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs were blown out, 34-14, at Philadelphia this past weekend.
Cassel threw for just 90 yards in the game with an on-paper-efficient 14- for-18 passing and two touchdown throws, though the second one came with under two minutes left in the game.
Kansas City, which went just 2-14 a season ago, has lost 14 of its last 15 games and 26 of its past 28 contests dating back to 2007. Despite those recent struggles, the Chiefs haven't begun a season 0-4 since an 8-8 campaign in 1980.
Last week's loss to the Eagles was the first of four straight games for the Chiefs against NFC East residents. They host the Cowboys next weekend before visiting the Redskins.
By Michael Rushton, Sports Network
The Sports Network
Let's watch who will be the winner...
| NFL - Regular Season 2009
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Date: October 04th
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The American League Central is all tied up after 161 regular season games, as Freddy Garcia and the Chicago White Sox handed the Tigers their third straight loss, 5-1, at Comerica Park.
Detroit held a seven-game lead over Minnesota on September 6 but has since gone 10-15. The Twins have inched their way back into the division race and finally caught the Tigers with Saturday's 5-4 win over Kansas City.
If both teams win on Sunday, there will be a one-game playoff played in Minnesota on Tuesday to determine who will play the AL East champion New York Yankees in the Division Series.
The Tigers leave their fate in the hands of ace Justin Verlander, while the offense tries to figure out John Danks in the regular season finale after Garcia (3-4) scattered one run, six hits and a walk in seven-plus innings in the middle test of this three-game set.
Alex Rios went 4-for-5 with three RBI, and Carlos Quentin added a solo homer in Chicago's fifth win in six games.
Rookie Alfredo Figaro (2-2) was forced into a spot-start -- just the third of his career -- and gave up two runs on three hits and a pair of walks while recording just four outs for Detroit.
Rick Porcello was scheduled to pitch Saturday, but a rainout on Monday forced the rookie hurler out of the normal rotation.
Quentin led off the second with a homer off Figaro, who later loaded the bases and was pulled with one out. Fu-Te Ni faced one batter, inducing a run-scoring fielder's choice at second -- thanks to a between-the-legs flip by Placido Polanco -- off the bat of Scott Podsednik.
Rios singled in a run in the third off Armando Galarraga and added a two-out, RBI hit in the fifth off Ryan Perry to make it 4-0.
After the Sox wasted a bases-loaded chance in the top of the eighth, the Tigers got their first two hitters on in the bottom half, signaling the end of Garcia's night.
Polanco greeted Tony Pena with an RBI single through the left side, bringing the tying run to the plate for the heart of the Detroit lineup. That was all the Tigers got, however, as Magglio Ordonez lined out to short and Miguel Cabrera grounded into a tailor-made 6-4-3 double play.
The Sox got the run back in the ninth on another Rios single, and Matt Thornton finished the game with a scoreless bottom half.
Let's watch who will be the winner...
| NFL - Regular Season 2009
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Date: October 04th
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Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns odds opened at Bengals -3 ½ as the road favorite. Odds have shot all the way up to -6 ½ due to the huge public backing of the Bengals early in the week. They were the most bet on team in the NFL by Tuesday. SBG Global still offered Cincinnati at -5 ½ odds but Gambling911.com expects many of the books will move the line above -6 by week's end so the recommendation is to lock these odds in now.
The Bengals snapped an eight-game home losing streak (playoffs included) against the Steelers. It was also the first win in their last six meetings overall for the Bengals.
The Bengals are now 5-1 in their last six games overall dating back to last season.
Carson Palmer's 4-yard touchdown pass to Andre Caldwell with 14 seconds left provided a 23-20 win Sunday that ended the Pittsburgh Steelers' nearly decade-long domination in Cincinnati, one that appeared set to go on indefinitely until the final drive.
"Priceless," offensive lineman Bobbie Williams said. "The past is the past. This is a new team and a new day."
The Cleveland Browns appear to be going in the opposite direction, losing to Baltimore last week by a score of 34-3.
Browns starting QB Brady Quinn completed 6-of-8 passes for 34 yards and one interception. He was replaced at halftime by Derek Anderson, who threw three interceptions.
The Browns have scored nine points in the last two weeks and have been outscored 94-29 this season. They have scored one offensive touchdown in their last nine games.
Some important Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns odds trends to consider in this game:
The Bengals are 7-3 in this series over the last 10 games including a win the last time these teams played each other back in December. That was a 14-0 Cincinnati shutout.
The Bengals are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games after allowing more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
The Bengals are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a S.U. win.
They are also 1-8 ATS in their last 9 games as a favorite of 3.5-10.0 and 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games as a favorite.
The Browns are Browns are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog of 3.5-10.0.
The most telling stat is that Cleveland is 1-10-1 ATS in their last 12 games following a SU loss of more than 14 points.
Cleveland is 1-10-1 ATS in their last 12 games overall.
They are 0-5 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
The Browns are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games after scoring less than 15 points in their previous game.
They are 0-6-1 ATS in their last 7 vs. AFC.
Cleveland is a team in complete disarray. Neither of their quarterbacks appears capable. There is plenty of momentum with the Bengals organization right now. Unless Cincinnati decides to sleep walk into Cleveland this weekend, they should win this game in a big way. Gambling911.com is all over the Bengals here at -5 ½.
Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com
Let's watch who will be the winner...
| NFL - Regular Season 2009
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Date: October 04th
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Smash broke it down pretty well with his 5 keys to victory. I have no inside information on this, but I have to think this game is all about attitude for the Titans. Jeff Fisher says all the time it is more about what the Titans are doing and not what the other team is doing, but this time I really believe that is true. This is a game that the Titans should win, but at 0-3 you cannot take anything for granted.
If you have Chris Johnson or LenDale White on your fantasy team play them this week. The Bedazzlers are about middle of the pack when it comes to run defense (14th 100 yards per game) so no better time to re-commit to smash mouth football.
The Bedazzles are really bad against the pass (32nd 281.7 ypg). I know it will be tempting for Mike Heimerdinger and company to put the ball in the air 30+ times, but I really hope they fight that urge. This team is not going to win many games where Kerry Collins throws the ball 30+ times. No reason to do it unless nothing is working on the ground.
Star-divide
Defensively for the Titans it will be all about shutting down Maurice Jones-Drew. He is a dynamic player on the ground and catching the ball out of the backfield. The Titans have done a great job against the run so far this season, and this will be a great test considering MJD is the best back they have faced thus far.
This could also be the biggest challenge the Titans have faced through the air this season, not because this is the best passing offense they have faced, but because they will be playing without Cortland Finnegan. If Torry Holt wants to convince some people that he isn't washed up, this seems like a really good game to do it. He will either be matching up against a corner that has never started an NFL game or Nick Harper who is the worst starting corner in the league. I think McCourty will be fine, but look for them to go after him early and often.
Let's watch who will be the winner...
| NFL - Regular Season 2009
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Date: October 04th
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Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots odds were available at Patriots -1 ½ at Hollywood Sportsbook. This game was getting even action.
The line on this game originally opened at New England -3 ½. There were some variations even Saturday night with a few of the sharper books offering a -1 point line and there were also a few -2's floating around.
Last week, the Patriots bounced back from a Week 2 loss against the New York Jets.
The Patriots held the ball for nearly 40 minutes (39:49) as they won their 16th straight game against NFC teams.
Fred Taylor rushed for 105 yards and a TD, his first 100-yard game since Week 3 of last season. He has three 100-yard rushing games in four career games against the Falcons.
"You want to be balanced going into games, but some situations don't allow for it," Taylor said after New England beat the Atlanta Falcons 26-10 on Sunday. "You want to establish that momentum and look over across the ball and see the frustration in the defensive guys' eyes."
Tom Brady threw for his 200th career touchdown, becoming the 27th player in NFL history with at least that many TDs.
The Ravens, meanwhile, have been super hot and at some books are now the favorite to win the 2010 Super Bowl.
On Sunday, Joe Flacco threw for a career-high 342 yards and Willis McGahee rushed for two touchdowns to hand the Browns their ninth straight loss.
McGahee's two rushing touchdowns gave him five for the season, which leads the NFL.
"Coach Harbaugh put in our heads that we've got to out and start fast and finish strong," said Ravens running back Willis McGahee, who scored on touchdown runs of 7 and 15 yards. "Right there, we sent a message to the Browns."
New England is 3-0 in this series over the decade. They have covered the current spread all three times.
Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com
Let's watch who will be the winner...
| NFL - Regular Season 2009
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Date: October 04th
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The Oakland Raiders vs. Houston Texans odds were listed at Oakland +9 at Sports Interaction. Close to 70 percent of bettors were backing the underdog Raiders in this one.
The line in this game initially opened at -7 ½ and has since climbed as high as -9.
Over the last two weeks, Houston quarterback Matt Schaub has been nothing short of sensational. He has thrown for 657 yards with seven touchdowns and only one interception during the stretch. His task gets tougher against a Raiders defense that shut him down last year and ranks 14th in the NFL.
The Raiders beat the Texans the last time these two teams played one another but Houston won the previous three games since 2004. They only beat Oakland by more than the current spread one of these three times.
Among the best trends in this game is Houston being 4-0 after a Straight Up loss.
The Raiders are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a SU loss of more than 14 points however.
Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com
Let's watch who will be the winner...
| NFL - Regular Season 2009
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Date: October 04th
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Both of these teams suffered extreme indignity last week. The Buccaneers hosted the New York Giants and not only got shut out (24-0), but also were held to just 86 TOTAL yards, while allowing the Giants to ramble for 228 yards on the ground. The Redskins, who are listed 13th in the NFC Week 4 Power Poll, in some ways did even worse, losing to the Detroit Lions, who we all know by now had lost 19 straight games. I guess if there's some consolation, it's that the 'Skins did manage to outgain Detroit in the game.
Tampa Bay has reacted by making a change at quarterback, where Byron Leftwich was benched after he completed seven of 16 passes for 22 yards. The new quarterback isn't Josh Freeman, who was drafted in the first round this past year, but instead it's Josh Johnson, who came in for Leftwich in a mop-up role.
There are some scouts I have talked to who insist that while Freeman may not be ready to take over an NFL offense, Johnson is even more of a project. On the plus side, he offers quite a bit more mobility than Leftwich, who was a very stationary quarterback.
Johnson played FCS ball in college, and showed potential. His teammates think he can bring another dimension to the offense, and tackle Jeremy Trueblood was effusive. "People gravitate toward him and follow him. What else would you want in a quarterback? He's one of the smartest guys on the team, especially when it comes to football."
Washington's problems have been present even as they have a "veteran" at the helm in Jason Campbell. They have scored more than 20 points just once in the last eleven games, which makes it very dangerous for them to be laying more than a field goal in any game.
Campbell has completed almost 68% of his passes, but where are the points to show for it? Where was the offense at the end of the Detroit game, when Campbell really had to get them moving toward the end zone?
Campbell represents a natural failing of the West Coast offense - lots of dinking and dunking on short passes, but you still have to be a playmaker to get the ball into the end zone. That kind of offense does not force the defense to stretch itself down the field.
Charles Jay
Let's watch who will be the winner...
| NFL - Regular Season 2009
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Date: October 05th
| | Time: 00:20 (GMT) |
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Let's watch who will be the winner...
| NFL - Regular Season 2009
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Date: October 04th
| | Time: 05:00 (GMT) |
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Seattle Seahawks vs. Indianapolis Colts odds were listed at Colts -10. Indianapolis was getting over 80 percent of the action in this game.
There shouldn't be a whole lot of action on the Seahawks vs. Colts game due to the fact that odds were not posted until later in the week because of the injury questions in Seattle. When the line did open, the number was on -11.
Doug Kretz of Scouts.com explains just how serious the injury situation is in Seattle right now:
"With the injury issues the Seahawks experienced last year, the last thing they need is a repeat of that nightmare. All-Pro left tackle Walter Jones has yet to play a regular-season game, QB Matt Hasselbeck missed the Chicago game with a bruised sternum and starting linebackers Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill are nursing injuries and have missed time. Jones and Hasselbeck should return shortly and that will help but this team needs to start playing with confidence and abandon."
Seneca Wallace, starting for an injured Matt Hasselbeck last week, finished 26 for 44 for 261 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
The Colts are starting to look red hot meanwhile, scorching the Cardinals last week by a score of 31-10 on the road.
Peyton Manning threw for 379 yards and four touchdowns, the eighth time he's had 300-plus yards and four touchdowns in a game. That's tied for second most since the 1970 merger.
Dallas Clark caught a 10-yard touchdown pass, his 19th since 2007 which leads NFL tight ends.
The Colts entered the game ranked 30th in rushing at 66.0 per game but had 122, their most since Oct. 28, 2007.
"The thing is that we constantly have to make certain that we don't take it for granted," coach Jim Caldwell said of Manning's performances. "He's had some just unbelievable games. ... I think he amazes us every time he does it, but he does it so often if you don't watch yourself you can think that it's commonplace, but it certainly is not."
Seattle destroyed the Colts the last time these two teams met in 2005 a score of 28-13.
Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com
Let's watch who will be the winner...
| NFL - Regular Season 2009
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Date: October 04th
| | Time: 08:15 (GMT) |
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Let's watch who will be the winner...
