I don’t pay much attention to betting lines, for two reasons: (1) I enjoy football without that pop that comes from putting my money at risk; and (2) over the long haul, the house always wins.
This week, however, I noticed something strange. At a time when the AFC West has been scrubbing its toilets with the jerseys of teams from the NFC East, a pair of NFC teams with one win each are double-digit favorites over AFC teams.
In St. Louis, where the 1-3 Rams were blown out by the 49ers four days after being blown out in Dallas by the Cowboys, the Jags are more than 10-point underdogs. Which says more about the Jaguars than it does about the Rams.
In Atlanta, where the Falcons somehow have lost three of four a year after losing three of 16, the 2-2 Jets roll into town with a team on which Atlanta will be able to build a lead -- and hold a lead. For that reason, the Falcons are favorites in the range of 10 points.
Both of these Week Five oddities are merely appetizers for next Sunday’s 30-plus-point spread in Denver, when the currently best team in the NFL by far host the currently worst team in the NFL, by far.