NFL Preseason Saturday: What Bettors Need to Know
By Sean Murphy
Tennessee Titans at St. Louis Rams (-3.5, 36)
Starter report
Tennessee: The Titans starters made only a cameo appearance in last week’s win over Minnesota. While Mike Munchak hasn’t finalized his gameplan, all indications are that Matt Hasselbeck and the rest of the starters will play the better part of the first quarter Saturday.
Jake Locker is garnering the most attention in Titans camp (outside of holdout Chris Johnson), and he’ll once again take the bulk of the snaps Saturday. Rusty Smith and Brett Ratliff both played last Saturday, but we may only see Smith this week.
St. Louis: The Rams cruised to a 33-10 blowout win over the lifeless Colts last week, which was no surprise given Indianapolis’ indifference toward the preseason.
We can expect Sam Bradford to play the majority of the first half Saturday, as the Rams offense continues to get acquainted with new coordinator Josh McDaniels’ playbook. After that, we’ll see A.J. Feeley for a quarter and Thaddeus Lewis in mop-up duty.
Things to note: Rams RB Steven Jackson is expected to play despite a sore hip that has kept him out of practice this week… The Rams are 7-2 ATS in preseason action under Steve Spagnuolo… Javon Ringer, Jamie Harper and Stafon Johnson round out the Titans backfield in Chris Johnson’s absence.
Oakland Raiders at San Francisco 49ers (-3, 34)
Starter report
Oakland: It’s sometimes difficult to distinguish the Raiders starters from the backups, particularly at the quarterback position. Veterans Jason Campbell, Trent Edwards and Kyle Boller shared time under center in the preseason opener.
Head coach Hue Jackson is taking a conservative approach when it comes to the preseason, especially given the number of injured players on his roster.
“I told you I’m going to be very cautious with our football team,” Jackson told the media. “I don’t bat an eye at those things when a guy goes down or a guy’s out of here. I don’t like it for our players, but you can’t worry about that.”
San Francisco: The 49ers offense accomplished little in their preseason opener, scoring only three points in a blowout loss. With that in mind, 49ers insiders are confident that the starters will see more extensive action in Week 2, perhaps playing into the second quarter.
Jim Harbaugh went with only two quarterbacks last week. At the time, the only other quarterback on the roster was McLeod Bethel-Thompson. Earlier this week, the 49ers signed veteran Josh McCown. He could get limited action Saturday.
Things to note: Hall-of-Famer Rod Woodson is the Raiders new cornerbacks coach… 49ers WR Michael Crabtree is close to returning to the practice field, but not close to playing… San Francisco hasn’t lost a home preseason game since August 29, 2008... forecast in San Francisco is calling for cloudy skies and winds of up to 15 mph.
New Orleans Saints at Houston Texans (+1.5, 36.5)
Starter report
New Orleans: Perhaps no team is as banged up as the New Orleans Saints right now. Their injury list is extensive and it leaves head coach Sean Payton little choice but to protect his starters again this week.
"It's a bigger list than I'd like right now," Payton said. "It seems like in the last two or three days, it's gotten bigger."
Drew Brees threw only four passes in last week’s game and will likely make only a cameo appearance again Saturday. Chase Daniel will be under center for the majority of the game, and that shouldn’t concern Saints backers, as he’s been a preseason star.
Houston: The Texans are playing on a short week after defeating the Jets 20-16 Monday night. Gary Kubiak will handle his starters playing time carefully, especially considering the number of injuries in the backfield and on the offensive line.
Quarterback Matt Schaub is only expected to play two or three series’ before giving way to Matt Leinart. T.J. Yates will again see action in the fourth quarter.
Things to note: Saints CB Tracy Porter and WR Marques Colston both returned to practice this week… New Orleans lost both preseason road games last year, allowing 54 points… The Texans haven’t swept their two preseason home games since 2006.
Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos (-4, 36.5)
Starter report
Buffalo: Bills head coach Chan Gailey elected to go with a rather vanilla game plan on both sides of the ball in his team’s preseason opener in Chicago. We can expect more of the same in Week 2, with the starters playing no more than a quarter.
"We've tried to stay a little simpler, because we want the young guys to be able to have some success," Gailey said. "We could probably move a little faster with our veteran players, but we are trying to keep it simple so the young guys can figure out if they can play or not. If it's all mental mistakes, you don't know if they can play or not. That's the theory."
Denver: John Fox is doing his best to convert the Broncos from a pass-happy team to one that’s committed to the run. That’s easier said than done, although we saw some flashes of brilliance last week.
“It’s the essence of football, I think, being able to run the ball and the mindset it takes to run the ball and stopping a run defensively.”
We can expect Broncos starters to see more field time this week, as Fox has traditionally opened things up a little in Week 2 of the preseason. It will be Kyle Orton, followed by Tim Tebow and Brady Quinn, under center.
Things to note: Chan Gailey coached teams are 3-12 SU and 4-11 ATS in the preseason… The Bills have yet to win a preseason road game under Gailey, going 0-3 SU and ATS… As head coach of the Panthers, John Fox posted a 6-13-1 ATS record in the favorite role... forecast in Denver is calling for a chance of thundershowers.
Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks (-3, 35)
Starter report
Minnesota: The Vikings will make a slight adjustment to their QB rotation this week, with Christian Ponder working with the second-team offense. Donovan McNabb will start and is expected to play a quarter, along with the rest of the starters. Joe Webb will be used in the fourth quarter. Head coach Leslie Frazier will continue to handle his starters playing time cautiously.
“You’re trying to get the time, you’re trying to get the cohesiveness that you want on your offensive line as well as the rest of your team, but you also know that you’ve got to have the right people on the field when you line up on September 11.” Frazier told reporters.
Seattle: There’s a good chance we’ll see Seahawks QBs Tarvaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst play an equal amount Saturday. Pete Carroll is standing by Jackson as his starter, for now at least.
"I'm sticking to what we said in the beginning. Tarvaris (Jackson) has done nothing but good stuff. He's only practiced six days now. Let's give him a couple weeks to get his offense and his personnel in mind - who's there, who he's playing with,” Carroll told the media.
He admitted that Whitehurst has made a major push and as a result, should continue to see plenty of playing time.
Things to note: Percy Harvin and Visante Shiancoe are among those that will sit for the Vikings Saturday… The Seahawks are 12-5 SU over their last 17 preseason tilts… Seattle hasn’t had a preseason game play under the total at Qwest Field since August 30, 2007.
Texans, Cowboys Host NFL Preseason Betting Games
By: Michael Robinson
There are a couple of NFL Preseason Week 2 primetime showdowns in the Lone Star State when New Orleans visits Houston on Saturday and Dallas hosts San Diego on Sunday.
Home teams went 11-5 against the spread in Week 1. The second week kicked off Thursday with hosts going 1-1 straight up and ATS. Pittsburgh beat visiting Philadelphia 24-14, while New England did a number on its opponent for the second week in a row, 31-14 at Tampa Bay.
New Orleans at Houston – Saturday 5:00 p.m. (PT) NFL Network
New Orleans is a 1½-point favorite with a total of 36½-points. These teams meet in Week 3 of the regular season and will likely keep the game plans ‘vanilla’ on Saturday, not wanting to show off too much.
The Saints easily handled San Francisco in their opener, 24-3 as 2½-point home favorites. That was the debut for 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, but he’s stuck with the same old quarterback in Alex Smith. New Orleans put constant pressure on both him and rookie backup Colin Kaepernick, getting six, first half sacks.
New Orleans didn’t have much offense of its own early last week with Drew Brees going 1-of-4 for six yards in the first three series, not putting up any points. He should get top receiver Marques Colston back, who missed last week with a knee injury.
The Texans opened with a 20-16 home win over the Jets. Chris Ogbonnaya had a one-yard run with under two minutes remaining to also get a slim ‘cover’ of the 3-point spread. It put them ‘over’ the 34½-point total as well.
Houston was missing star wide receiver Andre Johnson (finger) and running back Arian Foster (hamstring). Both are expected to play Saturday with the starters playing most of the first half according to coach Gary Kubiak.
The Texans are still adjusting to their new 3-4 defense under coordinator Wade Phillips. While they did have seven sacks last week, most of it was from their backups. Going against Brees and company will be a much better measure of where the defense stands.
San Diego at Dallas – Sunday 5:00 p.m. (PT) NBC
Dallas is a one-point favorite with a total of 37-points. These teams are practicing against each Thursday through Saturday this week.
The Cowboys are coming off a 24-23 victory over Denver as 2½-point home favorites. Third-string quarterback Stephen McGee had his second touchdown pass of the game with 15 seconds left and then threw the game-winning, 2-point conversion.
Quarterback Tony Romo played just one series, going 3-of-5 for 33 yards. He’s reportedly been throwing the ball great in practice as he comes back from his broken collarbone suffered last October.
San Diego opened with a 24-17 home loss to Seattle as 3-point favorites. Quarterback Philip Rivers was 5-of-6 for 87 yards and a touchdown in his only series and San Diego led 10-0 at halftime. Seattle scored two touchdowns in the final 4:02 of the fourth to win the game.
Both Romo and Rivers are sure to see significantly more time this game, likely well into the second quarter. It will be a good test for both defenses, which have new coordinators (Rob Ryan for Dallas and Greg Manusky for San Diego).
The Cowboys’ other big question is the offensive line, which has several new starters. The last thing they want to do is get Romo hurt in a preseason game.
Dallas will be missing running backs DeMarco Murray (hamstring) and Tashard Choice (calf), with Felix Jones out to prove he should be a workhorse back this year. San Diego will be without cornerback Antoine Cason (finger).