Friday's Tip Sheet
Fans and players alike aren?t real keen on the preseason as a whole. How can anyone be excited about seeing your favorite stars playing a total of two series? And you can?t forget about how real the injuries can be in these games that don?t count in earnest.
Week 3 is different than the other exhibition contests. This is the dress rehearsal game for many of the teams in the NFL. That means we?ll get to see the starters last at least the first half.
While that is good information to know, bettors want something geared towards their needs. They want to be able to focus on a trend that can fatten their bankroll in preparation for the regular season.
One trend that is apparent is that home teams are doing quite well during the preseason as evidenced by a 22-10 straight up record. As dominant as they?ve been on home turf, they?re only 17-14-1 against the spread after two weeks of play.
Will the home teams be able to cover the spread on Friday? Let?s take a look at both games on the schedule.
New England at Washington ? 8:00 p.m. EDT, CBS
The preseason normally means next to nothing for the Patriots. However, this year was different because of Tom Brady and how he would fare since having a year off. Brady was solid in his first outing, completing 10 of 15 passes for 100 yards and a pair of scores in just over a quarter of playing time in Philadelphia. He was roughed up by the Bengals last week with just four completions on eight attempts for 57 yards and was sacked once.
It would appear that Brady is going to be getting the brunt of the work on Friday night, playing at least the first and second quarters. Kevin O?Connell looks like he?s won the backup job over Andrew Walter after playing the majority of Week 2 against Cincinnati.
Washington hasn?t given us too much insight as to what we can expect in this tilt. The Redskins couldn?t attempt a field goal, let alone find the endzone, in a 23-0 decision in Baltimore. Their defense didn?t do all that much to impress in letting the Ravens rack up 500 total yards.
Jim Zorn has said that all four QBs on the roster (Jason Campbell, Todd Collins, Colt Brennan, Chase Daniel), but Campbell will handle the entire first half of play. The real battle here is between Brennan and Daniel, who are in a dogfight for the No. 3 spot.
Most sportsbooks have listed the Patriots as 3 ?-point road favorites with a total of 37 ? for this contest.
Bill Belichick has never cared much for the preseason portion of the schedule. However, his teams do play up to the moment for the dress rehearsals. New England is 5-2 SU and 5-1-1 ATS in its last seven preseason Week 3 battles they?ve had since 2002.
Washington is 2-1 SU, but 1-2 ATS in its three home games under Jim Zorn?s tutelage.
Green Bay at Arizona ? 10:00 p.m. EDT
The betting shops have installed Arizona as a 3 ?-point home ?chalk? with a total of 41. Pretty standard line for a preseason game, but the total certainly points to us having a high scoring affair.
Arizona gave up the most passing touchdowns last season (36), which is more than a little odd for a Super Bowl participant. The Cards have held their own against the pass during the preseason though as they?ve given up just one touchdown through the air. They have surrendered 390 total passing yards so far.
Aaron Rodgers could have a field day against the Cards? secondary on Friday. He?s completed 13 of 19 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns during the postseason.
It also helps that the Packers have seen the ?over? go 10-4 during Mike McCarthy?s tenure as head coach.
Fans and players alike aren?t real keen on the preseason as a whole. How can anyone be excited about seeing your favorite stars playing a total of two series? And you can?t forget about how real the injuries can be in these games that don?t count in earnest.
Week 3 is different than the other exhibition contests. This is the dress rehearsal game for many of the teams in the NFL. That means we?ll get to see the starters last at least the first half.
While that is good information to know, bettors want something geared towards their needs. They want to be able to focus on a trend that can fatten their bankroll in preparation for the regular season.
One trend that is apparent is that home teams are doing quite well during the preseason as evidenced by a 22-10 straight up record. As dominant as they?ve been on home turf, they?re only 17-14-1 against the spread after two weeks of play.
Will the home teams be able to cover the spread on Friday? Let?s take a look at both games on the schedule.
New England at Washington ? 8:00 p.m. EDT, CBS
The preseason normally means next to nothing for the Patriots. However, this year was different because of Tom Brady and how he would fare since having a year off. Brady was solid in his first outing, completing 10 of 15 passes for 100 yards and a pair of scores in just over a quarter of playing time in Philadelphia. He was roughed up by the Bengals last week with just four completions on eight attempts for 57 yards and was sacked once.
It would appear that Brady is going to be getting the brunt of the work on Friday night, playing at least the first and second quarters. Kevin O?Connell looks like he?s won the backup job over Andrew Walter after playing the majority of Week 2 against Cincinnati.
Washington hasn?t given us too much insight as to what we can expect in this tilt. The Redskins couldn?t attempt a field goal, let alone find the endzone, in a 23-0 decision in Baltimore. Their defense didn?t do all that much to impress in letting the Ravens rack up 500 total yards.
Jim Zorn has said that all four QBs on the roster (Jason Campbell, Todd Collins, Colt Brennan, Chase Daniel), but Campbell will handle the entire first half of play. The real battle here is between Brennan and Daniel, who are in a dogfight for the No. 3 spot.
Most sportsbooks have listed the Patriots as 3 ?-point road favorites with a total of 37 ? for this contest.
Bill Belichick has never cared much for the preseason portion of the schedule. However, his teams do play up to the moment for the dress rehearsals. New England is 5-2 SU and 5-1-1 ATS in its last seven preseason Week 3 battles they?ve had since 2002.
Washington is 2-1 SU, but 1-2 ATS in its three home games under Jim Zorn?s tutelage.
Green Bay at Arizona ? 10:00 p.m. EDT
The betting shops have installed Arizona as a 3 ?-point home ?chalk? with a total of 41. Pretty standard line for a preseason game, but the total certainly points to us having a high scoring affair.
Arizona gave up the most passing touchdowns last season (36), which is more than a little odd for a Super Bowl participant. The Cards have held their own against the pass during the preseason though as they?ve given up just one touchdown through the air. They have surrendered 390 total passing yards so far.
Aaron Rodgers could have a field day against the Cards? secondary on Friday. He?s completed 13 of 19 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns during the postseason.
It also helps that the Packers have seen the ?over? go 10-4 during Mike McCarthy?s tenure as head coach.
