Pittsburgh (-3) at Miami – The Steelers opened as 3 point road favorites for their trip to South Beach, and the line has held mostly steady. It took a while, but Pittsburgh managed to put away the Cleveland Browns. Ben Roethlisberger was solid in his debut. While the Steeler defense has been outstanding, keep in mind that the offense has only 6 turnovers through 5 games, which is pretty good. Miami won another close road game against an NFC North opponent. The Dolphins are 3-0 on the road, but 0-2 at home. The big question is whether or not Miami can establish a running game. The Steeler D hasn’t given up more than 75 yards rushing to any opponent so far.
Atlanta (-4) vs. Cincinnati – The Falcons opened as 4 point favorites over the visiting Cincinnati Bengals, but books have come down to 3 ½ points. Atlanta got roughed up in Philly this past week. They got killed in the trenches, and the Falcon defense never seemed in the game. Cincy is coming off their bye, which couldn’t have come at a better time. The Bengals have been struggling, especially on offense. They haven’t scored more than 24 points all season, which is very surprising considering their tremendous talent.
San Diego (-3) vs. New England – San Diego started as 3 point home favorites, and the line hasn’t moved much, though a couple sites have come down to 2 ½ points. What’s wrong with the Chargers? They dropped another road game, this time to the lowly Rams. In their 4 road losses, San Diego has fallen to the Rams, Raiders, Seahawks, and Chiefs. Wow. New England fought back and managed to get the Ravens in overtime. Considering how well Baltimore has been playing, that was an impressive win. The rush defense kept the Ravens under 100 yards for the game. There’s a good chance these two teams will put up offensive fireworks in this one; the total opened at 49 points, though its come down to 48.
Green Bay (-3) vs. Minnesota – The Pack opened as 3 point favorites over the visiting Vikes, but now books are listing the game anywhere between 1 ½ and 3 points. Injuries have ravaged the Packers. They’re coming off a couple losses that wouldn’t have happened had they been at full strength. Minnesota won a crucial game against the Cowboys to go to 2-3. They didn’t manage to gain 200 yards of total offense, but defense and special teams won the game. In the wide open NFC North, this is a huge game for both teams.
Dallas (-3) vs. New York Giants – The Monday night game is an NFC East showdown. The home Cowboys started as 3 point faves and the line hasn’t moved much. Like every game they’ve lost this year, the Cowboys had many chances to get the win in Minneapolis. But instead of finding a way to win, they found a way to lose. Again. The Giants have been on a roll since their early season struggles. They’ve won 3 straight games, and the Giant rush D has been phenomenal. The G-Men won both times last year, and have won 3 of the last 4 against Dallas.
