Saturday's Preseason Action
By Judd Hall
We’ve got a week’s worth of preseason games in the NFL and there’s plenty to keep an eye on. Favorites have gone 11-5 straight up in Week 1 of the exhibition schedule, but they covered the spread in just eight of those games. High scores were also the order of the week as the ‘over’ posted a profitable 11-5 mark. Saturday’s card is loaded up with 11 matchups. We’re going to focus on three games between some clubs many expect a lot out of this year.
Steelers at Giants – 7:00 p.m. EDT
On the outside, Pittsburgh’s 23-7 home win over the Lions was as impressive a start to the preseason as you can expect in a driving rain. Looking into how certain players did will tell a different story.
Byron Leftwich has been tabbed as the starter at the onset of the season with Ben Roethlisberger pretending to be a good boy. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh backers, Leftwich completed just 6 of 10 passes for 43 yards. Dennis Dixon fared well by failing to connect on just one of his seven throws for 128 yards and the lone passing score for the Steelers. Adding more woes to the offense was that Rashard Mendenhall showed he still knows how to cough up the rock, fumbling on the first series of the game.
The Steelers’ stoppers did their job last week against Detroit, letting them move the chains twice on nine third-down plays. Their secondary was a bit porous in giving up 208 yards, but safety Ryan Clark did pick off Matthew Stafford.
Recent reports are stating that Roethlisberger will play on Saturday night in the Meadowlands. However, there is no indication that he’ll open up as their starter under center. Dennis Dixon also looks like he’ll be getting a good chunk of snaps as well.
The Giants are playing their first home game in their new digs on Saturday, but second tilt there in the preseason. New York made the most of its debut by controlling the Jets as a three-point road pup. It wasn’t without injuries though after Eli Manning got bloodied after losing his helmet in the opening of the game. We’re not going to see Manning in this matchup at all, leaving the door open for Jim Sorgi to firm up his post as the backup QB. Sorgi looked good in his debut with the G-Men, connecting on 8 of 15 pass attempts for 146 yards and a pair of touchdowns. That helped Victor Cruz look like a diamond in the rough with six receptions for 145 yards, three of those catches leading to touchdowns.
New York’s defense was having fun messing with the Jets’ quarterbacks, picking off three total passes. Plus, they held Gang Green to just 83 yards on the ground. Not bad for an opening battle.
Most betting shops have listed the Steelers as four-point road favorite with a total of 33 ½.
Pittsburgh offers up some great trends for this game when you’re heading to the betting window. The Steelers have gone 2-2 SU, but 0-4 ATS in their last four games as preseason road favorites. Meanwhile, the ‘under’ has posted a 3-1 mark in those games. New York is 3-3 SU and 4-2 ATS as a home pup in the preseason since 2002, with the ‘under’ going 4-2.
Texans at Saints – 8:00 p.m. EDT
Saturday marks the first time the Saints will play in front of their fans since taking home the Vince Lombardi Trophy in February. It almost goes without saying that all hell just might break loose in the Superdome this weekend.
New Orleans is coming off of a 27-24 setback against the Patriots as a 1 ½-point road pup. Drew Brees threw just 13 times, but completed 9 of them for 55 yards and got sacked once. But there is reason to be optimistic about the Saints’ backups. That’s because they reeled of 17 points in the final 25 minutes of the game.
Don’t look for Brees to be on the field much for this game. Instead, Chase Daniel and Patrick Ramsey will share the majority of the workload.
Houston did about everything they wanted in its road game but win in a 19-16 loss as a 2 ½-point road favorites to the Cardinals. Matt Schaub didn’t play much but made it count by completing 5 of 6 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown. It appears that Schaub will get more playing time in this contest before bowing out for Dan Orlovsky and John David Booty.
For bettors looking to back the Saints, they may want to think twice about it. The defending Super Bowl champs are 2-6 SU and ATS in their preseason home dates under Sean Payton. The ‘under’ is 5-2-1 in those games as well.
This game has been posted as a pick ‘em with a total of 41 at many sportsbooks.
Cowboys at Chargers – 9:00 p.m. EDT
Here’s a little preseason battle between teams that have a penchant for underachieving in the postseason. Oh, the fun of it all.
The Cowboys enter this contest having dropped their home opener 17-9 as three-point favorites against Oakland. Tony Romo looked like he had a good handle on his abilities in short stint, hitting on 4 of his 7 passes for 52 yards. But the Raiders were able to sack Romo three times. Those kind of numbers happen when you have starting o-linemen like Marc Columbo and Kyle Kosier out of the starting lineup with injuries. That defense was able to hold Dallas to just three third-down conversions on 16 total chances.
Wade Phillips has already confirmed that Romo will start behind a rag tag offensive line. This will also directly affect the ground attack for the ‘Boys. The running game accounted for just 66 yards last week against Oakland and 85 versus Cincinnati in the Hall of Fame Game.
San Diego is feeling good so far after making short work of the Bears in a 25-10 triumph as a 2 ½-point home “chalk.” Most important for Charger fans was Ryan Matthews racking up 50 yards on nine carries. Philip Rivers also made the most of his short time on the field by connecting on 4 of his 6 passes for 62 yards and the lone passing touchdown for the Bolts.
The Chargers enter this game as 2 ½-point home favorites with a total of 36 ½.
Norv Turner has had good fortunes with San Diego as a home favorite in his three years running the club. One look at his 4-2 SU mark will tell you that’s true. As far as gamblers are concerned, he can take a leap after going just 2-4 ATS. The ‘under’ went 4-2 during this stretch of games.
The Cowboys have not been a strong wager when a preseason road pup under Phillips’s tenure, going 1-3 SU and ATS since 2007. The ‘over’ is 3-1 in that time frame.
vegasinsider.com
NFL Saturday Preseason: What Bettors Need to Know
By SCOTT COOLEY
Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants (+4, 34)
The spread for this game has swung nearly a touchdown after opening at 2.5 in favor of the Giants. The total has also dropped two points. There are a few factors playing into the large line movement.
Eli Manning will miss the game because of 12 stitches in his forehead. He sustained a three-inch gash there Monday night and the Giants don’t want to risk reopening the wound with his helmet.
It was also reported that New York’s backup quarterback, Jim Sorgi, will be out two to three weeks because of a sore shoulder. That leaves third-stringer Rhett Bomar to start and he will likely play the majority of the game. Dominic Randolph is the only other quarterback listed on the Giants’ official website roster.
Mike Tomlin has confirmed that Ben Roethlisberger will play in the game but won’t say whether he will start or not. Tomlin said earlier this week that the team was “not interested in sending [him] out there with the second team.”
Baltimore Ravens at Washington Redskins (-3, 38.5)
The Ravens have won five straight preseason games going back to last year and head coach John Harbaugh wants the streak to continue.
“You can lose all four preseason games and go out and win a Super Bowl. My guess is that’s been done before,” Harbaugh said last week. “But we’d sure rather win. I’d rather get the feel of winning. So we’re going to try to win them all. That’s our goal.”
Joe Flacco played three series last week before giving way to Marc Bulger. Third-teamer Troy Smith was under center the entire second half.
Fabian Washington has returned from injury and will start at cornerback while Chris Carr could also start on the opposite side. Six offensive linemen missed practice time for the Ravens this week.
Donovan McNabb’s debut in the nation’s capital was a good one after Washington rolled up 42 points in the preseason opener. McNabb and the starters saw action in two series. Rex Grossman completed 11-of-18 passes for 140 yards and two scores before John Beck took over late in the third quarter.
St. Louis Rams at Cleveland Browns (-3, 35.5)
Jake Delhomme led the Browns on an 80-yard, touchdown-scoring drive in his only series as Cleveland defeated Green Bay, 27-24, as 4-point underdogs last Saturday.
Seneca Wallace played two possessions before giving way to rookie Colt McCoy. The rookie out of Texas missed practice Monday with a thumb injury but returned Tuesday and should play this week. Brett Ratliff will serve as the fourth-string quarterback.
Sam Bradford got a rude welcome to the NFL in his debut, getting sacked four times and fumbling a snap. A.J. Feeley played two series last week and will continue to start for St. Louis. Keith Null is the third option under center and he played most of the third and fourth quarters last week.
Steven Jackson dressed for the game but did not play. He is expected to be extremely limited during the preseason coming off of back surgery.
Miami Dolphins at Jacksonville Jaguars (-2, 36)
The Jaguars have moved to a 2-point favorite after this game’s spread surfaced as a pick ‘em.
David Garrard and the Jacksonville starters played three series last week and converted only one first down. As a team, the Jags rushed for 14 yards.
Backup quarterback Luke McCown threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns in six series of action. Trevor Harris finished the night under center.
After a 10-7 win over Tampa Bay last week, Miami head coach Tony Sparano improved his career preseason record to 8-1. Chad Henne started that game but Tyler Thigpen saw the majority of action, drawing speculation that he could be on the trading block. Chad Pennington did not play and Pat White appeared late in the fourth.
There is a 40 percent chance of isolated thunderstorms expected in Jacksonville throughout the week so field conditions could be sloppy.
Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2, 34)
The Chiefs have dropped five straight preseason games and are just 1-11 ATS in their last 12 preseason contests.
Matt Cassel and the starters played four series in the 20-10 loss to Atlanta last week. Brodie Croyle and Tyler Palko were the second- and third-string quarterbacks in the Kansas City rotation but Croyle missed practice Wednesday and is questionable to play.
Thomas Jones started ahead of Jamaal Charles at running back but the veteran only played one series.
Tampa Bay’s first team only appeared in two series last week because of a muddy field. Josh Freeman was relieved by Josh Johnson and then Rudy Carpenter handled mop-up time. Starting receiver Maurice Stovall sprained his ankle in the first quarter of the game and will not play this week.
Southern Florida is projected to be battered by rain this weekend to the tune of 40-60 percent so field conditions could be less than ideal.
New York Jets at Carolina Panthers (+1.5, 34)
It was interesting to see the Jets starters play nearly the entire first half Monday night. It must have just been Rex Ryan attempting to please the fans at the New Meadowlands Stadium because he stated they won’t play past the first quarter on Saturday.
Center Nick Mangold sustained a head injury during warmups and missed last week’s game but returned to practice Wednesday. Fullback John Conner was limited this week in practice.
The Panthers failed to post a touchdown in their preseason opener, only managing two field goals. Matt Moore appeared in three series and completed four-of-seven passes for 32 yards. Jimmy Clausen replaced Moore, followed by Hunter Cantwell and then Tony Pike for one series.
Carolina’s starting safety Sherrod Martin has a strained groin and missed practice Wednesday.
Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints (Pick, 41)
This is the highest preseason total to date and early money moved it a half point higher.
The Texans continue to get love at the betting window, moving this spread to a pick after opening as 2.5-point pups. A similar situation occurred last week against Arizona but Houston lost the game 19-16.
Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson and the rest of Houston’s starters played two series in that contest. Head coach Gary Kubiak said that Dan Orlovsky was going to play most of the game and he stayed true to his word as the journeyman saw action into the fourth quarter. John David Booty played the final few possessions.
Rookie running back Ben Tate broke his ankle and will miss the rest of the season.
Drew Brees and the starting unit managed -1 yards from scrimmage during their first two series of a 27-24 loss to New England last weekend. Patrick Ramsey took over under center after Brees exited and played into the fourth quarter while Chase Daniel saw garbage time in the fourth.
New Orleans lost third-string running back Lynell Hamilton for the season after tearing his ACL. The team added veteran Ladell Betts to provide insurance in the backfield.
"We know each other well because this is the third year we've done it," Schaub said of the teams holding joint practices all week. "We've got little bit of a rivalry, but it's fun."
Oakland Raiders at Chicago Bears (-1, 33.5)
The Raiders defeated Dallas it their preseason opener but all 17 of their points came with less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Jason Campbell played the entire first half but misfired on a few passes and lost a fumble. Oakland’s reserve quarterbacks are beat up so Kyle Boller was the only other signal caller to take the field. Tom Cable did say that Colt Brennan could see some action Saturday however. Darren McFadden has not practiced all week and isn’t expected to play.
The Bears offense managed just 10 points and 216 total yards in the loss to San Diego last Saturday. Lovie Smith had hinted his starters could play an entire half in that game but he lied as Jay Cutler and Co. were finished after one series.
Caleb Hanie played the next five possessions but injured his shoulder and won’t be active this week. Chicago signed Matt Gutierrez Wednesday but it is unclear if he will play. Dan LeFevour is the third-team quarterback but he has struggled mightily during camp.
Smith is 5-1 in Week 2 of the preseason. There is a 60 percent chance of rain Saturday.
Detroit Lions at Denver Broncos (-3, 36)
Tim Tebow was wearing a flak jacket to protect his injured ribs earlier this week and then missed practice Wednesday and Thursday. His status for the game is questionable.
If Tebow can’t go, Marquez Branson could see playing time behind starter Kyle Orton and backup Brady Quinn. Orton played three series Sunday night and threw touchdown passes in two of them.
Knowshon Moreno, Correll Buckhalter and LenDale White are out with various injuries so Lance Ball and newly acquired Justin Fargas are battling it out for first-team duties.
The Lions looked pretty pathetic during a 28-7 loss to Pittsburgh in their preseason opener. Matthew Stafford and the starters played into the second quarter and registered the lone score on their final drive. Reserve quarterbacks Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton were ineffective.
Kevin Smith did not play versus the Steelers and likely won’t suit up this weekend.
Dallas Cowboys at San Diego Chargers (-3, 36.5)
The Cowboys were released as 1.5-point underdogs and the spread now stands at a field goal. Dallas is 0-5 straight up and against the spread against in its last five preseason games against the AFC West.
The Cowboys have failed to score a touchdown this preseason. After ranking 18th in red zone scoring percentage last year, they are 0-for-7 inside the 20 during the preseason.
Tony Romo played for two series in the loss to Oakland, then Jon Kitna for four series, Stephen McGee and finally Matt Nichols. Starting right tackle Marc Columbo and left guard Kyle Kosier will miss this game with knee injuries.
Shawne Merriman ended his holdout by signing a one-year tender with the Chargers but his Achilles’ tendon was aggravated Tuesday and will miss the game.
Phillip Rivers was on the field for two possessions against the Bears before backup Billy Volek took over. Third-teamer Jonathan Crompton saw action in the fourth.
Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks (-1, 38.5)
Defensive coordinator Dom Capers said the Packers will keep the defensive gameplan simple on Saturday.
“In year two, especially if you have young guys you need to find out about, you can't give them too much,” he said. “I believe that if you play fast and play smart, you always have a chance. We just need to make sure we are playing hard and playing smart.”
Translation: We’re not going to put our best foot forward and our main objective is to keep guys healthy.
Green Bay got a scare when Ryan Grant fumbled on his first carry then exited the game with a concussion two plays later. He was back on the practice field Tuesday and should be ready to play Saturday.
Aaron Rodgers played four series in the contest. The Packers’ quarterback rotation rounded out with Matt Flynn and finally Graham Harrell.
Matt Hasselbeck and the Seahawks’ starters played three series and netted 32 total yards last weekend. Backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst looked extremely sharp during his extended playing time while third-teamer J.P. Losman was awful. Leon Washington is expected to play on Saturday.
Tips and Trends
Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants
STEELERS: (-3.5, O/U 33.5) Despite a convincing win on the scoreboard against the Lions in their 1st preseason game, Pittsburgh still has a lot to practice on. For starters, the Steelers were outgained by 1 total yard against the Lions. Pittsburgh is also anxious to work on their offensive ability to score touchdowns, as they ultimately kicked 3 field goals against the Lions. The most important question for Steelers fans is the status of QB Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben didn't play in the first preseason game, so there is much debate whether he will play tonight. QB Dennis Dixon was outstanding against the Lions, as he finished the game with a perfect passer rating of 158.3. Dixon easily outplayed QB Byron Leftwich, as Leftwich could only muster a passer rating of 70. RB Isaac Redman also played well for the Steelers, as he rushed for 60 yards on 15 carries. Pittsburgh will use tonight's game to shore up their defensive secondary, as there are many unanswered questions still regarding this unit.
Steelers beat the Detroit Lions 23-7 in their first preseason game this season.
Key Injuries -T Chris Scott (foot) is out.
Projected Score: 20 (SIDE of the Day)
GIANTS: The Giants shocked quite a few people in their 1st preseason game, as they easily dismantled the smack talking New York Jets 31-16. Much is expected of their city counterparts, but the Giants are flying under the radar this year. Many of the Giants brass like this lack of attention, as they feel they can surprise some people this year. The Giants were dominant in the 2nd half of their game with the Jets, as they outscored them 21-3. WR Victor Cruz made a name for himself in that 2nd half, as he caught all 3 of the Giants TD's. QB Eli Manning was playing well prior to getting injured. Backup QB Jim Sorgi did a masterful job of filling in for Manning, as he threw for 146 yards and 2 TD's. New York might have capable running backs, but they struggled last year in the red zone. The Giants are really focusing on the defining roles of their running backs this preseason. This line has swung violently in favor of the Steelers, as the Giants originally opened up as a 3 point favorites. The unknown status of Manning is a big reason for this sharp line move.
Giants beat the New York Jets 31-16 in their first preseason game this season.
Key Injuries -QB Eli Manning (head) is questionable.
Projected Score: 13
Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks
PACKERS: Much is expected of Green Bay this year, so certainly their work in the preseason is vitally important to many. The Packers have an amazing offense, yet their defense has much work to do if they are going to be a Super Bowl contending team. Look no further than their first preseason game to see exactly what we're referring too. Green Bay scored in every quarter against the Cleveland Browns. QB Aaron Rodgers was dynamic, as he completed 12 of his 13 passes for 159 yards and a TD. There are simply no questions regarding the Packers and their passing game. RB Ryan Grant was beat up a bit, as he ultimately left the game as a precaution. Defensively, the Packers allowed the lowly Browns to score 27 PTS. Green Bay made opposing QB Jake Delhomme look like a Pro-Bowl QB from 2005. CB Charles Woodson admitted the Packers struggle on defense, and how the players were incredibly disappointed by their effort. Green Bay will be tested again tonight on defense, considering they will be without much of their expected regular season starting secondary.
Packers lost to the Cleveland Browns 24-27 in their first preseason game this season.
Key Injuries -CB Al Harris (knee) is doubtful.
Projected Score: 20
SEAHAWKS: (-1.5, O/U 38.5) The Pete Carroll era is off to a success, thanks to a Week 1 preseason win over Tennessee. Coach Carroll has certainly brought excitement to the Pacific Northwest, considering he was high fiving his players BEFORE the game ever began. Seattle QB Charlie Whitehurst showed exactly why the Seahawks stole him from San Diego. Whitehurst threw for 214 yards and had 2 TD's in solid duty for the Seahawks. Seattle still has much work to do, as their 1st string offense only mustered a field goal in 3 drives. Defensively, Seattle limited the Titans to only 1 TD until the final minutes of the game. SS Kam Chancellor had a great game against the Titans, sealed by a last minute interception. The addition of Chancellor is one of 122 roster moves made by Seattle since January. Running backs Julius Jones and Justin Forsett are fighting over who will be the starting RB once the regular season begins.
Seahawks beat the Tennessee Titans 20-18 in their first preseason game this season.
Key Injuries -LB LeRoy Hill (suspension) is doubtful.
Projected Score: 24 (OVER-Total of the Day)