NFL Betting Week 1 – Giants, Redskins kick off NFL season
The National Football League 2008 season kicks off Thursday night with the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants hosting new head coach Jim Zorn and his Washington Redskins.
The following NFL preview is from the team at PinnacleSports.com. Unfortunately PinnacleSports are not able to accept USA residents as members…
… but Americans can bet at the three online sportsbooks compared in this web page at BookieLabRat.com.
For non-US sports fans who like to bet on the NFL, be sure to check out Pinnacle Sports for up to 60% better value on NFL sides.
Pinnacle Sports Betting is listing New York as 3.5-point -105 home favorites (bet $105 to win $100) for Thursday’s game, with an over/under of 41. The Giants are also posted at -180 on the PinnacleSports.com moneyline, while Washington is getting +170 (bet $100 to win $170) as the road underdogs.
NBC will provide the live television coverage, beginning at 7:00pm Eastern.
The Redskins went 9-7 and made the playoffs last year, then had to find a new head coach when Joe Gibbs retired (again). After a longer-than-expected search, Washington settled on Zorn, the former quarterback and quarterback coach who’s never even been a coordinator, let alone a head coach.
Zorn is implementing a version of the West Coast offense, which can take time. Despite scoring 30 points in their preseason opener versus Indianapolis, the ‘Skins averaged just 13 points per game during the exhibition season.
So for the time being Washington may have to depend on its defense, which ranked eighth in the league overall last season at 305 yards-per-game and fourth versus the run at 91 YPG, to keep them in games.
The Redskins also ranked 15th in total offense last year at 333 YPG, 12th in rushing at 117 YPG, ninth in total yardage at +28 YPG, and seventh in time-of-possession at +2:20 per game.
The Giants, as you might have heard, won the Super Bowl last season (as 30/1 longshots at the Pinnacle Sportsbook), upsetting the undefeated New England Patriots out in the Phoenix suburbs in February. But since then they’ve taken a couple of hits on defense, as one starting DE, Michael Strahan, retired, and the other, Osi Umenyiora, hurt his knee in the preseason and is out for the year.
New York ranked seventh in total defense last year at 305 YPG, eighth versus the run at 98 YPG, 16th in total offense at 331 YPG, fourth in rushing at 134 YPG, sixth in TOP at +2:42, and 11th in total yardage at +26 YPG.
These division rivals split their two meetings last season, each winning on the other’s home field. In Week 3, the Giants trailed the ‘Skins in D.C. at the half 17-3, then rallied for three second-half touchdowns to win 24-17. The G-Men pulled off the victory as 3.5-point road ‘dogs, and the game stayed under its total by one point.
In Week 15 the Redskins got a bit of revenge, beating the Giants 22-10 as 6-point road ‘dogs. Washington ran the ball 35 times for 153 yards, helping the game stay under its total of 36.
In those two games together New York outgained Washington 622-569, out-first-downed the ‘Skins 39-28, and held the ball for a 62-58 TOP advantage. The rushing yardage ended up exactly even at 235 yards apiece, and Washington only turned the ball over once, to the four TOs coughed up by the Giants.
On the injury front, New York kicker Lawrence Tynes has a sore knee, and is out for at least a week or two. As a result, the G-Men signed 44-year-old John Carney, who went 12/14 on FGs last season for Jacksonville and Kansas City, to fill in for Tynes.
The totals went 7-9 in ‘Skins games last season, which averaged 40 points. Meanwhile, the totals went 8-8 in Giants games last season, which averaged 45 points.
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Add comment September 2nd, 2008