Early Lines On NFL's Second Week Released

NFL News - September 15th, 2009 - Written by John

We're nearing the end of the NFL's Kickoff weekend, which means your perceptions--and betting strategies--are probably already shifting. Gone are the thoughts that Carolina will be a contender (at least until they get a defense). Out is wondering if Matt Ryan can continue to win after a fabulous freshman year.

Now is when we take what we learned after the first real games of the year and try to sort it all out. Monday marked the release of early betting lines for week two on BetUS, so let's try to sort it all out.

The only real anomilie is how Carolina went from a competitive two-point underdog against Philadelphia (props to whoever gave Carolina those odds) to a 28-point embarrasment.

Vegas is cutting them a little less slack this week and early odds have them now being six-point dogs against Atlanta. Part of the problem is the Panthers don't really know who their starting quarterback is. Jake Delhomme was owned for five turnovers against the Eagles' defense (which racked up 35 points in standard ESPN fantasy leagues). His backups weren't much better. Josh McCown only attempted six passes before being knocked out of the game with a leg injury. Matt Moore then took over and was manhandled for a 33.5 rating. For now, it seems, head coach John Fox is sticking with Delhomme, but he has thrown nine picks in his last two games dating back to the NFC Divisional Playoff loss to Arizona. The Panthers' front office may be on the phone's as you read this sentence.

The New Orleans Saints, who blasted the Detroit Lions for 45 points in the opener, will meet Philadelphia in what appears to be a shootout.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings appear to be the frontrunner in the entire NFC after Adrian Peterson showed no signs of rust in the week one match-up against Cleveland. Peterson ran for a league-high 180 yards and scored three touchdowns, including a nifty 64-yard dash down the sideline, shedding five blockers and he tight-roped the boundry.

The Vikings are 9 1/2 point favorites on the road against the Lions in week two.

The Tennessee Titans are seven-point favorites against the Texans after a physical Thursday night game against the Steelers. Tennessee pushed the Super Bowl champs to the brink, forcing overtime before Jeff Reed ended it with a field goal. They are favored to get back on track against a Texan team that sputtered in the home opener against the Jets, gaining only 38 yards rushing and no offensive touchdowns.

Other big favorites on the early lines are Green Bay over Cincinnait at -9 and Washington over St. Louis at -10.

Two of the big surprises in week one will meet each other when the San Francisco 49ers play host to Seattle, coming off a big win against Arizona. The Niners are 6-4 under head coach Mike Singletary and appear to be ready to finally make some noise in the NFC. Their defense held one of last season's top scoring offenses to only 16 points and broke a six-game skid against the Cardinals. It was the first time Arizona had lost to an NFC West team in over a year.

Jay Cutler will get another tough matchup when his Bears are three-point dogs against the Steelers, who will be playing without their top defender, Troy Polomalu. The All-Pro injured his knee against the Titans and is expected to miss 3-6 weeks.

The Dallas Cowboys are favored over the New York Giants by three points. Both teams are coming off impressive wins in week one.

Denver's win over the Bengals with a last-second miracle wasn't overly impressive but early lines are tagging them as three-point favorites when they host the Cleveland Browns.

Monday Night Football will pit two of the most intriguing offenses in the league when the Miami Dolphins host Peyton Manning and the Colts. Indianapolis is favored by three points so far, despite being on the road. Much of that has to do with each team's week one performances. Manning and wide out Reggie Wayne appear to have an unstoppable chemistry after they connected on 10 passes for 162 yards en route to a 14-12 win over Jacksonville. Meanwhile, Miami's wildcat offense struggled to score any points against Atlanta, and would've been shut out if not for a late touchdown pass by Chad Pennington.

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