Betus Week 1 NFL Odds

Posted on 9/14/2006 2:37:31 PM
NFL Odds: Road Warriors Rule Week 1
by Marc Reichertz

The NFL season got off to an explosive start this weekend that would leave Mad Max swirling in a cloud of dust!

After the San Diego Chargers defense stymied the Oakland Raiders 27-0 in the second game of Monday Night Football’s doubleheader, 11 games had been won by teams on the road. Not since opening week in 1983 have more visiting team’s won in Week 1. And to add to insult three teams were humiliated on their home turf: Green Bay, Tampa Bay and Oakland were all shutout.

Road dogs took a big bite of the action winning six games outright, while the rest of the pack ruled the day covering the points in 11 games. What does this mean for the millions that came out on the losing end this week? What kind of adjustments can we make?

Let’s take a closer look at the road warriors who made the biggest noise in Week 1 – maybe it will shed some light on their upcoming Week 2 match-ups for anyone trying to bounce back to the win column.

NFL Odds and Lines

Falcons 20 vs. Panthers 6
Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons were out for some serious payback and respect in this one after being whipped by Carolina twice last season. Vick made it easy for Falcon fans to forget about last years drubbing by the Panthers by tossing two touchdowns. The Falcons gashed Carolina’s defense for 254 yards rushing – Warrick Dunn, possibly the league’s most underappreciated back – had 132 yards on the ground. Rookie Jerious Norwood added 66 yards in his NFL debut. On defense, John Abraham was arguably the player of the game, with two sacks and two forced fumbles in his debut for the Falcons.

Week 2 vs. Buccaneers
Atlanta hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in its second big NFC South confrontation of this young season. There won’t be a major letdown here as the Falcons look to put a hurting on quarterback Chris Simms, but Tampa will keep this one close.

Ravens 27 vs. Buccaneers 0
The headlines may be dominated by Steve McNair leading the way to victory in his first game as a Raven, but the real story here was a dominant Ravens defense. McNair’s presence has imparted an air of instant confidence and the defense unleashed a can of instant whoop-ass on the Bucs. The Ravens never let Cadillac Williams get rolling holding him to 22 yards rushing while preying on quarterback Chris Simms. Simms was intercepted three times, including a 61-yard return for a touchdown by Chris McAlister, and sacked three times. He also had three passes batted down; last season he led the league in this dubious category. Jamal Lewis grinded out 78 yards on 18 carries – a good day considering he didn’t play the last 10 games of 2005 due to a hamstring injury.

Week 2 vs. Raiders
The Ravens will build on this shutout win and carry the momentum into their home opener against the Raiders. Could the Raiders lay another egg here? It wouldn’t surprise me…

Bengals 23 vs. Chiefs 10
Any win at Arrowhead is huge for visiting teams; however odds makers knew Cincinnati had the explosive offense to keep this one close. Carson Palmer was effective going 16-19 while running back Rudi Johnson was 4 yards shy of the century mark. If there was a surprise here it was the stout Cincinnati defense holding Chiefs’ running back Larry Johnson to only 68 yards. It didn’t hurt the Bengals chances when quarterback Trent Green was knocked out of the game by a vicious hit by Robert Geathers (the hit is being reviewed by league officials). Football is a punishing sport and this was a huge road win for the Bengals to start the season.

Week 2 vs. Browns
Carson Palmer will register is first three touchdown passes against the Browns secondary. Cleveland will try to counter score-for-score with Kellen Winslow, but they just don’t have enough fire power. The Bengals should post a double-digit victory.

Saints 19 vs. Browns 14
After enduring what can only be described as a painful season in the wake of Hurricane Katrina the Saints enter 2006 with renewed hope, a new coach and 1st round pick Reggie Bush. It must have seemed like a miracle for new head coach Sean Peyton when the Texans passed on Bush and he fell from the heavens into their backfield. Against Cleveland Bush racked up 119 total yards – 61 rushing and 58 receiving –

while Deuce McAlister added 90 more on the ground. This could prove to be a lethal backfield for the Saints. The Saints defense did the rest holding the Browns to 85 yards on the ground while picking off quarterback Charlie Frye twice.

Week 2 @ Packers
It can’t get much worse for the Packers than getting shutout by their arch rivals, the Chicago Bears, at Lambeau Field. This is just bad timing for the New Orleans: Favre and the Packers will rebound in this one, so the Saints road show ends here.

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Jets 23 vs. Titans 16
After listening to the doubters and detractors shoot their mouths off endlessly about how his comeback was doomed to fail, Jets quarterback Chad Pennington stepped on to the field in Nashville and threw for 319 yards to lead all quarterbacks in Week 1! He also tossed two touchdowns. That should be enough to quiet the Nay Sayers for at least a week. Wide receiver Laveranues Coles hauled in eight catches to lead the Jets offense. The Jets defense had a solid outing led by two Andre Dyson interceptions of new Tennessee quarterback Kerry Collins. A footnote to this Jets win is that Tennessee quarterback Kerry Collins had about a week to prepare for this start after signing with the Titans right before the season started.

Week 2 vs. Patriots
The only thing that bodes well for the Jets here is that they are home. The Patriots struggled offensively against Buffalo, but Bill Belichick will press the right buttons this week.

Vikings 19 vs. Redskins 16
The Minnesota Vikings showed grit, determination and character – the good kind – when they gutted out a win on the road led by veteran quarterback Brad Johnson. Brad Childress will be overjoyed with this road win to start his tenure as head coach of the Vikings. Chester Taylor pounded the ball 31 times for 88 yards on the ground while Johnson went 16-30 with a touchdown pass to Marcus Robinson. Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell and the expensive Redskins receiving corps failed to connect for a touchdown. Running back Clinton Portis courageously donned the pads for the ‘Skins but he is still clearly recovering from a separated shoulder he suffered in preseason.

Week 2 vs. Panthers
The Vikes will host an angry Carolina Panthers team looking to impose their winning ways. If Steve Smith is healthy, it’s trouble for the Vikings secondary. This game will be close, but the Panthers eke out their first win on the road.

Marc Reicherz is a freelance columnist for BetUS and www.football.com. To email Marc Reicherz, send your comments to [email protected] .

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