Cowboys just another opponent for Pats

Football Betting Lines

10/16/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The week-long buildup ended in a familiar way for the New England Patriots. In the end, the Dallas Cowboys were just another opponent.

And nobody undersold it more than their quarterback.

"It's really early in the season. The reality is that it's a win on the road and we're 6-0," Tom Brady said. "Any time we're winning, I'm doing just fine. The season really doesn't start until after Thanksgiving anyway."

Brady threw a career-high five touchdown passes and the Patriots shook off their first second-half deficit of the season to beat the previously- undefeated Cowboys, 48-27, on Sunday.

If not for a Week 9 matchup with Indianapolis, it may have been the Patriots' biggest game of the season.

Dallas is the class of the NFC -- a potential Super Bowl opponent, they say -- and one of the few teams capable of challenging a New England team that now (let's face it) has a real chance to be the first undefeated NFL team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

But the Patriots handled them like any other team.

The Cowboys were the sixth team in a row to allow New England to score at least 34 points this season. They were the sixth consecutive Patriots opponent to lose by at least 17 points.

For a few fleeting minutes, it looked like it might be a different story.

Dallas rallied from a 14-0 deficit to pull within 21-17 at halftime, then took a 24-21 lead in the third quarter when Tony Romo capped a 74-yard drive with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Crayton.

It was the first second-half deficit levied on the Patriots this season, and the first time they trailed at all in three weeks. The response was swift: a 77-yard drive ending with a one-yard TD catch by tight end Kyle Brady.

It was the beginning of a 27-3 run to end the game.

"Hopefully we'll see them down the road," Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens said, a wink at the possibility of a Super Bowl meeting between the teams.

But you gotta think nobody wants to see the Patriots right now. Not even the Super Bowl-champion Indianapolis Colts, who will host the Nov. 4 meeting between the teams in what could be another matchup of undefeateds.

Following the Colts game, the toughest remaining tests for the Patriots will be contests against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. After that, they may be their own toughest opponent.

If they wrap up homefield advantage early, their stars would likely sit out the remaining games.

"We're trying to win as many games as we can, establish some depth and continue to get better each week," said Brady.

Underselling the hell out of it again.

TAKING PEYTON'S PLACE?

Brady is the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for three touchdowns or more in six consecutive games to begin a season. He is well ahead of the pace Peyton Manning set in 2004, when the Colts quarterback set the NFL single- season record with 49 touchdown passes.

Of course, Brady underplayed the prospect of breaking Manning's record.

"The touchdowns passes are not very important. I think winning the game is most important. Getting the team in the end zone and making first downs, there's a lot that goes into playing quarterback," said Brady.

"When you win, that's the most satisfying thing, more so than throwing a touchdown pass. I haven't thought about [the single season TD pass record] at all. I don't set my goals like that. That's not what our team's about.

"I'd love to set plenty of team records. But the individual records are based on opportunities you get. What's the difference if you throw it in from one yard or run it in. It's just a touchdown for our offense, and that's what I get excited about."

What, you expected him to brag?

RUN, RUN, RUN AWAY

The Patriots hadn't scored 48 points since racking up 50 against the Colts in 1984. They have now outscored their opponents by a 230-92 margin this season.

Much has been made of the way they've put opponents away since the cheating scandal broke following their Week 1 win against the New York Jets. Sunday's game was no different, with the Patriots tacking on a touchdown with 19 seconds remaining and already leading by 14 points.

'THE OTHER 81'

Much was made before the game about the two 81s: wide receivers Terrell Owens and Randy Moss.

Both wideouts caught six passes, with Moss' going for 59 yards and Owens' for 66. They both scored a touchdown. But only one receiver's team walked away with a victory.

"It wasn't me against him," Owens said afterward. "It's a team game. We lost the game."

UP NEXT: AT MIAMI

The Patriots will have to avoid a letdown in Miami next Sunday, where the Dolphins await with an 0-6 record. New England dropped a 21-0 decision in Miami last season that ended a seven-game road winning streak.

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Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.

Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!

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