GamSure: Our Bonds could have saved troubled Betting Exchange
Thursday 25th November 2004
NFL Foote Notes: Turkey Day Breakdown
By: William Foote
In the first of Thanksgiving’s NFL double-header, the Colts will trot into the Motor City to face off with the Lions. Indianapolis checks into this game at 7-3 SU and 6-3-1 ATS after blasting the Bears 41-10 at Soldier Field II. The victory also improved Indy to 3-2 SU and 3-1-1 ATS on the trail this season.
In their latest win, the Colts No. 1 rated offense piled up 486 yards, including 204 yards rushing by James and 4 touchdown passes by Manning. The Colts defense also forced five turnovers and sacked Krenzel four times. In the past two weeks, Indy’s defense has forced 9 turnovers while allowing just 24 points combined. And that does not bode well for a beleaguered Detroit offense, which is 22nd in the NFL in scoring, 27th in passing and 31st in rushing.
The Lions’ offense incidentally managed to score only 10 points vs. one of the NFL’s worst defenses in their latest 22-19 road loss to Minnesota. They easily covered as an 8-point underdog, however, largely the result of special teams’ play. This is actually becoming a theme for the Lions, as week in and week out they are on the short side of the common offense vs. defense yardage war, but keep games tight by picking up hidden yards.
PR/KR Drummond has scored 3 of his team’s 4 TD’s the past two games and has 4 TD’s in the kicking game for the season. To say Detroit’s special teams have been special is an understatement. Mariucci’s club is No. 2 in the NFL in punt return average, No. 1 in the NFL in kickoff return average and No. 10 in the NFL in percentage of punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. Detroit has been able to tread water at 4-6 SU and 5-5 ATS overall for this very reason.
Another attribute to note is the Lions’ stop unit has been quite disruptive and actually ranks No. 3 in the NFL with 29 sacks. And who can argue with the magic of the Motor City on Thanksgiving Day, where the host has won and covered seven of their last ten, including a 22-14 upset of the Green Bay Packers as a 7-point pup just last season.
The second installment of Turkey Day’s double header matches the Bears and Cowboys from “Big D”. For their part, Chicago is coming off a humiliating 41-10 home loss to Indianapolis. The result dropped the Bears to 4-6 SU and 5-5 ATS.
Once again, Chicago was pedestrian—downright awful to be honest—on offense. Their ineffectiveness was highlighted by Craig Krenzel, who committed five turnovers and was sacked 4 times. The QB out of Ohio State now owns a 3/6 – TD/INT ratio and has completed just 46% of his passes behind a disastrous 51.7 passer rating.
Making matters worse is that the Bears previously stout defense was shredded by the Colts for 446 yards. The good news is that CHI still carries a 3-2 SU and rock solid 4-1 ATS record on the road this season and will be facing a team that hardly possesses the octane of Indianapolis.
Dallas is coming off a 30-10 road loss to Baltimore this past weekend. The ‘Boys actually held a 3-0 lead heading into half-time, but were outscored 30-7 in the final 30 minutes. The loss dropped Dallas to a woeful 3-7 both SU and ATS overall for the season. Note also that they are riding a perfect 0-3 both SU and ATS run in their last three and are 1-6 both SU and ATS in their last seven.
The Cowboys have turned the ball over a whopping 14 times in their past four games alone and suffice to say that is not a recipe for success in the NFL. In their latest loss to the Ravens, QB Drew Henson relieved Vinny Testaverde after the 18-year veteran went down in the 4th quarter with a shoulder injury. Henson fumbled on his first NFL snap and Baltimore converted that to a touchdown. But the former Yankees prospect settled in on his next series and rallied his team for a TD during garbage time.
Parcells refused to name his starter this week and said he would evaluate the situation after knowing the extent of Testaverde’s injury. Whether it is Vinny or Drew, the fact remains that the Cowboys offense ranks 28th in the NFL in points per game scored, while their defense ranks 30th in the NFL in points per game allowed. Moreover, Dallas is dead last in the NFL in turnover ratio at -16 for the season.
Good luck today, be safe and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
