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09/02/2010 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rudy Carpenter threw a pair of touchdowns as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took down the Houston Texans, 24-17, in the preseason finale for both squads.
Carpenter was 15-for-22 for 203 yards for the Buccaneers, who went 2-2 in the preseason and will begin their regular season campaign at home against the Browns on September 12. Arrelious Benn caught both touchdowns and finished the game with three receptions for 33 yards.
John David Booty went 17-for-37 with 209 yards and two scores for the Texans, who managed to win just one of their four preseason games and will open the regular season at home against the reigning AFC-Champion Colts on September 12. James Casey had eight catches for 81 yards in the loss.
It was all Tampa Bay in the first half as the team scored 17 points in the first 30 minutes to take a 17-0 lead into the locker room.
Connor Barth punched a 38-yard field goal for the only points of the first quarter.
In the second, Corey Lynch picked off a Dan Orlovsky pass and returned it 91 yards into the end zone.
Lynch picked off Orlovsky later in the quarter to set up a three-yard touchdown catch by Benn from Carpenter.
Houston got back into the game in the third as Booty threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Williams and Neil Rackers added a 21-yard field goal later in the frame to make it a 17-10 contest.
Carpenter, though, hooked up with Benn again, this time on a 21-yard score for a 24-10 lead in the fourth.
Later in the fourth, Booty tossed a 16-yard score to Derek Fine to make it a 24-17 contest.
<< Chiefs edge Packers in preseason finale
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brodie Croyle completed 11-of-16 throws for
119 yards and Jackie Battle carried 10 times for 67 yards and a touchdown to
lead Kansas City to a 17-13 win over Green Bay to conclude the preseason for
both te
<< Rams top Ravens in preseason finale
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie Thaddeus Lewis' 26-yard TD pass to
Brandon McRae in the fourth quarter helped the St. Louis Rams beat the
Baltimore Ravens, 27-21, in the preseason finale for both clubs.
Lewis completed 6
<< Dawson's last-moment FG lifts Browns over Bears
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Dawson's 36-yard field goal in the final
seconds lifted Cleveland over Chicago, 13-10, in the final preseason tilt for
both clubs at Browns Stadium.
Colt McCoy took the majority of the snaps and finish
<< Jets down Eagles in preseason finale
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Brunell's 51-yard touchdown throw to
Santonio Holmes shortly into the fourth quarter put the Jets in front, and New
York held on for a 21-17 victory over the Eagles in the team's final preseason
game.
Cowboys end preseason with win over Miami >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Buehler's 31-yard field goal with time
expiring lifted the Dallas Cowboys to a 27-25 victory over the Miami Dolphins
in the teams' preseason finale.
Buehler kicked four field goals in the victory, a
Vikings down Denver in final preseason game >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Javon Walker caught a 63-yard touchdown
pass from Joe Webb in the fourth quarter, helping Minnesota edge Denver,
31-24, in the preseason finale for both teams.
Brett Favre took the night off fo
Utah topples No. 15 Pittsburgh in OT >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Phillips kicked a 21-yard field goal
in overtime, as the Utah Utes edged the 15th-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers,
27-24, in a non-conference showdown at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
After Pittsburgh (0-1
Federer, Djokovic move into third round at the Open >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Five-time champion Roger Federer and
third-seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia were among Thursday's second-round
winners at the U.S. Open.
The second-seeded former top-ranked Federer cruised pas
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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