Betting Recap: Texans, Saints Cover
(The Spread) – It was a causal bettor’s dream scenario on Saturday as both favorites and both overs covered in the opening day of Wildcard Weekend for the 2012 NFL Playoffs.
In the first matchup, Arian Foster ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries as the Houston Texans beat the Cincinnati Bengals 31-10 to notch their first postseason win in franchise history. Andy Dalton was intercepted three times and sacked four times, including once by rookie J.J. Watt, who also intercepted a pass right before halftime and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown.
The Texans opened as 3-point favorites but the line eventually moved to 3.5 and then 4 by Friday, so obviously they covered. And while the combined score looked like it would fall under the total of 38, Foster’s 42-yard touchdown run with 5:15 left in the game pushed the number over.
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In the late game on Saturday night, the New Orleans Saints erased a 14-10 halftime deficit to cruise to a 45-28 victory over the Detroit Lions. Drew Brees threw for a whopping 466 yards and three touchdowns as the Saints scored 35 second-half points. Try as Matthew Stafford (380 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs) and Calvin Johnson (12 receptions, 211 yards, 2 TDs) did, Detroit’s defense was clearly overmatched by New Orleans’ explosive offense, which didn’t have to punt once on the night.
For most of the game, it appeared as though the Lions would cover the 10.5-point spread. But the Saints poured it on late in the fourth quarter and covered by 6.5 points. The over 59 hit when Johnson caught a 12-yard touchdown pass with 4:40 left to go in the game, although the Saints added a Pierre Thomas 1-yard run with 3:36 remaining just for good measure.
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