Kansas City Wins First Of Season By Beating Washington
The offensively struggling Kansas City Chiefs have finally found a way to win-play a team with a more stagnant offense than their own. The Chiefs gave Todd Haley his first win as a NFL head coach on Sunday with a—6 win over the Washington Redskins. Kansas City is now 1-5 on the NFL season, while the Redskins slumped to 2-4.
To successfully bet on NFL football you occasionally have to put aside W/L records and look at the underlying statistics. Those who did that found reason to take Kansas City as +6\’ road underdogs and were rewarded with the outright victory. Kansas City is now 2-4 against the NFL pointspread and has covered two straight while Washington is a dismal 1-5 versus the money.
After the contest, Haley sounded more relieved than excited about finally putting a \”W\” on the board:
\”We made it pretty difficult, right down to the end. We\’ve pushed through a very difficult period. We needed to get some positive reinforcement with a win.\”
Kansas City QB Matt Cassel also won for the first time since coming over from New England in the off season. His postgame comments were more upbeat:
\”There\’s been a lot of change, but this has definitely been special. We rose to the occasion. We made some big plays. We put ourselves in a position to score points.\”
Embattled Redskins\’ coach Jim Zorn was stripped of his offensive play calling duties by team management after the contest. In one of his last decisions in that role, he pulled starter Jason Campbell at halftime and went with Todd Collins. He explained his move as follows:
\”I felt the need to create a spark on our football team offensively and went with Todd. I think the guys responded well. We kept our spark, at times, and then we refizzled.\”
The Redskins have managed to win only two of their first six games despite being the only team in NFL history to play their first six games of the season against winless opponents. They\’ll get another chance to silence their doubters next Monday night as they host the Philadelphia Eagles. The Skins are +6\’ home underdogs with the total set at 38\’. They\’ll have a bye the next week and return to action on November 8th against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Kansas City will try to string together back to back wins as they host the San Diego Chargers on Sunday.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer who has written on sports gambling and how to successfully bet on NFL football. He has appeared as a guest on TV and radio talking about boxing, hockey and NFL pointspreads. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a wombat.
Packers Blank Woeful Lions
The Green Bay Packers didn\’t do a good job protecting their quarterback last Sunday, but against the lowly Detroit Lions it didn\’t really matter. Packers\’ QB Aaron Rodgers was sacked five times, but Green Bay used a big first half offensive outburst to coast to a 26-0 NFL victory over the Detroit Lions. Rodgers threw two first half touchdown passes which was complimented by four Mason Crosby field goals as Green Bay improved to 3-2 on the season. The Lions slumped to 1-5 with the loss.
NFL football betting enthusiasts who backed the Packers as -14 home dogs easily cashed their tickets with Green Bay\’s third pointspread cover in five games. Detroit slipped to 2-4 against the spread.
In the victory, Packers\’ receiver Donald Driver passed Sterling Sharpe for first place on the franchise reception list. Sharpe finished his career with 596 receptions, Driver now has 602. After the game, he talked about the accomplishment:
\”It couldn\’t it come in a better place — at home in front of the fans I\’ve played in front of for so many years. It feels good. Now I just have to wait on Sterling to call me and congratulate me.\”
Despite the convincing victory, cornerback Tramon Williams wasn\’t happy with the relatively narrow margin:
\”It feels like a 50 to zero game, but we didn\’t quite get there. I felt we should\’ve put more points on the board.\”
For the Lions, their quarterback woes continued. Matthew Stafford is already out indefinitely with an injured knee, and against Green Bay backup Daunte Cullpepper injured his hamstring in the third quarter and was replaced by the Lions\’ third string quarterback Drew Stanton. Cullpepper is now listed as \’questionable\’ on the official NFL injury report. After the game, he talked about Detroit\’s lack of offense:
\”It\’s very disappointing, very frustrating. It\’s embarrassing to me not to be able to move it on the field and get points on the board. We\’ve got to figure out a way to do that, simple as that.\”
The Packers will play on the road this Sunday, heading to Cleveland to face the Browns. Green Bay will host the Minnesota Vikings the following Sunday followed by a trip to Tampa Bay on November 8. Detroit has a bye this weekend and will return to action as they host the St. Louis Rams on November 1. They\’ll play their next two on the road, with games in Seattle and Minnesota.
Ross Everett is a staff oddsmaker for Sports-1 Sportsbook as well as a widely published freelance writer specializing in MMA, boxing and how to bet on NFL football. He is a well known authority on Internet sports betting, fine dining and fencing. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a pet wallaby.
Bengals Blast Struggling Bears
Former Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson got revenge on the team that let him go in the best possible way. Benson amassed 189 yards rushing and led his new team, the Cincinnati Bengals, to a 45-10 rout over the visiting Bears on Sunday. Carson Palmer threw for five touchdowns with no interceptions in the blowout victory. Cincinnati improved to 5-2 with the win while Chicago dropped to 3-3 on the NFL season.
The Bengals also made short work of the NFL pointspread, easily covering as +1′ home underdogs. Cincinnati improved to 4-3 against the number while Chicago evened their ATS mark at 3-3. The 55 combined points sailed OVER the posted total of 42′.
A smug Benson described his feelings after the win:
“Everybody knew it was going to be an emotional day. Everybody knew. What a wonderful day and a wonderful thing, to go out there and strut your stuff.”
Despite the evidence to the contrary, Benson downplayed the motive of revenge:
“I continue to be as graceful as I can be. I’m not shoving anything in anybody’s face. Like I say, it wasn’t a revenge day for me. I just wanted to take advantage of the opportunities.”
He said his biggest problem was trying to keep his emotions in check and play under control:
“There were a few times where I may have gotten a little too hyped up, a little too antsy. A couple of drives, I found myself having to calm myself down and gather my emotions to stay poised. Once I got past that, we were good to go. Keep it rolling.”
Bengals’ receiver Chad Ochocinco had 10 catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns. He shared his thoughts postgame:
“I don’t understand why it went this way today and why it didn’t go that way last week or the week before that. The offensive line played unbelievable. For Ced to run the way he did today and for us to be able to throw, we could have done what we wanted to do.”
Chicago gave up more points than in any game all season, a fact that left defensive end Alex Brown looking for answers:
“That was pretty embarrassing. It’s embarrassing to come out and play like that. I tip my hat to their whole team. Cedric ran the ball like crazy. They did whatever they wanted to do.”
The Bengals will enjoy a bye week before hosting the Baltimore Ravens on November 8. They’ll then play two games on the road at Pittsburgh and Oakland. Chicago will try to get back on track this Sunday as they host the Cleveland Browns. The Bears are -13′ home favorites with the total set at 40.
Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer specializing in casino gambling, fine dining and sports betting. He has appeared on a number of TV and radio programs offering strategies for successful NFL football betting. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a pet llama. He is currently writing a biography of former NFL quarterback Jim Plunkett.