Sports Betting

The naysayer’s are out in full force these days as they try and shoot down the notion that the Indianapolis Colts can go through their regular season 16-0. For those of us old enough to remember the last team to go through a season undefeated was the 1972 Miami Dolphins. What is incredibly hard to believe is that there was such an NFC bias in those years, as that would be the only explanation for the Dolphins being three point underdogs in the Super Bowl against the Redskins.
The Dolphins were led by legendary head coach Don Shula. And with Bob Griese at quarterback and Larry Csonka at fullback the Dolphins opened the season with high expectations. Although, as everyone knows, the Dolphins did make it through the season without a loss on their record, the road was not always smooth sailing and the games were often not decided until the fourth quarter.
Miami started the season by helping the Kansas City Chiefs open the new Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

The Dolphins handled the Chiefs pretty easily, defeating them 20-10, with the Chiefs scoring their only touchdown with nine seconds to play in the game. Larry Csonka led the way with 118 yards rushing and scored one touchdown, while Griese chipped in with a touchdown pass to Marlin Briscoe. Week two was no different as Miami dominated the Houston Oilers, 34-13.
Week three brought the first close call of the season for the Miami Dolphins. They were playing Minnesota, and the Vikings had the upperhand most of the game. The Dolphins were trailing, 14-6 in the fourth quarter before Garo Yepremian connected on a 51-yard field goal attempt to make the score 14-9. After the Vikings offense bogged down, the Dolphins took possession of the ball and Griese led them down the field. The drive culminated in a three-yard touchdown pass from Griese to tight end Jim Mandich with 1:28 left on the clock. The Dolphins were the only undefeated team left in the league.
Miami pulled off easy victories over the Jets in week four and the Chargers in week five, but the victory over San Diego came at a huge cost. Quarterback Bob Griese suffered the fracture of a small bone in his right leg and he also dislocated his right ankle. Griese was replaced by 38-year old Earl Morrall, and in his first full game the veteran backup barely slipped the Dolphins past the Buffalo Bills. Morrall, relying heavily on the running game, threw only ten passes the entire game, completing six of them for 91 yards.
Miami went into cruise control the next three games, recording two shutouts and outscoring their opponents, 105-16. They would not be tested again until week ten in a rematch with the New York Jets. With a chance to clinch the AFC East title, the Dolphins found themselves trailing the Jets, 24-20 as the fourth quarter started. But Mercury Morris, who rushed for 107 yards during the game, would not be denied as he scampered fourteen yards into the end zone for the go ahead score. The Dolphins clinched the AFC East title, and were the proud owners of a 10-0 record.
The Dolphins finished off the final four games of the season in dominant fashion. They knocked off the Cardinals, 31-10, the Patriots, 37-21, and then the Giants, 23-13. In week fourteen, the final week of the regular season, the Dolphins beat Baltimore, 16-0, in a game that turned out to be Johnny Unitas' last with the Colts. Not since the Chicago Bears finished the season undefeated thirty years earlier had a team finished the regular season schedule without a loss.
How ironic in a year where the most used name in the NFL is Manning, that the fortunes of the Colts are the offensive line’s ability to keep Peyton vertical. Unlike the Dolphins who had Earl Morrall waiting in the wings with years of experience, Indy only has untested Jim Sorgi. In fact they do not even have a third string quarterback on the roster at this time.
But I choose to look at the glass half full not half empty and a quick glance at the remaining eight opponents, suggest history in the making.
Cincinnati on the road is not an issue and either is Pittsburgh at home. Most people will point to the Jaguars as a potential loss, but the Jags will not shut down Peyton and his posse the second time around. San Diego is a tough team with good balance, but they find ways to lose this season and Seattle cannot stop Indy on defense.
I am suggesting here that a big celebration will occur in the desert on the first day of 2006, when the Colts dispose of the Cardinals and finish 16-0!
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Sports Betting

Don’t look know but the sudden demise of the New England Patriots has opened up things considerably when pertaining to the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference. Thing could get really wacky after the results of Sunday’s games become official as the Patriots travel to South Florida, while the Bills host the Kansas City Chiefs.
New England as predicted by yours truly was exposed this past Monday by a vastly superior Colts team and now must tangle with an east rival in Miami. The Dolphins have been better as expected under disciplinarian Nick Saban and own impressive wins over Denver and Carolina at home and the combined record of teams played is 30-27 so it has been a reasonably tough schedule.
If you’re the type of better who likes to play good game and bad game theory, then New England is the play this week as their 4-4 record, reveals a pattern of win,loss,win,loss,win,loss,win,loss. I am not going to be hooked into that rationale and there’s a good case to be made for betting the Dolphins. The Patriots are beyond the point of bad defensively and while I like the guy, Teddy Bruschi looks like a high school player out there.
Say all you want about Bill Bellichick’s surly personality, but there is no way that he will bench the popular player who has fought back from a stroke and been instrumental in the three Patriot’s championships. Don’t kid yourself in thinking Mr. Bill hasn’t thought about it, but he isn’t going there.
I had a chance to notice Tom Brady’s reaction to adversity on the sidelines during the Colt’s game and it was not pretty. He looked like a spoiled kid who wasn’t getting what he wanted. Face the facts Tom, banged up offensive line, limping running backs and no defense. What do you expect?
As for Kansas City they head east for a visit to windy Buffalo and a date with the Bills, minus Priest Holmes. The valuable running back is gone for the year and this gives the clamoring Larry Johnson his chance at stardom. KC has a huge offensive line that can push the Bills all over the field, but this stadium is a graveyard for quarterbacks visiting for the first time. Kansas City has not visited Buffalo since 1997 and Trent Green is in for a rude awakening.
I have to take the Dolphins at home getting points and the Bills/Chiefs under 42!
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CFL Football Playoff Preview The regular season is over and the battle for the Grey Cup begins up north. The CFL East and West semi-finals are set for Sunday with Saskatchewan visiting Montreal, and Edmonton heading to Calgary for the second week in a row. The winners get Toronto and B.C., who both secured a bye this week by finishing first in their respective divisions. Here's a closer look at both games: Sunday, November 13Saskatchewan at Montreal, 3:00 pm ESTThe Saskatchewan Roughriders will hope for a better result than their regular-season tilts with the Montreal Alouettes, when they head to Montreal for the Eastern semi-final on Sunday. The Als dropped the Riders twice during the regular season. Montreal won 38-34 as a 1-point road favorite back in October, and routed the Riders at home 42-23 as a 4.5-point favorite in August. The oddmakers are expecting the Alouettes to make it three-for-three after setting them as a 4.5-point favorite. Saskatchewan heads into the playoff after a 13-12 victory over the B.C. Lions. Nealon Greene got the start at quarterback for Saskatchewan in that game and completed 24-of-35 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown. Green filled in for regular starter Marcus Crandell who was nursing a number of injuries including a jammed finger on his throwing hand. Roughriders coach Danny Barrett did not name his starting quarterback earlier in the week, giving Crandell more healing time before deciding and also to keep the Als coaching staff guessing. Montreal may have lost their final game of the season 15-9 to the lowly Hamilton Tiger-Cats, but it shouldn't mean anything come Sunday. Most of the Als regular offensive starters saw limited action, while starting quarterback Anthony Calvillo never saw the field at all. Backup QB Ted White proved to be a poor substitute as he completed only 14-of-26 passes for 163 yards with three interceptions. The Als' offense should look a lot different and play a lot better, with Calvillo, running back Robert Edwards and slotback Ben Cahoon playing their regular number of downs. Edmonton at Calgary, 6:00 pm ESTOnly a week after losing to the Calgary Stampeders and effectively losing their shot at first place in the West, the Edmonton Eskimos have to head back into the lion's den and face Calgary in a rematch in the Western semi-final. The Stampeders rolled over the Eskimos 43-23 last week as a 2.5-point home favorite. That was the second time that Calgary has defeated Edmonton this season, after dropping Edmonton 16-11 as a 7-point road dog back in September. The Eskimos were able to pull out a tight 25-23 win over the Stamps as a 3-point road favorite only a week earlier. The oddsmakers are expecting the Stampeders to continue their mastery of Edmonton after opening Calgary as a 5.5-point favorite. The Stampeders head into the playoffs red-hot after winning their last four regular-season games. The Calgary offense really started clicking during that streak, averaging 32 points per game. Calgary quarterback Henry Burris has re-energized the offense since returning from a hand injury. Burris has thrown nine touchdowns and zero interceptions in four games since making his return. Even if Burris does struggle on Sunday, the Stamps still have reliable running back Joffrey Reynolds to fall back on. Reynolds was second in the league during the regular season with 1437 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. Things had been looking up for Edmonton before their loss last week. The Eskimos had reeled off three straight wins and had a shot at first place in the West before choking versus Calgary. Edmonton quarterback Ricky Ray set a new CFL record by completing 479 passes during the regular season, but he hasn't found the end zone with one of them in quite a while. The Eskimos' QB hasn't thrown a touchdown pass in five games, but he has thrown six picks during that span. If Ray can't remember where the end zone is this week, the Eskimos' offense will have trouble keeping up with Burris and the Stamps.
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NFL Power Rankings - Week 10
One way or the other you were going to hear a large whoosh after the Indianapolis/New England game on Monday night. Either it was going to be the wind coming out of the Colts' sails, or it was going to be a big sigh of relief from Power Rankings headquarters as the rankings avoided decimation. Thankfully for us it was the latter, as the Colts stomped the Patriots 40-21 and allowed the rankings to keep some semblance of order heading into Week 10 of the NFL schedule. In fact, each of the top eight teams from last week's list remain in the same position, as do the bottom six. That means only the middling teams are currently jockeying for position. Indy's win on Monday night also put their rejuvenated offense on display. After struggling to put up points in the early going (despite piling up wins), Peyton Manning and company have been terrorizing defenses the past four weeks and now rank near the top of the league in scoring. In fact, only the New York Giants (at 29.1 points-per-game) are now better in that category than the Colts (28.6). Rounding out the current top five are the San Diego Chargers (28.0), Carolina Panthers (27.5), and Seattle Seahawks (26.8). Sitting in the bottom five are the Baltimore Ravens (12.1), Houston Texans (13.4), Cleveland Browns (14.3), San Francisco 49ers (14.6), and New York Jets (14.8). On the other side of the ball, allowing the Patriots to score 21 points pushed Indianapolis into a tie with the Chicago Bears for least points-per-game allowed. Both teams are currently giving up 12.3 points-per-game on defense. The Cincinnati Bengals (14.9), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (15.1), and Pittsburgh Steelers (15.5) make up the rest of the top five in that category. The worst defenses through nine weeks of the season? The 49ers (30.8 points-per-game allowed), St. Louis Rams (28.9), Patriots (27.5), Texans (27.0), and New Orleans Saints (26.9). Here is the Week 10 edition of the NFL Power Rankings. 01 - Indianapolis Colts 8-0 SU, 6-2 ATS (Last Week 01)Will have to keep that offense clicking on all gears to cover a big home spread versus the Texans on Sunday. 02 - Atlanta Falcons 6-2 SU, 5-3 ATS (Last Week 02)Michael Vick had his best passing game of the season to keep them in a tie atop the NFC South division. 03 - Pittsburgh Steelers 6-2 SU, 5-3 ATS (Last Week 03)Having Charlie Batch at QB was enough for them to beat Green Bay. Might be enough to beat the Browns too. 04 - Denver Broncos 6-2 SU, 5-2-1 ATS (Last Week 04)Come off their bye week with both the Chiefs and Chargers nipping at their heels in the AFC West division. 05 - Cincinnati Bengals 7-2 SU, 5-3-1 ATS (Last Week 05)Had little trouble defeating the Ravens last week to stay atop the AFC North division. Get a bye in Week 10. 06 - Carolina Panthers 6-2 SU, 4-4 ATS (Last Week 06)Stomped all over the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay to pick up their fifth straight victory. Host the Jets in Week 10. 07 - Seattle Seahawks 6-2 SU, 5-3 ATS (Last Week 07)Picked up their fourth-straight win on Sunday, pounding the Cardinals behind Shaun Alexander's 173-yard day. 08 - New York Giants 6-2 SU, 5-2-1 ATS (Last Week 08)Had a nice mid-season break last week, getting to play a San Francisco team led by someone named Cody Pickett. 09 - Jacksonville Jaguars 5-3 SU, 4-3-1 ATS (Last Week 11)Needed to score two touchdowns in the fourth quarter Sunday to avoid an embarrassing loss to the Texans. 10 - Dallas Cowboys 5-3 SU, 4-3-1 ATS (Last Week 12)Come off a bye week into an important Monday night contest with team turmoil, the rival Philadelphia Eagles. 11 - San Diego Chargers 5-4 SU, 5-3-1 ATS (Last Week 14)Four touchdowns for LaDainian Tomlinson on Sunday to carry the Chargers over the Jets by a 31-26 final score. 12 - St. Louis Rams 4-4 SU, 3-5 ATS (Last Week 15)Sitting two games back of the Seahawks in the NFC West division heading into Sunday's head-to-head meeting. 13 - Kansas City Chiefs 5-3 SU, 5-3 ATS (Last Week 16)Larry Johnson found the end zone late to give them a win on Sunday, and keep them a game back of the Broncos. 14 - Chicago Bears 5-3 SU, 5-2-1 ATS (Last Week 17)Have now won four games in a row to sit two games up in the NFC North division. Also paying off ATS this season. 15 - Washington Redskins 5-3 SU, 5-3 ATS (Last Week 18)Took advantage of an Eagles team missing Terrell Owens last week, getting back into the win column as a result. 16 - New England Patriots 4-4 SU, 3-5 ATS (Last Week 09)Despite their porous defense and the gut-punching loss to the Colts, they're still in playoff position in the AFC East. 17 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-3 SU, 3-5 ATS (Last Week 10)Two interceptions, only one touchdown pass for Chris Simms on Sunday as they lost their second game in a row. 18 - Philadelphia Eagles 4-4 SU, 2-6 ATS (Last Week 13)Now occupy the cellar of the NFC East division, and have been even worse to their supporters (2-6 ATS) this year. 19 - Oakland Raiders 3-5 SU, 4-4 ATS (Last Week 19)Couldn't hold on for the win versus the Chiefs Sunday, and as a result see their record drop two games below .500. 20 - Miami Dolphins 3-5 SU, 3-5 ATS (Last Week 20)Only 103 yards passing and an interception for Gus Frerotte Sunday as the Dolphins were stymied by the Falcons. 21 - Detroit Lions 3-5 SU, 5-3 ATS (Last Week 21)Joey Harrington returns as the quarterback, the Lions pick up another loss. To Brad Johnson's Vikings no less. 22 - Buffalo Bills 3-5 SU, 4-4 ATS (Last Week 22)Need to contain the Chiefs' offense this week to move closer to the .500 mark, and end their two game losing streak. 23 - Cleveland Browns 3-5 SU, 4-4 ATS (Last Week 25)Got a win versus the Titans on Sunday, but will need to handle the much-tougher Steelers to make it two in a row. 24 - Minnesota Vikings 3-5 SU, 3-5 ATS (Last Week 26)Won versus the Lions on Sunday, but will need to catch up with the streaking Bears in order to win the division. 25 - New York Jets 2-6 SU, 3-5 ATS (Last Week 23)Looks like it will be Brooks Bollinger for the foreseeable future, as Vinny Testaverde has been demoted to backup. 26 - Baltimore Ravens 2-6 SU, 3-5 ATS (Last Week 24)Kyle Boller should be back at quarterback for the Ravens in Week 10, and trying to put an end to a three game skid. 27 - Arizona Cardinals 2-6 SU, 2-6 ATS (Last Week 27)Had no chance versus the Seahawks last week; will have a better shot versus the Lions in Week 10 action. 28 - New Orleans Saints 2-7 SU, 3-5-1 ATS (Last Week 28)Boast the league's longest current losing streak, at five games. Have an open date this week to dwell on that fact. 29 - Tennessee Titans 2-7 SU, 3-6 ATS (Last Week 29)The loss to the Browns on Sunday was their fourth straight; like the Saints, they are off this week to try and regroup. 30 - San Francisco 49ers 2-6 SU, 3-5 ATS (Last Week 30)Thanks to the Cards, there's a chance they might not end up in last place in the division; the two are currently tied. 31 - Green Bay Packers 1-7 SU, 4-4 ATS (Last Week 31)Three losses in a row after Sunday's defeat. At least they're doing better ATS, where they sit with a decent 4-4 mark. 32 - Houston Texans 1-7 SU, 3-5 ATS (Last Week 32)Will try for their second win of the season this weekend - against the Colts. Maybe it will be a letdown game for Indy?
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NBA Handicapping
NBA Power Rankings Week 2The 2005/06 season is barely underway, and already star players are going down with injuries. The most notable is Shaquille O'Neal, who will reportedly miss 2-4 weeks with a sprained ankle suffered in the Miami Heat's game against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night. Also sidelined is the Houston Rockets' Tracy McGrady, who sat out Saturday night's loss to the New Orleans Hornets and could miss up to three weeks with back spasms. The Phoenix Suns were already missing a key cog coming into the season, as Amare Stoudemire will miss a large chunk of the year as he recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery. Toss in the various aches and pains of the Hawks' Al Harrington (ankle), the Clippers' Corey Maggette (hamstring), the Bucks' Joe Smith (knee), the Magic's Grant Hill (hernia), the Jazz's Carlos Boozer (hamstring), and the Wizards' Caron Butler (thigh), and you can see why not every matchup will be strength-versus-strength in the early going. Even the defending champion San Antonio Spurs have felt the bite of the injury bug; star guard Manu Ginobili has been limited by a thigh bruise. That hasn't been enough, however, to keep Ginobili out of the lineup, and it's also not enough to keep the Spurs out of the rankings' top spot this week. For this edition of the NBA Power Rankings, let's look back at the records and rankings compiled and achieved by each of the 30 teams in the league last season. Listed below is the current 1-through-30 Power Rankings order, as well as each team's record from last season, the ranking at which they started last year, the ranking at which they found themselves prior to the playoffs last year, and the record they compiled during October's preseason schedule. Here is the Week 2 edition of the NBA Power Rankings. 01 - San Antonio Spurs (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 59-23 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 03 2004/05 Regular Season End: 02 Preseason: 2-7 02 - Detroit Pistons (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 54-28 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 01 2004/05 Regular Season End: 06 Preseason: 4-4 03 - Miami Heat (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 59-23 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 07 2004/05 Regular Season End: 03 Preseason: 4-4 04 - Indiana Pacers (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 44-38 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 04 2004/05 Regular Season End: 11 Preseason: 5-3 05 - Phoenix Suns (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 62-20 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 13 2004/05 Regular Season End: 01 Preseason: 6-2 06 - Houston Rockets (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 51-31 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 05 2004/05 Regular Season End: 08 Preseason: 6-2 07 - Dallas Mavericks (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 58-24 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 09 2004/05 Regular Season End: 04 Preseason: 6-2 08 - Denver Nuggets (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 49-33 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 08 2004/05 Regular Season End: 05 Preseason: 7-1 09 - Sacramento Kings (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 50-32 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 06 2004/05 Regular Season End: 09 Preseason: 3-5 10 - Washington Wizards (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 45-37 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 27 2004/05 Regular Season End: 12 Preseason: 3-5 11 - Cleveland Cavaliers (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 42-40 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 20 2004/05 Regular Season End: 19 Preseason: 5-3 12 - New Jersey Nets (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 42-40 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 25 2004/05 Regular Season End: 16 Preseason: 5-3 13 - Milwaukee Bucks (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 30-52 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 16 2004/05 Regular Season End: 26 Preseason: 3-5 14 - Seattle Supersonics (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 52-30 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 22 2004/05 Regular Season End: 10 Preseason: 3-5 15 - Memphis Grizzlies (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 45-37 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 12 2004/05 Regular Season End: 14 Preseason: 6-2 16 - Chicago Bulls (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 47-35 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 28 2004/05 Regular Season End: 07 Preseason: 3-5 17 - Los Angeles Clippers (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 37-45 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 26 2004/05 Regular Season End: 20 Preseason: 6-2 18 - Los Angeles Lakers (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 34-48 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 11 2004/05 Regular Season End: 24 Preseason: 6-2 19 - Philadelphia 76ers (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 43-39 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 19 2004/05 Regular Season End: 15 Preseason: 3-5 20 - Minnesota Timberwolves (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 44-38 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 02 2004/05 Regular Season End: 17 Preseason: 4-4 21 - Boston Celtics (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 45-37 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 15 2004/05 Regular Season End: 13 Preseason: 3-5 22 - Golden State Warriors (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 34-48 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 24 2004/05 Regular Season End: 18 Preseason: 2-5 23 - Utah Jazz (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 26-56 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 10 2004/05 Regular Season End: 25 Preseason: 2-5 24 - New York Knicks (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 33-49 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 14 2004/05 Regular Season End: 23 Preseason: 3-4 25 - Orlando Magic (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 36-46 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 23 2004/05 Regular Season End: 21 Preseason: 4-3 26 - Charlotte Bobcats (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 18-64 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 30 2004/05 Regular Season End: 28 Preseason: 3-5 27 - New Orleans Hornets (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 18-64 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 18 2004/05 Regular Season End: 27 Preseason: 3-5 28 - Portland Trail Blazers (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 27-55 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 17 2004/05 Regular Season End: 29 Preseason: 2-6 29 - Toronto Raptors (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 33-49 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 21 2004/05 Regular Season End: 22 Preseason: 3-4 30 - Atlanta Hawks (Last Week --)2004/05 Record: 13-69 2004/05 Regular Season Start: 29 2004/05 Regular Season End: 30 Preseason: 3-5
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Sports Betting

Here's a closer look at four of this week's best matchups. Carolina (5-2) at Tampa Bay (5-2) - 1:00 pm EST The Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head into Sunday's tilt deadlocked atop the NFC South division, along with the Atlanta Falcons, at 5-2. Despite both teams holding a share of the division lead, they head into Sunday's game in very different situations. The Panthers have won four in a row and have their offense rolling after a 38-13 washing of Minnesota last week. Wideout Steve Smith set a new team record in that game with 201 receiving yards and a touchdown. Smith leads the NFL in both categories with 797 yards receiving while catching eight TD passes. The Bucs, on the other hand, are coming off a 15-10 upset loss to San Francisco. Chris Simms struggled in his first game as Tampa Bay's new starting quarterback, completing only 21-of-34 passes for 264 yards with a pair of interceptions and a costly fumble. Coach Jon Gruden said he plans to stick with Simms and he fully expects him to improve with more experience under his belt. One bright spot for the Buccaneers in this game is the return of defensive end Simeon Rice. Gruden surprisingly sent the Bucs' sack leader home last week after he failed to report for a team meeting. Tampa Bay's defense should be able to put more pressure on Panthers' quarterback Jake Delhomme with Rice back in the mix. Carolina defeated Tampa Bay twice last season and covered the small spread in both games. The Bucs opened as a slim 1-point favorite, but the line moved late in the week with the Panthers now garnering a 1-point edge. Be sure to check for more movement before placing your bets. Cincinnati (6-2) at Baltimore (2-5) - 1:00 pm EST If someone had told you before the season that this week's Cincinnati/Baltimore game would pit first in the AFC North versus last in the division, it wouldn't have been too much of a surprise. It may have bowled you over though if you were told that Cincinnati would be the team in first place. The Bengals are off to their best start in years at 6-2 after their 21-14 win over Green Bay last week. That contest was probably a little closer than it should have been considering that Cincinnati intercepted five passes for the third time this season. Cincinnati currently leads the league with 28 takeaways. If the Bengals can keep that up and quarterback Carson Palmer can continue on his breakout season (2037 yards, 16 TD, 5 int), then the Bengals should have no trouble with the Ravens and grease the skids for a return to the playoffs for the first time in a long time. Brian Billick's Baltimore Ravens can't seem to catch a break this season. After struggling through injuries to offensive weapons Kyle Boller, Jamal Lewis and Todd Heap, the Ravens now have to deal with two defensive leaders on the bench. Ray Lewis and Ed Reed both sat out last week's game as the Ravens lost to the Steelers 20-19. Reed could return from an ankle injury this week, but Lewis is out at least another week if not longer with a thigh injury. The Ravens' shot at the division appears to be gone and if Billick can't at least get Baltimore back into wild-card contention, his job might be gone too. The Bengals edged the Ravens 27-26 as a 6.5-point dog when they last clashed last season. Baltimore took the other game last year, 23-9 as a 2-point road favorite. Not surprisingly the oddsmakers have gone with Cincinnati in this game, opening them as a 3-point favorite. Pittsburgh (5-2) at Green Bay (1-6) - 4:05 pm EST The 5-2 Pittsburgh Steelers paying a visit to the 1-6 Green Bay Packers may look like an easy Steelers win, but with Big Ben missing from the Pittsburgh lineup, anything can happen at Lambeau Field. Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be watching from the sidelines for this game after having arthroscopic knee surgery to repair torn cartilage. The starting nod will fall to former third-stringer Charlie Batch. Tommy Maddox got the start the last time Roethlisberger was sidelined, but he threw that game away and was passed over for Batch this time around. Don't be surprised if Batch is a little rusty early in the game since he hasn't thrown a pass in an NFL game since 2003. Also missing from the Steelers' offense will be running back Jerome Bettis, who is listed as doubtful due to a quadriceps injury. Willie Parker should get the bulk of the carries with Duce Staley backing him up. If the Packers hope to have a chance in this game they need Brett Favre to bounce back from one of the worst games of his long career. Favre threw a career-high five interceptions last week as the Packers feel 21-14 to Cincinnati. The Packers' offense is already in enough trouble without Javon Walker, Ahman Green, and Najeh Davenport for the season, and receiver Robert Ferguson for at least this week. With his offense deteriorating around him and a weak offensive line in front of him, one has to wonder just how much Favre has left to give. Despite missing Roethlisberger, the Steelers opened as a 6-point favorite in this game. That line changed during the week as the injury reports were made public so make sure you take another peek before placing your bets. Philadelphia (4-3) at Washington (4-3) - 8:30 pm EST The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins clash on Sunday, with the loser heading all the way down to the basement of the NFC East. Both teams are coming off bad losses in which they were severely outplayed and beaten. Washington was routed 36-0 by the New York Giants last week. Quarterback Mark Brunell couldn't get anything going before he was replaced by backup Patrick Ramsey in the second half. Running back Clinton Portis followed up one of his best days in a Redskins' uniform with only nine rushing yards on four carries against the Giants. On the other side of the ball, the Redskins' defense was torched by Giants' running back Tiki Barber for 206 yards. The Eagles couldn't keep up with the Broncos in a 49-21 loss and are banged up heading into Sunday night's game. Donovan McNabb sat out practice during the week with bruised ribs, while Terrell Owens will miss the game after getting suspended by his team on Saturday. The Eagles' defense has its own injury problems with Jevon Kearse plagued by a shoulder injury and nagging injuries afflicting their linebacking corps. The Eagles were victorious in both contests against the Redskins last season, winning 17-14 as an 8-point road dog and 28-6 as a 10-point home favorite early in the campaign. Both games went UNDER the posted total. The Eagles opened as a 1-point favorite early in the week, but the line moved in favor of the Redskins by 3 points later in the week.
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