NFL Highlights, Week 16
by Jordan Adams - 12/26/2006
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.
Tennessee Defeated Buffalo Sunday, 30-29.
Vince Young continued his push for Rookie of the Year, and also MVP as his Titans won again this weekend. They came into this game as 4.5-point underdogs but fought hard to get the outright win. Both teams combined to go well over the posted total of 37.5. Tennessee has now made it six straight and eight of 10 since Young was inserted as the starter and how could he not get some votes his way for MVP? Against the Bills he accounted for three touchdowns and over 300 yards of total offense. Tennessee outscored Buffalo, 10-0, in the fourth quarter and stopped J.P. Losman and the offense on a key fourth down play to seal the come-from-behind victory.
New Orleans Defeated New York Sunday, 30-37.
After going up 7-0 to start the game, the Giants then proceeded to choke at home and watched the Saints rally off 30 unanswered points to secure a first round bye in the NFC playoffs. New York's lone score was a 55-yard strike to Plaxico Burress, and the Giants never took one snap in New Orleans territory the entire game. The Saints improve to 6-2 away from the Superdome while the Giants fall to 7-8 and will need a win and help in the final week of the season just to make the playoffs. Despite struggling late in the year linesmakers had listed the Giants as three point favorites. New Orleans made short work of that spread in the blowout.
Houston Defeated Indianapolis Sunday, 27-24.
The Colts continue their roller coaster season, falling to the hapless Texans. Indy fell behind, 14-0, but tied the game at 24-24 with several minutes to go. However, David Carr led the Houston offense down the field and Kris Brown's 48-yard field goal with no time left was the difference. Ron Dayne fueled the offense with his first 100-yard game in five years, totaling 153 and two scores on the day. The Colts now face losing the chance at a first round bye, as the Ravens now hold the second best record in the conference. Peyton Manning threw for three touchdowns in the loss. Houston was a nine-point underdog at home but did well to keep the lead most of the game and take the game outright. Indy now drops to 8-7 ATS this season.
Denver Defeated Cincinnati Sunday, 24-23.
The Broncos made sure they would control their playoff destiny by knocking off the Bengals in a snowy Christmas Eve thriller. The two teams went back and forth, but it was Denver that pulled ahead late, thanks to a 99-yard drive that spanned over 11 minutes and ended with a Mike Bell 2-yard score. A win by the Broncos next week means they are in. Cincy scored what seemed to be the equalizer with under a minute left but a botched extra point succumbed the Bengals to the one-point loss. Carson Palmer and Jay Cutler each had two passing touchdowns, but it was Cincinnati's four turnovers that proved too much to overcome in defeat. Denver was favored by three in this one, so most backers were probably mad that they could not hold onto that cover at the end. However, that late TD did push the score over the posted total of 44.5.
San Diego Defeated Seattle Sunday, 20-17.
The Chargers narrowly escaped out of Seattle and used a Philip Rivers' 37-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson with under a minute left to steal the win. San Diego seemed in control and went up 13-7 at halftime, but the Seahawks rallied off two straight touchdowns to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter. Shaun Alexander had his best game of the season, rushing for 140 yards and two scores, his second one putting them on top for the first time all game. LT was held without a score but did finish with 123 yards on the ground. Rivers was 10-of-30 through the air but his two touchdowns and no turnovers were enough to just sneak by with the victory. Low scoring for the entire game, the over of 45 was really never in sight. Despite the cover, the Seahawks are just 5-9-1 ATS this season.