NFL Football AFC Betting Preview

by Joe Hachem | August 13, 2008 at 10:42 am

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Alright NFL wagering enthusiasts, after one week of NFL preseason games – and the sports wagering that went along with them - all sorts of happenings are taking place across the AFC landscape as every team in the conference continues its preparation for the quickly approaching 2008 NFL regular season opener and NFL betting enthusiasts can get the latest scoop on every AFC team with this informative AFC article which will give some terrific insight and NFL Odds heading into the second week of preseason contests.

Now, before someone tries an onsides kick or something, let’s get started.

AFC East

New England Patriots
The only question concerning the Patriots these days is who their backup quarterback will be. Rookie Kevin O'Connell performed better than either Matt Gutierrez or four-year veteran Matt Cassel.

New York Jets
The Jets beat the Cleveland Browns 24-20 in their preseason contest and have the makings of a stellar offensive line, not to mention some guy named Brett Favre who will play a bit in New York’s next preseason contest.

Buffalo Bills
The Bills lost to the Washington Redskins, 17-14 and clearly have some problems before the regular season begins. Starting quarterback Trent Edwards went 1-for-5 for 18 yards, but former starter, J.P. Losman took over near the end of the first quarter and went 7-for-9 for 73 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown pass I see a storm a’ brewin' here.

Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins lost their preseason opener 17 -6 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and are clearly going to be work in progress. Chad Pennington, who sat out of the game after recently getting acquired by the Dolphins, saw his future backups, second-year man John Beck, rookie Chad Henne and veteran Josh McCown all fail to lead the ‘Fins to a touchdown while struggling mightily just to get a first down.

AFC West

Denver Broncos
Despite the fact that the Broncos lost 19-16 to the Houston Texans, Denver's Jay Cutler went 8-for-10 for 59 yards and ran for a touchdown in his one quarter of work.

San Diego Chargers
Rookie running back Jacob Hester scored on a pair of short runs to help the Chargers to a 31-17 preseason win over the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night. Chargers’ quarterback Philip Rivers played three series and directed the Chargers to a pair of touchdowns. Rivers completed five of six passes for 54 yards and left early in the second quarter with a 14-7 lead. Hester, a third-round draft pick out of LSU, is competing with fellow backup Darren Sproles to replace Michael Turner, now the starter in Atlanta, as back up to two-time defending NFL rushing champion LaDainian Tomlinson.

Oakland Raiders
The Raiders look like they’re going to have to deal with some serious growing pains from young, strong-armed quarterback JaMarcus Russell, but have a trio of explosive running backs in Michael Bush, Justin Fargas and Darren McFadden who combined to help the Raiders rack up an astronomical 248 rushing yards in their 18-6 win over the hapless 49ers.

Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs beat the Chicago Bears 24-20 as starting running back Larry Johnson ran for a touchdown on the opening drive and expected starting quarterback Brodie Croyle passed for 82 yards over two possessions. I’m going to remain skeptical about the Chiefs though until the regular season starts.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens beat the New England Patriots 16-15, in their first preseason contest but till have to decide who their starting quarterback will be as Kyle Boller, Troy Smith and rookie first-round draft pick Joe Flacco, who lost a fumble on his second play, all have a shot at starting for Baltimore.

Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers beat the Philadelphia Eagles 16-10 but lost backup quarterback Charlie Batch to a broken collarbone in the second quarter. While starter Ben Roethlisberger led the team on an eight-play, 80-yard drive on his opening drive, finding a suitable replacement for Batch will be of utmost concern for the Steelers.

Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals beat the Green Bay Packers 20-17 in their preseason opener. Despite the fact that starting quarterback Carson Palmer and the Bengals didn't gain a first down until early in the second quarter. Palmer did finish the game 5-for-9 for 33 yards with a touchdown

Cleveland Browns
The Browns looked good under starting quarterback Derek Anderson despite the fact that they lost to the Jets 24-20. Cleveland scored on a 2-yard TD pass from Anderson to Braylon Edwards on his first drive of the game. Cleveland’s defense however, is still a big question mark!

AFC South

Tennessee Titans
The Titans rolled all over the St. Louis Rams, winning 34-13 as rookie running back Chris Johnson and the team’s defensive unit had a phenomenal games, though quarterback Vince Young finished the game just 3-of-6 for 17 yards.

Indianapolis Colts
The Colts were without 16 key players including Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders and saw Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers go nuts with pressuring Colts quarterback Jim Sorgi in their 23-20 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars rested starting running back Fred Taylor and lost three fumbles but still managed to beat the lowly Atlanta Falcons 17-14 in their first preseason game.

Houston Texans
Kris Brown kicked four field goals, including the 25-yard winner on the game's final play. Running back Ahman Green, who missed all or part of 10 games last season with a bone bruise in his knee, was hurt on Houston's first play. Backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels completed 10 of 15 passes for 137 yards in relief of starting quarterback Matt Schaub, who played only one series.

Analysis: I don’t think that the opening week of preseason contest taught NFL bettors much they didn’t already know about all of the teams residing in the AFC.

I think most NFL enthusiasts already knew he addition of Brett Favre and improvement of the Jets’ offensive line would likely help them win a few more games this season and put them in playoff contention.

However, the Buffalo Bills could again have a quarterback controversy on their hands if Trent Edwards doesn’t start playing better and former starter J.P. Losman does.

The loss of Charlie Batch could be huge for the Steelers should Roethlisberger get injured at some point.

The Houston Texans could have problems if Ahman Green’s injury lingers. Besides, the team may be starting the wrong guy at quarterback with Sage Rosenfels playing terrific football every time the Texans give him the opportunity.

The Baltimore Ravens have yet to decide on one of three players as their starting quarterback and I can already sense some musical chair being played at the position throughout the season by first-year head coach John Harbaugh.

The Dolphins should be thanking their lucky stars they acquired Chad Pennington while I’m thinking the Oakland Raiders are going to have trouble throwing the ball this season with JaMarcus Russell looking like an inexperienced rookie most of the time.

The Bengals and Browns have nearly non-existent defenses while the Titans and Jaguars each could be ready to take another step forward in 2008.