Buffalo is far from the most affluent market in the NFL, so the decision to play a home game each year in Toronto is understandable.  But it seems odd that the Bills would give up home games against divisional rivals like the Jets and (last year) the Dolphins.  It also seems odd that they would give up the advantage of a Thursday night home game, which is a simply awful scheduling situation for the visitor.  The Jets Thursday night win featured a pretty unique statistical oddity of both teams averaging more per run attempt than they did per pass attempt.  The Jets went for 5.8 yards per rush and 4.8 yards per pass.  The Bills ran for 5.1 yards per rush attempt but an anemic 3.1 yards per pass attempt.

Even in big road years, which this has become in the NFL, favorites usually do pretty well in the concluding quarter of the season against the pointspread.   Not that you should be playing every home team, but just something to keep in mind.  

NFL parlay betting has been a qualified success in Delaware, with the state taking in over $800,000 thus far, which is in excess of the $500,000 projected.   But the casino operator who built a large sportsbook based on the expectation of lucrative single game betting is not recouping the hefty investment made.  The NFL team up the road, the Philadelphia Eagles, takes on the Atlanta Falcons Sunday.  We’ve written a lot about how a team’s mental state means a lot down the stretch in the NFL, but injuries matter, as well.  Both of these teams are beat up, with the Falcons missing QB Matt Ryan.  Amazingly, Atlanta’s only starter last season to miss any time with injury was then-rookie offensive tackle Sam Baker.   This season the team has suffered 11 major injuries.  If you’re looking for a difference between this season and last, there it is for you.   And with the lengthy injury lists all over the league, that proposed 18-game schedule looks pretty daunting this time of year, doesn’t it?

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