Cutler lame in em-Bear-assing loss
As bad as it was, it’s not as if the Chicago Bears hit rock bottom. But, after another embarrassing performance, it’s obvious Jay Cutler is a quarterback who can lead them there.
It was simply em-Bear-assing for all parties involved — Cutler, the Chicago defense and everyone who foolishly bet on Cutler and the Bears.
“There was support for the Bears,” said Jimmy Vaccaro, oddsmaker at the South Point sports book, “and it didn’t come from the general public.”
Chalk one up for the public, because playing the New England Patriots as 6-point favorites was a smart move. Sometimes, the so-called wiseguys make dumb bets, and Bears backers were wearing dunce caps Sunday after the Patriots rolled to a 51-23 win.
“Being a Bears fan, it is tough to watch,” Sunset Station sports book director Chuck Esposito said. “I’m just really, really surprised.”
It’s not really a surprise when Cutler comes up lame in a loss, but the Bears were almost as bad as the New York Jets, and that’s tough to do.
Whether you wager on NFL games or not, the league produces some ridiculous entertainment each week. Unlike the Bears and Jets, bookmakers emerged on the plus side in Week 8, thanks mostly to a Seattle failure (again) and home-underdog wins by Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
Ben Roethlisberger was ridiculously good, passing for a career-high 522 yards and six touchdowns in the Steelers’ 51-34 victory over Indianapolis, which closed as a 4½-point favorite after the line opened at 3. Chalk that up as a loss for the public.
“We just kept moving it, and they just kept betting it,” Vaccaro said. “If they missed the 3 at the beginning of the week, the wiseguys would never lay the 4 or 4½, that’s for sure. That was the best game of the day for us.”
The Steelers topped the total of 49 — defense was a rumor as the teams combined for 55 points in the first half — and the Colts’ streak of five straight wins and covers was stopped cold.
“The Colts were definitely a side that our guests backed,” said Esposito, adding there were “a lot of nonbelievers” in the Steelers.
Belief in the Bengals was at a low, too. Cincinnati opened as 2½-point favorite and closed as a 3-point ‘dog in a 27-24 victory over Baltimore that was decided by a debatable penalty flag.
It appeared the Ravens had won when Joe Flacco scrambled and hit Steve Smith for an 80-yard touchdown in the final minute. But Smith, who extended his right arm into a Bengals defensive back who already was falling down and not playing the ball, was flagged for offensive interference. It was a weak call, but Cincinnati got the cover, with a big assist from an official.
“I was a little surprised at that line move and how it flip-flopped so dramatically,” Esposito said. “Everybody was backing Baltimore.”
Almost everyone backed the Seahawks, too, but they failed to cover for the third week in a row, this time as 6-point favorites in an uninspiring 13-9 win at Carolina. Russell Wilson saved Seattle from a third straight loss by tossing a 23-yard touchdown pass with 47 seconds left.
The day started early — 6:30 a.m. on the West Coast — with Detroit and Atlanta kicking off the real version of football in London. I stayed up all night, watched the Falcons take a 21-0 halftime lead, and fell asleep. I woke up to the Lions booting a field goal to win 22-21.
“It was a really good crowd that early. We had lines of people waiting to bet that morning game,” Esposito said. “In the majority of the morning games, the guests were on the right side.”
The guests made correct calls on Buffalo, Houston, Kansas City, Miami and New England. The Jets, 3-point favorites, embarrassed themselves again in a 43-23 loss to the Bills.
Jets coach Rex Ryan finally benched Geno Smith, who completed 2 of 8 passes for 5 yards with three interceptions. It has not been confirmed by Elias Sports Bureau, but that had to be the worst stat line for a quarterback in league history.
“I’ve never seen the first eight passes, three are intercepted and the guy’s got 5 yards,” Vaccaro said. “I don’t know what you can say. You can’t defend Ryan or that guy anymore. Everybody was on the Bills.”
It’s almost impossible to defend Cutler and difficult to back the Bears anymore. Cutler coughed up a fumble that was returned for a touchdown and piled up most of his passing numbers in garbage time. The Patriots led 45-7 early in the third quarter after Tom Brady’s fifth touchdown pass, three to tight end Rob Gronkowski.
“From week to week, you think you have some of these teams figured out and it becomes a head-scratcher,” Esposito said. “The Bears’ defense looked really bad, and so did the offense. Gronkowski looked like a varsity kid against the freshman squad.”
To make matters more ridiculous for the Bears, defensive end Lamarr Houston injured his knee while celebrating a meaningless sack in the fourth quarter.
Philadelphia produced a fiasco in the afternoon. The Eagles allowed a 75-yard touchdown pass with 1:21 left and fell 24-20 at Arizona.
In the nightcap in New Orleans, the public pounded the Packers and the wiseguys got it right with the Saints, 2-point favorites who blew it open in the second half to whip Green Bay, 44-23.
“This is a game that can turn the season around for the Saints,” Esposito said.
Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers performed as elite quarterbacks, unlike Cutler and any clown suiting up for the Jets.
Las Vegas Review-Journal sports betting columnist Matt Youmans can be reached at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts “The Las Vegas Sportsline” weekdays at 2 p.m. on ESPN Radio (1100 AM). Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.
