Colts use goal-line stand, lead Saints at halftime
Football Betting Lines
02/07/2010 - Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Super Bowl XLIV has been a tale of two very different quarters, but Indianapolis, vying for a second title in four years, has managed to hold a 10-6 lead at halftime on the New Orleans Saints.
The Colts used a Peyton Manning touchdown pass to cap a 96-yard drive in the opening quarter and then had a goal-line stand to stop the Saints in the final two minutes of the half.
Matt Stover kicked a 38-yard field goal midway through the first quarter, and Manning ended the Super Bowl's record-tying longest drive with a 19-yard scoring toss to Pierre Garcon with 36 seconds remaining in the same period.
The Saints, in the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history, got a 46-yard field goal from Garrett Hartley in the early moments of the second quarter, but were thwarted on a fourth down run from the one with 1:49 left. Hartley split the uprights from 44 yards on the final play.
The Colts dominated the opening quarter, outgaining the Saints in yardage, 154-36. The Saints ran just 10 offensive plays in the period, but the Colts had just six in the second quarter. Indy was outgained 143-15 in the second quarter.
That stanza proved much different, starting with Hartley's 46-yard field goal to end an 11-play, 60-yard march with 9:34 left in the half. Hartley converted the kick after Drew Brees was thrown to the ground on a one-handed sack by the Colts' Dwight Freeney, who started despite an ankle injury.
New Orleans then forced a three-and-out, helped when Garcon dropped a sure first-down catch with plenty of open space.
Brees led the Saints' high-powered offense down the field. He converted a pair of third downs, once with a pass for 13 yards to Marques Colston and another with a 21-yard toss to Lance Moore, moving the ball to the 23. After Devery Henderson lost seven yards on an end-around play, Brees found Colston over the middle for 27 yards, advancing the ball to the three.
But the drive stalled. After a false start penalty, Pierre Thomas ran seven yards to the one, setting up third down. Mike Bell slipped down on a rush to the right; and then on fourth down, Thomas was stuffed on a run to the right.
Following a punt, New Orleans got the ball back at its own 48 with 35 seconds left. Brees threw 19 and six yards to Henderson. Reggie Bush ran for a yard out of bounds with five seconds left, setting up Hartley's kick.
Manning has connected on 10-of-16 throws for 97 yards in the first half with Joseph Addai rushing seven times for 60 yards.
Brees is 16-of-22 for 164 yards through the air with Colston making five grabs for 66 yards.
Stanford, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kayla Pedersen had 18 points and 14 rebounds as second-ranked Stanford crushed USC, 77-39. Nnemkadi Ogwumike had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Jayne Appel added 15 points and 13 rebounds while Rosalyn Gold-Onwude
<< Colts take early lead in Super Bowl
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Peyton Manning capped a 96-yard drive with a 19-
yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon, giving the Indianapolis Colts a 10-0
lead over New Orleans after one quarter of Super Bowl XLIV.
The Colts are off to a great
<< Stricker hangs on to win at Riviera
Pacific Palisades, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After entering the final round with a
six-stroke lead, Steve Stricker managed a one-under 70 Sunday to win the
Northern Trust Open by two strokes.
Stricker, who had led by seven late in the t
<< Chiefs G Waters named Walter Payton Man of the Year
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas City Chiefs guard Brian Waters was
named the 2009 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in a ceremony prior to Super
Bowl XLIV.
Waters, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, is the fifth Chiefs player to w
<< Jernigan helps Xavier down Richmond
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dee Dee Jernigan had 15 points to help
seventh-ranked Xavier down Richmond, 67-55, at the Cintas Center.
Amber Harris had 14 points, Special Hennings added 12 points while Tyeasha
Moss had 11 points and six
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joseph Addai's four-yard touchdown run in the third quarter has helped the Colts grab a tenuous 17-16 lead over New Orleans heading into the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIV. Drew Brees has lit a fire for the Sa
Who Dat? Super Bowl champs! Saints rally to beat Colts >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Who Dat? Those are the Super Bowl champions -
the New Orleans Saints - for the first time in the history of a franchise and
city that has witnessed its share of tough times.
Drew Brees connected with Jeremy Shock
Bellucci beats Monaco in Chile final >>
Santiago, Chile (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci defeated
Argentina's Juan Monaco to win the $450,000 Movistar Open tennis event on
Sunday.
The third-seeded Bellucci downed the second-seeded Monaco 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 in
just over two
Line of Scrimmage: Saints' Night, Manning's Nightmare >>
Miami Gardens, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Raise your umbrella and your Hurricane
glass to the New Orleans Saints, who are Super Bowl XLIV champions because
they were flat-out better than the Colts in an incredible, exhilarating upset
victory that ca
Brees brings home MVP to the Big Easy >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In a city that has struggled in both the world of
sports and in day-to-day life, Drew Brees has brought a smile to the faces of
the New Orleans residents.
The party will be rocking for the next few days in the B
NFL Football Betting
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.