Under taking preseason cash. Will it last?
Michael Vick takes three snaps then heads for the sidelines. His day is done along with the rest of the Atlanta Falcons’ starters.
His replacements? Well they hit less than 50 percent of their passes and manage just one major between them en route to leading Atlanta to a 16-3 win over the Baltimore Ravens Saturday in what’s become a fixture in the first week of the NFL preseason. Low scoring games.
“Oftentimes, early in the preseason, we see defenses with a legitimate advantage over the offense,” says Covers Expert Ted Sevransky. “Offenses are about timing. They’re about being in synch. They’re quarterbacks being deep in the rotation, third and fourth string quarterbacks [trying to know] where the third and fourth wide receivers will be despite the fact they haven’t had any reps together.”
The lack of familiarity between the pivots and wideouts arguably decreases scoring as many players still aren`t completely comfortable with the play selections, their routes, the opposition, or even their own teammates. With so many distractions and the pressure of trying to crack the roster, players are more focused on making the play. Scoring becomes secondary.
That`s helped under backers bank nearly twice as much cash as their over counterparts so far in the preseason. Not including the Hallf of Fame week games, the under`s rolling on a 10-6 run. It’s pretty easy to see why considering the average score in those games was just over 36 points – about a field goal less than the average total oddsmakers slapped on exhibition play.
Under backers are already gearing up with Week 2 of the preseason just around the corner, but Sevransky says over supporters may have the last laugh.
“We often see a lot of low scoring ballgames in the first and even the second week of the preseason,” he adds. “But that usual straightens out and moves closer to 50/50 by Weeks 3 and 4.
“Week 3 is generally the highest scoring week, that’s where we’re gonna see the starters, usually in the second half. Week 4, it’s generally a mixed bag and could go either way.”