NFL Week 3 Handicapper Report

[Jeff Grant]

New York Giants vs. Carolina Panthers

-Eli Manning threw for 510 yards and three touchdowns
-Giants won the statistical battle by a 604-307 margin
-Rushed for 94 yards, Bucs has limited the Panthers to 10 in Week 1
-Lost three important offensive players in the first half

-Newton threw for 253 and ran for a career-high 71 yards
-First win over New Orleans since 2009
-Lost the statistical battle by a 486-463 margin, won the turnover battled 2-1
-Ran 23 option rushing plays for 145 yards

St. Louis Rams vs. Chicago Bears

-Bradford threw for 310 yards and three TDs
-RB Steven Jackson sat out most of the last three quarters due to a groin injury, but some speculate that it was a disciplinary measure

-WR Brandon Marshall had two catches for 24 yards
-Forte exited with an ankle injury, 31 rushing yards, 49 receiving

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys

-Lost the statistical battle by a 604-307 margin
-Led 24-13 at the half

-Ran just 19 plays compared to 38 on the other side in the second half
-112 total yards in the first quarter, 184 over the final three

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Washington Redskins

-Dalton tied a career high with three TD passes
-Bengals were out-gained by a 439-375 margin, each lost a turnover
-Won 13 of past 16 against the Browns
-Had their best linebacker out, also had their best pass rusher out, both are close and could return

-Lost the statistical battle by a 452-373 margin, plus-two in turnover margin
-Penalized 11 times for 96 yards

New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins

-Lost the statistical battle 331-219 and turnover battle (0-1)
-Sanchez completed 10-of-27 passes for 138 yards and a TD
-Greene left in the second quarter with a head injury, returned at halftime
-Allowed Roethlisberger a 125.1 passer rating, highest given up by Ryan as head coach
-Ryan is now 2-10 when going against the Steelers

-Bush ran for 172 yards and two TDs, won the rushing battled 259-23
-Won the statistical battle (452-396) and turnover (1-0)
-Largest margin of victory in their series with the Raiders
-Bush has five 100-yard games in his last six
-Haven’t allowed a rusher go over 100 yards in 16 consecutive games

Kansas City Chiefs vs. New Orleans Saints

-Allowed five sacks
-Won the statistical battle (422-379), lost the turnover battle (0-3)
-Chiefs are 7-19 in the first two weeks since 2000, tied with the Browns for the worst such record
-Two running backs combined for just 69 yards
-Allowed just 178 passing yards

-Won the statistical battle (486-463), lost the turnover (1-2)
-Allowed 219 yards on the ground
-Allowed 922 yards and 75 points in the first two games
-Played two unconventional offenses (Griffin and Newton)
-Brees has completed just 18 of 36 passes of 10 yards or more, 58.6 percent last year

Buffalo Bills vs. Cleveland Browns

-Spiller scored twice and gained 123 rushing yards
-Lost the statistical battle (379-422), won the turnover battle (3-0)
-Beaten the Chiefs eight out of nine times

-Gone 7-19 first two weeks of the season since 2000
-Weeden threw for 322 yards, Richardson 109 on the ground
-D’Qwell Jackson had three sacks, second INT

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Arizona Cardinals

-Opened up 2-0 for the first time since 2004
-Won the statistical battle (486-325), lost the turnover battled (2-4)
-Three turnovers in the red zone in the first half, lost two starting offensive linemen in the second
-McCoy had lost one fumble in previous 28 games, lost his second on his 36th touch this season
-Vick connected on all seven of his play-action passes for 150 yards
-First team since 1983 to win its first two games with at least four turnovers in each

-Lost the statistical battle (245-387), lost the turnover battled (1-2)
-Won nine of their last 11 games
-Ended a five-game losing streak to the Patriots
-22 of Kolb’s 27 pass attempts traveled 10 or fewer yards

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Oakland Raiders

-Roethlisberger threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns in his second game in Haley’s system
-Won the statistical battled (331-219), won the turnover battle (1-0)
-Won 10 straight home openers
-Roethlisberger’s 125.1 passer rating was the highest given up by Ryan with the Jets
-Allowed two scoring drives to start, nothing afterwards

-Lost the statistical battle (396-452), lost the turnover battle (0-1)
-Palmer threw for 373 yards, McFadden held to 22 rushing and 19 receiving

New England Patriots vs. Baltimore Ravens

-Won the statistical battle (387-245), won the turnover battle (2-1)
-TE Aaron Hernandez hurt his right ankle in the first quarter
-Used two TEs in just 20 of 77 offensive plays, all of 66 plays in Week 1

-Lost the statistical battle (325-486), won the turnover battled (4-2)
-Rookie kicker made FGs of 56, 51 and 48
-Flacco was 22 of 42 for 232 yards, TD and INT
-Tallied only two sacks against a make-shift OL
-Flacco was just 1 of 7 with pass attempts of 15 yards or longer

Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks

-Won the statistical battle (321-168), won the turnover battle (4-2)
-Tallied seven sacks, 3.5 by Clay Matthews
-Rodgers 22 of 32 for 219 yards, TD and INT
-Greg Jennings was inactive with a groin injury
-Ran 66 plays, with all but six of them coming with a true RB on the field

-Won the statistical battle (315-296), Won the turnover battle (2-0)
-Lynch ran for 122 yards on 26 carries
-Five rookie QBs went 3-2 in Week 2 (1-4 in opening week), threw for seven TDs and just one INT
-Russell Okung didn’t play at OT, still held Ware without a sack, just one tackle for loss
-Won four consecutive home openers, nine of past 10

Read my early Week 3 NFL preview on the Bleacher Report

[Jeff Grant]

The Dallas Cowboys have split their first two games of the 2012 NFL regular season, with the victory coming against the New York Giants as 3.5-point road underdogs on Sept. 5.

From a betting perspective, the result wasn't very surprising considering the underdog is on a 20-4-1 against-the-spread run in games involving America's Team.

It's important to note that the favorite in this series has covered the last five meetings.
Use caution when backing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as eight-point road underdogs inside Cowboys Stadium.



The Pittsburgh Steelers are favored to potentially win their first road game of the 2012 campaign, but that doesn't mean they deserve getting backed by your cash.

In the franchise's last nine games, the home team has covered the spread in eight of those contests, including both games this year.

The Oakland Raiders aren't going to attract much action at the betting window, but the underdog is 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings in this series.



The Washington Redskins announced some key season-ending injuries earlier this week, but that doesn't mean that you should automatically fade them against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Favorites are enjoying a nice 9-4-1 ATS run in games involving the Bengals, but the Redskins haven't covered a number as a favorite since Oct. 2 of last year.

Something tells me this trend is in trouble this week, especially when you find out that Washington is 0-7-1 ATS as home favorites when taking on AFC opponents.



The Cleveland Browns haven't enjoyed much success record-wise under second-year head coach Pat Shurmur, but he certainly delivers for NFL handicappers in certain situations.

Don't write off this team after opening up the 2012 campaign with back-to-back losses, as Shurmur has covered all four games in his brief career when landing in this type of spot as an underdog.

I'm not interested in laying three points with the Buffalo Bills in this contest, especially when you consider they've lost eight straight road games in straight-up fashion.



The New Orleans Saints have been one of the NFL's biggest disappointments through two weeks of the season, which isn't very surprising due to head coach Sean Payton being suspended for the entire 2012 campaign.

If you believe that quarterback Drew Brees will place this team on his shoulders Sunday, then I highly recommend laying the eight points in this spot.

In their last 21 wins as single-digit favorites inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the Saints have covered the spread in each of those contests.

This against-the-spread situation strengthens when finding out that the Chiefs have lost 23 of their last 26 games in straight-up fashion as road underdogs of 7.5 to 14 points.

Potential blowout in the Big Easy.

[Jeff Grant]

[Jeff Grant]

I'll be editing in some stats this morning:

-Atlanta Falcons are 5-0 when traveling West since 2008, outscoring opponents by a 155-72 margin
-Denver Broncos have the NFL's best record in the first month of the season since 1996 (41-19), followed by the Green Bay Packers (39-21)
-The Broncos are 36-8 at home in the month of September since 1989
-New England Patriots are 6-0 SU against the Baltimore Ravens in the regular season
-The Patriots are 27-3 in regular season games following a loss since 2003
-Baltimore Ravens have won 13-straight games immediately following a loss, the longest such streak in the NFL

[Jeff Grant]

Vikings to strike first against the 49ers

The Minnesota Vikings are receiving a lofty number in the NFL betting odds this week, as they get ready to take on the San Francisco 49ers, but they have a great opportunity to strike first in this NFC contest.

In three games as a home underdog last year, the Vikings managed to hit the scoreboard first while the 49ers allowed their two opponents to score first in 2011 when opening up a two-game road trip.

NFL handicappers are going to have a hard time playing against one of the best teams in football, but I believe this is one of the best Week 3 proposition bets in the entire market. It’s always nice to pad your bankroll in the early going.

NFL Week 3 Prop Bet: Minnesota Vikings to score first (+140)