A. Gomes
<!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins
We have in here the lowest totals line of the weekend and honestly I think this line is too high and it should have been at least at 35 points. Make no mistake. This game won't be a game where the offenses will be in evidence just like yesterday in the game between Arizona and Atlanta. It will be the defense which will decided the game. Both teams feature a run-first mentality, ranking in the bottom third of the league in pass attempts per game. Baltimore is similar to Atlanta in the fact that both teams have a rookie QB, but the big difference between the two teams is that Baltimore is a defensive minded club, while Atlanta is an offensive minded team. So, the Ravens will likely play this game with an ultra conservative nature considering they start a rookie at QB. Expect to see the clock moving on a consistent basis with plenty of running. The defense of Miami has been consistent the whole season and especially at the end of the regular season, where they won 9 of their last 10 games. Unlike many defenses, Miami's defense is healthy. Pass rusher Joey Porter has had an MVP-type season and linebacker Channing Crowder has emerged as an upper tier player. During the season, the Dolphins showed to be more comfortable on defense at stopping the run than at stopping the pass attempts from their opponents and even this fits well in today's matchup.
On the other side, we can't much about the defense of the Ravens but praise them. We all know they are a top class defense, as they lead the league with 27 interceptions and with safety Ed Reed being the star player of the squad with 9 interceptions. The problem is that today we won't have any interceptions, as Miami uses an ultra conservative offensive style. Do you know who has the better % of completed passes this season? Kurt Warner? Peyton Manning? No! It's Chad Pennington with 67.4%! The way of confirming that we are in front of a conservative offense is the fact that Miami leads the league in TO differential with +17! The team has just turned the ball over 13 times during the whole season! On the other side, on this very same stat we confirm that Baltimore is also conservative, as they are 3rd in this stat with +13.
These two teams have already faced each other during the regular season, with the Ravens winning by 27-13. I've watched that game and back at the time, the Dolphins were using and abusing the wild cat formation. The Ravens went to Miami and they had the lesson well studied and stopped their offense, managing a TD with a return from an interception. Today Miami won't take as many risks as they took in that game and this game has everything to be a low scoring game. Both teams with rush the football and we have all seen how very few errors these two teams make. Take the under in here.
Pick: 3 units (Regular Play) on Under 38,5
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<!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins
We have in here the lowest totals line of the weekend and honestly I think this line is too high and it should have been at least at 35 points. Make no mistake. This game won't be a game where the offenses will be in evidence just like yesterday in the game between Arizona and Atlanta. It will be the defense which will decided the game. Both teams feature a run-first mentality, ranking in the bottom third of the league in pass attempts per game. Baltimore is similar to Atlanta in the fact that both teams have a rookie QB, but the big difference between the two teams is that Baltimore is a defensive minded club, while Atlanta is an offensive minded team. So, the Ravens will likely play this game with an ultra conservative nature considering they start a rookie at QB. Expect to see the clock moving on a consistent basis with plenty of running. The defense of Miami has been consistent the whole season and especially at the end of the regular season, where they won 9 of their last 10 games. Unlike many defenses, Miami's defense is healthy. Pass rusher Joey Porter has had an MVP-type season and linebacker Channing Crowder has emerged as an upper tier player. During the season, the Dolphins showed to be more comfortable on defense at stopping the run than at stopping the pass attempts from their opponents and even this fits well in today's matchup.
On the other side, we can't much about the defense of the Ravens but praise them. We all know they are a top class defense, as they lead the league with 27 interceptions and with safety Ed Reed being the star player of the squad with 9 interceptions. The problem is that today we won't have any interceptions, as Miami uses an ultra conservative offensive style. Do you know who has the better % of completed passes this season? Kurt Warner? Peyton Manning? No! It's Chad Pennington with 67.4%! The way of confirming that we are in front of a conservative offense is the fact that Miami leads the league in TO differential with +17! The team has just turned the ball over 13 times during the whole season! On the other side, on this very same stat we confirm that Baltimore is also conservative, as they are 3rd in this stat with +13.
These two teams have already faced each other during the regular season, with the Ravens winning by 27-13. I've watched that game and back at the time, the Dolphins were using and abusing the wild cat formation. The Ravens went to Miami and they had the lesson well studied and stopped their offense, managing a TD with a return from an interception. Today Miami won't take as many risks as they took in that game and this game has everything to be a low scoring game. Both teams with rush the football and we have all seen how very few errors these two teams make. Take the under in here.
Pick: 3 units (Regular Play) on Under 38,5
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arty:
Scott Ferral College Hoops BEEN HOT, DONT KNOW ABOUT YESTERDAY BEST BETS IN ( )
FERRALL HOT AS EVER PICKING NCAA HOOP WINNERS ATS
MICHIGAN -2 to Illinois (7)
EVANSVILLE -2.5 to Indiana St (12)
CINCY +9.5 from Marquette (11)
UCLA -11 to Oregon (3)
NC -21 to BC (2)
USC -11 to Oregon St (4)
VA TECH +15 from Duke (10)
STANFORD -3.5 to Arizona (5)
ARIZONA ST -2 to Cal (1)
DRAKE +1 from Southern Illinois (8)
EASTERN WASHINGTON -3.5 to Sacramento St (9)
KENTUCKY +7.5 from Louisville (6)
FERRALL HOT AS EVER PICKING NCAA HOOP WINNERS ATS
MICHIGAN -2 to Illinois (7)
EVANSVILLE -2.5 to Indiana St (12)
CINCY +9.5 from Marquette (11)
UCLA -11 to Oregon (3)
NC -21 to BC (2)
USC -11 to Oregon St (4)
VA TECH +15 from Duke (10)
STANFORD -3.5 to Arizona (5)
ARIZONA ST -2 to Cal (1)
DRAKE +1 from Southern Illinois (8)
EASTERN WASHINGTON -3.5 to Sacramento St (9)
KENTUCKY +7.5 from Louisville (6)
Bob Balfe
NFL Football
Ravens/Dolphins Under 38
This will be a great matchup between two teams nobody expected to make the playoffs. Baltimore has a great defense and rookie QB Joe Flacco has played great this season. Miami has been excellent this year and had the fewest turnovers in NFL History during a regular season. I do not see a lot of scoring in this game. Flacco is just a rookie and might struggle a bit in his first postseason game. The Ravens are good at forcing turnovers for points, but Miami just does not turn it over. Look for a lot of FG's today. Take the Under.
Eagles/Vikings Over 42
Philly comes into this game with a ton of momentum and are lucky that the Minnesota Defensive Line is hurting. The Vikings have a great run defense, but lucky for the Eagles that they are a pass happy team. Look for the Eagles to run a lot of screen plays today. When Minnesota has the ball you will see a lot of run as their offense is huge compared to the Philly Defense. Both teams should be able to run their preferred offenses with ease. Take the Over.
College Football
No plays today.
NBA Basketball
Knicks +10.5 over Celtics
NCAA Basketball
Illinois +2 over Michigan <!-- / message -->
NFL Football
Ravens/Dolphins Under 38
This will be a great matchup between two teams nobody expected to make the playoffs. Baltimore has a great defense and rookie QB Joe Flacco has played great this season. Miami has been excellent this year and had the fewest turnovers in NFL History during a regular season. I do not see a lot of scoring in this game. Flacco is just a rookie and might struggle a bit in his first postseason game. The Ravens are good at forcing turnovers for points, but Miami just does not turn it over. Look for a lot of FG's today. Take the Under.
Eagles/Vikings Over 42
Philly comes into this game with a ton of momentum and are lucky that the Minnesota Defensive Line is hurting. The Vikings have a great run defense, but lucky for the Eagles that they are a pass happy team. Look for the Eagles to run a lot of screen plays today. When Minnesota has the ball you will see a lot of run as their offense is huge compared to the Philly Defense. Both teams should be able to run their preferred offenses with ease. Take the Over.
College Football
No plays today.
NBA Basketball
Knicks +10.5 over Celtics
NCAA Basketball
Illinois +2 over Michigan <!-- / message -->
Handicapper: Matt Fargo Sports
Sport: NFL Football
Game: Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins - Sunday January 4, 2009 1:00 pm
Pick: 3 units TOTAL: Under 38 (-110)
This could turn into one of the better games of the first round and if you like defense, this game should be for you. The Ravens and Dolphins square off in the first game on Sunday and this has the makings of a slugfest, grind-it-out type of game. The first time these two met back in October, they combined for 40 points on a total that closed at 35.5. We now get an extra two points of value early in the week. That first meeting can be tossed as when it comes to playoffs, two defensive oriented teams take over.
The Ravens have surprised this season with an offense that is scoring in bunches. Baltimore is 11th in the NFL in scoring offense, averaging 24.1 ppg but a lot of those points have come by way of the defense through turnovers and excellent starting field position. In terms of yards, the Ravens are actually below average as they are 18th in total offense, averaging 324 ypg. They are the third lowest team in the playoffs in offensive production so the public perception is in fact just a myth.
The Dolphins have always been known for their tough defense and this season they are a middle of the pack unit, allowing 329 ypg which is 15th in the league. It is more of a bend-don’t-break defense however as Miami is allowing just 19.8 ppg which is 9th in the NFL and 7th among playoff teams. The Dolphins are 25th in passing defense but that does not tell the story as teams have been forced to pass to play catch up. They allow 7.00 ypa which is a much more respectable 18th in the league.
While the Dolphins are known for the defense, the Ravens own that category year in and year out and this season is no exception. Baltimore ended the regular season as the 2nd ranked total defense in the NFL, allowing 261.1 ypg. The Ravens finished 3rd in rushing defense, 2nd in passing defense and 3rd in scoring defense so there is not a weakness on that side of the ball. Baltimore allowed 10 points or fewer seven times and 13 points or fewer 11 times.
After finishing 28th in the NFL in total offense a season ago, Miami improved to 12th this season, averaging 345.6 ypg. That is 7th best of the 12 playoff teams so it is relatively average. Quarterback Chad Pennington brought life to the unit and while it has been efficient, it is far from a quick strike offense. The Dolphins finished 21st in the league in scoring, averaging 21.6 ppg and they scored 17 or fewer points in exactly half of their games. Ball control will be the key ingredient here and this one stays below the total. 3* Under Baltimore Ravens/Miami Dolphins
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Sport: NFL Football
Game: Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins - Sunday January 4, 2009 1:00 pm
Pick: 3 units TOTAL: Under 38 (-110)
This could turn into one of the better games of the first round and if you like defense, this game should be for you. The Ravens and Dolphins square off in the first game on Sunday and this has the makings of a slugfest, grind-it-out type of game. The first time these two met back in October, they combined for 40 points on a total that closed at 35.5. We now get an extra two points of value early in the week. That first meeting can be tossed as when it comes to playoffs, two defensive oriented teams take over.
The Ravens have surprised this season with an offense that is scoring in bunches. Baltimore is 11th in the NFL in scoring offense, averaging 24.1 ppg but a lot of those points have come by way of the defense through turnovers and excellent starting field position. In terms of yards, the Ravens are actually below average as they are 18th in total offense, averaging 324 ypg. They are the third lowest team in the playoffs in offensive production so the public perception is in fact just a myth.
The Dolphins have always been known for their tough defense and this season they are a middle of the pack unit, allowing 329 ypg which is 15th in the league. It is more of a bend-don’t-break defense however as Miami is allowing just 19.8 ppg which is 9th in the NFL and 7th among playoff teams. The Dolphins are 25th in passing defense but that does not tell the story as teams have been forced to pass to play catch up. They allow 7.00 ypa which is a much more respectable 18th in the league.
While the Dolphins are known for the defense, the Ravens own that category year in and year out and this season is no exception. Baltimore ended the regular season as the 2nd ranked total defense in the NFL, allowing 261.1 ypg. The Ravens finished 3rd in rushing defense, 2nd in passing defense and 3rd in scoring defense so there is not a weakness on that side of the ball. Baltimore allowed 10 points or fewer seven times and 13 points or fewer 11 times.
After finishing 28th in the NFL in total offense a season ago, Miami improved to 12th this season, averaging 345.6 ypg. That is 7th best of the 12 playoff teams so it is relatively average. Quarterback Chad Pennington brought life to the unit and while it has been efficient, it is far from a quick strike offense. The Dolphins finished 21st in the league in scoring, averaging 21.6 ppg and they scored 17 or fewer points in exactly half of their games. Ball control will be the key ingredient here and this one stays below the total. 3* Under Baltimore Ravens/Miami Dolphins
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