What Bettors Need to Know: Sunday's NFL Preseason Action
San Francisco 49ers at Indianapolis Colts (+3, 33.5)
Who’s in, who’s out
Most people tune in to Colts games to watch the magic of Peyton Manning. If that’s you, then you probably don’t need to bother with this one. Manning has thrown a total of seven passes combined in the last three years in the first preseason game and it’s highly unlikely he will see more than two series here.
The only thing he’ll be interested in working on here is his relationship with new centers because stalwart Jeff Saturday is out for up to six weeks with knee surgery. Manning has never cared about the preseason in the past and he’s not going to start now.
The 49ers have indicated that their starting offense will see more time than you might expect, especially rookie linemen Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati. One guy we might not see a lot of is Michael Crabtree. The receiver sprained his neck slightly in practice this week. He’s not seriously hurt, but there is no reason not to be careful with him.
Line movement
The line has been stable at +3 - a strong number for a road team in preseason. The total opened at 34.5 and has adjusted downwards gradually.
Trends
The Colts were a notoriously bad preseason team under Tony Dungy and the tradition continues under Jim Caldwell. They were 1-3 ATS last year and showed little concern for the scoreboard.
Mike Singletary has only one gear and it’s a high one, so he doesn’t let up in any game. He was 3-1 ATS in his first camp last year. The Niners went under in three of four games.
Weather
With thunderstorms forecast the roof could be closed.
Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals (-3.5, 32.5)
Who’s in, who’s out
All of the fan boys are giddy because Tim Tebow will see a fair bit of playing time Sunday. The highly-publicized rookie is not at the top of the depth chart and Kyle Orton is having a very strong camp, but starters won’t likely see a lot of action, so Tebow will get his chances. If he performs well, then expect the media coverage to escalate to truly ridiculous levels. Brady Quinn will have ample chances to disappoint as well.
The Broncos will likely work on their passing a fair bit in this one because they can’t afford to lose yet another running back after their top three rushers have gone down with injuries. Sack master Elvis Dumervil will also miss this game and the season.
Cincinnati has already played a preseason game, but it was so bad that the Bengals would probably rather forget about it. Like Denver, they are struggling with injuries. Antonio Bryant and Andre Smith are out and Rey Maualuga and Carlos Dunlap are back but banged up.
Tight end Jermaine Gresham will be making his home debut for the Bengals amidst a whole lot of hype. He won’t see a lot of his starting quarterback. Carson Palmer threw just five passes in the last game and won’t be much busier here. His little brother Jordan and J.T. O’Sullivan will pick up the slack.
Line movement
The line is sitting where it opened and doesn’t seem particularly vulnerable. The total has dropped from an opening 33.5.
Trends
Marvin Lewis has been a solid preseason performer with the Bengals. He is 15-12-1 ATS over his career. The totals are perfectly balanced 14-14 over/under in those games. Josh McDaniels was 2-2 ATS in his first preseason in Denver and covered his first game.
Weather
Temperatures should be in the mid to upper 80s and there is a good chance of thunderstorms.