Written By Billy Attridge
The entire landscape of the NFL season changed when Aaron Rodgers went down with an injury in the first quarter of the Packers contest in Minnesota. With Week 7 lurking, the league has never felt more wide open than it does right now. One could make the case that 6-8 teams (barring anymore injuries) could take the Lombardi trophy home, but that’s talk for another day. Without further ado, here are this weeks market moves along with Week 8 Vegas look ahead lines.
New Orleans @ Green Bay +4.5 (-120):
BetOnline.Ag opened New Orleans-3.5 (-115); it shot up earlier in the week to -6, and took considerable professional money back down to where we sit now at -4.5. This game is intriguing on many levels. Before the games kicked off last Sunday, the Packers were 6.5-point home chalk on the look ahead line. The Saints hung on at home against the Lions, and the Packers suffered a road loss (in more ways than one) to the Vikings. With no Rodgers, we saw a 12.5-point adjustment (keep in mind, Green Bay has injuries along the offensive line and the defensive backfield). At +6, professional bettors stepped in and backed the dog. With rain in the forecast, and Hundley having a full week to prepare with a game plan tailored to him, this number may continue to make its way through the 4, and we could see some 3.5 on game-day.
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Atlanta @ New England -3 (-121):
Atlanta comes in with revenge on their mind from last years Super Bowl meltdown, and off an embarrassing loss to the Miami Dolphins at home, blowing a 17-0 halftime lead as 14-point favorites. New England survived their trip to New York, and has a chance to redeem themselves from their Week 1 beat down the Chiefs put on them at home on opening night. This game opened Atlanta +4.5 in the market, and took professional money all the way to the current price we see on the screen at this moment, and for good reason. Atlanta has faced three teams in the Top 15 in Defensive Pass Efficiency, and this week face the 30th in the Patriots. With Mohamed Sanu and Julio Jones back in full health, Atlanta has the potential to feast on this secondary. Vic Beasley has another week to get healthy, and with Courtney Upshaw practicing this week, the Falcons front seven could cause issues for the Patriots offensive line. This move on the Falcons is very real.
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Washington @ Philadelphia -4.5 (-110):
We saw this game get as high as Philadelphia -6 at BetOnline.AG, and there has been movement on the game ticking down to the current number of 4.5. This is a very interesting game, as we have the Eagles coming off their primetime win at the Panthers, and having some extra days to prep for this divisional showdown. With all the talk/love Philadelphia has received this week, it begs to question whether we’re at the top of the market as it pertains to value. Washington has revenge on its mind from a week one home defeat, where the Eagles solidified a victory with a questionable forward pass/fumble situation that essentially ended the game. Washington is 10th in Pass Defense Efficiency (Norman won’t play), and 15th in Rush Defense Efficiency. They also tout the 4th most efficient pass offense, and are going up against an Eagles team that has shown vulnerabilities in their secondary. Washington may have been looking ahead last week, as they barely survived the 49ers at home off the bye. This line may bounce around leading up to kickoff, but I do expect professional money on the dog, and can see this line closing soft 4.
Week 8 Vegas Look Ahead Lines courtesy of Westgate Superbook:
Home Spread Away
Ravens -4.5 Dolphins
Browns* +7.5 Vikings
Saints -8.5 Bears
Jets +7 Falcons
Buccaneers N/A Panthers
Eagles -10.5 49ers
Bills -2.5 Raiders
Bengals N/A Colts
Patriots -7 Chargers
Seahawks -6.5 Texans
Redskins -1 Cowboys
Lions +3 (-120) Steelers
Chiefs -6.5 Broncos
*Game played in London, England.
