NFL
*** WEEK 6 RECAP COLTS KEEP THE WINNING CONNECTION
Each week, the Colts get shorter and shorter in the betting for the title.
That’s not surprising considering their perfect start to the season, and the
form of some of their rivals, although few would have predicted their
shocking start against the Rams last Monday night. The 14-point underdogs
raced into a 17-0 lead, until losing QB Marc Bulger to a sprained shoulder
in the second quarter, after which it all went wrong. By coming from behind,
we saw another side to the Colts, who were dealing with adversity for the
first time this season, but shrugged it off with 31 consecutive points in
the second half. The result means the Super Bowl market is strikingly
similar to how it looked at the outset, with the top four sides unchanged
after six weeks of action.
Overall, it was a good week for favorites with nine winning and covering the
handicap. Seattle (-8.5) were the best-backed team of the weekend, and they
didn’t let their supporters down, cruising to a 42-10 win over Houston,
resulting in their odds being clipped into 20/1. Pittsburgh (12/1 from 11/1)
are struggling to cope with their injury troubles, and were the biggest
casualties going down 23-17 to an improved showing by Buffalo, who now find
themselves challenging for the AFC East lead. Dallas were also clipped in
the betting after their overtime win over the Giants (although they can
still be backed at an industry-best 28/1 with bet365), and they’re starting
to look like genuine contenders for the title.
WEEK 7 PICKS DENVER BRONCOS @ NY GIANTS
Su Oct 23 – 4:15 pm EST/20:15 GMT
After scoring just 10 points in their opening game at Miami, the Broncos
have turned it around, and can extend their winning streak to six when they
visit the New York Giants on Sunday. They also started last season 5-1 only
to stumble down the stretch, but they might do better this year, thanks to
the improved play of their QB, Jake Plummer. Plummer threw for 262 yards and
two touchdowns in Sunday’s 28-20 victory over the Pats, and also extended
his streak without an interception to 17 games. Last week, the Giants
offence had its worst day of the season, committing five turnovers and
scoring their fewest points so far. They might struggle to get it going
again against a revamped Denver defensive line. We’ve got Denver listed as
1.5-point underdogs, with the total set at 47.
Pick 1: Denver (+1.5) @ 10/11
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS @ ST LOUIS RAMS
Su Oct 23 – 1:00 pm EST/17:00 GMT
The Saints have won their last three visits to the Edward Jones Dome, and
there are good reasons for thinking they can continue that run on Sunday.
Playing in their make-shift home in San Antonio last week, the Saints forged
a 31-31 tie with Atlanta in the fourth quarter and thought they were heading
for overtime, only to go down 34-31 to a last minute controversial field
goal. This was still a big improvement in form and, in particular, RB
Antowain Smith excelled against a tough Atlanta defense with an 880-yard,
two-touchdown performance. St Louis lost more than their third straight game
on Monday night to Indianapolis, with QB Marc Bulger expected to miss the
next three weeks at least, and that is bad news for the Rams. The Saints are
underdogs by a field goal, with the total at 47.
