NFL opening line report: Winless, broken Giants travel to Denver for Week 6
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A pair of one-loss teams tangle to open Week 6 of the NFL season in a Thursday night clash. Covers checks in on the opening line for that contest and three other matchups, with insights from Scott Cooley, odds consultant for offshore sportsbook Bookmaker.eu.
Philadelphia Eagles at Carolina Panthers (-3)
Philadelphia is off to a solid start behind second-year quarterback Carson Wentz. The Eagles (4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) trampled Arizona in Week 5, winning 34-7 as a 6-point home favorite, with Wentz throwing four touchdown passes.
Cam Newton weathered a media storm of his own making last week, then helped guide Carolina to a 4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS mark, as well. The Panthers edged Detroit 27-24 as a 2-point road underdog Sunday.
"A great matchup that will really give us some insight as to how good these teams really are," Cooley said. "Carolina has been quite impressive the last couple of weeks, more so than we thought they were capable of. The Eagles have been on the radar all year, but have been even more dominant than anticipated. These teams are very close in the power ratings, so we assign the home team some advantage and see where the bettors go with it."
Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs (no line)
Kansas City is the league's lone undefeated team, and Alex Smith is playing like an MVP candidate. The Chiefs (5-0 SU and ATS) dropped Houston 42-34 laying 2 points in the Week 5 Sunday nighter, getting three TD passes from Smith - who has no interceptions this year.
Pittsburgh entered the season among teams with the shortest odds to make the Super Bowl, but hasn't looked anything like a championship squad. On Sunday, the Steelers (3-2 SU, 2-3 ATS) were 7.5-point home faves against Jacksonville and got run out of their own building, 30-9.
Since K.C. was in the Sunday night contest, Bookmaker is waiting until Monday to post this line.
"If the Chiefs play as expected Sunday night, and nothing out of the ordinary happens on the injury front, we'll look to make them around field-goal favorites," Cooley said. "The Steelers aren't the team they displayed in Week 5, but there is certainly something amiss in Pittsburgh."
New York Giants at Denver Broncos (-9)
New York went 11-5 SU in the regular season last year to advance to the playoffs. Through five weeks of this season, the Giants are like Jacques Cousteau, still "In Search Of" their first victory. (You youngsters, go look up that reference if you need to.)
The Giants (0-5 SU, 2-3 ATS) got an Odell Beckham Jr. touchdown catch to take a 22-17 lead over San Diego early in the fourth quarter Sunday. But New York didn't score the rest of the way, lost Beckham to a broken ankle and lost the game 27-22 as a 3-point home chalk.
Meanwhile, Denver (3-1 SU, 2-1-1 ATS) is coming off its bye week, following a 16-10 Week 4 victory laying 3.5 points at home against Oakland.
"You have to wonder what the mindset is right now in that Giants locker room," Cooley said. "They have no running game, and they could be without their top three receivers. Going on the road to play in the altitude against a great defense is not what this team needed. Early action from the pros has moved this to -10."
In fact, later Sunday night, the line jumped to 10.5 at Bookmaker.eu.
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings (no line)
Green Bay looks to be firing on all cylinders, certainly on offense, after reaching 35 points two weeks in a row. On Sunday at Dallas, the Packers (4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) trailed 21-6 in the second quarter, but climbed out of that hole and left the Big D with a 35-31 victory catching 2.5 points. Aaron Rodgers capped the comeback with a 12-yard TD pass to Davante Adams with 11 seconds remaining.
Minnesota (2-2 SU and ATS) still has Week 5 work to do, traveling to Chicago in the Monday night game. The Vikings should have quarterback Sam Bradford back tonight, but until that game wraps, Bookmaker.eu will hold off on setting the Pack-Vikes opening line.
"It appears as if Bradford is going to play Monday night, so we'll see how he looks throwing the ball and moving around in the pocket," Cooley said. "Still, it's unlikely we'll make Minnesota a favorite. Aaron Rodgers is just playing too well right now, and the betting public is fully aware of that fact. The Vikings will likely be short home 'dogs when this line is released Monday night."
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