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The Sunday night game this week is a beauty and one of the NFL’s best, and certainly most physical, rivalries when Pittsburgh hosts Baltimore with first place in the AFC North on the line. The Steelers opened as 3.5-point favorites on Bodog’s NFL odds.

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With all due respect to the surprising Cincinnati Bengals, the winner of this game would seem to control the division. In Week 1, Baltimore crushed Pittsburgh 35-7, the Steelers’ most lopsided loss under Mike Tomlin. The Ravens forced a team-record seven turnovers and easily had their biggest win in this often low-scoring rivalry that usually comes down to the wire. Ben Roethlisberger had won seven straight starts against the Ravens, but in this one he was 22 for 41 for 280 yards, three interceptions and two fumbles. Joe Flacco threw three TDs for Baltimore and no picks.

But since then, the two quarterbacks have gone in opposite directions. Pittsburgh (6-2) enters on a four-game winning streak and off an impressive 25-17 home victory over New England in which Big Ben threw for a season-high 365 yards and two TDs, while his 36 completions and 50 attempts were both the second-highest of his career. In the winning streak, Roethlisberger has completed 98 of 146 passes (67.1 %) for 1,154 yards, 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

Baltimore (5-2) has been very uneven of late, but a win here obviously would give it the head-to-head tiebreaker over Pittsburgh for the AFC North title and playoff seeding. Flacco tends to run very hot and cold. Last week he led a comeback from 24-3 down to a 30-27 win over a lousy Arizona team by throwing for 336 yards. But Flacco didn’t throw any TD passes and completed just 53.6 percent of his passes in four October games with one TD, four picks and a passer rating of 62.7.

Flacco could face a devastated Pittsburgh defense that could be missing three starting linebackers: James Harrison, James Farrior and LaMarr Woodley. Harrison has missed the past four games and Farrior the Patriots game with injuries. Woodley had two sacks in the New England game and leads the AFC with nine but suffered a hamstring injury in the third quarter vs. New England. Woodley has 9.5 sacks in 10 career games against Baltimore, including playoffs, while Harrison has nine sacks in 10 total games against the Ravens. Pittsburgh WR Hines Ward also missed the New England win but will play.

This heated rivalry usually never ends this early in the regular season. For the previous five seasons, there has been a Ravens-Steelers game in December. Baltimore has swept the regular-season series just once, in 2006. Pittsburgh has covered six of its past seven at home. Baltimore has covered just two of the past eight meetings, although obviously Week 1 was one of them.

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In the wake of Monday night’s crushing loss at Kansas City, it’s probably fair to say that the San Diego Chargers’ season, and probably Norv Turner’s future as the team’s head coach, will be decided in the next five days, starting this afternoon at home against the NFL’s only unbeaten team, reigning Super Bowl champion Green Bay. In a rarity, San Diego is a home dog, with the Pack opening as 5.5-point favorites on Bodog’s NFL odds.

The Chargers (4-3) seemingly had Monday’s game in Kansas City won, rallying from a 20-12 fourth quarter deficit to tie it at 20 and with the ball on the Chiefs’ 15-yard-line with less than a minute left. A winning field goal seemed a lock. However, Bolts QB Philip Rivers fumbled the snap and the Chiefs recovered and went on to win in overtime, handing San Diego its second straight loss. Rivers is struggling in a big way this year, leading the league with 14 giveaways (11 interceptions, including two Monday, and three lost fumbles).

In addition, Chargers starting running back Ryan Mathews was injured in the game, straining his groin. He is very much in question for this one. Mathews has been knocked out of parts three games this season with thumb, calf and groin injuries. He has, however, played in every game and ranks seventh in the league in yards from scrimmage. But fellow RB Mike Tolbert will return after sitting out the Chiefs game.

Green Bay (7-0) has no such worries and healed up during its off week and on a 13-game winning streak (including playoffs) dating to Week 16 of last season. Aaron Rodgers is the NFL MVP right now, leading the NFL in passer rating and with 20 TD passes. He has passed for at least 300 yards in all but one game so far (and had 297 in that one). The only concern remains the pass defense, which is No. 31 in the NFL.

San Diego is unbeaten at home, while Green Bay is obviously unbeaten on the road, but all four Packers road wins have been close. These two haven’t met since 2007 but Green Bay is 5-0 all-time at San Diego. In fact, Coach Mike McCarthy has never lost to an AFC West team. The Pack are only the fourth defending Super Bowl champion to start 7-0, and the three other times Green Bay started with seven wins it won the NFL title.

Under McCarthy, the Packers are 4-1 in the game following their bye. Green Bay is 9-2 ATS in past 11 following a win. Chargers are 5-0 ATS in past five as a home dog.

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Have opposing teams figured out the high-powered New England Patriots offense? Two games don’t make a trend, but the Pats are averaging only 16.5 points per game in the past two after scoring at least 30 points in 13 consecutive games, one shy of the NFL record. New England faces fellow the fellow division-leading New York Giants today, with the Pats opening as 9-point favorites on Bodog’s NFL football odds.

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New England enters off a 25-17 loss at Pittsburgh that temporarily cost the Pats the top seed in the AFC. Tom Brady came into that one 6-1 with some gaudy stats vs. the Steelers in his career but threw for only 198 yards. And star receiver Wes Welker was held to just six catches for 39 yards as New England was held to a season-low 213 total yards. Brady was on pace to surpass Dan Marino’s single-season record for passing yards but has now gone under 300 yards two games in a row. New England dropped to third in total offense, second in passing and fifth in scoring in the NFL.

The biggest New England concern remains the NFL’s worst pass defense, however. That unit allowed Ben Roethlisberger to throw for 365 yards and two scores, with Big Ben going 9-for-12 for 104 yards and both scores on third downs.

The Giants (5-2), who lead the NFC East by two games, are incredibly fortunate to not have been the first victim this season by the winless Miami Dolphins. The Fins led New York 14-3 at halftime and 17-13 with a little over 6 minutes left, but Eli Manning found Victor Cruz for a 25-yard TD pass and New York held on. Manning has played like a Pro Bowler this year and threw for 349 yards, two scores and no picks in that one.

This is the first time these teams have played since Super Bowl XLII, a 17-14 Giants stunner in Glendale, Ariz., as New England was attempting to finish the season 19-0. Only around 20 players combined from both rosters were in that game, although of course both Brady and Manning were.

Since the beginning of the 2003 season, the Patriots are 26-2 in games following a regular season loss. Over the last nine seasons, the Patriots have only lost back-to-back games on two occasions, once in 2006 and once in 2009. The Patriots have won 18 straight games at Gillette Stadium against NFC opponents. New England is 6-1 ATS in its past seven after an ATS loss. Giants haven’t covered in their past five vs. a team with a winning record.

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It’s an important AFC East game today in Buffalo when the Bills host the New York Jets, who are coming off a bye week. Buffalo, projected to finish last again in the AFC East, need a win to likely keep pace with New England atop the division. And Buffalo can lay claim to kings of New York if they win considering the Bills already beat the Giants this season. The hosts opened as 1.5-point favorites on Bodog’s NFL football odds.

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The Jets (4-3) could potentially create a three-way tie in the AFC East with a win and if those Giants can pull an upset at New England later today. New York has bounced back from a three-game losing streak with back-to-back impressive home wins over the Dolphins and Chargers. Plaxico Burress had his breakout game so far this season with three TDs against San Diego and Darrelle Revis had a key interception for the second game in a row as New York rallied from a 21-10 halftime deficit. The rush defense, which was a major problem in the losing skid, has also seen major improvement the past two games.

However, coach Rex Ryan’s teams are 0-2 after bye weeks, with losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2009 and Green Bay Packers in 2010. And all three of New York’s losses have come on the road this season.

Buffalo (5-2) improved to 4-0 in home games last week by shutting out Washington 23-0; it was considered a home game even though it was in Toronto. Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who just got a new contract extension, completed 77.8 percent of his passes against the Skins. That was the highest single-game total of his career. It was his third straight game with a completion percentage of 70 percent or better becoming just the second signal caller in Bills history to do it (Jim Kelly, 1991).

And Bills RB Fred Jackson continues to play like a league MVP. He had 120 yards rushing against Washington to become the first Bill with three straight 100-yard games since Thurman Thomas in 1994. Jackson ranks fourth in the league in rushing (721 yards) and two of the players ahead of him have played in eight games to Jackson’s seven. He also has 27 catches for 353 yards, which are among the running back leaders.

The Jets have won five of the past six in the series and they’ve won the past three they’ve been visitors. Last year at the Meadowlands, New York won 38-14, nearly doubling the Bills in total yards and rushing for 273. New York is 8-1 ATS in its past nine as a dog of a field goal or less. Buffalo has covered six of its past nine at home.

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After taking a big step back in Week 9 the Kansas City Chiefs will be trying to break back into the win column in Week 10 as they host the division-rival Denver Broncos on the NFL betting board.

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The Chiefs put themselves into a hole with three straight losses to start the season, but they then managed to rattle off four consecutive victories over the Vikings, Colts, Raiders, and Chargers to get over the .500 mark and back in contention for their division title.

Over the weekend, however, the Chiefs were stopped dead in their tracks in a 31-3 pounding at home at the hands of the Miami Dolphins – who entered the game winless.

Chiefs QB Matt Cassel went 20 of 39 for 253 yards passing for Kansas City in that loss, with no interceptions. Jackie Battle managed to rush for just 40 yards on 14 carries on the day, while Ryan Succop provided the team's lone points with a first-quarter field goal.

Denver is coming off a 38-24 road win over the Raiders in Week 9 in which Tim Tebow silenced his critics, throwing for a pair of touchdown strikes while running for 117 yards on 12 carries. Willis McGahee rushed for 163 yards and two scores in that contest.

The Chiefs and Broncos split their two meetings last season, with Kansas City winning 10-6 at home as an 8-point favorite on the NFL betting lines at the Bodog Sportsbook, and Denver winning 49-29 in their own stadium as a 1-point home underdog.

Overall Kansas City is 4-6 in its last 10 games against Denver, going 5-5 against the spread in those contests. The OVER/UNDER for those contests was 6-4.

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A season that once looked somewhat promising is going downhill fast for the Cleveland Browns as they have lost two straight and four of five and already are saying that their top two running backs, Peyton Hillis and Monterio Hardesty, will not play this week in a very winnable game at home vs. the St. Louis Rams.

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Hillis has gone from media darling and Madden cover boy to an outcast with Cleveland. He missed a third straight game Sunday, a 30-12 loss at Houston. At his Monday press conference, Browns coach Pat Shurmur ruled out both Hillis (hamstring) and Montario Hardesty (calf) for Week 10 vs. the Rams. Chris Ogbonnaya started Sunday with those two out and had all of 28 yards on 13 carries. He also has fumbled twice in the last two games. Ogbonnaya was signed off Houston's practice squad two weeks ago. Thomas Clayton also got some reps in Sunday’s game.

Cleveland is probably the worst offensive team in football right now, having scored a total of 25 points in the past three games and scoring more than 20 just once all season. The Browns are No. 31 in the league in rushing, averaging 82.1 ypg.

Hillis, who rushed for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, is making $600,000 in the final year of his rookie contract and will be a free agent after the season. This year, Hillis has run 60 times for 211 yards and two scores, and his per-carry average is down from 4.4 to 3.5 yards. He has made it very public he wants a new contract but it appears the Browns will let the malcontent go. The team may not play him the rest of the season because there are reports that even other players have lost patience with him.

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The Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants and New Orleans Saints seem like good locks to win their divisions (the Pack and Niners you can pretty much mark it down already). That leaves the two NFC wild-card spots to be fought over between clubs like the Cowboys, Lions, Bucs, Falcons and tonight’s two Monday Night Football participants, the Eagles and Bears. Thus a win here could be huge in terms of a wild-card tiebreaker. Philly is an 8-point favorite on Bodog’s NFL football odds with live in-play betting available.

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The Eagles are starting to look like the Dream Team they were being called in the preseason. Philly has won two straight and looked very impressive in last week’s 34-7 clobbering of Dallas. Behind LeSean McCoy and QB Michael Vick, Philadelphia is No. 1 in the NFL in rushing. McCoy had 185 yards and two scores against Dallas, which had been the NFL’s top-ranked team against the run. The Eagles are 3-4 largely because they lead the league in turnovers (17) and rank 24th with 16 touchdowns on 35 trips inside the 20.

The Bears (4-3) were off last week after beating the Bucs in London 24-18 in Week 7. The remains Chicago’s only win away from Soldier Field. Matt Forte continued his MVP-like play by rushing for 145 yards in that one. Forte has averaged 138.2 rushing yards and 6.2 yards per carry in the last four games and also leads the Bears in receiving with 38 catches and an 11.0 yards-per-catch average. He leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 1,089 and is on pace to break the league record. Forte is the first player since 2004 to go over 1,000 yards after seven games since Priest Holmes and Tiki Barber in 2004. Injury-wise, the Bears get a potentially key player back in WR Earl Bennett, who has missed the past five games.

This is the fifth year in a row these two have met; Chicago won 31-26 last Nov. 28 in the Windy City (Bennett caught two TDs). Chicago is 4-3 following the bye week under coach Lovie Smith, including 4-1 since 2006. But the Eagles are 11-4 in past 15 prime-time games under coach Andy Reid.

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Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers will return from their bye week on Sunday afternoon for a Week 10 game at home against the Tennessee Titans.

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The Panthers will be trying to avoid their third losing streak of the season on Sunday. Carolina lost its first two games of the year before beating Jacksonville in Week 3, then lost three consecutive contests prior to knocking off Washington in Week 7.

Prior to their break the Panthers lost again, falling 24-21 at home to Minnesota in Week 8 to put their record at 2-6 straight up but 5-3 against the NFL odds on the year.

Newton had a strong game against the Vikings despite the loss, going 22 of 35 for 290 yards through the air with three touchdown strikes and no interceptions. Newton also picked up a team-high 53 yards on the ground on six carries, but fumbled twice.

On the season Newton now owns an 87.1 QB Rating with 2,393 passing yards and a touchdown/interception ratio of 11/9. The rookie quarterback has also run for 319 yards on 63 attempts and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams combined for just 75 rushing yards for the Panthers in that loss to the Vikings as they take a backseat to Newton's feet this season. Steve Smith, Greg Olsen, and Jeremy Shockey had the TD receptions.

The Titans, in the hunt for the AFC South division title this season thanks to the collapse of the Indianapolis Colts, have beaten Carolina in both their meetings – winning 20-7 at home in 2007, and 37-17 on the road back in 2003. The Titans managed to cover the posted betting spread in both of those contests as well.

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The Houston Texans are riding a three-game winning streak and have an AFC-leading six victories so far this season. They'll look to make it four wins in a row and strengthen their hold on the AFC South when they face the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay on the NFL betting board at the Bodog Sportsbook on Sunday afternoon.

Houston, though, hasn't exactly had a tough schedule lately, as those three consecutive wins came against the Titans, Jaguars, and Browns – who have a combined nine wins through the first nine weeks of the season.

The Texans improved to 6-3 overall and 6-3 against the NFL betting odds with an easy 30-12 win over the Browns at home on Sunday. Arian Foster (124) and Ben Tate (115) each ran for over 100 yards for Houston that day and scored a touchdown, while QB Matt Schaub threw for just 119 yards with an INT but also ran for a score in the win.

On the season Schaub now has a QB Rating of 92.6 with 2,237 passing yards to go along with 13 touchdown strikes and six interceptions.

The Buccaneers, at 4-4 straight up and 3-5 against the spread, have lost two straight games and are in danger of falling out of the race for the NFC South division title. Tampa Bay lost 24-18 at home to Chicago before their bye in Week 7, then returned over the weekend to fall 27-16 on the road against the Saints.

Josh Freeman went 27 of 37 for 281 passing yards for Tampa Bay against New Orleans, with one touchdown and no interceptions, improving his QB Rating on the season to 76.8 and his TD/INT ratio to 8/10. LeGarrette Blount ran for 72 yards on 13 carries in the losing cause.

The Texans and Buccaneers have only ever met twice in their histories, with Houston winning 28-14 at home as a 3-point underdog in 2007, and Tampa Bay winning 16-3 at home as an 11.5-point favorite back in 2003.

On the Super Bowl futures list at the Bodog Sportsbook the Texans are now at 12/1, with the Buccaneers at 100/1

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A team in disarray just a few weeks ago, the Oakland Raiders have taken over the AFC West with a 24-17 upset over the San Diego Chargers.

Oakland, who came into the contest as +7 underdogs, was paced by its running game despite being without running back Darren McFadden. Backup Michael Bush more than picked up the slack, running for 157 yards on 30 carries along with two touchdowns. The Raiders are now 5-4, giving them a half-game lead on the Kansas City Chiefs.

"I wouldn’t call it a must-win, but it was a big win for us," Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour said. "These games in a sense count twice. It’s a win and also it’s a win in the division. It gives us a leg up right now."

Newly acquired Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer finally looked like a starter with a solid performance, dishing out 299 passing yards with two touchdowns and just one interception.

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Betting Analysis: The Chargers have always been an underachieving team, but something is off about the 2011 version and its quarterback Philip Rivers. Once considered an heir to Tom Brady and Peyton Manning's throne, Rivers displayed the same issues he's had all season, wayward passes and bad turnovers. It doesn't help that the fiery QB was sacked six times, and that Vincent Jackson gave up on a deep ball in the endzone that led to a crucial 4th-quarter Rivers interception.

Bettors have to tread very lightly with the Chargers as they seem to have lost all consistency. They could lose to the Indianapolis Colts at this point.

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The Indianapolis Colts might be winless on the season, but their chances of picking up a victory aren't hopeless – not when they have teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars on their schedule.

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The Colts will play host to the division-rival Jaguars in early action on Sunday afternoon, with Jacksonville a 3-point road favorite in the sportsbook.

Indianapolis ran its losing streak to nine games over the weekend, falling 31-7 at home to the Atlanta Falcons – and slipping to 2-7 against the spread with the blowout loss.

Curtis Painter continued to be a poor substitute for Peyton Manning against the Falcons, completing 13 of 27 pass attempts for just 98 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. On the season Painter has a QB Rating of just 70.5 with five touchdown strikes and five interceptions.

Donald Brown rushed for a team-high 70 yards on 16 carries for the Colts in that loss, while Jerraud Powers ran back an interception for the team's only score on the day.

Jacksonville had a bye last weekend, last playing in Week 8 when they lost 24-14 on the road against the Texans. That put the Jags at 2-6 overall and 3-5 against the NFL betting odds on the season.

Blaine Gabbert went just 10 of 30 for 97 yards passing against the Texans, with one touchdown strike and two interceptions. The rookie has a QB Rating of just 62.0 this season with five touchdowns and four interceptions.

Indianapolis went 1-1 both straight up and against the spread against Jacksonville last season, and they're 7-3 straight up and 5-5 against the spread in their last 10 games against the Jaguars (with the OVER/UNDER at 7-3). Those records, though, were all built up with Manning at the helm.

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The Sunday night game this week is one of the NFL’s most interesting rivalries when the suddenly sliding New England Patriots (5-3) visit a Jets (5-3) team that is rolling. New York opened as a 2-point favorite on Bodog’s NFL odds.

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When these teams met back in Week 5 in Foxboro, the Pats won 30-21 and looked like the kings of the AFC at 4-1. The loss was the Jets’ third straight and dropped them to 2-3 and essentially three games behind New England in the division. But since then, New York hasn’t lost and the Patriots have won only once.

The league seems to have figured out the Patriots’ offense. That win over the Jets marked the 13th straight regular-season game in which New England scored at least 30 points, which was one game shy of the record. Tom Brady threw for 321 yards and a TD in the game while WR Wes Welker had 124 yards receiving and RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for a career-high 136 yards.

Since then, Brady and Welker have each topped 300 and 100 yards, respectively, just one, both in last week’s 24-20 home loss to the New York Giants. Brady has had two games with two picks and Welker has scored just once as New England hasn’t topped 20 points. That Giants loss was Brady’s first at home in 31 consecutive regular-season games. A major reason for the slump is New England is averaging just 83.3 rushing yards in the past three games and getting away from a balanced attack. That’s leading to more pressure on Brady, who has been sacked five times in the past two games. The Patriots haven’t lost three straight since 2002.

The Jets have scored at least 24 points in each game of their winning streak and have allowed only 38 points combined. The rush defense has vastly improved, allowing only 96 to the Bills last week in New York’s first road win of the year. And the offensive line is clearing the way for the Jets runners, leading to three consecutive 100-yard rushing games for New York after averaging just over 75 yards, 30th in the NFL, through five games. That improved running game sets up play-action for QB Mark Sanchez, and he completed a season-high 71.4 percent of his passes against the Bills.

These two teams split the season series in each of the last three seasons with the Patriots riding a two-game losing streak in Jets home games following losses in 2009 and 2010. New England is 3-0-1 ATS in past four as a dog overall. The home team has covered five of the past six meetings.

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After opening the season alternating losses and wins in the first five games, the Atlanta Falcons are starting to resemble the NFC contender everyone thought they be again this season with a three-game winning streak heading in today’s home game against New Orleans. The Falcons opened as a slight favorite on Bodog’s NFL football odds.

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This game starts a season-high three game homestand for Atlanta, which is always near-impossible to beat in the regular season since Matt Ryan arrived from Boston College. Last week Atlanta (5-3) had no trouble at Indianapolis in a 31-7 win. Rookie WR Julio Jones had his best game so far, with three catches for 131 yards and two long touchdowns from Ryan. Jones became the first player since Randy Moss and just the fifth since 1940 to have two or more 50+ yard touchdown receptions in a game before the age of 23. It’s exactly why Atlanta traded up in this year’s draft to get Jones.

New Orleans (6-3) gets its bye week after this one. The Saints improved to 2-1 within the division with a 27-16 victory at home over the Tampa Bay Bucs last week. QB Drew Brees passed for 258 yards and two touchdowns, and New Orleans gained 195 yards on the ground after amassing only 56 yards rushing in its previous game. Brees has thrown a TD pass in 36 straight games, tied for second all-time and 11 from tying Johnny Unitas’ record. Brees has 3,004 yards passing, making him the first NFL player to eclipse 3,000 in the first nine games of a season.

The Saints and Falcons split against each other a year ago, with each winning on the opposing team’s field. At the time that was only Ryan’s third loss in 22 regular-season home games at the Georgia Dome. Atlanta coach Mike Smith is 2-4 against the Saints in his three and a half seasons leading Atlanta. The Saints are one of only two opponents that with more than one meeting have a winning record against Smith (Eagles).

The Saints are 1-5 ATS in their past six road games. The underdog has covered the past four in this series.

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The Philadelphia Eagles have hit bottom.

Coming off their loss to the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football things were looking for the Eagles with the Arizona Cardinals next on the sked and a -13.5 spread. Unfortunately, Michael Vick didn't bring his A-game and Philadelphia didn't bring DeSean Jackson, the result was a humiliating 21-17 loss to Arizona.

What makes the loss an even bigger concern is that the Eagles defense didn't even have to deal with Kevin Kolb. Second-year QB John Skelton was under center, and was able to light up the Eagles secondary with 315 passing yards three touchdowns and two interceptions.

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Betting Analysis: All the Eagles problems were magnified in the loss. The defense can't stop anyone; Skelton posted Tom Brady numbers on the high-priced Eagles secondary and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald had the best game of 2011 with seven receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Vick was inconsistent once again, finishing with 128 passing yards and two interceptions. And the team remains undisciplined; DeSean Jackson sat out the contest due to a dispute with the team. At 3-6 the Eagles playoff chances are looking slim. Not to mention they are a horrible wager no bettor can really trust, they opened as 13.5 favorites in the contest before suffering defeat.


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If you were staying tuned to the inactive lists this morning y0u heard about the surprising benching of Philadelphia Eagles wideout DeSean Jackson due to missing a morning meeting.

However, according to CBS' Mike Freeman there's more to his benching than just missed meeting.

According to Freeman's sources, "the benching is a result of the Eagles coaching staff tiring of Jackson's attitude for most of the season."

Jackson has been clamoring for a new contract that matches his playmaking ability, but he's been inconsistent this season and it appears the Eagles coaching staff is looking to send a message.

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Betting Analysis: Watching the first half of the Eagles contest at the Arizona Cardinals it's obvious Michael Vick needs Jackson on the field. Jeremy Maclin is his only talented target and he's been blanketed by the Cardinals secondary all afternoon. If the Jackson continues to clash with the Eagles coaching staff covers against the spread could be even tougher to come by — the Eagles are already a paltry 3-5 ATS this season.

The Eagles do have the 14-7 lead on the Cardinals at halftime as -6.5 favorites, but considering that John Skelton is starting for injured QB Kevin Kolb Philadelphia should be blowing Arizona out of the water.

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The Cleveland Browns will play host to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon in Week 11 action on the NFL betting board. Can the Browns turn their wayward season around against a similarly challenged club?

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The 3-6 Browns will be entering their contest against the Jaguars in a free-fall, dropping each of their past three games and five of their past six outings. Over the weekend Cleveland blew a fourth-quarter lead and fell 13-12 to the St. Louis Rams.

Browns QB Colt McCoy completed 20 of his 27 pass attempts for 218 yards against the Rams, with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Chris Ogbonnaya led the Browns with 90 rush yards on 19 carries in the loss.

Phil Dawson accounted for all of Cleveland's scoring with four field goals in the contest.

Jacksonville improved to 3-6 on the season with a 17-3 win in Indianapolis over the Colts on Sunday afternoon, as Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown on the day.

Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert went 14 of 21 for 118 yards passing in that game with one touchdown strike and one interception, and Jarett Dillard had the TD reception. Josh Scobee booted a 44-yard field goal in the first quarter for Jacksonville in that win.

The Jaguars beat the Browns in Jacksonville last season, winning 24-20 as a 2.5-point favorite in an OVER result. Cleveland topped Jacksonville 23-17 as a 2-point home favorite in the previous season, and they're 3-2 both SU and ATS in the last five meetings.

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The Houston Texans may have to wait another year for their first playoff berth.

The shocking news out of Houston this afternoon is that Texans starting quarterback Matt Schaub is out for the season with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot. However, head coach Gary Kubiak said on 610 Houston radio that the report was untrue.

"It's the team's opinion that he is not out for the year."

OK. The "team's opinion" is a much different answer than a simple "no, he's fine." Plus, the "out for season" report comes from ESPN insider Adam Schefter. And when has Schefter ever been wrong?

The Houston Chronicle reports that Schaub is waiting on a second opinion from Dr. Robert Anderson, but the results will be the same. The Texans medical staff looked at Schaub foot extensively before coming to the final conclusion.

Schaub hurt his foot during a QB sneak in Houston's 37-9 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Backup and former USC pretty boy Matt Leinart will takeover for Schaub at QB.

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Betting Analysis: The Leinart era begins Sunday, November 27 versus the Jacksonville Jaguars. This weekend Houston has a bye. This is a huge blow to the Texans, the last four weeks they posted a 3-0-1 record against the spread and appeared to finally have all the pieces in place for a playoff run.

With the offense in Leinart's hands, there's no way to forecast how they'll do now. Leinart was known for being "captain checkdown" as a starter in Arizona, lacking the arm strength or decision making to throw it down field. If he hasn't improved on his faults under Kubiak expect a heavy dose of running back Arian Foster and a more one-dimensional offense. Andre Johnson better work on four-yard curls before he comes off the injury list.



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A pair of five-win teams will be trying to their sixth victories of the season on Sunday afternoon as the 5-4 Atlanta Falcons play host to the 5-4 Tennessee Titans on the NFL odds board.

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The Falcons (4-5 against the spread) lost 26-23 in overtime to the New Orleans Saints over the weekend, putting an end to their three-game winning streak.

Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan went 29 of 52 for 351 yards passing in that loss, with two touchdown strikes and one interception, while Michael Turner rushed for 96 yards on 22 carries. Tony Gonzalez and Jason Snelling each had TD receptions on the day.

The Titans (4-5 against the spread) bounced the Panthers 30-3 in Carolina over the weekend as Chris Johnson ran for 130 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries.

Matt Hasselbeck was good on 15 of 27 pass attempts for 219 yards for Tennessee in that victory, with one touchdown and one interception. Damian Williams had five catches for 107 yards and a score in the contest.

That win kept the Titans two games back of the Houston Texans in the AFC South standings, and also kept them in the hunt for a Wild Card berth in the conference. The Falcons now trail the Saints by two games in the NFC South standings.

On the NFL futures lists at the Bodog Sportsbook the Falcons sit at 20/1 odds to win the NFC this season, with the Titans at 50/1 to claim the AFC crown.

The Titans and Falcons last met back in 2007 in Tennessee, with the home side winning 20-13 as a 7.5-point favorite on the NFL odds board in an UNDER result. Tennessee is 3-0 all-time against Atlanta, going 1-1-1 ATS in those contests.

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The Oakland Raiders have the fewest wins of any first-place team in the NFL, but they're in the top spot nonetheless as they prepare to take on the Vikings in Minnesota on Sunday.

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Oakland improved to 5-4 straight up and 5-3-1 against the spread over the weekend with a 24-17 road victory over the San Diego Chargers; that has them a game up on the Chargers, Broncos, and Chiefs in the AFC West standings.

Carson Palmer went 14 of 20 for 299 yards through the air for Oakland in that win, with two touchdown passes and one interception. On the season Palmer now has a QB Rating of 71.5 with five TDs and seven INTs in three games.

Michael Bush rushed for 157 yards and a score on 30 carries for Oakland that day, while Denarius Moore caught five balls for 123 yards and two touchdowns.

The Vikings continued to stumble in their last game, falling to 2-7 straight up and 4-4-1 against the spread on Monday night with a 45-7 road loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Christian Ponder went 16 of 34 for 190 yards passing with no touchdowns and one interception in that loss for the Vikings, who had been listed as 14-point underdogs for the contest. Adrian Peterson was held to 51 yards and a score on 14 carries.

The last time the Vikings and Raiders met was in 2007, when Minnesota won 29-22 as a 4.5-point home favorite on the NFL betting lines at the Bodog Sportsbook. That was the second consecutive OVER result between the teams.

On the Super Bowl futures list at the Bodog Sportsbook you can get the Raiders at 40/1 right now, with the Vikings big longshots at 300/1 to make a miracle comeback.

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