| Game | Pythag | Pythag RH | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rams @ Lions | Lions 0.4721 | Lions 0.6523 | Lions -8½ |
| Redskins @ Saints | Saints 0.3964 | Saints 0.5669 | Saints -9½ |
| Steelers @ Broncos | Steelers 0.3352 | Steelers 0.1009 | Broncos -1 |
| Falcons @ Chiefs | Falcons 0.3326 | Falcons 0.1970 | Falcons -2 |
| Colts @ Bears | Bears 0.3150 | Bears 0.5308 | Bears -9½ |
| Eagles @ Browns | Eagles 0.3022 | Eagles 0.3044 | Eagles -8 |
| Panthers @ Buccaneers | Panthers 0.2510 | Panthers 0.1243 | Panthers -2½ |
| Patriots @ Titans | Patriots 0.2085 | Patriots 0.2004 | Patriots -6½ |
| Bengals @ Ravens | Ravens 0.1597 | Ravens 0.2465 | Ravens -6 |
| Chargers @ Raiders | Chargers 0.1530 | Chargers 0.0701 | Chargers -1½ |
| Dolphins @ Texans | Texans 0.1490 | Texans 0.1828 | Texans -10 |
| Bills @ Jets | Jets 0.1127 | Jets 0.4197 | Jets -3 |
| Seahawks @ Cardinals | Seahawks 0.0755 | Cardinals* 0.0534 | Seahawks -2½ |
| Cowboys @ Giants | Cowboys 0.0453 | Giants* 0.1189 | Giants -4 |
| 49ers @ Packers | 49ers 0.0271 | Packers* 0.2499 | Packers -5½ |
| Jaguars @ Vikings | Vikings 0.0131 | Vikings 0.2167 | Vikings -4½ |
Comments:
Maybe it's because I didn't watch as much preseason football this year as compared to last, but mostly what I see in these games is a lot of unanswered questions:
Are the Giants going to take up where they left off in the playoffs, or how they played in the regular season?
Can the Saints overcome all the offseason drama to take care of RG3 and the Redskins? (The last time the Redskins and Saints played was in 2009, and the Saints needed a 10-point comeback and overtime to secure a win.)
Along with the Redskins and RG3, there's a lot of teams starting rookie quarterbacks. With guys like Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan, and Cam Newton starting and succeeding from year one, the old conventional wisdom of letting a rookie QB sit on the bench for a year or two could be over.
Can Peyton Manning perform as well with his new team as he did with the Colts? How well will his surgically repaired neck (not to mention his 36 year-old body) hold up to another season of hits?
How much is it going to affect MJD to have missed the entire preseason? (Of course, given how bad the Jaguars are likely to be, it may not matter much.)
How effective is Adrian Peterson going to be? Stories like this one sure make it sound like he's not anywhere near 100% recovered from his injury yet.
Similarly, how effective is Brian Urlacher going to be? He's a big part of the Bears' defense, and that defense is a big part of how they win games.
How much better is the Packers' defense going to be this year? Can they hold the 49ers offense under 350 yards? (A mark the Packers' D only made 3 times last year). Can the Packers' offense continue to shred opposing defenses like they (mostly) did last year?
The good news is, we start getting answers Wednesday night.
