What Bettors Need to Know: Friday's NFL Preseason Action
By Covers.com
Tennessee Titans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3, 37.5)
The Titans are cranking up the intensity on defense, with defensive coordinator Jerry Gray calling for a more physical and explosive attack. Tennessee lost 27-17 to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 of the preseason, giving up 135 yards on the ground. Veteran Matt Hasselbeck, who started versus Seattle, will come off the bench in relief of Jake Locker.
The Bucs opened the preseason with a 20-7 win over the Miami Dolphins. Running backs Doug Martin and LeGarrette Blount each scored in that game and have a nice battle to be the featured back going. Tampa Bay will try to get free-agent addition WR Vincent Jackson some action Friday after he went without a catch in the win over the Dolphins.
Miami Dolphins at Carolina Panthers (-3.5, 37)
Ryan Tannehill and Matt Moore will duke it out at QB with veteran David Garrard on the shelf. Head coach Joe Philbin still hasn’t announced a starter as of Thursday afternoon. Tannehill picked apart the Bucs second and third stringers for 167 yards and one touchdown while Moore finished 7 for 12 for 79 yards and an interception.
Panthers head coach Ron Rivera plans to play his starters the entire first half Friday night, including quarterback Cam Newton. Newton wasn’t all that sharp in a Week 1 preseason loss to the Houston Texans, going 2 for 6 for 17 yards and adding 16 yards on the ground.
Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens (-3, 38)
Lions coach Jim Schwartz wasn’t pleased with his team’s effort in a 19-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns in the preseason opener. Fingers are pointing at the offense as well as the defense, more specifically the lack of depth at safety. Erik Coleman and John Wendling got the nod versus the Browns after Louis Delmas and Amari Spievey were ruled out with ailments. Detroit was torched for 309 passing yards from the Browns’ sub-par QBs.
John Harbaugh could play some of his starters the entire first half Friday, hoping to get a good look at his offensive line. Baltimore’s o-line was terrible in the early going of Thursday’s preseason win over the Atlanta Falcons, leaving QB Joe Flacco to take some licks.
Buffalo Bills at Minnesota Vikings (-2.5, 37)
The Bills will be doing some ground work in Week 2 of the preseason. Buffalo’s first-team offense exclusively passed the ball during their plays in last week’s 7-6 loss to the Washington Redskins. Chan Gailey says running backs Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller will get more touches, which could kept the clock running and the scoring low.
Head coach Leslie Frazier told the media his veterans will get plenty of action during Week 2 of the preseason. The Vikings are expected to play their starters into the second quarter Friday, with veterans DT Kevin Williams, CB Antoine Winfield and DE Jared Allen back on defense and WR Percy Harvin returning on offense after sitting in the preseason opener.
Jacksonville Jaguars at New Orleans Saints (-6.5, 39.5)
With this being the Saints' third game of the preseason, thanks to the Hall of Fame Game, oddsmakers have set a big spread for Friday’s exhibition. Drew Brees only threw four passes versus the Patriots in Week 1 but should get more reps Friday. Tight end Jimmy Graham returned to practice and is expected to play in Week 2.
While the Jaguars wait on one star to show up to camp, they’ll debut another against New Orleans Friday. First-round pick WR Justin Blackmon will play in his first game and is schedule to put in about a half of action before taking a seat. Jacksonville took a 32-31 win over the New York Giants in the preseason opener, with Blaine Gabbert throwing for 62 yards and a touchdown.
Oakland Raiders at Arizona Cardinals (-4.5, 37)
The Raiders were goose-egged in their preseason opener, losing 3-0 to the Dallas Cowboys Monday. Now, they have a short turnaround to fix whatever was broken on offense, namely a rushing attack that total just 89 yards and averaging just over three yards per carry.
The Cardinals are playing in their third preseason contests of the summer and will let the starters play extensive minutes, according to head coach Jim Whisenhunt. Arizona is still on the fence about who its starting QB will be in Week 1, so Kevin Kolb and John Skelton will get plenty of snaps Friday.
Friday Preseason Tips
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
The Friday NFL card is loaded with six games, as teams are showcasing their starting units more this week than in their preseason openers. Only three of the 12 clubs have a win so far in the exhibition season (Buccaneers, Saints, and Ravens), while each game displays a total between 37 and 39. Heading into Week 2 of the preseason, favorites own a 7-9-1 ATS record, while the 'over' is barely profiting at 9-7-1 through 17 contests. We'll take a look at all six games, as things start off in Tampa Bay with the Bucs laying a handful of points.
Titans at Buccaneers (-2½, 37½)
Tampa Bay's passing game put together a meticulous effort in the first half of last Friday's 20-7 victory at Miami as three-point underdogs. Josh Freeman and Dan Orlovsky combined for just one incompletion in 13 attempts, while the Bucs cashed in on a pair of short rushing touchdowns. The Bucs head home to welcome in the Titans, who made the cross-country trek to Seattle last Saturday and left with a 27-17 defeat as three-point 'dogs.
The Titans and Seahawks game sailed 'over' the total of 36 thanks to a defensive and special teams score, while Chris Johnson rushed for just eight yards on five carries. Tampa Bay owns a 6-2 ATS mark in the preseason since 2010, including a 3-1 ATS record in the favorite role. There aren't many definitive preseason trends for the Titans under Mike Munchak, as Tennessee is 3-2 ATS and 3-2 to the 'under' in five career exhibition contests.
Dolphins at Panthers (-3, 37)
Both these clubs came off losses as home favorites last week, as Miami tries to figure out its murky quarterback situation. Following the news of David Garrard's knee surgery, the Dolphins turned to incumbent starter Matt Moore, who was unimpressive by throwing for 79 yards and an interception against Tampa Bay. Rookie Ryan Tannehill stole some of the headlines from that 13-point defeat by racking up 167 yards and a touchdown, as the former Texas A&M quarterback looks for more playing time on Friday.
The Panthers are set with their quarterback position as last season's top pick Cam Newton played sparingly in a 23-13 setback to the Texans. Carolina's lone touchdown came from backup running back Tauren Poole, while the Panthers held the ball for just 22 minutes. Ron Rivera's club is 1-4 SU/ATS in five preseason contests since last August, as the Panthers have scored 17 points or less four times. The Dolphins have cashed the 'under' in four consecutive preseason games, while none of the contests have eclipsed 30 total points.
Lions at Ravens (-2½, 39)
Baltimore continues to be the most dominating preseason team over the last three-plus seasons by winning 11 of its past 13 exhibition games. The Ravens rallied past the Falcons for a 31-17 triumph as one-point road underdogs, while scoring 24 unanswered points to close out the game. Baltimore quarterbacks tossed four touchdowns, including three by former Colt Curtis Painter in the second half.
The Lions head to Baltimore after squandering a 14-3 lead in a 19-17 home loss to Cleveland, as the Browns cashed in the road 'dog role. Detroit fell to 10-3 SU and 9-4 ATS in preseason since the start of the 2009, including a 5-2 ATS mark when receiving points. The Ravens' starters are expected to play the entire first half, while the Lions look to avoid consecutive losses in the postseason since 2007.
Bills at Vikings (-2½, 37)
Minnesota heads back to Mall of America Field for its home opener as the Vikings go for their first preseason victory. Leslie Frazier's offense tallied just two field goals, while Minnesota and San Francisco combined for a scoreless second half in a 17-6 loss as three-point underdogs. The Vikings will be without star running back Adrian Peterson once again, as he continues to rehab from a torn ACL suffered last December. The Bills travel to Minneapolis off a thrilling 7-6 home loss to the Redskins, as Buffalo amassed only 219 yards of offense and a pair of field goals.
Buffalo managed a cover as three-point home underdogs, but Chan Gailey's club has lost five of their previous six preseason contests since 2010. The offense hasn't showed up for the Bills in the exhibition season, posting 10 points or less in four of the last five preseason games. Buffalo's starters are slated to take the field for 20 plays, as Ryan Fitzpatrick, Vince Young, and Tyler Thigpen will round out the quarterback rotation.
Jaguars at Saints (-6½, 39)
Jacksonville made a late rally as the Jags overcame a 24-7 deficit to stun the Giants, 32-31. The Jags failed to cover as 2½-point home favorites, the fifth straight ATS loss for Jacksonville in preseason action. The Saints return to the Superdome for their preseason home opener following a win over the Cardinals and a 7-6 defeat at New England. New Orleans is going through plenty of issues off the field with "Spygate," as the Saints have easily finished 'under' the total in each of the first two exhibition games.
The Saints are 2-0 ATS through two preseason contests, while covering seven of their past eight during the exhibition season. The offensive woes this preseason is uncharacteristic of New Orleans, who possessed a 9-2 stretch to the 'over' from 2009 through 2011 prior to the back-to-back 'unders' this month. The last time the Jaguars cashed tickets in the preseason came back in the final game of 2010, a 13-9 home victory over the Falcons.
Raiders at Cardinals (-5, 37½)
Arizona seeks its first preseason victory following losses to New Orleans and Kansas City, as the Cardinals play their first game at University of Phoenix Stadium. Ken Whisenhunt's squad was buried from the start against the Chiefs last week, falling behind 14-0 before dropping a 27-14 decision as two-point road 'dogs. The quarterback battle is heating up in Arizona between Kevin Kolb and John Skelton, as Kolb will get the start against Oakland in spite of completing one pass in five attempts last Friday.
The Raiders played by far the least entertaining game of the preseason in a 3-0 home loss to the Cowboys on Monday night. Oakland missed two field goals and committed two turnovers, but held Dallas to just 54 yards on the ground. The Silver and Black owns an 0-6-1 ATS record the last seven preseason contests, while failing to score a touchdown in three of the previous four exhibition games. Arizona has managed to win three of its last four home preseason games, as the Cardinals have covered three times.
NFL Pre Season Betting Preview
Oddsbustersports.com
Buccaneers -1... You can find talent on this Tampa team, but more important than assessing it, most all of the individual talent is still yet unproven and that can be a monster edge in pre-season wagering as efforts from these players may be much stronger than the norm. Wouldn't be shocked at all to see the Bucs snag another pre-season win here vs a Titans team that has question marks all over the place IMO...
Panthers/Dolphins under 37... The talent on both of these teamss from an offensive perspective is very noticable (1st teamers). But past the 1st teamers it gets very scary IMO with QB's like Rusty Smith, Jake Locker & Matt Hasselbeck for the Titans & Derek Anderson & Jimmy Clausen for the Panthers (Cam Newton won't play long if at all). There is not much battles here in this game on offense going on past the QB situation for the Dolphins. And that situation and it's competitors have many question marks. I like Jake Locker but his surrounding talent level both O-Line & recievers are far from good IMO. I exoect an ugly game to be played out here...
Ravens/Lions over 39.5... Tyrod Taylor & Curtis Painer do provide 2 different types of successful QB's at moving the ball IMO. When you combine that with Shaun Hill and a drop of Matt Stafford it's hard not to lean to the over IMO. The Ravens 2nd & 3rd string offensive players put the Browns backups to sleep IMO (Lions played Browns last week and the Browns offense made those Lions 2nd & 3rd string defenders look great). Although i'm a big fan off the Lions i'm also aware that most of last weeks defensive success from the Lions was purely a Browns offense that should stink up the joint this year. The Ravens should provide a much more efficient wave of offense for the Lions to chase around. Not sure if i'll be on this wager but if you force me to wager in this game I'm taking the over...
Bills +1... The Vikings were doubled up in the yardage department last week by the 49ers as players like Colin Kaepernick ran for 92 yards (QB from Nevada) as Dixon & Cartwright added a combined 90 yards on 20 carries. This opened up the passing lanes nicely for the 49ers as they threw for a mild 152 yards (20 for 29) in thanks to a 260 yard total rushing output on that Vikings pathetic defense. The Vikings have many issues on the offensice side of the ball already and if they start playing defense like this than it they may be one of the safer bets this season to see finish in last place. The Bills played a tough defense last week in the Skins and IMO get a much more flexible defense this week in the Vikings. I will be on the Bills tonight...
Saints/Jags... Staying clear of this game for sure. Not a big worry last week that Gabbert, Palmer (Jordan) & Henne showed signs uf success as a whole but it's enough for me to stear clear of making any type of wager on this game. The Saints know exactly who their starting QB is and exactly whom their back up is so if I'm not guarnteed a super strong running game from the Saints the taking them laying the 6.5 pts is a mistake IMO (especially in a pre-season game). Small lean to the Jags here but for reasons beyond thought's thaat I have yet to figure out so I'll pass...
Raiders +4.5... This game may be as simple as understanding the talents of Leinart, Pryor & Palmer vs Kolb, Skelton, Bartel & Lindley. IMO it's not even close as the Raiders are way ahead in the QB department. I am still a strong believer in Matt Leinart and Pryor showed signs of his Buckeye flashiness throwing for 50 yards and rushing for 20 in limited time. Leinart went 11 for 16 for 98 yards. I like Heward-Bay, Moore & Ford on the recieving end of these passes while the Cardinals seem to continue their struggle right into the next game after looking like crap now for 2 straight weeks in a row...