NFL Against the Spread Online Betting Monday Night Football

After a solid start to the weekend that had me sitting at 2-0-1 I had to tempt fate and re-examine what I already knew to be a troublesome game.

Pittsburgh V Jacksonville.

Well now I'm 2-1-1, but thankfully hit on my two big wagers (Pats' and Bills) pushed on a medium wager and only lost a small wager.

Lesson learned!

Tonight, Nada...

I didn't like this game from the get go.


The Dallas Cowboys (4-7) at The Seattle Seahawks (6-5)
Against the Spread: Cowboys 4-7-0 | Seahawks 4-7-1
Game Time: Monday 9:00 PM ET ABC Monday Night Football
Opening NFL Betting Line: The Seahawks -6 Over/Under 42.5 -103
Current High NFL Betting Line: Seahawks -8 -120
Current Low NFL Betting Line: Seahawks -7 -100 to -110
Over/Under 42.5u to 43.5u -110

Seattle has all the material to hand a very shoddy looking Dallas Sowboys a thorough thrashing and somewhat solidify their lead in the NFC West. But with the NFC so wide open, a win gets Dallas right back into the mathematical equation. They would then be tied for second place in the East, and actually have a shot at a wild-card berth.

RB Shaun Alexander has the Seahawks running game ranked at 6th and should see continued success against the mid-pack run D of Dallas (14th). WR Darrell Jackson looks like he is TRYING to lose his starting spot, dropping key passes in all of the last 4 games. Then again, he may find the handle and have a good night against a below average pass D (20th). QB Matt Hasselbeck looked like the Chosen One last year, and by all rights, started the season off in like fashion. Since week 4 however, his numbers have continued to slip leaving him with pathetic rating of 72.6 and a completion percentage just north of 50%. Part of that has been poor play by his wide-outs, but not all of it.

Coach Mike Holmgren has got to be a bit worried as well. Seeing that his front office has put a lot of faith and responsibility in his hands (per his request), not to mention a few $'s, and now there are rumors that he is on the proverbial “Hot Seat”.

Seattle's defense is lacking to say the least. The addition of Defensive Coordinator, Ray Rhodes, was supposed to increase the production of the D. So far that has not gone as planned. CB Marcus Trufant has been burned numerous times and has only banked 3 INT's. On the other side Ken Lucas has seen a bit more success with his 5 interceptions, but has also been cooked like a goose on more than one occasion. With only 25 sacks they don't pose a serious threat to O lines trying to protect their QB's. The Seahawks run stopping ability is a little better, but is still letting backs get 100+ on them.

Dallas showed a little spark of life, particularly on the ground, against Chicago on Turkeyday. That was against Chicago, a team that allows about 140 yards a game on the ground. Just the same, rookie RB Julius Jones did look good in his second game as an NFL back. WR Keyshawn Johnson continues to impress this fan, as he is still willing to stretch out across the middle to get the catch. Alligator Arms is a foreign phrase to that 9 year vet. A whole lot can be said about Keyshawn, afraid isn't one of them. AARP qualifying QB Vinny Testaverde, looks great for about a quarter and a half, then oldtimers creeps in and he forgets what he's doing. In all fairness to Vinny, he was promised by Parcells that he would not have to worry about getting hit, that he would get protection up front. Parcells has yet to deliver on that one. TE Jason Whitten has been the only other real threat that the Cowboys have shown in the passing game and as good as he may be, he certainly isn't a Gates or Gonzalez.

Defensively, what happened? This was supposed to be the defense that all others strive to achieve. If allowing 26 points on 330+ yards, having the fewest tackles and only 14 take-aways is what you're are looking for, you've found your role model. Even though they are statistically “middle of the road” (16th), they really don't play like that. Their opponents have just been easy on them, with only 2 teams running the score up (Vikings and Eagles).

Bottom line, this game is scary from a handicappers perspective.

Seattle should win but expecting them to cover 7 is a tall order.
Dallas could win, but expecting them not to lose by more than 7 is equally challenging.

The Over at 42.5 may not be a complete waste of money...

My Online Betting Action: None