NFL Betting Review: Dogs bark in Week 9
NFL Betting Review: Dogs bark in Week 9
Injuries are part of the game, and this season's rash of injuries to NFL quarterbacks is no exception to the rule. Still, some teams are finding a way to win despite having to turn to their backup signal callers, such as the Pittsburgh Steelers who put away the Washington Redskins on Monday night without Ben Roethlisberger and the Tennessee Titans who stand 8-0 with Kerry Collins at the helm.
Do we really even need a quarterback anymore?
That’s what they’re asking in Pittsburgh after the Steelers beat up on the Washington Redskins 23-6 Monday night, cashing in as 1-point road dogs. Big Ben Roethlisberger injured his right shoulder and didn’t play the second half; Byron Leftwich came in and went 7-for-10 for 129 yards and a touchdown.
But the Steel Curtain defense, as usual, was the star of the show. Washington QB Jason Campbell was sacked seven times and threw two interceptions – his first two of the season.
The Steelers win lifted the road dogs to 4-5 SU and 7-2 ATS during the latest week of NFL matchups, a major turnaround from 39-42-2 ATS on the season up to that point. Confounding handicappers even more, the Under went 7-5 after starting the year at 52-60 against the betting odds. What’s next? The Cincinnati Bengals winning a game? Wait, that already happened – Ryan Fitzpatrick posted an 88.4 passer rating in a 21-19 win over Jacksonville (-7 on the road).
It seems any warm body will do at quarterback – provided it doesn’t fumble or throw the ball to the other team. The Steelers had the No. 24-rated offense in the league going into Monday night’s game, yet they’re now 6-2 SU and 4-4 ATS. Pittsburgh’s running backs have already proved interchangeable. Now it’s the QB’s turn.
Leftwich can still be a game manager – he’s thrown an interception on only 2.7 percent of his career throws compared to 3.8 percent for Roethlisberger. It’s uncertain when Big Ben will play next, but all Leftwich needs to do to keep Pittsburgh rolling is manage, just like Kerry Collins, Joe Flacco and Gus Frerotte are doing for their defense-first teams.
Flacco and Frerotte both found themselves in the win column Sunday. The Ravens (+1) were pick-free against the Cleveland Browns and ran the ball 41 times without a fumble in a 37-27 road victory. Frerotte threw one interception for the Minnesota Vikings (-6½), but also had three TD passes while the Vikes carried the ball 35 times – again with no fumbles – in a 28-21 win over the visiting Houston Texans. Houston lost the game and QB Matt Schaub for up to a month with a torn MCL in his left knee.
Collins also came up a winner Sunday, although his Titans dropped the cash for the first time this season in a 19-16 overtime final over Green Bay (+3½). Tennessee had all the ingredients: no picks, no fumbles, 36 carries, four sacks. But Packers WR Donald Driver was open all day, catching seven Aaron Rodgers passes for 136 yards and a TD. If only Rodgers hadn’t lost that fumble…
There’s more quarterback chaos where that came from. The Detroit Lions are still winless at 0-8 SU, although they picked up their third cover in four games with a 27-23 loss at Chicago (-12½). The Bears lost Kyle Orton (90.8 passer rating this year) for a month to a sprained right ankle; Rex Grossman (70.5 career rating) engineered the comeback win despite going 9-for-19 for 58 yards with a TD and an INT. That might beat Detroit, but it normally won’t beat an actual NFL-quality football team.
The Lions, meanwhile, have signed the formerly retired Daunte Culpepper to a two-year deal. Culpepper has a chance right away to replace Dan Orlovsky (76.7 rating), who sprained his thumb against Chicago and will reportedly be in a cast for the next two weeks. Orlovsky threw two picks against the Bears in his fourth career start.
And to muddy the QB waters even further, Cleveland is making the switch to Brady Quinn even though Derek Anderson (six TDs, one INT) has been very good over the past four weeks. Anderson wasn’t even the starter when the 2007 season began, but he made the Pro Bowl anyway, and he did it despite throwing 19 interceptions last year. It was a good job while it lasted.
Injuries are part of the game, and this season's rash of injuries to NFL quarterbacks is no exception to the rule. Still, some teams are finding a way to win despite having to turn to their backup signal callers, such as the Pittsburgh Steelers who put away the Washington Redskins on Monday night without Ben Roethlisberger and the Tennessee Titans who stand 8-0 with Kerry Collins at the helm.
Do we really even need a quarterback anymore?
That’s what they’re asking in Pittsburgh after the Steelers beat up on the Washington Redskins 23-6 Monday night, cashing in as 1-point road dogs. Big Ben Roethlisberger injured his right shoulder and didn’t play the second half; Byron Leftwich came in and went 7-for-10 for 129 yards and a touchdown.
But the Steel Curtain defense, as usual, was the star of the show. Washington QB Jason Campbell was sacked seven times and threw two interceptions – his first two of the season.
The Steelers win lifted the road dogs to 4-5 SU and 7-2 ATS during the latest week of NFL matchups, a major turnaround from 39-42-2 ATS on the season up to that point. Confounding handicappers even more, the Under went 7-5 after starting the year at 52-60 against the betting odds. What’s next? The Cincinnati Bengals winning a game? Wait, that already happened – Ryan Fitzpatrick posted an 88.4 passer rating in a 21-19 win over Jacksonville (-7 on the road).
It seems any warm body will do at quarterback – provided it doesn’t fumble or throw the ball to the other team. The Steelers had the No. 24-rated offense in the league going into Monday night’s game, yet they’re now 6-2 SU and 4-4 ATS. Pittsburgh’s running backs have already proved interchangeable. Now it’s the QB’s turn.
Leftwich can still be a game manager – he’s thrown an interception on only 2.7 percent of his career throws compared to 3.8 percent for Roethlisberger. It’s uncertain when Big Ben will play next, but all Leftwich needs to do to keep Pittsburgh rolling is manage, just like Kerry Collins, Joe Flacco and Gus Frerotte are doing for their defense-first teams.
Flacco and Frerotte both found themselves in the win column Sunday. The Ravens (+1) were pick-free against the Cleveland Browns and ran the ball 41 times without a fumble in a 37-27 road victory. Frerotte threw one interception for the Minnesota Vikings (-6½), but also had three TD passes while the Vikes carried the ball 35 times – again with no fumbles – in a 28-21 win over the visiting Houston Texans. Houston lost the game and QB Matt Schaub for up to a month with a torn MCL in his left knee.
Collins also came up a winner Sunday, although his Titans dropped the cash for the first time this season in a 19-16 overtime final over Green Bay (+3½). Tennessee had all the ingredients: no picks, no fumbles, 36 carries, four sacks. But Packers WR Donald Driver was open all day, catching seven Aaron Rodgers passes for 136 yards and a TD. If only Rodgers hadn’t lost that fumble…
There’s more quarterback chaos where that came from. The Detroit Lions are still winless at 0-8 SU, although they picked up their third cover in four games with a 27-23 loss at Chicago (-12½). The Bears lost Kyle Orton (90.8 passer rating this year) for a month to a sprained right ankle; Rex Grossman (70.5 career rating) engineered the comeback win despite going 9-for-19 for 58 yards with a TD and an INT. That might beat Detroit, but it normally won’t beat an actual NFL-quality football team.
The Lions, meanwhile, have signed the formerly retired Daunte Culpepper to a two-year deal. Culpepper has a chance right away to replace Dan Orlovsky (76.7 rating), who sprained his thumb against Chicago and will reportedly be in a cast for the next two weeks. Orlovsky threw two picks against the Bears in his fourth career start.
And to muddy the QB waters even further, Cleveland is making the switch to Brady Quinn even though Derek Anderson (six TDs, one INT) has been very good over the past four weeks. Anderson wasn’t even the starter when the 2007 season began, but he made the Pro Bowl anyway, and he did it despite throwing 19 interceptions last year. It was a good job while it lasted.