People seem to like the New York Jets to beat the Denver Broncos with ease. I suppose this is a bit of an obvious bet, which is usually a good reason not to bet it.
The Broncos defense is so bad it cannot be counted on to force a single punt all day. They just got done losing to the Oakland Raiders in Denver, so that certainly does its part in creating a bad image for the Broncos.
The problem with taking the Jets at -8.5 is, as I mentioned, it is too obvious. The Jets are getting a lot of media praise this week. They are deserving of this praise, having won five straight games, the last of which came against the previously undefeated Tennessee Titans.
They didn’t just squeak past the Titans either. They walloped Tennessee by the score of 34-13. While the Jets were boosting their public image, the Broncos were destroying theirs with a 31-10 loss to the Raiders.
Just two weeks ago, however, the Broncos were 6.5 point road underdogs to a hot Atlanta Falcons team. The Broncos won the game. Do I think the Broncos will win in New York today? No. Would it shock me if they did? No.
These are two NFL teams with a fresh start. The Broncos are still in first place in their weak division, and that gives them everything to play for. Super Bowl dreams are still alive for the Broncos and 8.5 points is a lot of points for a motivated team.
Personally, I wouldn’t bet the game at all. No result would shock me. I wouldn’t be shocked if Denver gets creamed, and I wouldn’t be shocked if Denver pulled the upset.
It is somewhat rare to see a road favorite in the NFL in recent years. Today we have four of them, all of which are favored to win by more than a field goal.
The New York Giants are at -3.5 over the Washington Redskins. The Baltimore Ravens are at -7 at the Cincinnati Bengals. The Miami Dolphins are -7.5 to St. Louis, and the Indianapolis Colts are -5 at the Cleveland Browns.
Except for maybe the Giants/Redskins game, these spreads are more a reflection of how bad the home teams have looked as opposed to how good the visitors have looked. The Bengals and Redskins are playing as home underdogs against division rivals. One would think they have a good chance of keeping the games very close and covering their spreads.
I guess it says a lot about how bad the four home dogs are because I couldn’t bring myself to bet on any of them. I will be watching closely, though, to see how many cover.
The best game of the day looks like it will be the Pittsburgh Steelers taking on the New England Patriots. The spread is only at one point, so take your pick in this one.
The Steelers defense should prevent Matt Cassel from his third straight 400-yard passing game. The Patriots are on the rise, and this game should go a long way toward telling us how high they can go.
The winner of this Steelers/ Patriots game is on their way to being serious championship contenders. If I were a bettin’ man, I would take the Steelers.
