Da bum's 2019 nfl season's best bets- opinions-news-trends thru the superbowl !

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s 6-pack

Six more interesting pointspreads for this week’s college football:

— North Carolina @ Wake Forest (-3)

— Kansas State @ Mississippi State (-7.5)

— Maryland (-7) @ Temple

— Pittsburgh @ Penn State (-17)

— Eastern Michigan @ Illinois (-8)

— Akron @ Central Michigan (-3)

Quote of the Day
“That’s my priority. My agents just have to do their job.”
OF Marcell Ozuna, talking about re-signing with the Cardinals

Wednesday’s quiz
Which two prominent actors were the little kid’s chess mentors in the excellent movie Searching for Bobby Fischer?

Tuesday’s quiz
Oakland Raiders are only NFL team that shares their stadium with a major league baseball team; when the Raiders move to Las Vegas next year, there will be none.

Monday’s quiz
Matt Prater holds record for the longest field goal in NFL history, a 64-yarder in 2013.

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Wednesday’s List of 13: Mid-week musings…….

13) ESPN football analyst Brian Griese is very good; Monday night he produced an old set of notes he had as a player, when his coach was Jon Gruden, back when he played for the Buccaneers in 2004-05, 08. Gruden would hand-write the notes and distribute them to players.

Griese said “…..I never felt more prepared as a player than when I played for Gruden” which is obviously high praise from a guy who spent 11 years playing QB in the NFL, and whose dad was also a really good QB in the NFL.

12) Virginia is -7 over Florida State in Charlottesville Saturday; since 1997, Seminoles are 11-2 SU vs Virginia, 8-5 vs spread— FSU was favored in all 13 games, eight times by 12+ points. 10 of their 11 wins over the Cavaliers were by 14+ points. Teams haven’t met since 2014.

11) Actor Matthew McConaughey is apparently the Texas Longhorns’ new Minister of Culture, which means that he is a prominent celebrity booster who helps pump people up when it comes to all things Texas Longhorn. People are impressed by celebrities.

From The Athletic: “McConaughey once thought he would be a college or pro athlete — he jokes he only gave up the dream about eight years ago — and he believes if he hadn’t found the acting thing, he might have become a coach. Now he has the chance to speak with, influence and encourage college kids.”

Four years ago McConaughey started teaching a course at Texas, Script to Screen, in which film students receive a script from a film he’s working on and follow through all of its edits and iterations until production. The Moody College of Communications named him a professor of practice last week.

10) Carolina RB Christian McCaffrey had 29 touches for 209 yards in the Panthers’ 30-27 loss to the Rams LW; great production if you have him in your fantasy league, but Carolina better find some other weapons, because 29 touches a week isn’t sustainable, especially in a week like this one, when the Panthers are playing on three days’ rest.

9) Sunday afternoon in Queens, the Phillies had Andrew Knapp at bat with two men on and the pitcher (reliever Mike Morin) due up next; the Mets walked Knapp intentionally to get to the pitcher’s spot, because they wanted Morin out of the game, either that or they didn’t think the Phillies would hit for him. This strategy had one glaring problem.

Bryce Harper wasn’t in the game yet, so they walked Knapp to pitch to pinch-hitter Harper, and strategy does not get much dumber than that; it is baseball malpractice. Harper walked to force in a run. Philly won the game 10-7.

8) Mets’ P Noah Syndergaard doesn’t want to throw to catcher Wilson Ramos; he pleaded his case to pitching strategist Jeremy Accardo, manager Mickey Callaway, and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, then got annoyed when word of the private conversation became public.

7) Mets’ bullpen has a 7.62 ERA in 80.1 IP in Jacob deGrom’s starts this season.

In totally unrelated news, Milwaukee star OF Christian Yelich fouled a ball off his knee Tuesday night and fractured his kneecap; he is done for this season.

6) Cleveland Browns had 19 snaps on 1st-and-10 Sunday; on 15 of those 19 plays, they were penalized and wound up with 1st or 2nd down and more than 10 yards to go. Not good.

5) Kentucky QB Terry Wilson is out for the season after hurting his left knee last week.

4) Jets signed K Sam Ficken and cut K Kaare Vedvik, who has been traded twice, cut once in the last six weeks. Vedvik missed a PAT and a field goal in Sunday’s 17-16 loss to Buffalo.

Jets also acquired WR DeMaryius Thomas from New England for a 6th round draft pick.

3) Houston Texans released veteran CB Aaron Colvin, just over a year into a 4-year, $34M contract; he gets $7.5M this year- that was guaranteed.

2) If you live in the Albany area and like pro wrestling, you will be interested to know that Ric Flair is doing an appearance at Colonie Center Sunday, at a hobby shop that is upstairs by the food court. They’re expecting a big crowd; get there early.

1) Patriots at Dolphins opened at New England -14.5, but as I type this, it is up to -18.5 or -19. Takes lot of onions to back a Dolphin squad that lost 59-10 last week, while New England was killing the Steelers, but Patriots have lost SU in five of their last six visits to south Florida.

CG Technology got a $55,000 bet Tuesday on the Patriots (-18) to cover; if that person read this site, he/she would know that over the last decade, Week 2 teams who won by 28+ points in Week 1 are 1-10 vs spread in their Week 2 game. We’ll see what happens.

[Udog]

By: Josh Inglis


LACKLUSTER AT LAMBEAU

The Minnesota Vikings showed off their running game versus the Atlanta Falcons last week. The Vikes ran it early and often as they jumped out to a comfortable 21-point lead after 30 minutes and passed just 10 times while controlling the ball for roughly 50 percent of the game.

It seems Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer has a game plan with the lead: slow it down. In total, the Vikings had just 48 offensive plays and ran the ball successfully — 4.5 yards per carry — 38 times.

They will struggle to find that same success versus the Green Bay Packers in Wisconsin Sunday. The Pack’s defense allowed just 46 yards on 15 carries with a long of eight against the Chicago Bears on Thursday.

With both teams possibly looking to establish the run and manage the clock early in what could be a cold, wet day at Lambeau Field, take the first-half Under at 22.5


ON CROWDER NINE

Although Sam Darnold put up just 175 passing yards versus a solid Bills defense, he has found his new chain-moving target in Jamison Crowder. The first-year Jet played the third most snaps by a New York receiver but converted that into a league-high 17 targets, catching 14 of Darnold’s 28 completions.

The Jets will face off against the Cleveland Browns on Monday, as the Browns will want to play to their strengths in the passing game after getting embarrassed at home last week. We don’t expect Crowder to see another 17 targets but are willing to put our money on him hauling in a minimum of five or six balls playing primarily out of the slot and avoiding Browns DB Denzel Ward.

Take the Over on Crowder’s total receptions on any number below seven, depending where you play.


CAPITAL GAINS

Since the Amari Cooper trade last season, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is averaging 287.3 yards passing per game. He’s also coming off a four-hundred yard, four-TD performance over the New York Giants.

Facing the Cowboys this week is Washington Redskins QB Case Keenum, who’s also coming in hot, having made 30 completions for 380 yards last week. The Reskins may be forced to throw even more with the injury to starting running back Derrius Guice. Even with Guice, Washington rushed the ball on just 23 percent of its offensive snaps in the second-half collapse to the Philadelphia Eagles.

With the Cowboys getting chunks of yardage by using play-action or R.P.O on 46.6 percent of their offensive plays last week, expect another high-scoring affair in Washington. The Over is 6-1 in the last seven matchups between these classic rivals and after an opening of 44, the total sits at 46.5.

There’s still value here so feel comfortable taking the Over 46.5 in a game that may see 80 pass attempts.


NO JOSHING AROUND

Oakland Raiders rookie running back Josh Jacobs will head into his first matchup with divisional rivals Kansas City Chiefs on the heels of a 23-carry, 85-yard, one-TD performance.

Jacobs played 40 of 55 snaps in the Week 1 win over Denver Monday while fellow RB Jalen Richard received just one touch. Coach Jon Gruden and the Raiders are going to lean heavily on the former first-round pick.

Gruden told the media that he wants to see Jacobs get a similar workload in Week 2, meaning last week's performance was no outlier.

Game flow may be a problem for the Raiders' running attack versus MVP and the boys. It’s tough to run the ball that much when you’re down on the scoreboard and, according to the current spread (Kansas City -7.5), Oakland will be down on the scoreboard. But, we like the Jacobs’ anytime touchdown prop as opposed to the total yards Over/Under.

[StarDust Bum]

Best spot bets for NFL Week 2 odds: Texans tangle with a 'fruit salad' of situations
Jason Logan

In the fight against the big bad bookies, sports bettors have an arsenal of weapons at their disposal – some more effective than others.

One of the most popular methods of getting a leg up on the sportsbooks is situational handicapping: factoring in unique situations for the teams involved. Some of the more common situational plays – or spot bets – are “letdowns”, “lookaheads”, and “schedule” spots.

Senior Industry Analyst Jason Logan combs through the Week 2 schedule and highlights the best opportunities for spot bettors to take advantage of the NFL odds.

LETDOWN SPOT: BUFFALO BILLS AT NEW YORK GIANTS (+1.5, 43.5)

The Bills escaped MetLife Stadium with a Week 1 win over the New York Jets, thanks to a fourth-quarter surge that saw Buffalo outscore the host 14-0 in the final 15 minutes and come away with a 17-16 win as a 2.5-point road pup.

The Bills are back in East Rutherford again in Week 2 looking to avoid a letdown spot after such a thrilling come-from-behind victory. Buffalo fell in a similar spot last season, enjoying a come-from-behind road win at Atlanta in Week 4 then losing 20-16 at Cincinnati in Week 5.

This time, it’s the New York Giants, who are getting around two points at home from oddsmakers. While not a far trip from Orchard Park, this is the second straight road game for Buffalo, which looked bad for three quarters of football in Week 1. The Bills were down 16-3 entering the fourth quarter with just as many turnovers on the board.

The Giants got rolled by the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, but that one-sided loss was on the defense. To the chagrin of some N.Y. fans (hoping to see more Daniel Jones), Eli Manning played well and Saquon Barkley did his thing. Buffalo doesn’t pose the same scoring threats as Dallas, and could fall victim to a classic letdown spot as road chalk Sunday.

LOOKAHEAD SPOT: JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT HOUSTON TEXANS (-8.5, 43.5)

While we’re tagging this a lookahead spot, since the Texans travel to California to face the L.A. Chargers in Week 3, this Week 2 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars is the fruit salad of spot bets. Let’s get the lookahead out of the way first…

Houston's in the driver’s seat in the AFC South (don’t tell Tennessee) with Andrew Luck gonzo and Nick Foles sidelined with a broken collarbone until November (at best). Next week’s trip to Los Angeles could go a long way in deciding the AFC pecking order, as the Texans could end up jockeying for home field in the postseason come December. Normally, I wouldn’t dub a divisional matchup as a game teams tend to look past but given the Jags’ quarterback situation, you can't blame Houston for peaking down the road.

Jacksonville appears to be going with rookie QB Gardner Minshew for the time being, and the former Washington State record-breaker and obvious student of Mike Leach (just soak in that “Captain Jack Sparrow” sideline look for a moment. Pirates, right?) was great in relief of Foles during the team’s loss to Kansas City Sunday. But, a rookie starter none the less.

Now for a sprinkling of situational seasonings. Houston is sandwiched in this lookahead spot by a slice of letdown, coming off a crushing defeat versus the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. And that game also puts the Texans in a schedule spot, with a short week to prepare for the Jaguars as well as giving Deshaun Watson less time to heal up from an obvious back injury suffered early in that Monday nighter.

The line opened Houston -9.5 and didn’t last long, with sharp play on the Jaguars trimming off a full point to the deadest of dead numbers: -8.5. According to our Covers Consensus, 67 percent of early bets are on the home side, which looks to be stuck in situational hell for Week 2.

SCHEDULE SPOT: CHICAGO BEARS AT DENVER BRONCOS (+2.5, 40.5)

There are a couple different ways to look at this potential schedule spot:

1. The Bears have had a mini bye due to playing last Thursday, giving Mitch Trubisky and the offense more time to right the ship after scoring only three points in the opener versus Green Bay. So, with that said, Chicago’s offense benefits from the schedule in Week 2.

But…

2. Denver is the worst place to play early in the season, specifically in the Broncos’ home openers. Since 2000, Denver is an incredible 18-1 SU in home openers and has gone 11-4-4 ATS in those Mile High debuts (73 percent).

I’ll admit, most betting trends are about as useful as “rubber lips on a woodpecker” (thanks to my Newfie mother-in-law for that one), but this trend does have a narrative behind it. Empower Field at Mile High is located at 5,280 feet above sea level, which means the air is thinner than Trubisky’s mustache.

NFL teams, regardless of all the pre-camps, summer camps, training camps, preseason and whatever else they’ve got going, are still not in game shape until they play actual games (ask anyone who’s ever played competitive sports and they’ll tell you there’s no substitution for actual games). And with Denver's season opener usually falling in the first three weeks of action, opponents are left sucking wind when they visit the Broncos.

Chicago head coach Matt Nagy likes to run a quicker pace, with the Bears totaling 65 plays in Thursday’s loss despite having the football for less than 29 minutes. The oxygen-light atmosphere in Denver could be a big speed bump for Da Bears, which is why this total is creeping down from 41.5 to 40.5 as of Wednesday.

[StarDust Bum]

101TAMPA BAY -102 CAROLINA
CAROLINA is 100-69 ATS (24.1 Units) after 1 or more consecutive losses against the spread since 1992.


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NFL
Long Sheet

Week 2

Thursday, September 12

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TAMPA BAY (5 - 11) at CAROLINA (7 - 9) - 9/12/2019, 8:20 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CAROLINA is 2-2 against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
CAROLINA is 3-1 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons


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NFL

Week 2

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Trend Report
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Thursday, September 12

Carolina Panthers
Carolina is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games
Carolina is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Carolina's last 6 games
Carolina is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games at home
Carolina is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Carolina's last 8 games at home
Carolina is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Tampa Bay
Carolina is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Carolina's last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
Carolina is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Carolina's last 19 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay is 5-8-2 ATS in its last 15 games
Tampa Bay is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games
Tampa Bay is 2-3-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Tampa Bay's last 17 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Carolina
Tampa Bay is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games when playing Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing Carolina
Tampa Bay is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Tampa Bay's last 19 games when playing on the road against Carolina


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NFL
Dunkel

Week 2


Thursday, September 12

Tampa Bay @ Carolina

Game 101-102
September 12, 2019 @ 8:20 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Tampa Bay
126.311
Carolina
126.376
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay
Even
47
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Carolina
by 7
49 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay
(+7); Under


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NFL Week 2
Armadillo Write up

Buccaneers (0-1) @ Panthers (0-1)— Both teams lost in Week 1, lot of urgency here. Last winter, Tampa Bay dumped DT Gerald McCoy after eight years; this is their first meeting since. Carolina won nine of last 12 series games; Bucs lost five of last six visits to Charlotte, losing last two, 22-19/42-28. Bucs gave up two defensive TD’s in 31-17 home loss to SF last week; they turned ball over four times, scored only 10 points on four trips to red zone. Last two years, Tampa Bay is 3-6-4 as a road underdog; Arians was 11-11 as a road dog in Arizona. Panthers were -2 in turnovers in 30-27 loss LW; last three years, Carolina is 8-10 ATS when laying points at home. Bucs won three of last four road openers (over 4-1 last five).


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Tech Trends - Week 2
Bruce Marshall

Thursday, Sept. 12

TAMPA BAY at CAROLINA (NBC, 8:20 p.m. ET)
Bucs 3-6-4 as road dog past two years; Arians just 2-7 in that role his last two years with Cards (2016-17). Bucs “under” 12-5 run and 5 of last 6 “under” in series.
Tech Edge: “Under,” based on “totals” trends.ds.

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

TB at CAR 08:20 PM

TB +7.0

O 49.5

[StarDust Bum]

Bucs use goal-line stand to beat Panthers 20-14
September 12, 2019
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Jameis Winston threw for 208 yards and a touchdown, Tampa Bay held Cam Newton in check and came up with a late goal-line stand and the Buccaneers beat the Carolina Panthers 20-14 early Friday to give coach Bruce Arians his first victory with the team.

Chris Godwin had eight catches for 121 yards and a touchdown, Peyton Barber ran for 82 yards and a score and the Bucs won despite converting only 2 of 12 first downs in the game that was delayed 25 minutes in first quarter because of lightning in the area.

Newton finished with 324 yards passing, but was held without a touchdown for the second straight game. He also fumbled again.

Newton couldn't get the Panthers (0-2) into the end zone on the final drive despite numerous breaks. On fourth down play from the 2, the Bucs stopped Christian McCaffrey after he took a snap out of the wildcat formation to take over on downs.

The Buccaneers (1-1) got plenty of pressure on Newton with three sacks coming from Shaquil Barrett. They also held McCaffrey to 53 total yards from scrimmage after he racked up 209 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener against the Los Angeles Rams.

[StarDust Bum]

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Time (ET) Away Home
1:00 PM Arizona Cardinals Baltimore Ravens
1:00 PM San Francisco 49ers Cincinnati Bengals
1:00 PM Los Angeles Chargers Detroit Lions
1:00 PM Minnesota Vikings Green Bay Packers
1:00 PM Jacksonville Jaguars Houston Texans
1:00 PM New England Patriots Miami Dolphins
1:00 PM Buffalo Bills New York Giants
1:00 PM Seattle Seahawks Pittsburgh Steelers
1:00 PM Indianapolis Colts Tennessee Titans
1:00 PM Dallas Cowboys Washington Redskins
4:05 PM Kansas City Chiefs Oakland Raiders
4:25 PM Chicago Bears Denver Broncos
4:25 PM New Orleans Saints Los Angeles Rams
8:20 PM Philadelphia Eagles Atlanta Falcons

Monday, September 16, 2019

Time (ET) Away Home
8:15 PM Cleveland Browns New York Jets


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NFL SEPT. OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: ALL BASED ON 5 UNITS


DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

09/12/2019.......1-1-0......50.00%.........-0.50
09/09/2019.......3-1-0......75.00%........+9.50
09/08/2019.....16-10-0.....61.54%........+25.00
09/05/2019..... 1-1-0....... 50.00%....... -0.50


Totals..............21-13-0.... 61.76%....... +33.50


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BEST BETS:


DATE........................ATS.............UNITS. ............O/U...............UNITS.............TOTALS

09/12/2019.............1 - 0............+5.00...............0 - 1..............-5.50...............-0.50
09/09/2019.............1 - 1.............-0.50...............2 - 0..............+10.00............+9.50
09/08/2019.............6 - 5............+2.50...............8 - 3..............+23.50...........+26.00
09/05/2019.............0 - 1.............-5.50...............1 - 0..............+5.00..............-0.50


Totals......................8 - 7............+1.50.............11 - 4 ..............+33.00.............+34.50

[StarDust Bum]

Friday’s 6-pack

Props for Thursday night’s NFL game:

— Over/under passing yards for Jameis Winston: 275.5-

— Will Mike Evans score a TD? Yes +$120, No -$140-

— Over/under receiving yards for Chris Godwin: 59.5-

— Over/under completions for Cam Newton: 22.5-

— Over/under rushing yards for Christian McCaffrey: 80.5-

— Over/under receiving yards for DJ Moore: 60.5-

Quote of the Day
“I don’t think there’s any excuse for how we’re playing. Certainly this time of year, every team has its challenges. We’re just not getting it done. Honestly, we’ve been essentially a .500 team for months now. Even when we were pretty healthy and guys had fewer obstacles and were not coming off injuries and things like that, we didn’t do what we needed to do to separate.”
Theo Epstein, talking about the 2019 Cubs

Friday’s quiz
Who played QB for Tampa Bay when they won their only Super Bowl title?

Thursday’s quiz
NFC West is the only division in the NFL where none of their teams lost last week.

Wednesday’s quiz
Ben Kingsley, Laurence Fishburne played the little kid’s chess mentors in the excellent movie Searching for Bobby Fischer.

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Friday’s List of 13: Writeup on extra college football games……

13) Ohio St has won at least 18 games in a row vs Indiana, but Hoosiers covered seven of last eight games vs OSU. Buckeyes covered six of last eight visits to Bloomington. Last three years, OSU is 6-8 ATS as a road favorite. Indiana is 3-7 in its last ten games as a home underdog.

12) Maryland ran for 354 yards in its 63-20 win over Syracuse LW. Temple’s only game was an easy win over a -AA team. Over last decade, Terps are 5-4 as a road favorite. Temple covered six of last seven tries as a home dog. Last four years, AAC teams are 10-6 ATS when facing a Big 14 opponent.

11) Pittsburgh split its first two games, both at home; they’re 14-6 ATS in last 20 games as a road dog. Penn State hammered Pitt 51-6/33-14 last two years; under Franklin, Nittany Lions are 18-11-1 as a home favorite. Last six years, Big 14 teams are 19-13-1 in their last 33 games vs ACC teams.

10) Florida Atlantic gave up 93 points, 549 YR in losing first two games to top 25 teams, by 24-34 points. Last 5 years, Owls are 3-8-1 as road favorites. Ball State lost 34-24 to Indiana; Cardinals are 4-9 in last 13 games as a home dog. Last 4+ years, MAC teams are 16-9-1 ATS when playing a C-USA team.

9) Akron lost seven of last eight games with Central Michigan; favorites covered four of last five series games. Zips lost last three visits to CMU, by 21-27-3 points. Zips are 3-1-1 ATS in last five games where spread was 3 or less. Central Michigan is 6-5 ATS in its last 11 games where spread was 3 or less.

8) Alabama won its first two games by combined score of 104-13; last four years, Crimson Tide is 10-4 ATS when laying points on road. South Carolina was outgained 483-270 in its 24-20 loss to UNC; freshman QB Hilinski makes his 2nd college start here. These teams haven’t met since ’10.

7) Colorado State (+13.5) upset Arkansas 34-27 LY, throwing for 389 yards; under Bobo, Rams are 7-4 ATS as road dogs. Arkansas lost 31-17 at Ole Miss LW, giving up 237 YR. Hogs are 7-9 in last 16 games as a HF. Last 4+ years, MAC teams are 8-6 ATS when playing an SEC opponent.

6) North Texas gave up 503 yards in its 49-27 loss at SMU LW; Mean Green is 9-18 in last 27 games as a road dog. California upset Washington 20-19 in Seattle LW; under Wilcox, they’re 1-4-1 as a home favorite. Last seven years, Pac-12 teams are 7-4 ATS when playing a C-USA opponent.

5) Southern Miss (-10.5) was upset 37-31 at home by Troy in last meeting in ’16. USM is 13-9 ATS in its last 22 games as a road dog. Troy beat up on a I-AA team in its only game; they’re 14-7 ATS in last 21 non-conference games. Last 2+ years, Sun Belt teams are 8-3 ATS when facing a C-USA team.

4) Ohio won four of last five games with Marshall; teams last met in ’15. Bobcats lost 20-10 at Pitt LY, outgained 481-212; they’re 8-3 in last 11 games as a road dog. Marshall lost 14-7 LW in Boise; they were outgained 437-172. Herd is 4-9 in last 13 games s a HF. Last 4+ years, MAC teams are 16-9-1 ATS when playing a C-USA team.

3) Duke got smoked 42-3 by Alabama in its opener; they beat a I-AA team LW. Blue Devils are 6-3-1 in last 10 games as a RF. Middle Tennessee was outgained 453-301 in its 40-21 loss at Michigan; Blue Raiders are 5-3 in last eight games as a home dog. Last 4+ years, ACC squads are 12-6 ATS when facing a C-USA team.

2) Clemson won five of last six games with Syracuse, but split last two, which were decided by total of 7 points. Tigers lost 27-24 (-23) in last visit here in ’17. Clemson is 6-3-1 in its last 10 games as a road favorite. Syracuse is 8-5 in its last 13 games as a home dog; they got whacked 63-20 by Maryland LW, giving up 354 YR.

1) Northern Illinois (+11.5) upset Nebraska 21-17 two years ago, despite being outgained, 384-213. Huskies are 12-5 in last 17 games as a road dog. Nebraska covered twice in its last nine games as a home favorite. Last 2+ years, Big 14 teams are 16-10 ATS when playing a MAC team.

[StarDust Bum]

Saints at Rams in rematch of NFC title game
September 13, 2019
By The Associated Press

Throw that flag. For those who have short memories - very short - the last time the Rams and Saints met was in the NFC championship game in the Big Easy and an officiating non-call made all the difference.

Throw that flag.

For those who have short memories - very short - the previous time the Rams and Saints met was in the NFC championship game in the Big Easy. New Orleans was victimized by a blatant officiating non-call that led to a rules change allowing pass interference to be part of the video review system.

The echoes of ''We was robbed!'' still reverberate in the Superdome.

So the Saints won't need any extra motivation when they visit Los Angeles in a stellar early season matchup. Even if they are trying to downplay the unforgettably painful memories.

''Still haven't, never will. When you say forgotten about, you have to find a way to compartmentalize it to where you can move on in a positive way, so I found a way to do that,'' Drew Brees said. ''But as far as just the events, you live and learn and sometimes things don't go your way, and you've got to find a way to come out better on the other side.''

Saints coach Sean Payton stressed these teams are not the same.

''It feels like it was a long time ago,'' he said of the NFC title match. ''It's part of our game. These are two different teams now, a lot of roster moves from last year to this year. We're playing each other early in the season, so it doesn't feel like that many games ago relative to the distance between when we played. You're looking at two different teams.''

Both teams opened with tight victories, New Orleans rallying to beat Houston in the final seconds on Wil Lutz's 58-yard field goal, the Rams winning at Carolina.

While it's far too early to call this a game for NFC supremacy, the Saints and Rams should be among the conference elite.

''I think our players, our coaches know the level of urgency that's going to be needed for us to be at our best in order to give ourselves a chance to compete and hopefully come out of this thing 2-0,'' Rams coach Sean McVay said.

The second week began Thursday night with Tampa Bay's victory over North Carolina in a game that ended early Friday after being delayed 25 minutes in the first quarter because of lightning.

Jameis Winston threw for 208 yards and a touchdown and Tampa Bay held Cam Newton in check and came up with a late goal-line stand to give coach Bruce Arians his first victory with the team.

Tampa Bay improved to 1-1, and Carolina dropped to 0-2.

Seattle (1-0) at Pittsburgh (0-1)

A pair of retooling clubs that, for one week at least, looked as if they were headed in opposite directions.

The Seahawks struggled to beat Cincinnati, but showed the elements of being a contender, particularly their fortitude in coming back. Seattle is 2-7 in Pittsburgh, outscored 45-0 in the past two trips - in 2007 and 2011.

It's difficult to believe the Steelers won't rebound from their abysmal performance in Foxborough. Maybe they need a bit of that fortitude Seattle displayed.

''I like to think everything just flew off and everything was wrong so we can say `That's not going to happen again,''' defensive tackle Cam Heyward said. ''But we did some things right. Not every play was minus, but I'm going to treat it like every play was.''

Indianapolis (0-1) at Tennessee (1-0)

Both teams were far more impressive in their openers than predicted. The Colts took the Chargers to overtime, while the Titans manhandled the Browns in Cleveland.

Andrew Luck held a mastery over Tennessee, and Indy has won 13 of the past 15 meetings. Of course, Luck is retired, and the only two Titans wins in that span came with current quarterback Jacoby Brissett behind center. Watch for Marlon Mack, who had a career-high 174 yards rushing at LA and leads the league.

The Titans are retiring Nos. 27 and 9 for Eddie George and the late Steve McNair at halftime, the first 9 and 27 retired by any NFL team.

San Francisco (1-0) at Cincinnati (0-1)

Two more clubs that had solid debuts beyond expectations. San Francisco used two pick-6s to beat Tampa Bay, and the Bengals gave Seattle all it could handle before a one-point road loss.

The 49ers have the highest winning percentage vs. Cincinnati of any NFL team, and last opened a season with two road wins in 1989. They worked out at Youngstown State to avoid a second straight cross-country flight.

Bengals QB Andy Dalton had career highs with 35 completions and 418 yards passing, his first 400-yard game. Eight receivers caught passes, led by John Ross, who had careers highs with seven catches, 158 yards and two TDs. But running back Joe Mixon hurt his left ankle.

Kansas City (1-0) at Oakland (1-0)

One of the great rivalries in sports, dating back to the AFL days. KC leads the series 65-53-2 and has won eight of the past nine.

But the Chiefs will be without injured star wideout Tyreek Hill, though Sammy Watkins was spectacular against Jacksonville with nine catches for 198 yards and three touchdowns.

The Raiders had an offensive standout in their win over Denver, too. First-round draft pick Josh Jacobs ran 23 times for 85 yards and two touchdowns, also caught a 28-yard pass that set up a touchdown.

''This man wasn't really the feature back at Alabama. He's not drawing from a lot of experience,'' coach Jon Gruden said. ''I'm anxious to see how he feels ... after 24 touches because we'd like to get him 24 more next week.''

Dallas (1-0) at Washington (0-1)

Another terrific and historic rivalry that has taken on a one-side air: Dallas has won seven of nine.

Washington got off to a nice start in Philly, then phlopped in the second half. It also lost its top running back, Darrius Guice, to a right knee injury, meaning Adrian Peterson - a healthy scratch last weekend - figures to get some action.

No such worries for the Cowboys now that Zeke Elliott is in the fold. He should be in better form on Sunday, too. And the Dallas passing game ranks first in the league after toying with the Giants.

Cleveland (0-1) at New York Jets (0-1), Monday night

Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away ...

Well, it actually was 1970 and the Jets had Joe Namath and a recent Super Bowl crown, while the Browns were one of the league's elite franchises with an enviable history.

Now? Gang Green hasn't been back to the big game since and blew a 16-0 lead at home to Buffalo last week. Those Browns of yesteryear now reside in Baltimore as the Ravens, and this group has made the postseason once in its reincarnation in Cleveland.

Still, the NFL wanted a redux of the first ''Monday Night Football'' telecast, so here we are, with a pair of clubs that basically faltered in their openers.

New England (1-0) at Miami (0-1)

Shield your eyes.

The Patriots have had issues in South Florida, losing five of their past six visits. Considering how rarely Tom Brady loses anywhere, that's striking.

There's a catch this year: Miami has its sights on the first overall draft pick, not on-field achievements; did somebody mention tanking? The Dolphins were humiliated by Baltimore 59-10 in the opener.

Meanwhile, Brady and Co. picked apart Pittsburgh last Sunday night, an ominous sign for the rest of the AFC, because the Steelers supposedly are a contender in the conference.

Arizona (0-0-1) at Baltimore (1-0)

Lamar Jackson, Heisman Trophy owner (2016), meet Kyler Murray, who took that award last season.

Both exciting and versatile QBs had impressive debuts. Jackson had a career day in only his eighth pro start, completing 17 of 20 passes for five touchdowns. Yes, it was against Miami, but those numbers stand out against anybody.

Murray rallied the Cardinals from a 24-6 deficit in the fourth quarter vs. Detroit, overcoming some early mistakes to produce tons of clutch plays.

''Once you kind of get in that rhythm, we're going quick, everything kind of just opened up,'' Murray said. ''We just got into a rhythm and we started playing better.''

Los Angeles Chargers (1-0) at Detroit (0-0-1)

The Chargers and Lions both worked overtime last week. At least LA got the win over Indianapolis.

Austin Ekeler had the winning, 7-yard TD run and finished with a career-high 154 yards from scrimmage. Ekeler became first non-drafted player to have more than 150 scrimmage yards, two receiving and a rushing TD in the same game in 43 years.

Detroit has lost seven of the past eight in the series. Its best hope Sunday might be T.J. Hockenson who had 131 yards receiving, breaking the record for a tight end in his NFL debut set 59 years ago by Monty Stickles.

Philadelphia (1-0) at Atlanta (0-1)

DeSean Jackson's return to Philly couldn't have gone much better. He made eight receptions for 154 yards and a pair of 50-plus-yard TD catches in sparking the Eagles' rally from a 17-0 hole vs. the Redskins.

''DeSean will tell you he's got practice speed and he's got game speed,'' coach Doug Pederson said. ''Practice speed is around 16 miles per hour and game speed is up to 22. He's a gamer. He's dynamic, he's electric, and he loves when the lights come on. That speed is real, and we saw it Sunday.''

What's real with the Falcons is hard to tell after an ugly loss at Minnesota, losing first-round pick guard Chris Lindstrom (broken foot).

Minnesota (1-0) at Green Bay (1-0)

Twenty-two of the past 33 regular-season meetings have been decided by seven points or fewer, including both games last season.

Aaron Rodgers has seven career games with a passer rating of 130-plus against Minnesota, the most by a quarterback against one team in NFL history. But this one very much could be decided by the defenses.

Green Bay's was staunch in its win at Chicago, with five sacks and lots of physicality. The Vikings has two picks, four sacks, and kept Matt Ryan and the Falcons off balance in an easy win.

Chicago (0-1) at Denver (0-1)

Vic Fangio designed the stingy and aggressive defense the Bears used last season to win the NFC North. He's now, at age 61, at last a head coach, and his Broncos D, aside from linebacker Josey Jewell's career-best 14 tackles, was anything but dominant at Oakland.

Chicago's defense once more was very strong, this time with Chuck Pagano as the coordinator. Edge rusher Khalil Mack had 10 sacks, three forced fumbles, 14 tackles for loss in eight career games against Denver while with Oakland. Mack had a career-best five sacks at Denver in with Oakland.

Jacksonville (0-1) at Houston (0-1)

If there's one team that should be encouraged by an opening loss, it's the Texans. Yes, their prevent defense prevented victory at New Orleans, but it was Drew Brees, after all, performing magic on the other side.

Most encouraging for Houston was the spectacular combination of Deshaun Watson throwing to DeAndre Hopkins, and expect to see plenty more of that Sunday. Star edge rusher J.J. Watt didn't play much of a role against the Saints, so expect to see him do so this time.

Pity the Jags, who felt they cured their longstanding QB troubles by signing Nick Foles, only to lose him early in falling to Kansas City. Just as bad, the ballyhooed D was hooey.

Buffalo (1-0) at New York Giants (0-1)

Despite the names, the Jets and Giants are New Jersey teams. The Bills are the only real representative of New York state, and they woke up in the fourth quarter at the Meadowlands last Sunday to down the Jets. They return in a rare bit of scheduling to play the Giants while thinking of a Big Apple sweep.

The Giants need to upgrade the pass defense that was torn apart by Dallas and ranks dead last. Yes, worse than Miami.

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Jags QB Minshew prepares for 1st NFL start
September 12, 2019
By The Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) Though Deshaun Watson has been Houston's starting quarterback for a while now, he vividly remembers being thrown into action midgame as a rookie in the team's opener, just as Jacksonville's Gardner Minshew was last week.

Watson came off the bench in Houston's first game in 2017 after Tom Savage struggled and he became the team's starter after that. Minshew, a sixth-round draft pick, was forced to take over for the Jaguars last Sunday when Nick Foles broke his collarbone in the first quarter.

As Houston prepares to meet Jacksonville on Sunday in Minshew's first NFL start, Watson compared has debut in that opener to how things were the following week when he started.

''It's just a different energy coming off the bench to (playing) when everyone has been focused on you,'' Watson said. ''The tape and everyone's been focused on everything that you're good at, what your weaknesses are, throughout the week. They have all days to focus on those things and try to put a game plan around you, and ... it's hard to really explain unless you're in that position. It's a different type of feel.''

Minshew looked good last week against Kansas City, completing his first 13 passes and finishing 22 of 25 for 275 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the 40-26 loss.

Jacksonville coach Doug Marrone was impressed with Minshew's performance and poise in his debut, but knows things will be tougher against a Texans team looking to bounce back from a wild 30-28 loss to New Orleans.

''The challenge is, `Hey listen, we have to repeat this. Where are we going to go?' There are some people who will question whether he can keep it up,'' Marron said. '''Do you think he can do that again?' I think that's the challenge, but the one thing I do know about the kid is that he will work his butt off this week, and he will do everything he possibly can, which you appreciate. I think he will have confidence and I think our opponent will be trying to knock the confidence out of him.''

Now that he knows starting he's trying to keep the same mindset he's always had.

''Just like any other week,'' Minshew said. ''Trying to be the best I can for the team. The role changes, but the approach doesn't.''

Some things to know about the Jaguars-Texans game:

ZEROES FOR WATT

Last week was the first time in 105 career games when three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt did not have a tackle or quarterback hit. The defensive end was asked if he was surprised to have zeroes across his stat line for the first time in his illustrious career.

''No,'' he said. ''I've had bad games before and I'll have bad games again. People like to focus on it, and I don't blame them. I understand. But I'm focused on Jacksonville. It's my job to go out there and not do that again, so that's what I'll do.''

Watt has had plenty of success against the Jaguars and has 16 career sacks against them, his second most against any team.

SACKSONVILLE?

Jacksonville failed to sack Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes last week, and then defensive ends Calais Campbell (foot) and Yannick Ngakoue (hamstring) showed up on the injury report. It's not the ideal start for a team built around its defensive front. But the Jaguars have had success against Houston in recent years, making a combined 21 sacks in the last four meetings. Most of those came against Watson.

''He is a very special quarterback, so it's important for us to make him uncomfortable,'' Campbell said. ''That might give us our best chance to stop him. But the Saints got to him six times and still that last drive was incredible, spectacular.

''It's just continuous pursuit,'' he continued. ''You can never be satisfied. If you get there six times, you need to get there seven. He's incredible.''

HOPKINS VS. RAMSEY

The matchup between Houston receiver DeAndre Hopkins and Jacksonville cornerback Jalen Ramsey has become one of the more entertaining in the league. Ramsey has slowed Hopkins in some of the meetings and limited him to 50 yards in the first matchup last season. But Hopkins got the best of Ramsey in their last game when he caught a career-high 12 passes and finished with 147 yards receiving in a 20-3 win in December.

INJURY WOES

The Jaguars have had an unusual run of key injuries in season openers.

Running back Chris Ivory, one of the team's top free agents in 2016, was hospitalized before the 2016 opener with a ''general medical issue'' and missed several games. Receiver Allen Robinson tore knee ligaments in the 2017 opener and missed the rest of the season. Running back Leonard Fournette strained a hamstring in the 2018 opener and was sidelined for six of the next seven games. And now Foles is out indefinitely with a broken collarbone.

''Hopefully we've learned to handle adversity,'' receiver Marqise Lee said.

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Dak leads Cowboys vs. Keenum's 'Skins
September 12, 2019
By The Associated Press

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) The same day one quarterback passed for 405 yards and four touchdowns, another threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns.

They'll meet Sunday, but couldn't be in more different positions. Dak Prescott is on the verge of a contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys that could guarantee him over $30 million, while Case Keenum is a temporary placeholder for the Washington Redskins until first-round pick Dwayne Haskins is ready.

Prescott leads the favored Cowboys into the Redskins' home opener fresh off a perfect 158.3 QB rating in a Week 1 rout of the New York Giants that took pressure off running back Ezekiel Elliott. Owner Jerry Jones called a new contract for Prescott ''imminent,'' but the fourth-year signal caller is focusing on Washington and not looking back.

''I'm so on to the Redskins at this point that I'm off of that game,'' Prescott said. ''You can't sit back and hang your hat on something like that or hang your hat on one game. It was a good performance for us to go out and do that in the passing game, obviously win that game the way that we did, but it's about turning the page.''

Prescott faces a defense that could be without lineman Jonathan Allen, weakening a front seven that should've been able to put more pressure on the pocket than the Giants did. Washington struggled at that against Carson Wentz, too, when Allen left with a knee injury, and getting to Prescott is the only way to keep him from throwing wild.

''You stand back there in the pocket all day and go through your first, second and third reads and come back to your first one, OK, cool. Anybody can do that,'' Redskins cornerback Josh Norman said. ''At the end of the day, he's been playing well. As you can see, he's evolved. He's growing in the system. He's just taking his keys and picking his targets and throwing the ball on time.''

Keenum found tight end Vernon Davis for 48 yards and rookie receiver Terry McLaurin for 69 yards on touchdown passes in the 32-27 season opening loss . He was largely done in by a lack of an effective running game, which will look very different this week with Adrian Peterson back from a healthy scratch and Derrius Guice on the shelf after knee surgery .

''I don't think we skip a beat with whoever is in there,'' Keenum said.

REED TIME

The Redskins are expected to have Jordan Reed back after their top tight end missed the opener with a concussion. Washington put Reed insurance J.P. Holtz on waivers and lost him to Chicago, and Reed is trending toward being in the lineup Sunday.

''Obviously, he's been a great player for them for a number of years,'' Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. ''He's a mismatch player in the passing game. He's just really hard to cover and can run a variety of routes. He can beat you in a lot of different ways. So he's a great challenge.''

ZEKE'S LOAD

Elliott says he's ready for a "normal workload" after getting about half of the touches he's used to in the opener. The two-time rushing champion missed the entire preseason in a holdout. His first practice was four days before the 35-17 win over the Giants, the same day he signed a $90 million, six-year extension.

Elliott, who averaged 25 touches per game his first three seasons, had 13 carries for 53 yards and one catch for 10 against New York. He tried to stay in shape in Mexico during a holdout that ended on its 41st day.

''There is a difference between going out there running around and not being hit and then being hit and having to come back and do the same things,'' Elliott said. ''So being hit takes a little more out of you. But I think I'm good.''

STILL NO TRENT

The Redskins will be without Trent Williams yet again as the starting left tackle's holdout continues. Peterson, who co-owns a Houston gym with Williams, didn't get a chance to see his good friend last week but has stayed in touch.

''I wish I would see more of him,'' Peterson said. ''I've talked to him, but it wasn't even about football. Just life, checking in, what he had going and a couple things around the gym, but that's about it.''

EASING BACK IN

The Cowboys had four defensive starters miss all four preseason games while also getting limited work in practice. Each played less than half of the opener, led by star DeMarcus Lawrence (shoulder surgery) at 46% of the snaps.

Fellow defensive end Tyrone Crawford (hip injury), cornerback Byron Jones (hip surgery) and linebacker Sean Lee (knee injury early in training camp) are the others easing their way back, with the Cowboys having to decide how much more playing time they get.

''I don't feel like I'm still all the way back,'' said Lawrence, who had half of Dallas' only sack of Eli Manning. ''It's so much that comes into this game that you have really go through the drills every day in order to get the feel for it. Feel like I'm getting my legs back underneath me, but it's still not good enough yet.''

SPREADING IT AROUND

Even with limited carries, Elliott is helping the passing game with his presence. Prescott had five completions of 25 yards or longer involving four receivers against the Giants.

Michael Gallup, who had career highs of seven catches for 158 yards, was the only one of the four without a touchdown. But the second-year player was also the only one with multiple catches of 25-plus yards, including the longest at 62 to set up Elliott's 10-yard touchdown.

Amari Cooper had a 45-yard catch and a 21-yard TD, while Randall Cobb (25 yards) and tight end Blake Jarwin (28) were wide open on their touchdowns

''I think that's like a defense's worst nightmare when everybody is making plays,'' said Cooper, who had 106 yards on six catches. ''How can you game plan against that? How can you make adjustments? What are you going to do?''

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Pack's revamped D out to slow Vikes' Cook
September 12, 2019
By The Associated Press

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) The Green Bay Packers strolled into Chicago for the season opener boasting a revamped defense with several expensive additions, and suffocated quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears' offense.

Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine's unit will see an entirely different challenge in running back Dalvin Cook on Sunday when the Packers (1-0) host the Minnesota Vikings (1-0), another NFC North foe.

Cook rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries against the Atlanta Falcons last week. It was the third-year back's third 100-yard outing in his 16th career game.

''Yeah, the run game, I mean it all starts, that running back, he's an elite runner,'' Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. ''Dalvin Cook's an elite runner, and they did a nice job up front. They took it to Atlanta, quite frankly, last week.''

When healthy, Cook has proven to be one of the prime runners in the league. But staying healthy has been the biggest challenge of Cook's young career.

Cook, a 2017 second-round pick, played only four games as a rookie, suffering a torn ACL. Cook battled injury again last season, missing a chunk after a hamstring injury in a 29-29 tie at Lambeau Field in Week 2.

Cook said he's not thinking about last season's injury or last season's tie.

''Different team, different mindset, different coaches, everything's different,'' he said. ''You've got to expect different things. I can't really talk about what we did last year.''

The Packers allowed just 46 yards on the ground in the opener, with inside linebacker Blake Martinez leading the team with five tackles and a sack. Outside linebackers Za'Darius Smith and Preston Smith and safety Adrian Amos, all acquired in March through free agency, combined for five tackles, 2+ sacks and an interception. The Smiths combined for 10 total quarterback pressures; Za'Darius Smith had six, which leads the league.

''The guys that they brought in are pretty good players,'' Cook said of the Green Bay defense. ''They kind of added some rangy, long guys. I think their defensive speed is a plus for them, and they kind of fly around. I think that's what's going to get their defense charged up. I think we've got to kind of limit that for those guys and match speed for speed. We can do that.''

REUNITED

If there's anyone who knows what to expect from Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins, it's LaFleur. LaFleur was Cousins' position coach in Washington in 2012 and 2013. Washington was LaFleur's first stop in the NFL.

''If you let him sit back there and have time, he's going to pick you apart because he's extremely accurate,'' LaFleur said of Cousins.

Cousins, who sent a congratulatory text message to LaFleur after the first-year Packers coach picked up his first career win in Chicago, played sparingly under LaFleur as Cousins backed up 2012 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III.

Cousins had just 10 pass attempts in the win last week, the fewest of any game he's started in his career.

''I have no interest in dropping back 50 times if we don't need to,'' he said. ''I like to win the way we did last week if that's the way it can happen. I'll play whatever game is called, whatever game we need, and all that really matters is that we find a way at the end to win. I'm not going to nitpick or look at any of the steps along the way to get there.''

SIMPLY DOMINANT

Aaron Rodgers has seven games with a passer rating of 130-plus against Minnesota, the most by a quarterback against one team in NFL history. Rodgers has 24 touchdown and zero interceptions in those seven games (6-1).

''It's just high-percentage passes,'' he said. ''You're trying to find in the progression what guys give you the best chance of a completion and the lowest chance of a negative play. This is the way I've played and we've played here for a long time. We take care of the football.''

STOUT DEFENSE

Two of Minnesota's biggest defensive stars have shined brightest against Green Bay. Free safety Harrison Smith, who had a team-high eight tackles last week, has five career interceptions against the Packers. The eight-year veteran has 20 career picks. Meanwhile, defensive end Everson Griffen has 12+ sacks in 19 career games against Green Bay.

''You have Pro Bowl-caliber players on every level of the defense, great inside linebackers, two guys off the edge who can rush really, really well, and then a back end that can really cover, one of the top safeties in the league in Harrison, and obviously a great corner combo with Trae and Xavier,'' Rodgers said. ''They do a great job of playing their scheme. They've been together for a while. They're a tough team to try to attack.''

OFFENSIVE FOCUS

Both LaFleur and Green Bay offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said the offense needs to operate more efficiently on first and second downs on Sunday to avoid third-and-long situations. The Packers converted only 2 of 12 third-down opportunities in the opener.

INJURY CONCERNS

The Vikings placed receiver Josh Doctson on injured reserve Thursday with a hamstring injury. Minnesota signed the 2016 first-round pick just before the start of the season after he was released by Washington. Doctson was inactive for Week 1.

Green Bay left tackle David Bakhtiari, who appeared on the team's injury report Wednesday with a back issue, was not in pads on Thursday. LaFleur wouldn't say whether Bakhtiari was held out for precautionary reasons or if it means his availability for Sunday is in question.

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Falcons hoping for quick turnaround on defense
September 12, 2019
By The Associated Press

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) Ricardo Allen hopes to return to pro football after spending last Sunday back in the Big Ten.

At least that's what it felt like to Allen, a fifth-year free safety whose Atlanta Falcons gave up 172 yards rushing on 38 carries in the opener.

That's way too many running plays to face in an NFL game. Allen knows it can't happen again.

''It took me back to my college times,'' Allen, a former Purdue standout, said. ''That's one of those games, if you don't stop the run, one of the easiest plays in football is to just hand it off. If you can do that, you can control the clock. You can control the ball. You've got better chances just handing the ball off and going.''

Allen can only hope the Falcons (0-1) don't dig another early hole Sunday night against Philadelphia (1-0). Atlanta trailed 21-0 midway through the second quarter at Minnesota, and the Vikings used the early advantage to play old-school offense.

It was an embarrassment for a defense that last year ranked second worst in third-down percentage, third worst in yards per carry, fifth worst in yards per game, and eighth worst in scoring.

With Allen, Keanu Neal and Deion Jones back at full strength after all three sustained major injuries in last year's 7-9 season, the Falcons had hoped for a quick turnaround, particularly after coach Dan Quinn made himself defensive coordinator.

''We didn't do what we needed to do,'' nose tackle Grady Jarrett said. ''They executed well and kept getting outside. We need to address that if we want to have a good defense. We want to get better because teams will put that on film and attack that against us.''

This week's challenge will likely be tougher. The Eagles have a dangerous run-pass option in quarterback Carson Wentz, whose offense piled up 436 yards in rallying Philadelphia from a 17-0 deficit to beat Washington.

Receiver DeSean Jackson, tight end Zach Ertz, receiver Alshon Jeffrey and running backs Darren Sproles, Miles Sanders and Jordan Harris give Wentz abundant options, but the Falcons' first concern is to try and contain the trio of running backs.

They can't afford another letdown on the ground.

''We understand what we have to do,'' Allen said. ''That was one of the first times I've seen a team being able to come out and do that to us. We know what we've got to do. We've got to fight.''

Quinn, as he's done since he arrived in January 2015, keeps harping on takeaways, but there's been no evidence over the last two years that his message is getting through. The Falcons forced just eight fumbles last season and ranked second worst with four fumble recoveries. They were ninth in interceptions, but seven of the picks went to Damontae Kazee, who has moved to nickel cornerback after filling in for Allen last year.

Atlanta was minus-3 in turnover margin last week.

''It was hard on us to have a performance like that when we have really high expectations for one another,'' Quinn said. ''But like I said, as the teacher in me, if there's a way for us to have this lesson, I'd rather get hit right now, to get this lesson learned and applied, not seven or 10 weeks later.

''That lesson about the ball, it's real. We didn't get any to put ourselves into the plus.''

Notes: Quinn said rookie RG Chris Lindstrom underwent successful surgery on his broken left foot. Lindstrom, the 14th overall draft pick, isn't expected to return until November. ... Return specialist Kenjon Barner (ankle) was added to the injury report. He joined OT Matt Gono (back), G Wes Schweitzer (shoulder) WR Russell Gage (concussion) in being limited at practice. ... DT Deadrin Senat (back) was a full participant.

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Eagles' running backs showed plenty of promise
September 12, 2019
By The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) The Philadelphia Eagles cut their two top rushers from last season because they have several options to run the football.

They delivered in Week 1.

Jordan Howard, Darren Sproles and Miles Sanders combined for 116 yards on 26 carries in a 32-27 win over Washington. They were so effective that Corey Clement, a Super Bowl hero two seasons ago, didn't get a carry.

Howard had 44 yards rushing and an average of 7.3 yards per carry. The 36-year-old Sproles had 46 yards on nine carries. Sanders, a rookie second-round pick, ran 11 times for 25 yards.

''Just have to be ready when your number is called and take advantage of the opportunities,'' Howard said Thursday.

The group could have an even bigger game Sunday night in Atlanta. The Falcons surrendered 172 yards rushing in a 28-12 loss at Minnesota.

''We have confidence in the guys running all the schemes, but we do try to get everybody involved and in the mix,'' offensive coordinator Mike Groh said. ''Then you have to try to balance that with ... you have to do a great job self-scouting yourself and making sure that they're in on some things from a weekly basis that maybe didn't show the week before. We're constantly massaging that and managing that, and we have a lot of confidence in those guys to run all the runs that we have on each game plan.''

The Eagles, led by LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi, had the NFL's third-ranked rushing offense when they won the Super Bowl following the 2017 season. But the team was decimated by injuries last year. Ajayi and Clement sustained season-ending knee injuries. Sproles missed 10 games and Blount wasn't re-signed.

So Philadelphia turned to Josh Adams. The rookie free agent ran for 511 yards. Wendell Smallwood, a fifth-round pick in 2016, had 364 yards rushing. But the Eagles had the league's 28th-ranked rushing offense. Both players were among the final cuts this year.

Sanders was impressive in training camp and could end up being the featured back. Howard had success in Chicago and ran hard against the Redskins. Sproles still has excellent speed at his age.

''When we put the run game together, we think about the backs and who is going to be in on certain plays,'' coach Doug Pederson said. ''So you can see how dynamic that can be and we're just going to continue to work it that way. Sometimes it's the hot hand, but sometimes it's based on game plan and who is in at that particular time.''

Notes: LB Kamu Grugier-Hill (knee) and T Jordan Mailata (back) didn't practice Thursday. DT Fletcher Cox (toe) and QB Nate Sudfeld (left wrist) were limited.

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No more Luck gives Titans chance to flip script vs. Colts
September 12, 2019
By The Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Indianapolis Colts have stood in the Tennessee Titans' way starting first with Peyton Manning, then Andrew Luck at quarterback.

Now it's Jacoby Brissett's turn.

And for the Titans, it's a big opportunity finally to flip the script.

''It's a new year,'' Titans tight end Delanie Walker said. ''I don't dwell on the past. We look to the future. We're going to try to change that for sure here.''

The Titans won the first AFC South title in 2002 after realignment. Then the Colts seized control of the division and this rivalry, winning 26 of 32 games and 13 of the past 15. Even when the Titans won their last AFC South title in 2008, they still split with the Colts.

Tennessee opened this season by stunning the Browns 43-13 in Cleveland. A win would be the Titans' first 2-0 start since 2008, giving them an early division lead over the Colts ,who grabbed a playoff berth from them last December in the final game of the NFL regular season.

A win also would show signs of consistency the Titans have lacked for more than a decade.

''We're planning to do a lot bigger things than going just 1-0,'' Titans safety Kevin Byard said. ''We want to go win a Super Bowl, so that's something we have to focus on. It's just another step on trying to go from good to great.''

Luck never lost to the Titans in 11 games before his stunning retirement. Brissett stepped up and rallied the Colts from a 24-9 deficit before losing 30-24 in overtime to the Chargers on the road last week. The quarterback is different, but the Colts haven't changed what they want.

''The team that wins this game, it's going to be a big step, a big momentum maker for the team,'' Colts coach Frank Reich said. ''Winning the division is the first and foremost goal of most teams, so this goes a long way toward that goal.''

Some things to know about the Colts and Titans:

MAYBE NOT THE QB

Brissett went 0-2 against the Titans in 2017, but Tennessee's struggles extend beyond just Manning and Luck.

When Manning missed the entire 2011 season, Dan Orlovsky ended Indy's winless season with a 27-13 victory in Week 15 at Lucas Oil Stadium. And when Luck and backup Matt Hasselbeck were both out for the 2015 season finale, Ryan Lindley and Josh Freeman were signed off the street and combined to lead Indy to a 30-24 victory over the Titans.

FULL STRENGTH

Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota wasn't the only starter missing the last time these teams played. The Titans also were without four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jurrell Casey, cornerback Logan Ryan, Walker and tight end Jonnu Smith. All five are healthy, with Mariota coming off his first three-TD game since November 2016.

FLUNKED

All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard found all the motivation he needed watching film.

''An F,'' he said when asked to grade his seven-tackle performance in the Colts' opening loss. ''That's what I got and that's what I gave myself because I played terrible. I didn't play up to the standards I have for myself.''

Leonard has been here before. Last season in his first NFL game, he made nine tackles and recovered one fumble. The next week, Leonard broke out with a stunning stat line: 19 tackles, 15 solo, one forced fumble and one pass defense. He went on to lead the league with 163 tackles despite missing one game because of an injury.

THE LOOK

Brissett has only logged 19 starts in his four-year career, but he knows all about Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees. When asked where he'd rank Pees and the exotic looks he likes to use, Brissett said: ''No. 1, for sure.''

The Titans piled up five sacks, three interceptions and a safety against Cleveland. What makes Pees' defenses so challenging?

''They do different things, use different personnel, it's just tough,'' Brissett said.''

TRY A LITTLE PATIENCE

Titans rookie receiver A.J. Brown had three catches for 100 yards in the opener, while Corey Davis, the first receiver drafted at No. 5 overall in 2017, was held without a catch. Adam Humphries, the Titans' big free agent signee, caught the only ball thrown his way. Davis said the Titans have a lot of weapons and the ball can go to any player on any given week.

''When your number's called, you got to make the play,'' Davis said.