NFL Betting Info. Week 7

[TheGame]

NFL betting: Three cold teams to avoid in Week 7

Whether it's a spate of injuries, a stretch of inconsistency or a little bit of both, several teams face daunting tasks in Week 7 of the NFL season. Bettors should be wary of putting their faith in these clubs, at least while they remain cold.

Here are three teams to avoid in Week 7:

Buffalo Bills (2-4, at Miami)

The Bills dropped a 27-24 overtime decision to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday despite erasing a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit. Buffalo could be 5-1 at this point - having lost three of four games by fewer than seven points - yet could just as easily be 0-6 following a one-point win over Carolina and a three-point triumph over Baltimore. Adding journeyman Matt Flynn to the quarterback mess isn't going to help a team that ranks 28th in average passing yards per game, squandering what has been a robust rush attack (148.8 ypg).

Houston Texans (2-4, at Kansas City)

Things have gone from very bad to much, much worse for the Texans, who were manhandled from start to finish in a one-sided loss to the St. Louis Rams. Despite strong showings from pre-injury Matt Schaub and a rejuvenated Arian Foster, Houston had all sorts of problems containing all facets of the St. Louis offense. The Texans also surrendered an interception-return touchdown for the fifth straight week, which certainly didn't help matters - nor will a Week 7 matchup with a Chiefs team that has yet to lose while boasting a plus-87 point differential.

New York Jets (3-3, vs. New England)

The Geno Smith honeymoon may be over after the rookie quarterback struggled throughout Sunday's 19-6 loss to the previously winless Pittsburgh Steelers. Smith finished with just 201 passing yards while throwing a pair of interceptions in the Jets' second terrible showing in a three-week span. The defense will keep this team in most games, but the Smith-led offense has managed just 29 points in its three losses - and will be in tough next Sunday against a Patriots team that has allowed just six passing touchdowns through six games.

[TheGame]

NFL Gambling Preview: Baltimore at Pittsburgh
By Otto Sports
Sportsmemo.com


Baltimore at Pittsburgh
Sunday, 1:25 pm PT - CBS
CRIS Opener: Pittsburgh -2.5 O/U 40.5
CRIS Current: Pittsburgh -2.5 O/U 40.5
Rob Veno's Power Rating: Baltimore -0.5
Marty Otto's Recommendation: Use Baltimore +8.5 at part of a 2-team, 6-point teaser


These AFC North rivals must be disappointed with the way they’ve started their seasons. The Ravens came into 2013 fresh off a Super Bowl victory having signed Joe Flacco to a monster deal while shuffling up plenty of faces both on offense and defense. For the Steelers there was guarded optimism that with a little luck in the health department their 8-8 season from 2012 could be improved upon to get back into the playoffs in 2013. So far it hasn’t all gone to plan for either side.


The Steelers used their bye week to good effect putting together a game plan and executing at a high level. The defense held the Jets to just six points and forced a couple of turnovers. Ben Roethlisberger completed 23 of his 30 pass attempts and avoided throwing an interception for the first time all year. Whether they can continue to perform like that moving forward is up for debate. I think one could argue that last week’s win was more about the perfect spot – Steelers off a bye, Jets in letdown mode after a big Monday Night Football upset and short week – than anything else. This is still a team with a shoddy offensive line that is unable to run the ball making them predictably one dimensional. This is still a team that is overpriced in the market right now, a team that lost all four of their games prior to last week by at least a touchdown and hadn’t covered a spread.


It hasn’t been a whole lot prettier for the Ravens. Joe Flacco doesn’t have any semblance of a run game to help him out right now with both Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce averaging less than 3.0 yards per carry. Flacco lost security blanket Anquan Boldin and his two best tight ends essentially leaving Torey Smith as his only legitimate NFL weapon. Tandon Doss and Marlon Brown have both shown flickers of talent at receiver so perhaps there is hope moving forward but at the moment this team really looks like a one trick pony. The good news is Baltimore’s defense really hasn’t played all that poorly since their opening week beatdown from Denver. In fact, this team just held a pretty darn good Green Bay offense to just 19 points.


I’m not extremely high on either one of these teams but I did bet on the Ravens last week as a home underdog and escaped (luckily) with a victory. At this point I would actually make Baltimore a small favorite in this game and they’re a team who I think, as a whole, has more upside right now. Still it would be a tough bet to get to the window in this game. One potentially solid option to consider would be to throw the Ravens in a teaser with a team like Kansas City.

[TheGame]

NFL Week 7


Patriots (5-1) @ Jets (3-3) — Rex Ryan is 3-6 vs Belichick, but 0-4 since Jets won ’10 playoff game, with three of those four losses by 9+ points. Patriots won 37-16/49-19 in last two visits here; they’re not same juggernaut they once were, with last three games all came down to red zone drive in last minute. Only once in six games have Patriots averaged more than 5.2 yards/pass attempt- LY, they had only one game all year under 5.5 ypa. Just one of five NE wins is by more than seven points, but since ’04, they’re 16-5-2 as a divisional road favorite. Jets are 4-3 as home dogs under Ryan; they’re -10 in turnovers (no takeaways) in their three losses, -1 (three takeaways) in three wins- they’re 2-1 at home this season, losing to Steelers last week. Divisional home underdogs are 5-2 vs spread this season. Average total in last six series games is 54. Four of six NE games stayed under the total; three of last four Jet games went over.


Chargers (3-3) @ Jaguars (0-6) — Huge trap game for San Diego, with cross-country flight on short week after upset win on Monday Night Football; this is their 4th road game in last six weeks and a pre-bye game (2-3 in pre-bye games last five years)- they’re 7-13 vs spread in last 20 games as a road favorite, 0-1 this year, and 1-7-1 vs spread in game following their last nine wins. Chargers are 1-2 on road, with only win by FG at Philly- they didn’t lead any of the three games at half (outscored 37-20). Jaguars are so bad they lost by 16 last week at Denver but easily covered spread; they’re 1-5 vs spread, 0-2 at home, outscored 65-5 in home losses to Chiefs (28-2), Colts (37-3) (no TDs/25 drives at home, 13 3/outs). AFC West non-divisional favorites are 7-3 vs spread, 3-1 on road; AFC South non-divisional underdogs are 5-7 vs spread, 1-3 at home. Three of last four Jax games went over total; over is 3-2-1 in San Diego games.


Texans (2-4) @ Chiefs (6-0) — Underrated KC defense has allowed 10 ppg in three home games (three TDs on 37 drives). Unsure who Texans’ QB will be; doubt it’ll be Schaub (ankle/leg) but Houston is a mess no matter who QB is- they’ve thrown pick-6 in last five games (Yates did last week) and have been outscored 67-10 in second half of last four games, all losses. 6-0 Chiefs have three defensive TDs, two on special teams in first six games; they’re 2-1 as home favorite this year, making them 5-14-1 in last 20 such games. AFC West non-divisional favorites are 7-3 vs spread, 4-2 at home. AFC South non-divisional dogs are 5-8 vs spread, 4-4 on road. Non-divisional home favorites of 4+ points are 14-9 vs spread. Texans are 3-2 in this series, winning 24-21 in only visit here in ’04, but they’re mess now and wouldn’t be surprised if coaching change was made Monday, since Houston has Week 8 bye. Five of six KC games stayed under total.


Bengals (4-2) @ Lions (4-2) — Cincinnati lost Super Bowl XVI (Jan ’82) in Silverdome, but otherwise is 4-1 in Motor City, winning last three visits here by 6-4-24 points; they’ve won four in row and seven of last eight series games, with average total in last four, 48.5. Detroit scored 34-40 points in winning both home games, scoring seven TDs on 26 drives, with eight takeaways (+3) in two games (they’ve got five takeaways (+2) in four road games)- they’re 10-6 vs spread in last 16 games as a home favorite. Cincy is 1-2 on road, with only win OT escape in Buffalo vs backup QB making his 2nd career start; they’re 5-2-1 in last eight games as a road underdog, 17-8 vs spread in game following their last 25 wins. AFC North non-divisional underdogs are 5-3-1 vs spread, 2-1-1 on road. NFC North non-divisional favorites are 3-7-1 vs spread, 1-4-1 at home. AFC teams are 19-13 SU vs NFC teams so far this season.


Bills (2-4) @ Dolphins (3-2) — Not sure which banged-up Buffalo QB gets nod here; they signed Matt Flynn as a backup Monday. Miami is 7-3 in last 10 series games, with six of seven wins by 7+ points. Buffalo lost four of last five visits here, with losses by 9-28-27-14 points. Bills are 4-12-1 in last 17 games as road underdogs, 0-2 this year, losing 27-20 (+2.5) at Jets, 37-24 (+4.5) at Browns, only two games they’ve had with minus turnover ratios (-1 in both; +5 in four home games). For team with young QBs, Bills stay strong, scoring 14+ second half points in second half four of last five games. Well-coached Miami won Philbin’s first post-bye game 30-9 LY, are 3-2 in last five; Dolphins split first two home games, which were decided by total of 7 points, but are dismal 7-18 in last 25 games as a home favorite (3-3 under Philbin). NFL-wide, divisional home favorites are 13-5 vs spread so far this season. Last four Miami games, four of last five Buffalo games went over the total.

[TheGame]

2-Minute Handicap
Playbook.com


Thursday, October 17


Seattle Series: 5-1 L6H…. 1-4 SU Thursdays
ARIZONA 9-1 w/div rev after allow 30 > pt vs div opp… 0-5 SUATS Thursdays

Sunday, October 20


New England Series: 4-1 L5 / 12-2 L14A … 5-11 Game Seven
NY JETS 5-0 H off DD SU loss vs. non-div conf opp… 4-0-1 HD Game Seven

San Diego 0-3 SUATS L3 non-div favs… 1-3 L4 ATS post Monday
JACKSONVILLE 5-0 after allow 35 > pts… 7-3 off BB SU DD losses … 7-1-1 O/U vs AFC West

Houston 9-2 as dogs off non-conf game…. 2-4 vs AFC West
KANSAS CITY 1-6 Game Seven vs < .500 non div opp… 2-6 as favs off BB SU wins

Cincinnati Series: 4-0 L4A… 2-7 SUATS Game Seven
DETROIT 5-1 vs AFC N off win… 4-8 SUATS Game Seven vs opp off win

Buffalo 10-0 as RD’s 3 > pts vs opp off BB SU losses… 1-6 in 1st of BB RG’s
MIAMI Series: 4-1 L5 … 1-4 div fav w/rest… 4-9 div HF’s

Chicago SERIES: 2-8 L10… 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS vs NFC E
WASHINGTON 6-1-2 after Dallas… 1-5 SUATS vs NFC N

Dallas 0-4 after Washington… 2-8 vs div opp Game 7 <
PHILADELPHIA SERIES: 4-1 L5… 0-10 H vs div off non-div RG… 0-5 before Giants

St Louis SERIES: 1-4 L5… 7-1 off SU win as dog +6 > pts
CAROLINA 7-1 SU and 6-2 ATS H vs NFC w off win… 1-6 as non-div conf favs 4 > pts

Tampa Bay SERIES: 5-1 L6A… 2-8 vs .333 < opp
ATLANTA 11-1 as div fav off SU loss Games 5-8… 6-1 as favs in 2nd of BB HG’s

San Francisco 1-8 A off SU win vs opp off BB SU losses… 3-9 as non-con favs 3 > pts
TENNESSEE SERIES: 6-1 L7… 8-0 as non-conf dogs < 5 pts off SU loss

Cleveland 5-0 w/rev Game Seven… 3-1 A off loss vs NFC N
GREEN BAY 10-2 before Vikings… 1-3 SUATS H all-time vs AFC N

Baltimore SERIES: 5-1-2 L8A… 4-0 O/U before Bye Week
PITTSBURGH 0-5 H Off DD ATS win… 1-5 after Jets

Baltimore SERIES: 5-1-2 L8A… 4-0 O/U before Bye Week
PITTSBURGH 0-6 H off DD ATS win… 1-5 after Jets

Denver SERIES: 0-4 SUATS L4… 1-5 as favs vs AFC S
INDIANAPOLIS 7-1 as dogs > 5 pts vs > .500 opp Games 5-8… 13-2 as dogs 8 < pts vs opp off SU win 14 > pts

Monday, October 21


Minnesota Series: 3-0 L3 A… 4-0 A vs .333 < conf opp in Game 9 <
NEW YORK GIANTS 5-1 as Mon favs < 8 pts… 0-6 off BB ATS losses vs opp off SU fav loss … 1-4 L5 after Thursday games

ABBREVIATIONS LEGEND: For the most part, results are presented in this order: Series, Good Results, Bad Results, Over/Under Totals and Coaches Results. All team and coaches results are Against The Spread and pertain to preseason - unless noted otherwise. (NOTE: * = Check earlier result this season for similar situation and/or line in this game). ATS = Against The Spread, SU = Straight Up, A = Away, H = Home, Dog = Underdog, Fav = Favorite, L = Last, N = Neutral. OVER/UNDER results in Over (first) / Under (second) sequence. Site Numbers (Home One, Home Two; Away One, Away Two) designate 1st or 2nd home or road games of preseason. Dual team or coaches results - Straight-Up and Against The Spread - are separated with a ' / '. Asterisk * = check team previous game for possible similar result.

[TheGame]

New England at New York Jets
New England: 7-3 OVER as a road favorite of 3.5 to 7 points
NY Jets: 16-4 ATS in home games off a home loss


San Diego at Jacksonville
San Diego: 22-3 ATS against AFC South division opponents
Jacksonville: 1-8 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points


Houston at Kansas City
Houston: 0-6 ATS in all games
Kansas City: 14-5 UNDER in home games


Cincinnati at Detroit
Cincinnati: 6-0 UNDER off a road win
Detroit: 0-6 ATS after a win by 10 or more points


Buffalo at Miami
Buffalo: 3-11 ATS after playing a game at home
Miami: 9-1 UNDER after 2 or more consecutive losses


Chicago at Washington
Chicago: 26-12 UNDER in road games after 2 or more consecutive ATS losses
Washington: 35-59 ATS as a home favorite


Dallas at Philadelphia
Dallas: 8-18 ATS against conference opponents
Philadelphia: 153-116 ATS against conference opponents


St Louis at Carolina
St Louis: 8-21 ATS as a road underdog of 3.5 to 7 points
Carolina: 51-31 ATS after allowing 14 points or less last gam


Tampa Bay at Atlanta
Tampa Bay: 19-4 ATS after gaining 99 or less rushing yards in 3 straight games
Atlanta: 15-32 ATS in home games after playing a game at home


San Francisco at Tennessee
San Francisco: 19-35 ATS in a road game where the total is between 38.5 and 42 points
Tennessee: 40-20 ATS in non-conference games


Cleveland at Green Bay
Cleveland: 1-5 ATS after allowing 30 points or more last game
Green Bay: 15-5 ATS in home games


Baltimore at Pittsburgh
Baltimore: 19-8 UNDER in road games after gaining 75 or less rushing yards
Pittsburgh: 12-3 UNDER as a home favorite


Denver at Indianapolis
Denver: 1-10 ATS after scoring 25 points or more in 5 straight games
Indianapolis: 9-2 ATS after having won 2 out of their last 3 games


Minnesota at New York Giants
Minnesota: 5-1 ATS off an upset loss as a favorite
NY Giants: 1-5 ATS in all games

[TheGame]

CHICAGO vs. WASHINGTON
Chicago is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chicago's last 9 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington is 7-17 SU in its last 24 games at home
Washington is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Chicago


NEW ENGLAND vs. NY JETS
New England is 15-6-2 ATS in its last 23 games on the road
New England is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
NY Jets are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of the NY Jets last 8 games when playing at home against New England


DALLAS vs. PHILADELPHIA
Dallas is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Dallas's last 13 games on the road
Philadelphia is 4-14 SU in its last 18 games
Philadelphia is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Dallas


ST. LOUIS vs. CAROLINA
St. Louis is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing on the road against Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Carolina's last 5 games when playing St. Louis
Carolina is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games


SAN DIEGO vs. JACKSONVILLE
San Diego is 4-1-1 ATS in its last 6 games
San Diego is 4-1-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Jacksonville is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games
Jacksonville is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games


TAMPA BAY vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 8-3-1 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Atlanta
Atlanta is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Atlanta's last 10 games when playing Tampa Bay


CINCINNATI vs. DETROIT
Cincinnati is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Cincinnati is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 6 games at home
Detroit is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games


BUFFALO vs. MIAMI
Buffalo is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Buffalo is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Miami is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing Buffalo
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 6 games when playing Buffalo


SAN FRANCISCO vs. TENNESSEE
San Francisco is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Tennessee
San Francisco is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing Tennessee
Tennessee is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing San Francisco
Tennessee is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home


HOUSTON vs. KANSAS CITY
Houston is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston's last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Kansas City's last 7 games at home
Kansas City is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games


CLEVELAND vs. GREEN BAY
Cleveland is 2-15 SU in its last 17 games on the road
Cleveland is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Green Bay's last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 17 of Green Bay's last 25 games at home


BALTIMORE vs. PITTSBURGH
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Baltimore's last 6 games on the road
Baltimore is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Pittsburgh's last 13 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Pittsburgh's last 14 games when playing at home against Baltimore


DENVER vs. INDIANAPOLIS
Denver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Denver's last 9 games on the road
Indianapolis is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Denver
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Indianapolis's last 13 games at home


MINNESOTA vs. NY GIANTS
Minnesota is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Minnesota is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games on the road
NY Giants are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota
NY Giants are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota

[TheGame]

NFL Betting News and Notes - Week 6
By Ian Cameron
Sportsmemo.com


The Houston Texans Stand Alone


There are no more undefeated ATS teams in the NFL after Week 6 and there is only one team that is still winless – the Houston Texans who were ambushed at home by the St. Louis Rams in a 38-13 loss. The New York Giants, Jacksonville and Pittsburgh all snapped their winless ATS starts but Houston now stands alone as the only team in the league to not cash a ticket for their betting supporters this season. There was reason to be concerned prior to Sunday’s game but now it’s safe to say the Texans are in full on crisis mode. Matt Schaub has lost his confidence and his problems are no longer physical, but mental. He has an awful 8-9 TD-INT ratio and now is prone to making mistakes and bad decisions with the football. The offense has sputtered in the red zone all season long with the Texans converting red zone opportunities into TDs just 47.3% of the time.

The Houston defense hasn’t been as stout as they’ve been in the past yielding 29.5 points per game but they are still ranked 1st in the league in total yards and passing yards allowed which tells you that a lack of ball security has led to tons of cheap points for the opposition. Schaub suffered an ankle injury late in the game and had to be replaced by T.J. Yates when the Texans were already too far behind and the crowd was mockingly cheering Schaub’s injury. It’s an ugly scene right now in Houston and now they will have to attempt to snap their ATS losing streak this week against the 6-0 SU, 5-1 ATS Kansas City Chiefs. That is not going to be an easy task for a Texans team clearly spiraling downward at a rapid pace.


Total Perfection


There are only two teams left in the NFL that have been perfect either Over or Under from a totals perspective. Minnesota is 5-0 to the Over and Denver is 6-0 to the Over this season following the events of Week 6. Minnesota needed a late minute TD score late by Matt Cassel to get their game against Carolina Over the total of 44. The game ended 35-10 in favor of the Carolina Panthers but cashed Over tickets for everyone. Minnesota didn’t play well offensively in this game with only 290 total yards. The only TD came in garbage time in the final minute of a game. Carolina had a strong offensive showing totaling nearly 400 yards of offense against a Vikings defense that continues to struggle against both the run and the pass. Minnesota is 30th in points allowed (31.6 per game), 31st in total yards allowed (419.6 per game), and the defense showed no resistance at all once Carolina got the football inside the 20-yard line.


The Panthers were a perfect 4-for-4 in the red zone scoring TDs on every trip. This was a fortunate outcome for Over bettors as Carolina contributed to most of the offensive production in a game where Cassel threw 2 INTs and Adrian Peterson who was playing with a heavy heart following the tragic death of his son was held to just 62 yards rushing. Minnesota’s defense has struggled so much they may be able to find their way to another Over when they face the NY Giants on MNF. The G-Men are having just as many problems on the defensive side of the football.


It wasn’t easy but the Denver Broncos managed to extend their streak of Overs to a perfect 6-0 in their 35-19 win against Jacksonville – it would have cashed Over bets for most people unless you bet the closing number of 54. Talking heads will make a big deal about Jacksonville holding Denver to their lowest point total of the season but this was an obvious flat spot coming for the Broncos. Denver had just played a wild, back and forth barnburner of a shootout against Dallas the week prior and this game was sandwiched in between that win and Peyton Manning’s return to Indianapolis to face his former team. Denver’s offense wasn’t held to their lowest output necessarily by Jacksonville’s defense as much as they were held to it by circumstance and a tricky scheduling spot. The total is sitting at 55.5 for Sunday night’s showdown between Denver and Indianapolis.


The Colts defense suffered a couple injuries in their Monday night loss against the Chargers namely Jerrell Freeman who sustained a concussion and left the game. He is questionable for Sunday and the Colts are already thin at LB. Freeman had played very well at that position since becoming a regular fixture as a starter. We saw San Diego exploit that thin Indianapolis LB corps with Danny Woodhead having a big game executing crossing routes across the middle of the field. Wes Welker immediately comes to mind as someone that could be able to also have success running similar pass routes against an ailing Colts defense. Denver’s offense isn’t going to have many instances where they get shutdown. They are not 6-0 to the Over by accident.


This offense is explosive and can put up points in a hurry with their fast paced, no-huddle attack. It’s also worth noting their punt and kickoff return game is very strong. Trindon Holliday is a special teams TD waiting to happen every week. The Over streak may end eventually but I’m in no rush to bet the Denver Broncos Under the total anytime soon.

[TheGame]

Thursday Night Football Betting: Seahawks at Cardinals
By Covers.com

Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals (+6.5, 40)

Much has been made of disparity in play by the Seattle Seahawks when they are at home versus on the road, and it can be best exemplified by their two matchups with the Arizona Cardinals last season. The Seahawks lost by four points at Arizona in the 2012 season opener, only to get revenge by mauling the Cardinals 58-0 at home three months later. Seattle is sitting atop the NFC West with a 5-1 record heading into a Thursday night showdown at division rival Arizona.

The Seahawks have won two of three away from home but the victory margin in the two victories came by a combined eight points. The Cardinals, meanwhile, have a short week to prepare for the back end of a brutal division daily-double after Sunday's 32-20 turnover-laden defeat in San Francisco. It marks the start of a critical three-game homestand for Arizona, although each contest is against a team that advanced to the playoffs last season.

LINE: Seattle opened as low as -4.5 and was bet up to as high as -7 before buyback dropped the line to -6.5. The total opened at 40 and moved to 40.5.

COVERS POWER RANKINGS: Seattle (-7.5) + Arizona (+3.0) + home field (-3.0) = Cardinals +7.5

ABOUT THE SEAHAWKS (5-1, 4-2 ATS): Seattle ran its home winning streak to 11 games with Sunday's 20-13 victory over Tennessee, but life on the road has been a different story. The Seahawks trailed in the fourth quarter in a season-opening 12-7 win at Carolina and needed a boneheaded interception by Houston quarterback Matt Schaub to prevail in overtime in Week 4 before squandering a fourth-quarter lead in a 34-28 loss at Indianapolis a week later. Quarterback Russell Wilson has played efficiently but is averaging only 209 yards passing, although he has the luxury of handing off to Marshawn Lynch, who is third in the league in rushing with 487 yards.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS (3-3, 4-2 ATS): Arizona rolled up 403 yards of offense against the 49ers but was unable to overcome four turnovers, including a pair of interceptions by Carson Palmer, who was also sacked for a safety. Rookie Andre Ellington is making a strong bid to supplant Rashard Mendenhall as the starting running back with seven carries for 56 yards and a touchdown and five receptions for 36 more on Sunday. The Cardinals had a major injury scare when defensive end Calais Campbell was carted off the field and hospitalized for possible neck and spine injuries, but he was back at team meetings on Monday.

TRENDS:

* Home team is 4-0 ATS in their last four meetings.
* Over is 8-1 in the last 9 meetings in Arizona.
* Seahawks are 1-6 ATS in their last seven meetings in Arizona.

EXTRA POINTS:

1. Lynch ran for three touchdowns and Seattle forced eight turnovers while setting a franchise record for points in last season's 58-0 rout.

2. Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald had his first 100-yard day of the season with six catches for 117 yards and a TD despite a sore hamstring.

3. Arizona has won six of the last seven home matchups against the Seahawks.

[TheGame]

Seahawks at Cardinals
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com

The Seahawks and Saints look to be the two teams fighting it out for home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. Each team is 5-1 so far, as Seattle has an opportunity to grab a half-game lead over New Orleans this week as the Saints are on the bye. The Seahawks travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals in a crucial division battle that can propel Seattle to 2-0 in the NFC West with a victory.

Seattle (5-1 SU, 4-2 ATS) held off Tennessee last Sunday, 20-13 as the Seahawks failed to cover as 11-point home favorites. The lone touchdown allowed by the Seahawks came on a blocked-field goal returned for a score at the end of the first half, while the Titans racked up just 223 yards of offense. Marshawn Lynch rushed for a pair of touchdowns for Seattle, as the game easily finished 'under' the total of 42. Pete Carroll's team has won 11 straight games at CenturyLink Field since the start of last season, while posting a 9-2 ATS home ledger.

The Cardinals (3-3 SU, 4-2 ATS) haven't lost consecutive games yet this season, coming off last week's 32-20 defeat at San Francisco. Arizona had plenty of chances to cover as 10-point underdogs, while trailing 22-20 in the third quarter. Larry Fitzgerald fumbled inside San Francisco territory late in the third quarter, while running back Alfonso Smith fumbled to set up the 49ers field goal that put them ahead by 12 points. Arizona fell to 1-3 on the road this season, while losing 10 of its past 11 games away from University of Phoenix Stadium.

Seattle and Arizona split a pair of meetings last season with the home team winning in dramatically different ways. The Cardinals held off the Seahawks in Russell Wilson's debut in the 2012 season opener, 20-16 as short home underdogs. Arizona's defense stiffened up in the final moments, keeping Seattle out of the end zone as the Seahawks couldn't score with three shots from the three-yard line. The victory by the Cardinals was the sixth in the last seven home meetings with the Seahawks, including three triumphs as an underdog.

The Seahawks rebounded in a huge way in the rematch at home, drilling the Cardinals, 58-0 as 10-point 'chalk' last December. Lynch torched the Arizona defense for three touchdowns, while Seattle scored two non-offensive touchdowns in a 28-point second quarter. Arizona turned the ball over eight times, while suffering its ninth consecutive loss following a 4-0 start last season (finished 5-11).

Since beating the Seahawks in Week 1 last season, the Cardinals have dropped six consecutive divisional contests, including double-digit defeats at home to the Rams and 49ers. Arizona has won each of its first two contests in Glendale this season, knocking off Detroit and Carolina as short underdogs. The Cardinals have cashed seven of their last nine opportunities in the home 'dog role since 2011, while winning seven times straight-up.

Seattle owns a 2-1 SU/ATS record as a road favorite this season, but is 0-3 SU/ATS in Carroll's tenure when laying points on the road inside the NFC West. Since 2010, the Seahawks are just 2-7 SU and 3-6 ATS against division foes on the highway, while hitting the 'under' in all three road divisional contests last season.

VegasInsider.com handicapper Antony Dinero says there is value in the home 'dog, "There is a more confident vibe from the Cardinals with Carson Palmer at the controls, giving them a puncher's chance at pulling off a home upset. With guys being reminded all week that the Seahawks won 58-0 the last time these teams met on a football field, Arizona will have the pride factor in its corner, not to mention a partisan crowd in a nationally-televised weeknight game. It's going to boil down to how effective Palmer can be against the NFL's top secondary, but some of these Cards have plenty of fight in them. Remember, Arizona beat Detroit by four touchdowns last December one week after catching Seattle's epic beatdown."

Since last November, the Cardinals are 5-0 ATS off an ATS defeat, while posting a profitable 8-5 ATS record over the last 13 regular season contests. The Seahawks have been one of the top teams to back in this same span by going 10-3 ATS the past 13 games (including two postseason contests), even though Seattle has failed to cover in the last two weeks against Indianapolis and Tennessee.

The Seahawks are listed as 6½-point road favorites, the longest number on the highway for Seattle since laying 7½ in a 13-10 loss at Carolina in 2007. The total for Thursday's contest is set at 40½, as the Seahawks are 2-1 to the 'over' on totals closing at 42 or below. The game can be seen nationally on NFL Network with an 8:25 PM EST kickoff from University of Phoenix Stadium.

[TheGame]

NFL Gambling Preview: Baltimore at Pittsburgh
By Otto Sports
Sportsmemo.com

Baltimore at Pittsburgh
Sunday, 1:25 pm PT - CBS
CRIS Opener: Pittsburgh -2.5 O/U 40.5
CRIS Current: Pittsburgh -2.5 O/U 40.5
Rob Veno's Power Rating: Baltimore -0.5
Marty Otto's Recommendation: Use Baltimore +8.5 at part of a 2-team, 6-point teaser

These AFC North rivals must be disappointed with the way they’ve started their seasons. The Ravens came into 2013 fresh off a Super Bowl victory having signed Joe Flacco to a monster deal while shuffling up plenty of faces both on offense and defense. For the Steelers there was guarded optimism that with a little luck in the health department their 8-8 season from 2012 could be improved upon to get back into the playoffs in 2013. So far it hasn’t all gone to plan for either side.

The Steelers used their bye week to good effect putting together a game plan and executing at a high level. The defense held the Jets to just six points and forced a couple of turnovers. Ben Roethlisberger completed 23 of his 30 pass attempts and avoided throwing an interception for the first time all year. Whether they can continue to perform like that moving forward is up for debate. I think one could argue that last week’s win was more about the perfect spot – Steelers off a bye, Jets in letdown mode after a big Monday Night Football upset and short week – than anything else. This is still a team with a shoddy offensive line that is unable to run the ball making them predictably one dimensional. This is still a team that is overpriced in the market right now, a team that lost all four of their games prior to last week by at least a touchdown and hadn’t covered a spread.

It hasn’t been a whole lot prettier for the Ravens. Joe Flacco doesn’t have any semblance of a run game to help him out right now with both Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce averaging less than 3.0 yards per carry. Flacco lost security blanket Anquan Boldin and his two best tight ends essentially leaving Torey Smith as his only legitimate NFL weapon. Tandon Doss and Marlon Brown have both shown flickers of talent at receiver so perhaps there is hope moving forward but at the moment this team really looks like a one trick pony. The good news is Baltimore’s defense really hasn’t played all that poorly since their opening week beatdown from Denver. In fact, this team just held a pretty darn good Green Bay offense to just 19 points.

I’m not extremely high on either one of these teams but I did bet on the Ravens last week as a home underdog and escaped (luckily) with a victory. At this point I would actually make Baltimore a small favorite in this game and they’re a team who I think, as a whole, has more upside right now. Still it would be a tough bet to get to the window in this game. One potentially solid option to consider would be to throw the Ravens in a teaser with a team like Kansas City.

[TheGame]

NFL Gambling Preview: Dallas at Philadelphia
By Ian Cameron
Sportsmemo.com

Dallas at Philadelphia
Sunday, 10 am PT - FOX
CRIS Opener: Philadelphia ok O/U 56
CRIS Current: Philadelphia -3 (ev) O/U 54.5
Rob Veno's Power Rating: Philadelphia -1
Ian Cameron's Recommendation: Over

This NFC East matchup has the potential for both offenses to shine. Philadelphia’s up-tempo attack under Chip Kelly has looked very good in back-to-back games with Nick Foles at the controls instead of the injured Michael Vick. Foles has been sharp (38-of-56, 68%, 5-0 TD-INT) in leading the offense to 36 and 31 points in the last two games. I liked that Philadelphia was able to successfully establish the run last week with LeSean McCoy carrying the rock for 116 yards rushing. That success running the football could continue this week because Dallas is severely banged up along the defensive line. The Cowboys are going to be without Pro Bowl DE DeMarcus Ware who was injured with a quad strain last week against Washington and will be out at least 3-4 weeks – another blow to a thin defensive line already missing Anthony Spencer and key run stopper NT Jay Ratliff who both haven’t played a game this season. The Cowboys defense survived last week despite the injuries but it will be much tougher sledding for them against the fast paced Eagles offensive attack which has the chance to wear down the Dallas pass rush.

The Cowboys rank 28th in rushing attempts per game with just 20.3 rushes per game as they have become an extreme pass heavy offense – a good thing when betting totals over. With Tony Romo leading the team to consecutive 30+ point performances against Denver and Washington (6-2 TD-INT ratio) I don’t see Philadelphia’s defense being much better. Philadelphia possesses the 31st ranked pass defense in the NFL allowing 314 passing yards per game and they have been gashed by the likes of Philip Rivers and Peyton Manning. Romo is in a zone right now with all of his receivers – Dez Bryant, Miles Austin and Terrance Williams along with the always reliable TB Jason Witten. The recent inclusion of Cole Beasley in the Dallas offense has added a Wes Welker-type receiving option over the middle of the field. Running back DeMarco Murray is listed as doubtful for this game with a sprained MCL strain. That has the potential to be a big loss for the Cowboys but this team is still putting up points despite the lack of a running game or a burning desire to run it. In this matchup, the biggest weakness of the suspect Eagles defense is their secondary which has struggled all season so the absence of Murray may not be as big of a factor. Philly might also be without key veteran safety Patrick Chung who is nursing a neck injury. I’d expect another productive day from Romo in the passing game. Both meetings between these rivals flew over the total last season with 71 and 61 points. Expect a similar result on Sunday.

[TheGame]

Vikings K Blair Walsh (hamstring) was held out of Thursday's practice.
The injury is to Walsh's plant leg, and is the same issue he played through in Week 6. Barring a setback, he'll start Monday night's game against the Giants.

[TheGame]

NFL Prop Shop: Week 7's best player prop bets
By SEAN MURPHY

Don’t limit your NFL bets to just sides and totals each Sunday. Covers Expert Sean Murphy opens the doors to the Prop Shop, giving you his favorite player prop picks for Week 7.

Most passing yards

Jay Cutler (Chicago Bears) vs. Robert Griffin III (Washington Redskins)

I could sum up this play with one sentence. I don't like what I'm seeing from RGIII.

Jay Cutler can be wildly inconsistent, but for my money, he has a stronger supporting cast than Griffin right now, not to mention the fact that he'll be facing a Redskins defense that has been repeatedly beat down this season.

Cutler is coming off a big bounce-back game against New York last week, throwing for 262 yards and two scores. He and Brandon Marshall will give the Skins secondary a serious test Sunday afternoon.

Take: Cutler

Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys) vs. Nick Foles (Philadelphia Eagles)

Just when you think that Tony Romo has it all figured out, he generally stinks up the joint.

I'm not saying that Romo is in for a dreadful performance in Philadelphia, but I do expect him to fall short in this particular matchup.

It's rarely a bad idea supporting the Eagles when it comes to individual player props. The simple fact that they run a ton of offensive plays works in our favor. Foles threw for 296 yards in Tampa Bay last week and has tossed five touchdowns without an interception in the last two weeks.

Dallas is also allowing 7.4 yards per pass play this season, a slightly worse mark than the Eagles 7.2

Take: Foles

Most rushing yards

Ryan Mathews (San Diego Chargers) vs. Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville Jaguars)

Ryan Mathews is coming off his first 100-yard rushing game of the season, but there won’t be a repeat performance Sunday. Prior to that outing, Mathews had topped out at 73 rushing yards in a game this year.

The return of Jaguars WR Justin Blackmon from suspension has opened up their anemic offense and RB Maurice Jones-Drew has been a benefactor. He's gained at least 70 yards on the ground in back-to-back games - by far his best two performances of the season.

The Chargers defense looked good Monday, but is still allowing 4.8 yards per rush this season.

Take: Jones-Drew

Most pass receptions

Anquan Boldin (San Francisco 49ers) vs. Kendall Wright (Tennessee Titans)

Last Sunday, it was Vernon Davis' turn to shine. This week, I expect to see Anquan Boldin step to the forefront in the 49ers’ offensive gameplan.

The Titans do possess an extremely physical defense and I believe they match up well against Davis. Boldin has caught just five passes for 49 yards in the last two games, so you can be sure he's eager to get more involved. The 49ers are obviously a better offensive team when Boldin is catching at least seven or eight balls a week.

It's not a difficult decision for the 49ers defense to key on Kendall Wright. He's caught 29 passes in the last five games but should see blanket coverage this week. With Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing to him, I don't have a great deal of confidence in Wright's ability to go off.

Take: Boldin

[TheGame]

NFL Betting Week 7 Preview Hot bets and moving odds
By SPORTSINTERACTION

Sports Interaction betting analyst Frank Doyle previews Week 6’s NFL action.

All odds current as of noon ET, Oct. 17

Peyton’s place

At some point, Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos may not be the top story of the week in the NFL – just don’t count on that happening until they have their bye in Week 9. Right now, Manning is getting ready to visit the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time as a Bronco in easily the most anticipated matchup of the week. Sports Interaction opened Denver as a 6-point road favorite, but that line has moved to -7 already with 88 percent of the action coming in on the Broncos. If you missed taking Denver at less than a touchdown, chances are it’s way too late to get that number now.

Over and out

Remember when seeing a 50-point total on the board actually caught your eye? This week we have three more totals above 50 points and a pile of matchups between teams pounding the over. The total for Denver-Indy is this week’s biggest number at 56.5, which isn’t shocking since Denver hasn’t played under yet this season. Dallas visits Philadelphia and Chip Kelly’s up-tempo attack and that total opened at 56.5 before dropping to 54.5. Chicago, which has played over in five of six games, visits Washington with a 50.5 over/under on the board.

Movers and shakers

The Arizona Cardinals have a lot to prove in this week’s Thursday Night Football matchup with the Seahawks. The last time these two teams hooked up, the Seahawks rubbed it in with a 58-0 win in Seattle. Now the Cardinals, who opened at +6, are looking for revenge. This line jumped to +7 for a while, dropped to +6 and is currently holding at +6.5.

The line for Chicago’s date with Washington should be on the top of your watch list this week. The Redskins opened as 1.5-point favorites and actually jumped to -2 not long after. Since then, the line is coming the other way. The game is currently at a pick ‘em and may bounce around for a while.

Hot and not

The Seahawks are seeing 77 percent of Sports Interaction’s bets at -6.5.

New England bettors are all over the Pats in their second meeting with the Jets this season. With New England set as a 4.5-point road favorite, 88 percent of our action is on the Pats.

Sports Interaction bettors have no faith left in the 0-6 Houston Texans anymore. Only 18 percent of our bets are coming in on Houston as the Texans visit the Chiefs as 6.5-point underdogs.

[TheGame]

NFL's Biggest Betting Mismatches: Week 7
by Jason Logan

Each week, we break down some of the underlying mismatches in the NFL, hoping to give you an inside edge when handicapping the schedule. Here are four of the biggest betting mismatches from Week 7:

Chicago Bears at Washington Redskins (-1, 50)

Bears’ fast first quarters vs. Redskins’ slow starts

The Redskins’ 1-4 start to the season can be blamed on a lot of things: RG3’s wonky knee, a porous defense, Dan Snyder’s inability to feel feelings. But the finger should be aimed strictly at Washington’s flat starts. The Skins are constantly giving opponents a head start, giving up an NFL-worst 10 points in the first quarter this season. And they’re last in the league in first-half points allowed as well, spotting foes 19 points in the first 30 minutes of action.

Chicago hasn’t been that great at slowing down teams in the first two frames – giving up an average of 18.2 first-half points – but is at least offsetting that by scoring a league-high average of eight points in the first quarter and sitting behind only Denver in terms of first-half production, scoring 17 points per first half this year. Both the Redskins and Bears have tightened up on defense in the last two quarters, so this one could be decided by halftime.

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles (-2.5, 54.5)

Cowboys’ damaged defensive line vs. Eagles’ high-octane offense

The Cowboys may have won the game versus Washington last Sunday night, but Dallas suffered big losses on the defensive line, a spot that was already thin heading into Week 6. The Cowboys were without DEs DeMarcus Ware and George Selvie at practice this week and DT Jason Hatcher was limited, adding to the many MIA members of the Big D defensive line. The Cowboys subs stood tall against the Redskins but face a different pace in the Eagles’ attack this weekend.

Philadelphia’s non-stop offense could have an already depleted Dallas depth chart running on empty early in Lincoln Financial Field Sunday. The Eagles not only run one of the fastest paces in the NFL under new head coach Chip Kelly, but are healthy on the offensive line – a perk they didn’t have against Dallas last season. The Eagles finally seem comfortable in their new system, totaling 67 points in wins the past two weeks.

Cleveland Browns at Green Bay Packers (-10, 46.5)

Browns’ rotten run defense vs. Packers’ default rushing attack

The Browns have been a surprise this season, entering Week 7 with a 3-3 mark. The defense is getting the pat on the back – ranked seventh in yards against – but those stats are a bit misleading heading into this Sunday’s game in Green Bay. Cleveland has been beat up on the ground this year, especially in the last two games. The Browns gave up 118 yards to Detroit last week and 155 yards in a win over Buffalo two weeks ago. Cleveland, which sits seventh in run defense, has allowed the most rushing touchdowns in the NFL, watching opponents rumble into the end zone eight times.

The Packers’ potent air attack had its wings clipped with injuries to WR James Jones and Randall Cobb last Sunday. Green Bay is slowly starting to lean more and more on its ground game, with rookie RB Eddie Lacy rushing for 219 yards in his last two games since returning from a concussion. In fact, over the last three weeks, only two NFL teams have run for more yards per game than the Cheese Heads, who average 167.3 pick-ups on the ground during that span. With the passing game missing some key weapons, expect even more handoffs against a fragile Browns defense.

Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts (+6.5, 55.5)

Broncos’ broken offensive line vs. Colts’ LB Robert Mathis

The Broncos had issues on the offensive line before the season even started. Center Dan Koppen was lost for the year, then tackle Ryan Clady went down with a foot injury. Denver was doing OK patching up those holes before T Orlando Franklin left Week 6 with multiple injuries. That leaves the Broncos’ pass protection very thin against a jacked-up Colts defense, looking to spoil Peyton Manning’s Indy homecoming.

The one player looking to do the most damage versus Denver is Manning’s former teammate, LB Robert Mathis. The NFL sack leader – with 9.5 QB kills – has watched No. 18 operate plenty of times from the sideline. Manning isn’t the most mobile QB in the league, in fact he’s probably the least. Indianapolis has done a good job getting to opposing passers and could exploit a thin Broncos offensive line Sunday night.