When the NFL preseason gets underway there is a lot of talk about how little meaning exhibition games hold in respect to what lies ahead during the regular season. Bet on the NFL Preseason for Week 4 at SportsBetting.com.
It’s a given that starters are going to see limited action and that’s reflected by low fan attendance. Play-calling from the sidelines also differs from what we would expect the coaches to do in similar situations mid-season, but no one is really all that concerned. Until, that is, a team moves to 0-3 in the win-loss column.
Low completion percentages and botched field goals suddenly get a lot more serious. Drafting strategy, or worse, top round holdouts are put under a stronger microscope. In fact, hang an “O-fer” on a team in late-August and suddenly the whole city seems ready to book that January vacation to a sunny southern resort that doesn’t have satellite. Yet these are the same exhibition games that were being summed up two weeks ago in a few seconds at the bottom of the evening news.
Heading into Week 4 of the pre-season, there are still three teams sitting on empty in the win column and two of them are playing on the road against tough opponents. Kansas City is at St. Louis and Arizona is in Denver to take on the Broncos. There is bound to be pressure on both coaches to try and deliver something positive for the team to build on before the real season gets underway, but pressure can serve as a great motivational tool. Judging by last season’s results, it may even provide some value this week for bettors willing to back these dogs in desperate times.
In 2006, Washington, Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Tennessee all entered the final set of games with an 0-3 straight-up (SU) mark but unlike the Redskins and Steelers, the Bills and Titans were on the road. Playing away from home gave the Bills and Titans underdog status but neither team needed the points, winning SU while Washington and Pittsburgh remained winless.
Ken Whisenhunt, the Cardinals’ new head coach this season, has not given much indication as to whether or not RB Edgerrin James will play in Denver, but QB Matt Leinart will likely see some playing time and should have his top wideouts with him.
Denver has held a decided advantage over the Cards, beating them SU in six-of-six meetings since 1989 (5-1 ATS) and the past five matchups have all played over the total. Denver topped the Cards 37-20 when the clubs met in 2006, with QB Jay Cutler stealing the show, though Cutler is expected to see very limited action this week.
The battle for the Show Me State has produced a win for Kansas City four straight times during the regular season, including a 31-17 victory in Week 9 last season, but preseason games are split the past two years with the home side winning each time.
The third winless team, the Cincinnati Bengals, is coming off a 24-19 loss on Monday Night Football at the hands of an Atlanta Falcons team searching for a new identity. Cinci’s quest for a win doesn’t get any easier when the Indianapolis Colts pay a visit on Friday night but with both teams opening the regular season on home turf, expect this game to turn into a battle of the backups.
