Colts escape the trap

Football Betting Lines

11/14/2006 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It was the classic example of a trap game, and the Colts did just enough to survive it with a 17-16 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

After thrilling road wins over AFC powers Denver and New England, with a visit to NFC playoff contender Dallas on the horizon next week, the Colts could easily have overlooked the struggling Bills. They didn't.

The score may have indicated the opposite, considering how much of a favorite the Colts were at home, but the Bills had a solid game plan and nearly executed it to perfection.

"There are no easy games in this league and every week is tough," said Colts head coach Tony Dungy after the game. "If you're not on your game, it doesn't matter who you play, where you play, you're going to have trouble."

Buffalo tried to control the clock on offense, and while the Colts had a time of possession edge, it wasn't substantial. The Bills tried -- and succeeded -- to take away the deep ball from Peyton Manning, but the explosive Indy offense instead used a strong ground game and short passing attack.

Manning completed only a combined six passes to receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, but tight end Ben Utecht caught seven passes, as did running back Joseph Addai. The rookie from LSU also ran for 78 yards on 13 carries and Dominic Rhodes chipped in 72 on 14 attempts.

Rhodes, though, nearly cost the Colts the game with a costly fumble in the fourth quarter that led to a field goal try. Rian Lindell missed the 41-yard attempt and the Colts held on for the victory.

The only other Indy mistake was costly as well, as a Utecht fumble was returned for Buffalo's only touchdown.

Despite the mistakes, the Colts still prevailed and continued to demonstrate why they are clearly the team to beat in the AFC.

DEFENSE COMES THROUGH AGAIN

Indy's defense had undoubtedly struggled through much of the season, but the unit has been a major factor in the past two wins.

The Colts forced five New England turnovers and surrendered only a pair of second-half field goals in the triumph over the Patriots, then followed it up with their strongest effort of the season against the Bills.

Buffalo may not have the strongest offense, particularly with J.P. Losman at the controls and star running back Willis McGahee hurt, but the Indy defense did not yield a touchdown on Sunday and came up with a huge play in the fourth quarter that may have been the difference.

After the Bills recovered a fumble on the Indy 41 with 8:49 to play, Anthony Thomas ran for 19 and seven yards on consecutive plays to put Buffalo into easy field goal range. The Colts then stuffed Thomas for a two-yard loss, and Dwight Freeney sacked Losman to move the Bills back another six yards, forcing a field goal try of 41 instead of 33 yards or closer.

The result: wide right; Colts run out the remaining 6:22 and pull out another win.

The Colts came up with four sacks on Sunday, after posting a meager 11 through the first eight games, and the 162 yards the Bills accumulated were the fewest for an Indy opponent all year. Also, just 101 of those yards came after Buffalo's first drive.

Indianapolis again played without star safety Bob Sanders, who returned from a five-week absence to play a major role in the victory over New England.

SOUTHERN COMFORT

The Colts are cruising toward another AFC South crown. After finishing second in the first year of the division back in 2002, the Colts have won the title the last three seasons and are in firm command again.

After the Jacksonville Jaguars lost to Houston on Sunday, the Colts extended their division lead to a whopping four games.

Indy, though, is not only the team with a four-game division lead, as the Chicago Bears have the same margin in the NFC North. Chicago is 8-1, while Green Bay and Minnesota are each 4-5.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF 9-0

Indianapolis became the first team in NFL history to start consecutive seasons at 9-0, but this year's undefeated run is much different than last year's.

The Colts were blowing out opponents last season, as only two of their first nine games in 2005 were decided by as few as seven points. The other seven wins came by double-digits.

This year, only two wins have come by more than 10 points. The other seven have been one-possession games -- all seven points or less, including a pair of one-point decisions and two three-point margins.

The close calls could be just what Indianapolis needs for a deep postseason run. Last year, the Colts may not have been "playoff-ready" because of all the blowouts. This year, just the opposite may be true.

UP NEXT

The next test for the league's only unbeaten team comes in Dallas. The Cowboys are coming off an easy win in Arizona and are back in the thick of the NFC East playoff race at 5-4, tied with Philadelphia and just one game behind the New York Giants.

The Colts and Cowboys have played just 13 times previously, with Dallas owning a 7-6 series mark.

One of those meetings came in Super Bowl V, a 16-13 Baltimore Colts win in Miami's Orange Bowl after the 1970 season -- the first year after the AFL merged with the NFL and the Colts were placed in the AFC.

It's been 10 years since the Colts last visited Texas Stadium, earning a 25-24 victory on September 15, 1996 to end a six-game series losing streak. The Colts also captured the two most-recent matchups -- 34-24 in 1999 and 20-3 in 2002 -- both in Indy.

Wwwibetcasino Football Betting News

<< Cardinals fail to rebound after bye
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona had an extra week to rebound, get prepared and come out swinging against a team coming off a disappointing loss two Sundays ago. But instead, it was the same old Cardinals who dropped to 1-8 after a 27-10 loss to t

<< Blue Jackets need a coach who brings the hammer
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets were one of those clubs, along with the Atlantas and Minnesotas of the world, who were expected to improve this season. In many circles expectations were that they would p

<< MISL announces players of the week
Westport, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After the second week of play in the Major Indoor Soccer League, the Detroit Ignition's Sanaldo picked up Goalkeeper of the Week honors after improving to 2-0 in the young season as his squad earned its first

<< Top-ranked Gators to feast on Osprey
Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The nation's top-ranked team will take the court in Gainesville tonight in a non-league tilt against a grossly overmatched North Florida team. North Florida welcomes back two starters from last seas

<< Bobcats, Hornets meet at Ford Center
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats attempt to stop a three-game losing streak this evening when they open a three-game road trip against the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets at the Ford Center. The Bobcats suffered a 108-101 home los

This Week in Auto Racing November 17 - November 19 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both the Nextel Cup and Craftsman Truck Series come to the Homestead-Miami Speedway with a championship up for grabs. NASCAR Nextel Cup Ford 400 - Homestead-Miami Speedway - Homestead, FL Is it

Portland's Miles has surgery, out for season >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portland Trail Blazers forward Darius Miles had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Tuesday. During the surgery, it was discovered that Miles also needed microfracture surgery. The procedure was su

Red Sox win rights to negotiate with Matsuzaka >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox have won negotiating rights to try to sign Japanese star pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. The Red Sox reportedly put in a bid as high as $51.11 million and will now have a period of 30 conse

Gray, Cook lead No. 4 Pittsburgh to rout of Delaware State >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Gray had 17 points and eight rebounds to lead No. 4 Pittsburgh past Delaware State, 67-50, at Petersen Events Center. Mike Cook added 13 points and Levon Kendall and Antonio Graves each chipped

James leads Marquette to easy win over Detroit >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dominic James scored 20 points to lead the 16th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles to an 87-45 stomping of the Detroit Titans in the second round of the College Basketball Experience Classic. Marquette

Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds?
MySportsbook.com favors Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Golden Bears in this weekend's big games.

NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.

Revenge will be the name of the game in Columbus this Saturday, as Ohio State looks to even the score following last season's loss to Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Although Penn State are listed as 16.5 point underdogs, they are 11-10 all-time versus the Buckeyes. Paterno and the Lions, however, will have to shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith who has thrown for 769 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.

Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.

NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
--------------------------------------------------

Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&amp;M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6

For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com