NFL Highlights, Week 11
by Joshua Fairbanks - 11/21/2006
Doc's Sports will look at the most important NFL highlights from a betting perspective each week of the football season. Here is where you can find out who covered, where the lines moved and also which teams were hot against the total.
Dallas Cowboys Defeated Indianapolis Colts Sunday, 21-14.
Sunday's game between the Colts and Cowboys proved to be all it was hyped up to be. Uncharacteristically, Manning threw two interceptions and seemed like he was uncomfortable the whole game. The line opened up this week showing the Cowboys as a slight favorite. Of course, by the end of the week, the Colts were a one-point chalk. The Cowboys are now 3-1 with Romo and are starting to look like a legit team, especially after dethroning Indy. Dallas is 6-4 this season and is also a surprising 6-4 ATS. When the Cowboys win, they cover. Plain and simple.
Jacksonville Jaguars Defeated New York Giants Sunday, 26-10.
The stout Jacksonville defense continues to impress me week after week. In the past five weeks, the Jaguars are 4-1 posting the under. The Jags have held teams to less than 14 points in the majority of their games. With Garrard finally finding his groove, the -3.5 point spread for Jacksonville was an easy line. The Jaguars are now 7-4 ATS on Monday Night Football proving they produce on big stages. It also helped the Jaguars cause that Eli Manning has looked like a bad rookie QB over the course of the last few weeks. With all of the Giant's injuries, New York does not have the defense to bail out Eli anymore.
Pittsburgh Steelers Defeated Cleveland Browns Sunday, 24-20.
This game was finally the coming out party for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Facing the chance of a 3-7 record, Pitt mounted a serious comeback in the fourth quarter to keep their season alive. The Steelers scored three touchdowns in the end of the game not only winning, but actually covering the spread. Pitt is now 5-1 covering the over in the last six weeks. The Steelers are also 2-0 ATS in the last two weeks. Next week Pitt visits Baltimore and I suspect the -3 point line laid against Pitt, may very well lower by weeks end.
Kansas City Chiefs Defeated Oakland Raiders Sunday, 17-13.
For the second week in a row, K.C. has failed to live up to expectations. Kansas City is 6-2 in their last eight games, yet they are an average 4-4 ATS. In the last two weeks, the Chiefs are 0-2 ATS. It seems to me that sports books have been under the assumption that Kansas City should be able to run over teams like Oakland. Maybe sports books failed to also notice the power of the Oakland Raiders. Oakland is a strong 5-1 ATS recently, proving they are not a team to be blown out. Also, in the past six weeks, Oakland is 6-0 covering the under. The Raiders' defense continues to play strong this season, and maybe their offense will show up sometime soon.
San Francisco 49ers Defeated Seattle Seahawks Sunday, 20-14.
The 49ers are one of the most overlooked teams in the NFL. San Francisco has been quietly creeping up as a contender and really proved it when they handed the Seahawks a huge loss to move to 5-5 for the season. San Fran is also a strong 3-0 ATS in the past three weeks as an underdog. The Seahawks, on the other hand, are a porous 1-7 ATS in their last eight games. With so many injuries, the defending NFC champs may find the 49er's picking at their heels come seasons end.