NFL Line Watch Week 7
By:
Art Aronson |
Monday, October 16, 2017
Game to bet now
Dallas at San Francisco (+6)
Call this one the National Anthem Bowl. The Cowboys, who
have been ordered by owner Jerry Jones to stand for the anthem under penalty of
benching (or worse), vs. the 49ers, who are the flagship franchise for protest
and can stand or kneel depending on the depths of their beliefs. There will
probably be a football game after said anthem, and it's a big game for the Boys
if not the out-of-it-already Niners. Dallas is 2-3 (both SU and ATS), and
staring down the barrel of a nasty October/November run that includes four
straight winning teams (Washington, Kansas City, Atlanta, Philadelphia) after
this Sunday. It's possible that all the hay will be in the barn by
Thanksgiving, so the Cowboys really need this one to get some momentum for
their most important four-game stretch of the season.
Game to wait on
New Orleans at Green Bay (+4.5)
Pro Football Talk has suggested that it might be time to
institute even more protection for quarterbacks after Aaron Rodgers was lost
for the year when he suffered a broken collar bone when he got hit for a split second
after throwing a pass last Sunday. Maybe, maybe not. But Rodgers might be the
best QB in the world, and losing him is bad for business. The focus will now be
on backup QB Brett Hundley, who has been holding a clipboard for a couple of
years. Hundley threw 33 passes on Sunday and three of them wound up being
intercepted, so there's a large learning curve to scale in Green Bay. The
Saints no doubt are scrambling to find tape on the kid. The line could expand
based on early betting.
Total to watch
Atlanta at New England (53.5)
A week or more of warm weather is predicted in New England,
and that's good news for both offenses in this Super Bowl repeat. The Falcons
will welcome any help they can get after scoring just 34 total points in
back-to losses to AFC East teams (Miami, Buffalo) - and the Patriots might just
be the cure for what ails them. Last Sunday vs. the Jets, New England's defense
gave up more than 300 passing yards for the sixth straight time this season.
Every week fans figure that Bill Belichick will get it fixed, and every week it
isn't fixed. Matt Ryan is no doubt watching video of the Patriots today and
liking what he sees. Even with the high number, the over might be worth a long,
hard look.
For more of Art Aronson click here.