NFL odds and spread: Steelers vs. Lions, Raiders vs. Giants

We continue our preview of the odds and point spread on the Week 5 NFL games with the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders vs. NY Giants match-ups this Sunday. Good odds and spreads, along with inconsistent performance by all teams are sure to win some wise bettors serious cash on these two football games. The always-struggling Detroit Lions (1-3) will welcome the almost-equally troubled Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) and the latter should be really pumped up following the home victory against the Chargers last week, while the expert consensus is that the Lions are headed towards yet another disappointment and we have the odds and spread to prove it. The situation with the betting numbers is even worse for the Oakland Raiders (1-3), who will face off the only stable team in the bunch, the New York Giants (4-0), who according to the odds makers, will have absolutely no trouble ending Week 5 with perfect record.

So lets look at the point spread and odds on these two NFL games, starting with the betting numbers on the Steelers Lions football game at the sports betting site Bookmaker. The Steelers are naturally a big odds-on favorite with the whopping -525 money line to win the Sunday football game (i.e. you have to bet $525 to win just $100), while the Lions are underdog with odds +425. The Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Detroit Lions point spread is posted by the sportsbook as -10.5 points chalk the Steelers and the total expected in the game is set at 44 points. But keep in mind that Pittsburgh is 1-4 against the spread in its last 5 games on the road and the Detroit Lions are 4-1 against the spread in their last 5 games when playing the Pittsburgh Steelers. On Sunday the Steelers will play without running back Willie Parker and safety Troy Polamalu remains questionable, along with tight end David Johnson. In Detroit, defensive tackle Sammie Lee Hill and defensive end Dewayne White are out for Week 5, while another defensive end, Cliff Avril, and quarterback Matthew Stafford remain questionable for the game against the Steelers.

Of to the next game with big spread and odds numbers, the match-up between the Oakland Raiders and the NY Giants. If you though the Lions are big underdog, wait till you see the line on the Raiders posted by Bookmaker. The NY Giants are of course the favorite to win this Week 5 NFL game with odds -1200, while the line on the Raiders is at the whopping +800 on a surprise upset. The Oakland Raiders vs. NY Giants point spread is currently at -15 points chalk the Giants with the total posted by the bookie at 37.5 points. If you are considering betting on this game, keep in mind that Oakland is 4-2 against the spread in its last 6 games and the total has gone UNDER in 4 of the NY Giants last 5 games when playing Oakland. To make matters worse, Oakland will play without running backs Darren McFadden and Oren O'Neal, plus wide receivers Nick Miller and Chaz Schilens. At the Giants, quarterback Eli Manning remains questionable with foot injury, along with running back Danny Ware and out for Week 5 are linebackers Michael Boley and Bryan Kehl, defensive tackle Chris Canty and cornerback Aaron Ross.

Published on 10/10/2009