By SPORTSBETTING.COM

 

Looking back at the carnage for bettors from last week’s NFL results, one can only invoke the age-old adage of, “what goes up, must come down”…which might give the betting public some solace. What originally went up, for most, was their bankrolls after Week 1, when the favorites dominated the results, cashing for their backers. The “what comes down” part played out last weekend, when the dogs bit back in a big way. So now is it time for the swing back to the “up” side?

 

Underdogs finished up Week 2 with a bankroll busting record of 12-3-1 ATS, fittingly punctuated by the Redskins’ straight up win on Monday night as 7-point dog. At SPORTSBETTING.COM, the two teams who received the heaviest action from bettors in Week 2 were the Cincinnati Bengals and the New Orleans Saints, two road favorites who both lost straight up – ouch!

 

This week bettors are backing another handful of favorites, notably the Indianapolis Colts. They are the bettors’ favorite “favorite”, as the early action is all over them. And while the Texans have been impressive in their first two starts of the new season, bettors obviously feel they are going to struggle with this big step up in class. At -6 (-115), bettors have lined up behind the road team at a 90% clip so far, with only 10% of the action on the home dog.

However, Houston is currently riding a four-game winning streak against the spread (dating back to last year), which is a new record for longest in franchise history.

 

San Diego at Green Bay

The Chargers have hardly lived up to their pre-season billing as a true Super Bowl contender, largely due to an offense that’s been a major disappointment over the first two weeks. But the early trend at SPORTSBETTING.COM indicates bettors feel this matchup with Green Bay will be the tonic to cure the offense’s ills. Heading into the weekend, San Diego is the second most popular team in terms of wagering volume, sliding in behind the Colts.

In this matchup, the Chargers are -5 (-115) on the road at Lambeau, facing the 2-0 Packers. But worth noting is the 1-1 Bolts have played Chicago and New England, top flight teams, while Brett Favre and the Pack got by an ineffective Eagle squad and then steamrolled a beat up Giant team. But Green Bay’s defense has looked good in both starts, and they’ll need to have a big game against a Charger offense that won’t struggle for long. 

 

Carolina at Atlanta

Another road favorite is also receiving solid backing. This one clearly has more to do with the ineptitude of the home side, rather than sparkling play by the visitor. Carolina is 4-point favorite (-105) in their matchup with Atlanta. Neither team has looked good early, but the Falcons’ problems go much deeper than anything the Panthers are handling. With absolutely horrible performances in back-to-back weeks by Atlanta, the betting public feels the trend will continue, as they are backing the Panthers at a 90% rate in this one.

 

There are a trio of underdogs attracting a healthy amount of attention from those getting their wagers booked early. The Cincinnati Bengals, who are +3 (+105) in their game vs. the NFC Seahawks, have had a little over 65% of the action on that game placed on them. Yes, that defense looked atrocious in giving up 50-plus to Cleveland last week, but they can’t be that bad again can they? Can they?

 

And it is those suddenly mighty Cleveland Browns who 70% of the bettors are counting on to keep up the fireworks from last weekend. The Browns are +3 (even) in their game on the West Coast against a perennially bad Raider team. Oakland has only covered the spread three times in their last 13 home games, and again, early action has bettors looking for that poor record to continue for another week.

 

The third member of the underdog trio is a Tennessee Titan team playing under the Monday night lights in New Orleans. Vince Young has electrified the Titan fans, as his playmaking ability gives this team a chance every weekend. They are 4.5-point (-105) dogs to the Saints, a team that enjoyed so much success last season. Are they crumbling under the intense expectations? They are 0-2 heading into this one, but Week 1 was a road game at Indianapolis, one of the toughest, if not the toughest venue in the league to come away with a win. The offense has sputtered, Reggie Bush has been a non-factor, and all the “Drew Brees for MVP” talk has completely died off.

But this is a desperate Saint team, one that still has talent. That said, 65% of the bettors like the visitor and the points in the last game of the week. Maybe they’re on to something, as the Titans are a very profitable 7-1 ATS in their last eight road starts.

 

Enjoy the games and remember to check out all the NFL lines, specials and bonuses at SPORTSBETTING.COM