NFC In-Game Betting Notes
By Teddy Covers
Teddy watches the games typing furiously on his laptop while giving you the key info that the box scores and game recaps simply don’t have. This week: NFC tidbits from Week 5.
Chicago Bears
Chicago can’t ask backup QB Todd Collins to win games against quality foes – this dreadful performance clearly showed that he’s at the tail end of his career. The Bears offensive line looked almost as bad this week as it did in that sack-fest last Sunday Night against the Giants. The group was completely unable to protect the quarterback.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Josh Freeman is definitely getting better, week by week. He's taking shots down field and connecting with his receivers in traffic, showing poise in the pocket and showing legitimate leadership in a tough road game.
This offense isn't pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but it is capable of grinding out first downs and generating the occasional big play, which was enough to win the game this week.
Dallas Cowboys
This defense really got rattled today chasing after Chris Johnson. There were missed assignments galore, and the pass defense was every bit as poor as the run defense.
The offensive line got gashed with Tony Romo taking sacks in bunches. It’s not the first time this year that this OL has been abused. Romo had five sacks by the second quarter with only five completions.
But once they fixed their protection problems, voila: Romo completed 16 of his next 18 pass attempts before his own late game meltdown. This team still has the potential for greatness if they can iron out some of their execution issues.
Green Bay Packers
This team can't run the football in short yardage situations, which is a real problem in the red zone. Green Bay’s offensive line struggled in both pass protection and in the running game, not an elite level unit, despite their elite level QB.
The injuries are really starting to pile up on both sides of the football. They’ve got a cluster of injuries at tight end, on the defensive line and in the secondary, with two defensive starters and their top two tight ends hurt today.
Once Ryan Pickett and Clay Matthews went down, their pass rush took a big hit. And Mason Crosby showed again why he is one of the worst clutch kickers in the league, missing a pair of second half field goals including the potential game winner.
Carolina Panthers
Jimmy Clausen is really struggling. He's staring down receivers. His lack of height is creating problems for him trying to find throwing lanes. His play action fakes are weak; not selling the concept. It’s obvious that he's throwing, not handing off. And his accuracy is legitimately problematic.
Clausen doesn't protect the football. He takes sacks when he should throw the ball away. We saw lots of three-and-outs from this offense, which will happen when the QB averages less than three yards per pass attempt trying to connect with a pair of rookie starting receivers. Carolina has zero offensive points in the fourth quarter all year, through five games.
How's this for an ugly offensive stat? The defense has created twelve turnovers this year, including four in this game. The offense has turned those dozen turnovers into a grand total of three points.
St. Louis Rams
This young receiving corps just can’t catch a break, with the only veteran, Mark Clayton, carted off the field. Danny Amendola stepped up in his absence, but there aren’t many dangerous threats for Sam Bradford to find downfield.
The Rams cluster injuries in the secondary were also on full display here, getting picked apart by Detroit's passing game. And their own pass rush was virtually non-existent; a sorry thing for a team that’s spent boatloads of money and draft picks on defensive linemen for the last half decade.
Washington Redskins
Donovan McNabb just doesn't look sharp. He completed only two passes in the second half last week, and led the 'Skins to an ugly 0-5 on third downs in the first half prior to the two minute drill today. McNabb had only three completions to his wide receivers in the first half, and the only big plays came on scrambles when the coverage broke down against Santana Moss and Anthony Armstrong.
McNabb can't outrun blitzing linebackers anymore, and there's no potency from Ryan Torain and the running game either. This offensive line is getting abused, unable to handle the pressure or open up holes for the running game. Without Trent Williams and Jamaal Brown at the tackle positions, it's a flawed, banged up unit.
Washington has scored 17 or less in four of their five games, and they don't look like a candidate for any sort of dramatic improvement.
New Orleans Saints
What's wrong with this offense? Let's start here - the running game is a non-factor right now. There are no holes to run through; no elusive backs to make people miss; no power backs to run over defenders. Ladell Betts and Chris Ivory aren't going to scare opposing defenses the way that Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush did in ‘09.
The offensive line isn't protecting Brees the way it did last year either, resulting in a lot more ‘dink and dunk’ throws and fewer big play opportunities. And these receivers really aren't stepping up the way they did last year. Colston, Meachem and Henderson have a combined total of two catches longer than 30 yards between them in five games!
But more than anything, it's a lack of red zone execution, scoring only seven touchdowns on their 19 red zone opportunities in 2010. And when they're missing field goals -- John Carney is clearly no better than the departed Garrett Hartley -- it turns a high-flying offense into the 2010 Saints.