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09/14/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The rebirth of the San Francisco 49ers as a major player on the NFL scene could take place Sunday in the Gateway City, as Mike Nolan's club seeks to move to 2-0 with a win over the St. Louis Rams.
The 49ers have a chance to get to 2-0 for the first time since 1998, when they finished 12-4 under head coach Steve Mariucci, and can also announce their strength to the rest of the NFC West for a second consecutive week.
On Monday, San Francisco outlasted Arizona in a hard-hitting 20-17 affair which the Niners pulled out on a one-yard run by wideout Arnaz Battle in the game's waning seconds. The win moved Nolan and company into a tie with Seattle (at Arizona on Sunday) atop the division as Week 2 begins.
Kickoff weekend did not go nearly as well for the Rams, who dropped a lackluster 27-13 affair to the Panthers at home and also lost perhaps their best player. Perennial Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Pace was knocked out for the season with a torn labrum and rotator cuff suffered against Carolina, an injury that robs Scott Linehan's squad of one its most vital offensive cogs.
Former first-round draft choice Alex Barron will have the major job of filling Pace's shoes this week, and the offensive guru Linehan will be in charge of finding ways to mitigate the All-Pro's absence.
The Rams have not lost home games on the first two weeks of the season since 1998, when they fell to the Saints (24-17) and Vikings (38-31) en route to a 4-12 campaign.
SERIES HISTORY
The Rams hold a 59-53-2 edge in their regular season series with the 49ers, and snapped a three-game losing streak in the series with a 20-17 home victory in Week 12 of last year. San Francisco won the first meeting between the two last season, taking a 20-13 home decision in Week 2. The Niners swept a home- and-home against their division rival in 2005, including a 24-20 triumph at the Edward Jones Dome.
In addition to the regular season series, the teams have met once in the postseason, with San Francisco earning a 30-3 home triumph over the then-Los Angeles Rams in the 1989 NFC Championship.
Nolan is 3-1 against St. Louis in his career, while the Rams' Linehan is 1-1 against both Nolan and the 49ers as a head coach.
WHEN THE 49ERS HAVE THE BALL
The Niners didn't run up and down the field against the Cardinals in Week 1, but did hit on enough big plays to keep the team in position for the win. Quarterback Alex Smith completed 15-of-31 passes for 126 yards in the contest, with a large selection of his biggest plays coming on the team's decisive final drive. Smith's favorite target was Battle, who caught a game-high five balls for 60 yards in addition to his winning touchdown run. Fellow wideout Darrell Jackson, making his first start with San Francisco after coming over from Seattle in a Draft day trade, contributed four catches for 36 yards. The team would like to get former first-round pick and tight end Vernon Davis, who managed just two grabs totaling four yards, more involved. In the running game, Frank Gore had 76 yards and a touchdown on 19 total touches in his first game after missing the entire preseason with a broken hand. The San Francisco o-line allowed three sacks on the night.
The Rams received high marks for their defensive changes in the offseason, but those alterations had precious little impact in Week 1 against Carolina. The Panthers ran at will, piling up 186 yards on 28 carries, a 4.9 average per rush. They also made significant gains in the passing game, with Jake Delhomme throwing three touchdowns without an interception, including one to 100-yard receiver Steve Smith. The Rams also didn't come up with a sack all day, a situation that ends Leonard Little (5 tackles) and James Hall (5 tackles) will look to avoid against San Francisco. On the positive side for St. Louis, linebackers Will Witherspoon and Brandon Chillar both came up with fumble recoveries a week ago. In the secondary, O.J. Atogwe logged a game-high 10 tackles, and fellow safety Corey Chavous (7 tackles) forced a fumble.
WHEN THE RAMS HAVE THE BALL
The absence of Pace had a profound effect on a St. Louis offense that didn't put together a drive of any significant length after the former No. 1 overall draft pick exited the game. Pro Bowl running back Steven Jackson had a poor day overall, carrying 18 times for 58 yards and losing a pair of fumbles in the loss. Wideouts Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce combined for just eight catches and 93 yards in the defeat, and Holt scored the Rams' only touchdown of the day in the first quarter when Pace was still protecting Marc Bulger's blind side. Bulger finished 22-of-42 for 167 yards and a touchdown and was sacked once. Like San Francisco, St. Louis would like to see more production from its tight end. Ex-Dolphin Randy McMichael had just two catches for 24 yards in his first game as a Ram last week. St. Louis wideout Drew Bennett, who missed Week 1 with a thigh problem, should be in the lineup on Sunday.
Bulger, Jackson, and company will see a much different defense than the one they worked against last year. Starters like cornerback Nate Clements, strong safety Michael Lewis, and inside linebacker Patrick Willis have been added to a group that allowed the most points in the league in 2006, and initial returns on their presence are all positive. The re-tooled secondary held Cardinals star receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin to a combined seven catches for 42 yards on Monday night, while the rookie Willis posted a game-high 11 tackles in his first meaningful action as a pro. That said, there are some offensive strides to be made against a San Francisco defense that allowed 161 yards on the ground in Week 1, and also managed just one sack of Arizona's Matt Leinart.
FANTASY FOCUS
Fantasy managers owning Steven Jackson and/or Marc Bulger were disappointed last week, as neither Ram hit his projected total. Both are due for bounce- back days and are solid plays, as are the always productive Torry Holt and kicker Jeff Wilkins. Tight end Randy McMichael might still be a "wait and see" proposition. On the San Francisco side, Gore is the only first-rate fantasy player, and some managers might take a flier on Battle this week after a productive night against Arizona. Neither of these defenses is of starting quality at this stage.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
The 49ers remain a sexy pick to rise up the NFC West and make the playoffs, though anyone that watched their performance against the Cardinals knows they were very fortunate to come away with a win in Week 1. This team is not yet in midseason form, thanks in large part to all the new faces, and how Nolan's team will play on a short week that follows a physical contest remains to be seen. For the Rams, the loss of Pace will have season-long consequences, but the team does have enough talent to win some games, especially before the home fans. Look for Bulger and Jackson to play well, for the defense to make a couple of plays against Smith and Gore, and for both clubs to end the day at 1-1.
Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Rams 24, 49ers 17
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MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect
LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.
Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.
Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.
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NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
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