NFL Notes

It will be an interesting NFL weekend with several marquee match-ups, including the Chargers at Denver in a big AFC West showdown, and the Colts at Dallas looking to remain unbeaten. The Colts have gotten the job done each week, despite some deficiencies in their pass rush and run defense. None of which bothers the team.

Their sacks are way done, half as many this season as they had a year ago at this time. But coach Tony Dungy isn’t concerned about it, saying this week that they have gotten pressure on the opposition. Dwight Freeney generated his first full sack of the season last week! Through nine games, the Colts have defended the fewest passes in the league, 237. That's a byproduct of their NFL-worst run defense; the 283 rush attempts they've faced trail only Oakland (299) and Tennessee (285). At this point last year, Indy had 31, more than twice as many as now.

The Colts are 4-0 SU, 3-1 ATS on the road, and 11-1 SU, 9-2-1 ATS their last 12 away games. Dallas is 2-1 SU/ATS at home and 5-3-1 over the total. You can see why Bill Parcells likes mobile QB Tony Romo and his quick release: Romo has 8 TDs, 4 INTs while completing 65% of his passes. By comparison, lead-foot QB Drew Bledsoe has 7 TDs, 8 INTs and just 53% completions.

The Bears had to New York to take on the Jets, the middle of a rough three-game road trip for Chicago. It’s also an interesting mix for those who like to play totals. Chicago is 7-1-1 over the total this season with a more aggressive offense (30 ppg), while the Jets are 7-2 over the total with a poor defense.

It’s well known in Las Vegas that the Carolina Panthers have been sensational the last three years in the role of underdog. The Panthers find themselves a favorite Sunday at home against the Rams. Carolina is 12-18 ATS its last 30 home games and 2-4 ATS as a favorite this season. But the Rams are 8-15 SU, 9-14 ATS their last 23 road games.

After that 0-3 start, the young Houston Texans are showing some life at 3-3 SU, 4-2 ATS the last 6 games. Confidence is also high. After nearly defeating the New York Giants on the road two weeks ago, the Texans traveled to Jacksonville to capture their first road victory since 2004. Now, they return home Sunday against the struggling Buffalo Bills.

"You're seeing guys stepping up and becoming mature enough to handle just about any situation," Houston linebacker Kailee Wong said. "We've got some talented young guys that are up-and-comers, and they're making the team better. Things are working well right now, and we have to build on this momentum. This could be a springboard to something special." Four of the Texans' final seven opponents have losing records. Buffalo (3-6), Oakland (2-7), Tennessee (2-7) and Cleveland (3-6) are below .500.

However, injuries are hurting the Texans in the second half of the season. The players already lost for the season include two starting offensive tackles (Zach Wiegert and Charles Spencer) and two starting defensive tackles (Travis Johnson and Seth Payne). A number of other players are playing through pain.

Oakland still has a pathetic offense, but the young defense is playing well. That combination is why the Raiders are 5-0 UNDER the total the last 5 games. Ever since Brian Billick took over the play-calling duties, Baltimore is 4-0 OVER the total the last four games since opening up the offense.

The Steelers have won 11 of the past 12 games against Cleveland. There was tough talk this week for the Steelers/Browns game. Cleveland wide receiver Braylon Edwards said, "We're coming after their asses. You don't beat somebody, 41-0, at their own house. We're coming for the Steelers, that's point-blank, period." The Steelers are 16-7 SU, 14-9 ATS its last 23 road games.

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