Who made the biggest impressions? Six NFL teams going 'up' or 'down' heading into Week 6

Back in May, Cantor Gaming released point spreads for every NFL game this season. And every week, the LVH SuperBook releases look-ahead lines for one week ahead.

Using both of those point spreads and comparing them to the actual Week 5 numbers currently available at YouWager, we can come up with a rough answer to the question, “Which NFL teams made the biggest impressions in Week 5?”

GOING UP

Minnesota Vikings | Do the Vikings have the most underrated defense in the NFL? First-year coordinator Alan Williams—a former Tony Dungy assistant—has opted to maximize the team’s depth by rotating interior linemen, resulting in a unit that ranks second in the NFL in yards allowed per play (4.5). Minnesota was a 4-point underdog at Washington before the season started, but you can bet the spread won’t be that high when it’s released after we hear Robert Griffin III’s status.
Indianapolis Colts | If pass rushers Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis ever get fully healthy, this team could actually make a run at the playoffs. Andrew Luck-to-Reggie Wayne has suddenly developed into one of the most dynamic combos in the league, and the schedule is silky soft over the next few games. That starts with a road trip to the Jets as 3-point underdogs, a much more hopeful line than the +7.5 offered before the season started.
Seattle Seahawks | We’ve written before about Seattle’s imposing home-field advantage, but over the past 10 years the Seahawks have a +430 point differential at home and a -361 differential on the road. Last week, they proved they could win on the road with a sneaky-good victory at Carolina. This week, they’re only 3.5-point home underdogs to New England, a line that was at 4 last week and 6 before the season.

GOING DOWN

Buffalo Bills | Mario Williams, the team’s 100 million dollar man, has only 1.5 sacks, and now general manager Buddy Nix is ripping the entire defense after it gave up at least 45 points for the third time in five games. This week, the Bills are 4.5-point underdogs at Arizona, a line that was at only 2.5 in the preseason. At least they won’t have to worry about the East-to-West travel, though, as they’re staying in Phoenix this entire week.
Cincinnati Bengals | For the first time in the Andy Dalton era, the Bengals lost to a team that (probably) won’t make the playoffs. Cincinnati’s home loss to the Dolphins forces them into pretty much a “must-win” game at Cleveland this weekend with matchups against Pittsburgh, Denver and the Giants all looming. Early bettors aren’t that high on the Bengals, though, moving them from 2.5-point road favorites to (currently) -1.
Baltimore Ravens | This one’s a little strange, because the Ravens are still regarded as one of the Top 5 teams in the NFL. But Baltimore was a 5.5-point home favorite over the Cowboys before the season started, moved to -4.5 in last week’s look-ahead lines, and is now at only -3.5. Why the move? Well, the Ravens looked fairly mediocre in a 9-6 win at Kansas City, but this probably is more a reflection of how much bettors love Dallas, especially coming off a bye week.

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Note: “Early line” refers to Cantor Gaming’s spreads released back in May. “Look-ahead line” refers to the LVH SuperBook’s spreads released last week, and “Current line” is what’s available right now at YouWager.

STEELERS AT TITANS

Early line: Pittsburgh -1.5
Look-ahead line: Pittsburgh -4
Current line: Pittsburgh -5.5

BENGALS AT BROWNS

Early line: Cincinnati -2
Look-ahead line: Cincinnati -2.5
Current line: Cincinnati -1

COLTS AT JETS

Early line: New York -7.5
Look-ahead line: New York -4
Current line: New York -3

CHIEFS AT BUCCANEERS

Early line: Pick ‘em
Look-ahead line: Tampa Bay -3.5
Current line: Tampa Bay -3.5

RAIDERS AT FALCONS

Early line: Atlanta -6.5
Look-ahead line: Atlanta -9
Current line: Atlanta -8.5

COWBOYS AT RAVENS

Early line: Baltimore -5.5
Look-ahead line: Baltimore -4.5
Current line: Baltimore -3.5

LIONS AT EAGLES

Early line: Philadelphia -4.5
Look-ahead line: Philadelphia -6
Current line: Philadelphia -4.5

RAMS AT DOLPHINS

Early line: Miami -4.5
Look-ahead line: Miami -3.5
Current line: Miami -3.5

PATRIOTS AT SEAHAWKS

Early line: New England -6
Look-ahead line: New England -4
Current line: New England -3.5

BILLS AT CARDINALS

Early line: Arizona -2.5
Look-ahead line: Arizona -4
Current line: Arizona -4.5

VIKINGS AT REDSKINS

Early line: Washington -4
Look-ahead line: Washington -2
Current line: OFF

GIANTS AT 49ERS

Early line: San Francisco -3
Look-ahead line: San Francisco -5.5
Current line: San Francisco -5

PACKERS AT TEXANS

Early line: Green Bay -1.5
Look-ahead line: Houston -3.5
Current line: Houston -3.5

BRONCOS AT CHARGERS

Early line: San Diego -2.5
Look-ahead line: San Diego -2.5
Current line: San Diego -1.5

Who made the biggest impressions? Six NFL teams going ‘up’ or ‘down’ heading into Week 6