NFL Week 9 Wrap-UP Report

Writing by Igor Ivanov on Friday, 9 of November , 2007 at 4:47 pm

With eight weeks left in the NFL regular season we asked Bodoglife.com bookmaker his impressions of the huge Patriots/Colts game and whether the Pats have what it takes to become only the second team in NFL history to finish with a perfect record. He also gives us his picks for most the most surprising and most disappointing teams in the NFL. And for you fantasy fans he gives us his Most Valuable Player and Least Valuable Players this year in the NFL.

What were your thoughts about the Patriots Colts game? Can the Patriots run the table and finish 16-0
The Colts-Patriots game lived up to the hype of being Super Bowl XLI ½, here are just a few of the highlights:

Tom Brady overcame two interceptions (which doubled his season total) and completed his 25th game-winning drive to help the Pats defeat the Colts 24-20. The two-time Super Bowl MVP brought himself another notch closer to securing his first regular-season MVP award, while the Pats have now have the momentum to keep the ’72 Dolphins from popping celebratory champagne.

Running back Joseph Addai became the only Colt to run and catch for over 100 yards in a single game while Peyton Manning lost a fumble for the first time in 14 games.

Colts GM Bill Polian said before the game, “it doesn’t matter who wins this one…” insinuating that both teams will be seeded 1 and 2 in the AFC and meet again in the AFC Championships. But I think Polian missed the point here. By losing this game the Colts have all but guaranteed the Patriots will host the championship game in January. This forces the Colts out of the comfortable confines of the RCA Dome and into the winter conditions of Foxboro. Advantage Patriots.

Can the Patriots finish 16-0? I think the only thing that can stop the Pats from running the table is if Bill Belichick decides to rest his players for the final two games because they’ve locked up 1st place in the conference. 16-0 would be an incredible accomplishment but as ego-driven as Belichick is, he’s not going to risk Brady, Randy Moss and the rest of the first stringers for some meaningless game versus the meaningless Miami Dolphins.

Patriots record 9-0, ATS 8-1
Colts record 7-1, ATS 6-2

Now that all 32 teams have played 8 or more games who have been your biggest surprises and biggest disappointments?

The NFC North is home to my two biggest surprise teams - the Packers and the Lions. They have a combined record of 13-3.

Maybe we should have listened to quarterback John Kitna when he proudly predicted the Lions would be good for 10 wins this season, because looking at the way they’ve played so far; he may have underestimated his team. Detroit will never be confused with the greatest show on turf but Mike Martz has the Lions offence averaging 25 points a game which includes the Lions hanging 37 points on the Bears, last years NFC champion, and 44 points on mastermind Mike Shanahan’s Broncos.

In Green Bay, Brett Favre has turned back the clock to 1997. The gunslinger keeps firing, and he’s helped the Packers post a 7-1 record. It unbelievable that the Packers are winning without a running game, there are 13 running backs who have more rushing yards than the Green Bay Packers combined rushing attack. Lacking a solid running game could kill them in the playoffs but until then I’m going to sit back and enjoy the Brett Favre show.

When it comes to disappointing teams there are lots to choose from. Had I been asked two weeks ago the easiest answers would have been San Diego and New Orleans as both were expected to be at or close to the top of their conferences. But after a few big wins both teams have played themselves into contention in their respective divisions.

So instead I’m going to give the most-disappointed crown to the entire NFC West with a combined record of 9-23. This was supposed to be one of the most hotly contested divisions with Arizona hiring a new coach and promising big changes, San Francisco making some splashy signings, Seattle holding steady with the same squad that won the NFC West in 2006, and a St. Louis squad that was ready to breakout behind the legs of Steven Jackson.

However, so far injuries to Jackson and Marc Bulger have St. Louis averaging 12.4 points per game and sitting at 0-8. Division leader Seattle sits with a lowly 4-4 after losing in Week 9 to the NFL’s punch line – the Cleveland Browns. The San Francisco 49ers is 2-6 after losing to the Vick-less Atlanta Falcons. And the Arizona Cardinals are still playing like…well, like the Arizona Cardinals.

Green Bay Packers - Record 7-1 ATS 6-1-1
Detroit Lions - Record 6-2 ATS 5-3
San Diego Chargers Record 4-4 ATS 4-4
New Orleans Saints Record 4-4 ATS 3-5
Seattle Seahawks Record 4-4 ATS 2-5-1
Arizona Cardinals Record 3-5 ATS 5-3
SF 49ers Record 2-6 ATS 2-6
St. Louis Rams Record 0-8 ATS 1-7
Cleveland Browns Record 5-3 ATS 6-1-1

Who are your midseason MVP’s and your LVP’s?
Barring injury or an attack by a crazed super model Tom Brady is going to win the MVP unanimously. For the first time ever he has quality wide receivers to catch his passes. Brady is on his way to smashing the record for most TD tosses in a single season set in 2004 by archrival Payton Manning.

As for the most disappointing player, it’s hard to pick just one player so I’m going to give the honor to three: Cedric Benson, Frank Gore and Shaun Alexander. Frank Gore finished third in rushing yards last season giving everyone the impression he was going to bust out this year, but like the rest of the 49ers team he failed to live up to expectations.

Cedric Benson was finally given the chance to shine after a couple seasons sharing Chicago’s RB duties with Thomas Jones. But Benson has only cracked the 100 yard mark once this year and is averaging a lowly 3.1 yards a carry.

A revitalized Shaun Alexander was supposed to lead the Seahawks to the top of the NFC. However, Alexander has scored just two touchdowns and both came in the first two weeks of the season.

Category: Online NFL Football Betting

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