Teams we left for dead a week ago came back to life in week 3 of the NFL season.

Philadelphia looks like a team that can compete in the NFC East and Indianapolis found itself down big again, only to make a big comeback to beat Tennessee by two points.

With the season now three weeks old, the overreactions should slow down a bit as we find out more about each team. Here’s three things we learned this week in the NFL.

The Chicago Bears are the worst against the spread so far this season. Flickr/http://bit.ly/1h1u2Q5
The Chicago Bears are the worst against the spread so far this season. Flickr/http://bit.ly/1h1u2Q5

Chicago worst against the spread

This is why week 1 doesn’t give us a blueprint for what the future will look like.

 

Chicago looked competitive during a week 1 loss to Green Bay. In the last two weeks, it appears the Bears are destined to continue to be one of the worst teams against the spread. San Francisco also looked good in week 1, but since then, the 49ers have lost 43-18 to Pittsburgh and 47-7 to Arizona.

Week 1’s win against Minnesota is the only thing saving San Francisco from being at the bottom of the NFL against the spread.

The Bears, meanwhile, are 0-3 against the spread, and losing by an average of 19.7 points per game, and at minus-11.5 points per game against the spread. Miami also isn’t getting the job done against the spread, which also has a minus-11.5 points per game against the spread.

Three other teams have joined the Bears as not covering a spread yet this season. Indianapolis, Baltimore and Detroit have yet to cover a spread.

Arizona has been one of the best against the spreads this season. Flickr/http://bit.ly/1LFpzex
Arizona has been one of the best against the spreads this season. Flickr/http://bit.ly/1LFpzex

Arizona Cardinals unstoppable so far

We’re wondering why so many experts dismissed the Cardinals in the offseason. Arizona wasn’t the sexy pick to win the NFC, despite plenty of evidence pointing to Arizona as being one of the best teams in the NFL.

The Cardinals have an elite defense, which returned two interceptions for touchdowns Sunday against San Francisco. And with a quality quarterback, this offense is rolling.

The main reason why Arizona slowed down at the end of the season last year was because of Carson Palmer’s injury. With a healthy Palmer, this offense hasn’t been stopped for the first three weeks.

Against the spread, the Cardinals are undefeated, and is winning against the spread by an average of 22 points per game.

The next best team against the spread is Buffalo, which is at plus-10.8 points per game against the spread.

The Cardinals will once again be favorites next week, with the opening line set at six points in favor of Arizona next week against St. Louis.

The Seattle Seahawks covered a big spread this week. Flickr/http://bit.ly/1UZ6b2I/Keith Allison
The Seattle Seahawks covered a big spread this week. Flickr/http://bit.ly/1UZ6b2I/Keith Allison

No worries on big spreads

In the NFL, usually laying points is a no-win situation.

In week 3, that wasn’t the case.

In games where the spread was six points or higher, favorites went 4-1 on Sunday, with some of the games as not even close. New England and Arizona blew out the opposition, with New England entering the game as two-touchdown favorites, and Arizona as a touchdown favorite.

The only team to cover the big spread as an underdog was New Orleans, which lost by five points to Carolina. If you had picked that game earlier in the week, you could have had that spread at three points. However, as the week wore on and it became official that Drew Brees wouldn’t play, the spread jumped to 10 points.

New England has seen plenty of double-digit spreads in the past few years, and it is becoming almost automatic in those contests. In the past two seasons, the Patriots have won by an average of 11.7 points per game.

It’s likely not the best strategy to keep taking teams minus the big number, but it’s worth watching to see if teams win by blowouts.

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