NFL Week 7: A Look Back and a Glimpse Ahead
Just when you think you had certain teams figured out, things happen that make you shake your head in disbelief at what you just watched. Last week there were a few games that fell into this category. The first head shaker was the Saints complete and total dominance of the New York Giants. Both teams came into this game 5-0 and had established themselves as the two of the best teams in the league.
While everyone was expecting a close hard fought battle, the Saints offense marched up and down the field at will against the top ranked defensive unit in the league scoring 48 points in a romp. My second head shaker was the Eagles lack luster performance against the lowly Raiders.
Philadelphia was favored to win this game by five more points than they scored. Their offense, which was averaging almost 30 points per game, was held to 3 field goals by an Oakland defense that was ranked near the bottom of the league in almost every category. Some other head shakers were the Cardinals defense holding Seattle to three points, the Titans quitting in a blowout 59-0 loss to the Patriots, and the Jets defense allowing the Bills, with backup QB Ryan Fitzpatrick score 13 unanswered points including the game winning field goal in overtime.
The home teams went 8-6 straight up but were only 5-9 ATS. The big winners of the day were the underdogs as nine teams getting points covered. Cleveland, which seems to be on this list every week along with Baltimore and St. Louis covered their spread but still lost the game. The Ravens had a chance to win their game with a field goal but the 44 yard attempt went wide left with no time left on the clock. The Rams were in prime position to win their first game, but fell three points short losing in overtime.
Six teams won outright with biggest shockers being Oakland and Buffalo who were double digit dogs. Denver, behind two special team returns for TDs by Eddie Royal, powered their way past San Diego to not only go 6-0 on the season, but open up a 3 ½ game lead in the AFC West.
The game total bet evened itself out this week as seven game stayed under and seven games went over ending a two week run when the over bet outpaced the under bet. Two teams, New Orleans and New England went over their game total on their own. Two of my favorite UNDER teams; Washington and Buffalo did not disappoint as they combined for 20 points in what can only be referred to as easy money. Two of my favorite OVER teams; Baltimore and Minnesota stayed true to suit as well, combining for 64 total points.
Looking ahead to week seven, this will have to be a week of redemption for teams like the Giants, Jets, and Eagles who are all favored to win. Philadelphia faces division rival Washington on Monday night and should benefit from playing a Redskin team that is in complete disarray. Head coach Jim Zorn has not been fired; he is just not allowed to call the offensive plays. To make matters worse, there could be a potential quarterback controversy as Jason Campbell was benched the second half of last week’s game in favor of Todd Collins.
Some of the better match ups include Chicago at Cincinnati as both teams are coming off a tough loss, Minnesota at Pittsburgh which will be the first real test for the 6-0 Vikings who will not be playing in the comfort of their dome, and Atlanta at Dallas in that both teams need a win to keep pace with their respective division leaders. The ultimate away game this week is New England and Tampa Bay, live all the way from London.
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