There’s such a thing as too much emotion, especially in sports.The New Orleans Saints suffered from TME in Week 1 of the NFL season, coming off a summer filled with the “Bounty Gate” scandal and feverish contract negotiations with their star QB, not to mention having those banned players reinstated just days before the season opener.
New Orleans had been through more drama than a season of
The Jersey Shore and it hadn't even flipped the coin with the Washington Redskins.
There was no doubt that the Saints were fired up for that game but may have left all that energy in the tunnel. By the time they hit the field, they were an emotionally-drained team, falling 40-32 to the Redskins as 8-point home favorites.
Just like a child calming down from a temper tantrum, the Saints are all cried out and ready to move on with the season. Next stop: Carolina, where books opened New Orleans as high as a 4-point favorite, which immediately was bet down to -1.
We’re not saying the Saints’ hangover is over, but Carolina didn’t look all that impressive either in Week 1, stinking it up in a 16-10 loss to Tampa Bay as a 3-point road favorite. Sure, Cam Newton has a similar skill set as Washington’s dual-threat QB Robert Griffin III but New Orleans is very familiar with Newton’s antics and has won four in a row over the Panthers (2-2 ATS).
This is just one of the lines making football bettors go “hmmm…” heading into this weekend’s action:
Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills (-3.5, 44.5)Week 1 couldn’t have gone any worse for the Bills, who not only got smacked 48-28 by the Jets but also lost starting RB Fred Jackson for a few weeks and WR David Nelson for the entire season. If New York’s offense can hang 48 points on the Bills, you have to think the Chiefs' talented trio can do the same.
NCAAFBoston College Eagles at Northwestern Wildcats (-3.5, 53)Apparently Boston College’s offense is winning over bettors more than Northwestern’s defense. The Eagles have posted 30-plus points in their first two games against Miami and FCS Maine. The Wildcats, however, are 2-0 against tough competition. They’ve defeated Syracuse and Vanderbilt covering the spread in both contests and now only give 3.5 at home. Are bettors reaching for a letdown spot after a win over an SEC team?
UConn Huskies at Maryland Terrapins (+2.5, 42.5)Connecticut is far from a football super power and more than likely, the women’s basketball team has nicer digs than the men’s football squad. But the Huskies are getting little respect for their trip to Maryland in Week 3. The Terps are just 2.5-point home dogs despite escaping FCS William & Mary by one point in Week 1 and nearly gave up a fourth-quarter lead versus Temple last weekend.