Refskins Football Betting News

<< Sanchez, Giants avoid sweep by downing Phils
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jonathan Sanchez dazzled on the mound with eight-plus stellar innings to lead the San Francisco Giants to a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the finale of a three-game series. Sanchez (9-8) allo

<< Sanabia pitches Marlins over Pirates
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Sanabia pitched into the eighth after his call-up from the minors, and Florida downed Pittsburgh, 4-2, in the finale of a four-game set at PNC Park. Sanabia (2-1) was around the plate all night, s

<< Rangers silenced by O's Matusz
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Roberts hit a two-run double in Baltimore's four-run seventh inning, and Brian Matusz silenced the Rangers over eight frames en route to a 4-0 whitewashing in the opener of a four-game series

<< Broncos sign QB Orton to extension
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos on Thursday signed quarterback Kyle Orton to a contract extension through the 2011 season. Orton, 27, played all 16 games with 15 starts for Denver last season, setting ca

ChiSox unleash a 21-hit barrage, clobber Twins >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Buehrle hurled seven scoreless innings and the White Sox knocked around Carl Pavano and Twins to cruise to an 11-0 victory in the finale of their three-game series against the American League

Montreal pulls away from Winnipeg; Calvillo leaves early >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - S.J. Green scored touchdowns on two of his three receptions to lead the Montreal Alouettes to a 39-17 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at McGill Stadium. Running back Brandon Whitaker, filling

Brady, Taylor each sharp as Pats down Falcons >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tom Brady completed 10-of-12 passes for 85 yards with a touchdown and the New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons, 28-10, in an exhibition game at Georgia Dome. Fred Taylor rushed 11 time

Spiller, Evans help Bills outlast Colts >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie first-round running back C.J. Spiller rushed for 54 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries, as the Buffalo Bills beat the Indianapolis Colts, 34-21, in a preseason game from the Rogers Centre in Toronto

Football Betting

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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