49ers edge Buffalo; Edwards hurt

Football Betting Lines

11/30/2008 - Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shaun Hill threw the only touchdown of the game in the first quarter and the San Francisco 49ers left Buffalo with a 10-3 victory.

Isaac Bruce had five catches for 67 yards and the score while Hill went 14- for-23 with 161 yards for the 49ers (4-8), who won for the second time in the past three games. Frank Gore had 66 yards on 24 carries and added three catches for 23 yards in the win.

"It's great to beat a good team," Hill said. "Buffalo is a good team. We've been in ball games with good teams this year, but for whatever reason jut weren't able to come away with wins. Obviously this one was big for us to be able to come out of here with a victory. We were really hungry for this win."

The victory means that Arizona will have to wait at least another week before clinching the NFC West as the Cardinals lost to Philadelphia on Thanksgiving to drop to 7-5 on the season. If Arizona wins any of its final four games, it clinches the division.

Trent Edwards went 10-for-21 with 112 yards, but was on the sidelines for the entire second half with a groin strain. J.P. Losman took over under center in the second half and went 11-for-17 with 93 yards while Marshawn Lynch had 16 carries for 134 yards for the Bills (6-6), who have gone 2-6 after opening the season with four straight wins.

"I think it's pretty clear that the story of this game is the red zone," Bills head coach Dick Jauron said. "We did not convert. If we had, we would have given ourselves a real good opportunity to win a football game, but that wasn't the case."

Buffalo was trailing after the first half and, after an exchange of punts, cut into its deficit.

On the first play of the drive, Lynch busted through the line for a 50-yard run to get the ball to the San Francisco nine-yard-line. However, the Bills were unable to punch the ball into the end zone and Rian Lindell's 22-yard field goal made it a 10-3 game with 8:54 left in the third.

San Francisco drove into Buffalo territory on its next touch, but Gore fumbled the ball and Buffalo recovered at its own 18.

The Bills went on a lengthy drive that spanned the third and fourth quarters -- and faced with 4th-and-2 at the seven-yard-line -- opted to go for it with Losman's pass to Lee Evans falling incomplete to turn the ball over.

"It's really hard to put your finger on one thing," Evans said. When you get down (in the red zone), you have to have a certain attitude. You have to be able to get it in the end zone. We really didn't have a whole lot of balance, and it cost us."

San Fran had to punt the ball, though, and Buffalo got a 26-yard return from Roscoe Parrish. Coupled with an unnecessary roughness call on the 49ers, the Bills started with the ball at the 49ers 25.

However, the team was unable to move the ball and Lindell attempted a 40-yard field goal, but for the second time in the game, his attempt hit off the left upright with about 5 1/2 minutes to play.

"It was going to come down to the defense," 49ers head coach Mike Singletary said. "It was going to come down to trying to keep them out of the end zone, particularly in the red zone defense. To be able to do it, they're a good team in the red zone, and we did a good job. So, I'm excited about what our defense was able to do."

The Bills defense eventually stopped the 49ers and got the ball back right after the two-minute warning, but they were unable to move the ball and the 49ers escaped with the win.

"It gives us confidence," Singletary said of the win. "These guys are working hard. They're trying to do all the things that we're asking them to do. When you stay together and work together and fight together and win together, it's something that's very, very rewarding."

The 49ers started the game with the ball and marched down the field to take the early lead. A healthy mix of runs and passes, including an 18-yard pass to Bruce on 3rd-and-10, got the 49ers to a 1st-and-goal. On second down, Hill and Bruce hooked up on a 12-yard score for a 7-0 lead with 6:51 left in the first.

Buffalo had to punt on its first possession of the game, but got into scoring position on its second touch with a drive that spanned the first and second quarters. Lindell lined up for a 20-yard field goal, but the snap was high and he hit it off the left upright with a bit over seven minutes left in the first half.

With time winding down in the first half, Lynch fumbled the ball in his own territory and San Francisco recovered at the Buffalo 41. The team was only able to move the ball nine yards, but Joe Nedney nailed a 50-yard field goal with 11 ticks left on the clock and San Francisco took a 10-0 lead into the locker room.

Game Notes

Buffalo hosts Miami next Sunday...San Francisco next hosts the Jets also on Sunday...Bruce's TD was the 90th of his career...Lindell had made 53 consecutive field goals from inside the 40-yard line before the miss in the first half...Evans had seven catches for 80 yards...Each team had three sacks in the game...Buffalo starting strong safety Donte Whitner was inactive for the game with a separated shoulder.

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

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