Buffalo (+3) @ Washington (-3); Total set at 32.5
With everyone starved for football action, the most important thing to remember when betting these games are that it is the pre-season and to not go crazy. Starting line ups are pulled early and guys that are on the bubble as far as making the team is concerned give it their all in one last attempt to make a good impression. However, that isn’t to say that there are some teams that have attacked pre-season differently and developed some very good (or bad) trends regarding these “practice games.”
One of those teams is Buffalo, who surprisingly has gone 6-0-1 ATS over the last seven seasons in their first pre-season game, which shows that the Bills management likes to see their team come out strong early on. It also shows that they’re probably underdogs on the NFL odds board coming in. Whether that means they leave their projected starters in for an extra series, or continue to rotate depth players, for some reason, the Bills love to shake off that summer rust and get out there and hit someone.
Buffalo is in a rebuilding year in 2010 and they drafted a dynamic RB in C.J Spiller hoping that he can create the “big play.” With Marshawn Lynch still being frustrated that he remains in Buffalo, Spiller can come in with a desire to play and that will become evident in this first game. If Lynch does decide to play well in 2010, a RB duo like that in the backfield will take some pressure of the Buffalo QB’s in the passing game.
As one of the major stories all training camp has been regarding the Albert Haynesworth saga in Washington, many will be focussed on how the Redskins play in this contest with all their new faces, the switch to the 3-4 defence, and if Haynesworth gets a start. Too much focus on your team can be a bad thing though, especially with so many new faces eager to please their new employers. We saw with Cincinnati in the Hall of Fame game that it takes time to develop timing and trust between all the new faces, and thus even with all the OTA’s and week or two of camp so far, there still is work to be done.
I believe this will be true for Washington in this contest because players like Donovan McNabb and the two new RB’s have to get used to one another in a game situation, and all the players have to understand how new head coach Mike Shanahan conducts himself during a game. They will work it out, just down the road.
Take Buffalo at +3 in this game.
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