12 Jun 2019
We take a look at some of the big games ahead of Week 8, providing quick hits and top trends.
MIAMI DOLPHINS @ HOUSTON TEXANS
These are two teams going in opposite directions according to the layers. Miami will be without their most explosive weapon for the rest of the season as receiver Albert Wilson has been put on Injured Reserve with a hip injury. Fellow wideout Kenny Stills is likely ruled out with a groin strain and Danny Amendola is nursing a shoulder injury.
Tight end AJ Darby is also likely to miss the Thursday night game against the Texans, along with defensive end Charles Harris.
With limited options to catch the ball – even with the sulking DeVontae Parker out to prove a point after being left out last week – back-up QB Brock Osweiler, who was awarded a four-year $72million deal by the Texans and then shipped off to Cleveland after one year, has less of a chance of exacting revenge on coach Bill O’Brien following last year’s classic salary-cap dump.
The Texans are on a four-game winning streak following their 20-7 win in Jacksonville, and both teams have a chance to go to 5-3 for the year.
Houston top the AFC South, but even die-hard Texans fans will tell you that this team has not been playing well and has had a couple of fortunate wins. They have also had trouble protecting QB Desahun Watson, who is dealing with a bruised lung as a result.
The last time Miami played on a Thursday night game on the road, they were embarrassed 40-0 in Baltimore and while they will be keen to avoid another such disaster, they have never won in Houston in four previous tries and have won just one of the past eight meetings.
Three of the last four meetings in Houston have been settled by a combined six points, so there will be some who feel the Dolphins might be worthy of support in receipt of 9.5 points on the Genting Casino handicap at odds of 4/5. The layers obviously think the injuries may be too much for the visitors to overcome and they can be backed at 8/11 conceding 6.5 points.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES @ JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
The NFL returns to London for a third consecutive Sunday as last season’s Super Bowl winner squares off against last season’s AFC Championship runner-up. Yet, parity being what it is in the NFL, both teams arrive on stuttering 3-4 marks following respective home losses to Carolina and Houston last Sunday.
The Eagles, who won their last two meetings – this will be their first clash since 2014 – have given up two double-digit second-half leads in their four losses. It’s hardly championship form at this stage.
Much of their malaise is due to a thin defensive line. Tim Jerrigan, Haloti Ngata and Destiny Vaeao have all been injured and now arguably their best defender this term, defensive end Derek Barnett, will miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. They have also lost Rodney McLeod, Jay Ajayi, Mike Wallace, Mack Hollins, Chris Maragos and Richard Rodgers to injury.
In contrast, offensive players such as Carson Wentz, Zach Ertz, Malcolm Jenkins and Fletcher Cox have all been excellent. There is no Super Bowl hangover – they have simply suffered a wealth of walking wounded.
Defensively, the Jaguars have rarely been consistent from one season to the next. Yet their issues this term are similar to those that dogged them last season – an inability to put points on the board. The Jaguars had a chance to take a rookie passer in the draft and passed up the opportunity, and are regretting that after Blake Bortles was benched in the loss against Houston after a completing six of 12 passes for 61 yards and fumbling twice.
After a third consecutive loss, they don’t appear to have many answers about how to right the listing ship. They badly miss running back Leonard Fournette (injured), as their whole offense is geared around the former LSU star. Yet it is their defense that has arguably more questions to answer after being outscored by Dallas and Houston – two teams whose offenses have been struggling – by a combined 60-14 in the last two weeks.
The Genting Casino NFL odds has the Eagles as the 4/7 favourite with the Jaguars at 7/5 on the Moneyline. The Eagles can be supported at 7/10 conceding 1.5 points on the handicap, while the Jaguars are 8/13 in receipt of 4.5 points.
Three of their five previous meetings went above the 42.5 points total line which is where the bar sits this weekend. It is 10/11 for the total points to eclipse that mark.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS @ NEW YORK GIANTS
The Big Apple has not been a happy hunting ground in recent seasons for the Washington Redskins. They have lost on eight of their last 10 trips to New Jersey, and the Giants are desperate for a win to save their season after a 1-6 start in the NFC East. The Redskins are just three games ahead at the top of the division with a 4-3 mark.
There is not any way to sugar-coat what is wrong with the Giants this season – it is the play of QB Eli Manning, which is understandable since the offensive line behind which he operates is on course to see him sacked 55 times. He has already been sacked 24 times.
With just four regular season wins in their last 23 games, the Giants seemingly have no end to their mediocrity and while they got within three points of Atlanta on Monday night, a late touchdown flattered them – and blew a few handicaps in the process.
The one bright spot is the play of rookie running back Saquan Barkley, who has six consecutive 100+ total-yards-from-scrimmage outings before stalling for 43 yards and a TD on 14 carries against the Falcons.
The Redskins held on to win 20-17 at home to Dallas on Sunday but they have not been great for punters on the road, covering the handicap just once in their last five, and losing five of their last six. They have also covered just three of the last 10 handicaps when playing the Giants.
However, the Redskins have allowed 17 points or less in four of their six games and the offense has just five turnovers – the best in the league. In short, unlike the Giants, they don’t find ways to beat themselves.
The Genting Casino Moneyline odds says this is a pick ’em game, with both teams trading at 10/11. The Redskins can be backed at 23/20 on the handicap conceding 2.5 points, while the Giants can be supported at 13/8 conceding 3.5 points to the Redskins.
The under/over points total line is set at 41.5 points and it is 17/20 that there will be more points scored than that.
CLEVELAND BROWNS @ PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Cleveland has not won in Pittsburgh this century – a span of 19 games. There have been a few close calls in recent times, with three of the last four visits seeing defeats of three, three and four points respectively.
The Browns have played a ridiculous four overtime games in seven outings this season, but their record is still 2-4-1 and head coach Huh Jackson, who was surprisingly kept on after going 1-31 in two seasons, is 1-3 in games decided by three or fewer points this season, and 2-10-1 in his time with the Browns.
Play-calling has been an issue, particularly on offense, with Todd Haley’s group scoring just four touchdowns in the last three games. In fairness to Haley, he has been beset with injuries at the receiver position, leaving rookie QB Baker Mayfield with few options outside of the impressive Jarvis Landry.
The Steelers are coming off a bye week with a healthy squad and with the possibility of running back Le’Veon Bell returning after the October 30 trade deadline, the Steelers should have one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL, and will surely build upon their current 3-2-1 record.
Pittsburgh can be supported on the Genting Casino handicap at 8/15 conceding 4.5 points, while the Browns are 10/11 in receipt of 7.5 points. Take a look at all the various handicaps for each game, as there is value to be found on both sides of the line.
BALTIMORE RAVENS @ CAROLINA PANTHERS
The 4-3 Baltimore Ravens travel to the 4-2 Carolina Panthers, who have gained two nail-biting finishes in beating both NFC East foes Eagles and Giants, and could easily be 2-4. They have started slowly in a few games and while they overcame a 17-0 deficit in Philadelphia, they could not do so in Washington.
The Ravens have also not been truly overwhelming. They have beaten Buffalo, Denver, Pittsburgh and Tennessee. They also lost to Cincinnati, Cleveland and New Orleans.
The Ravens have lost two of their three trips to Charlotte but seek a third successive win over the Panthers and are 3/4 to do so on the Genting Casino Moneyline. Panthers are 11/10 to win and 7/5 to cover a 2.5 handicap.
Some will argue the Ravens are false favourites and that the Panthers are being overlooked. If so, they may be worth taking at 8/13 in receipt of 3.5 points on the Genting Casino NFL handicap.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS @ CINCINNATI BENGALS
With both the Ravens and Steelers not firing on all cylinders yet, at some point the layers will take Cincinnati seriously. They are still 5/2 third favourites to win the AFC North division and after their bye week, following this game, they have winnable home games against New Orleans, Cleveland, Denver and Oakland on their schedule, and three division road games to come.
The Bengals will look to feast on an already weak Tampa defense, which has been decimated by the loss of middle linebacker Kwon Alexander to a torn ACL, whom head coach Dirk Koetter described as the “heart and soul of the defense”.
The Bengals (4-3), who were beaten by the Kansas City Chiefs last week, can be backed at 4/9 on the Genting Casino Moneyline, while the Buccaneers (3-3) are on offer at 7/4 to gain a sixth win in eight trips to Cincinnati. Given their record in the Queen City, some may think that the odds of 5/6 to keep within a 5.5-point handicap, represents value.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS @ DETRIOT LIONS
If you are a fan of parity, then look no further than this game, which sees the 3-3 Seahawks travelling to the 3-3 Detroit Lions. The Lions are coming off a big 32-21 win over the Dolphins in Miami, while the Seahawks are coming into this off a bye.
It is no surprise to see Detroit running back Kerryon Johnson in the running for rookie of the year honours – he was great at Auburn and is now taking the pressure off QB Matt Stafford in Detroit. Last week he spearheaded a rushing attack that gained 248 yards on the ground against Miami, with 158 yards of his own from 19 carries. He is also averaging a whopping 6.4 yards per carry.
Seattle cruised to victory over Oakland in London two weeks ago and have had good success against Stafford, who has won one of three outings against the Hawks. Stafford has averaged a shade over 250 yards passing in each of those games but has turned the ball over a total of six times.
Detroit have a brutal stretch of games upcoming, so they will feel they have to win this and are 6/10 Genting Casino Moneyline favourites. The Seahawks are available at 11/8 but can also be backed at 8/13 in receipt of 5.5 points. The Lions have won three of the last four home meetings, and can be supported at 3/4 conceding 2.5 points on the Genting Casino handicap.
DENVER BRONCOS @ KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
A huge AFC West clash sees the 3-4 Broncos travel to the 6-1 Chiefs, who have beaten them on the last six occasions, including by double-digits on their last two trips to Arrowhead.
Denver are considered 9.5-point underdogs at odds of Evens to beat a Chiefs team that has a high-octane attack, but one which boasts a 32nd-ranked defense (435.4 yards per game).
The Broncos cannot afford any drive-killing penalties, drops or inaccurate Case Keenum throws, all of which has hurt them at key moments this season.
Whether they can keep getting pressure on Chiefs’ QB Patrick Mahomes is open to question. He has a quick release, strong arm and the game smarts not seen from a passer since Dan Marino entered the league in 1983.
Even if they do, can Denver’s 14th-ranked offense keep pace and take what GM John Elway says is a “must-win” game? The over/under points total line, which is set at 54.5 points, suggests this will be a shoot-out.
NEW YORK JETS @ CHICAGO BEARS
The Jets suffered a major blow when primary third-down running back Bilal Powell was placed on Injured Reserve this week. The bulk of the Jets’ run game will now go through Isaiah Crowell, who has rushed for 459 yards and five touchdowns so far this season.
The AFC East club fell at home to Minnesota on Sunday, while Chicago threw away a healthy lead and slipped to defeat at home to the New England Patriots. It was their second defeat in succession but they remain in the thick of the NFC North race with a 3-3 record.
Jets have won two of their six previous trips to Chicago, while the Bears have won the last four meetings, but never five in a row.
Chicago is the Genting Casino 3/10 Moneyline favourite with the Jets at 5/2. The Bears can be supported at 4/5 conceding 6.5 points on the handicap, while the Jets are available at 8/11 in receipt of 9.5 points, which will no doubt please some.
Those seeking educated picks against the handicap spread may wish to take a look at Lindyssports.com, America’s leading football authority.
Watch live NFL action in your local Genting casino. Find your nearest casino here.
