Sports Betting

Gameday Preview: Oct 9Week 5 of the NFL schedule is chock full of statement games, including QB Carson Palmer and the surprising Cincinnati Bengals looking to secure a measure of respect around the league with a road game in Jacksonville. Here's a closer look at four of the best matchups on the Week 5 sched: New England (2-2) at Atlanta (3-1) - 1:00 pm EDTThe defending Super Bowl champions are facing the kind of adversity that can crush a team's confidence and send them into a tailspin. After getting pounded 41-17 last week by the San Diego Chargers, the injury-riddled Pats will take their wounded psyche into the Georgia Dome where Warrick Dunn and the NFL's top rushing attack will be waiting with no mercy on their minds. The host Atlanta Falcons have raced out to a 3-1 start this season, despite the fact that Vick has not been completely healthy for much of the early going. He tweaked his left hamstring in Week 2 during a 21-18 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and last week suffered an injury to his right knee during the Falcons' 30-10 mauling of the Minnesota Vikings. After MRI results came back negative earlier this week Vick was listed as probable, until Saturday when his status was downgraded to questionable. If Vick is unable to start, Matt Schaub will step in to make his second career start. Feature back Warrick Dunn is averaging a huge 5.6 yards per carry this season on 70 rushes for 394 yards, combining with the elusive Vick to power the running game to a league-leading average of 209 yards per game. The Patriots' patchwork defense, meanwhile, is ranked 23rd against the run. Pro Bowl QB Tom Brady will have to move the chains with lengthy drives (and put some points on the board) to keep their defense off the field as much as possible. To do this, Brady will rely heavily on the league's 3rd-ranked passing attack, which has averaged 283 yards per game so far this season. This is a litmus test for both clubs, if either has designs on making some serious noise among the league's elite this season. In their last meeting back in 2001, the Pats defeated Chris Chandler and the Falcons 24-10 at the Georgia Dome. Clearly, even a wobbly-legged Vick is more elusive than Chandler, who was sacked six times in that encounter. Also of note, the Patriots have won eight straight games in domed stadiums.Atlanta opened as a 2-point favorite. Philadelphia (3-1) at Dallas (2-2) - 4:15 pm EDTThe Philadelphia Eagles will bring the NFL's top-ranked passing attack into Texas Stadium as Terrell Owens looks to wreak havoc against the secondary that all but ended his season last December. Bruised but not broken, QB Donovan McNabb will look for Owens early and often against the Cowboys. McNabb leads the NFL with 1,333 yards passing and 11 touchdowns, while Owens is the league's leading receiver with 32 catches for 506 yards. Owens suffered a broken leg and sprained ankle last December when Dallas safety Roy Williams horse-collared him to the ground with a stomach-turning tackle; the NFL has since outlawed that sort of take-down. But Owens is not the only target who McNabb looks for downfield. L.J. Smith leads all tight ends with 26 receptions, and the under-utilized but ever-dangerous Brian Westbrook leads all running backs with 22 catches. In fact, McNabb is on pace to threaten current Cowboys QB Drew Bledsoe's NFL record of 691 passing attempts in a single season, set back in 1994. Reunited in Dallas with his former coach Bill Parcells, Bledsoe has been solid if not spectacular while leading the Cowboys to a decent start this season. Bledsoe is rated seventh among all quarterbacks with a rating of 96.2 on 74-of-124 passing for 1,062 yards, with seven TD tosses and only three picks. Big things were expected from running back Julius Jones this season but he has so far failed to deliver, averaging 3.5 yards on 96 carries and failing to rush for 100 yards in any game this season. The Eagles went on to win the "horse-collar game" against Dallas last December by a slim 12-7 margin, their ninth victory over the Cowboys in 10 encounters.Philadelphia opened as a 3-point favorite. Washington (3-0) at Denver (3-1) - 4:15 pm EDTWe'll find out on Sunday in the thin air of INVESCO Field against a quality opponent if the Redskins are NFC East contenders or pretenders. While the Redskins' unblemished season slate looks impressive, they have been lucky to escape all three games with dramatic victories over the Bears, the Cowboys, and the Seahawks by a combined total of six points. Veteran QB Mark Brunell has been cool under pressure, ex-Broncos running back Clinton Portis has been solid, and offseason acquisition Santana Moss has been spectacular running under bombs from Brunell at critical junctures in each of the Redskins' first three games. In fact, 14 of Moss' 15 receptions have resulted in first downs, including 10 catches on third down. On defense, the Redskins have allowed a meager 37 points, the lowest total in the NFC, and haven't allowed an opposing runner to reach 100 yards in eight straight games. The Broncos, as usual, will provide a stiff test for the Redskins' run defense. Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell have been a formidable one-two punch out of the backfield behind QB Jake Plummer, helping the Broncos average more than 136 yards rushing per game to rank third in the NFL. And, of course, there's the home-field advantage in the Rocky Mountain state: the Broncos are 16-4 at home against NFC opponents since Mike Shanahan assumed the reins.Denver opened as a 7-point favorite. Cincinnati (4-0) at Jacksonville (2-2) - 8:30 pm EDTCarson Palmer's name is starting to come up when discussion turns to the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. Can the rest of the team keep up with him, and push the Bengals into the upper-tier of the league? Palmer currently ranks 2nd among all quarterbacks with a passer rating of 112.2 and is tied for 5th overall with 1,062 passing yards, completing 94-of-131 attempts with nine majors and only two interceptions. WR Chad Johnson has been Palmer's top target, hauling in 26 catches for 374 yards and three touchdowns. Wideout T.J. Houshmandzadeh stepped into the limelight last week, snaring eight balls for 105 yards in the Bengals' 16-10 victory at home against the Houston Texans. The real story Sunday night, however, will be how Cincinnati's offensive line reacts to the loss of veteran centers Rich Braham and Larry Moore, who were injured in the win. Moore was placed on injured reserve with a dislocated knee, while Braham is questionable, meaning rookie center Eric Ghiaciuc will likely be forced into action. The Bengals also signed veteran center Larry Turner, formerly of the Rams, this week to help fill in the gaps. Jacksonville is also hurting along the O-line, but not because of injuries. The men in the trenches have allowed 13 sacks so far this season, forcing QB Byron Leftwich to run for his life and limiting the Jags' offensive output to 303.5 yards per game, 24th in the NFL. Wideout Jimmy Smith has been a bright spot on offense, scoring four majors and registering 13 first downs on only 17 receptions with an average of 19.4 yards per catch.Jacksonville opened as a 2.5-point favorite.
http://www.sport-betting-links.com/
http://www.sport-betting-links.com/directory/aaasportsandcasinos.html