A look at a few things that stood out from Week 4…
- The Steelers dominated the Chiefs in the passing game and weren’t afraid to attack CB Marcus Peters. Chiefs #2 CB Phillip Gaines was a last minute scratch for this game and Ben Roethlisberger did whatever he wanted attacking the Chiefs’ secondary. Todd Haley used Le’Veon Bell as a slot WR with Eli Rogers OUT for this game and it paid off as Bell had 5 receptions for 34 yards on top of the 144 rushing yards he had on 18 carries (8 ypc). The Steelers came into this game 9-0 off their last 9 losses and 7-2 ATS in that stretch. This 43-14 beatdown on the Chiefs improved that betting trend to 10-0 SU & 8-2 ATS their last 10 off a loss. The Steelers losing is like having a “RECO” in Boiler Room – immediately stop what you’re doing and get ready to make money.
- The Rams won outright, again, as big underdogs for the 3rd time in a row. This week they closed at +9.5 point underdogs in Vegas @ Arizona. Bruce Arians went out and said last week after the Bills game that his first and second year players aren’t working that hard and that’s a red flag because it takes some time for the rookies to adjust to becoming a pro. The Rams’ tackling is so impressive and the pressure they bring on the front 7 is hard to duplicate. Case Keenum is 50/86 for 695 yards, 4 TDs & 1 INT his last 3 games. Most importantly, he’s 3-0 in those 3 games and 2 of those wins came over defensive giants like the Seahawks and Cardinals. And most importantly for bettors, HE COVERED THE SPREAD IN THOSE 3 GAMES (insert moneybag emoji). WRs Kenny Britt and Brian Quick have made some big plays at critical times for the Rams this season and the Rams’ success going forward will rely on how well Case Keenum evolves his game along with this entire offense. The Rams’ offensive-line has to be one of the most improved units in the league.
3. Carson Palmer is in the concussion protocol after a tough game vs the Rams’ defense. The Cardinals are 1-3, Carson Palmer turns 37 in December, and the defense has holes at CB behind Patrick Peterson. Bettors who went 1-3 ATS on the Cardinals in September forgot that the Cards were “all-in” in 2015 and lost by 35 to end that season. Vegas has had the Cardinals laying some heavy numbers and that will change as Palmer is likely to be out for Thursday’s game at San Francisco. San Francisco, however, is dealing with their own injury issues right now as NaVorro Bowman is likely out for the season with a torn achilles. October is make or break time for Arizona. They’ve dealt with adversity in big ways before (2014 especially) and the leadership core for Arizona is as needed right now as it’s ever been.
4. The Panthers have serious problems along the offensive line and it showed yesterday. LT Michael Oher was ruled OUT on Friday for the game vs. the Falcons and it forced Ron Rivera to move RT Michael Remmers to LT and play his backup RT. Remmers is the RT who gave up the sack to Von Miller in the Super Bowl so him shifting positions is a major red flag. Cam Newton is foolish for not running into the endzone at full speed on the 2 point conversion when he was hit by Deion Jones. He is in the concussion protocol right now. This game wasn’t even close – the Falcons were up 34-10 at one point and 7 of those 10 points was on a flukey Matt Ryan pick 6. The Panthers must have had a brutal offseason filled with distractions and their performance after this 1-3 start will show which direction they’re going to head in this season.
5. The Falcons at 3-1 are trending towards being the real deal. This defense will only get better as the new young pieces gel with the veterans Atlanta signed in the offseason. They don’t have many superstars on defense but they have a bunch of complimentary pieces under a great defensive-minded coach (a Super Bowl winning DC, too) in Dan Quinn and the power running game on offense behind C Alex Mack seems like it has a chance to develop into something consistently great. The Falcons are hungry and I think they turn the corner this season unlike last year.
6. The Colts suck.
7. The Patriots had 10 days to prep for a coach who is 4-11 vs them lifetime and that was their effort? The Bills had no Sammy Watkins and did whatever they wanted to New England’s defense at stretches. Tyrod Taylor finished 27/39 with 246 yards 1 TD/0 INT on top of 28 rushing yards. LeSean McCoy finished with 108 total yards and 1 receiving TD. Don’t let the 16 points fool you into thinking the Pats played well on D- the Patriots missed a ton of tackles and their 9 penalties for 74 yards were hard to watch. Aside from a redzone fumble, Jacoby Brissett was impressive at times. His deep ball looked very good and he connected with Martellus Bennett 5 times for 109 yards. Julian Edelman’s back to back penalties on a key offensive possession in the 4th quarter killed the Patriots. Rookie kick returner Cyrus Jones did Brissett and the Patriots no favors as he opened the game with back to back kick returns that were stopped before the 12 yard line. Then, Bill Belichek threw a Microsoft Surface face down on the ground.
Follow on Twitter @spreadinvestor
