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The NFL is a league of parity, and across the board the talent level is relatively equal. “On any given Sunday” is a phrase that has merit because there is enough skill and talent on every team to win against any opponent on a given day. No doubt some teams like St. Louis (0-4) and Detroit (0-4) are playing as poorly as their statistical profiles warrant. Both teams have also destroyed their betting backers thus far going 0-4 Against-the-Spread (ATS).  But Cincinnati’s near miss overtime loss at the NY Giants and close contest at Dallas combined with winless Kansas City’s victory over Denver as a 9.5-point underdog proves that even the biggest and ugliest ‘Dogs can have their day with good effort and execution against top-level teams.

Cincinnati (0-5) is still winless, yet after opening with a pair of losses the Bengals were competitive in defeat and cashed ATS playing two of the NFL’s best teams on the road at the NY Giants (+13) and Dallas (+16). The Bengals have actually been a 1-point favorite in their three other contests, and the loss of quarterback Carson Palmer for the Browns game clearly hurt their chances for victory. Houston (0-4) is the other winless team, and the Texans literally gave away a certain victory last Sunday with a 27-10 lead in the final five minutes. The 31-27 Colts win had most Texans betting backers (+3 or +4 late) wanting to ring QB Sage Rosenfel’s neck. The Texans have had to battle the tough travel schedule and also deal with the devastation of Hurricane Ike to the Houston area. Houston has played two strong, physical defensive teams in Pittsburgh and Tennessee that also like to pound the ball on the ground offensively. Their two other opponents usually feature strong stop units, but both Indianapolis and Jacksonville are down defensively this season while also struggling with injuries. Looking at Houston’s remaining schedule, it doesn’t appear the Texans will ever be a double-digit underdog this season. Yet they must shore up a run defense that allows 140 rushing ypg and stop turning the ball over. Houston is tied with Detroit for the leagues worst turnover differential (–6), and the Texans have three turnovers in three games this season, and two in the other contest versus the Titans.

If you look at the NFL betting card this week, you’ll notice there are two big underdogs; Detroit (+14) at Minnesota and St. Louis (+13.5) at Washington. Statistically, you really can’t make much of a case for the Lions or Rams this week, as they rank as the bottom two defensive teams in the league. However, double-digit favorites have fared poorly this season, going 0-7 ATS, although Carolina did close as a 10-point favorite in some places last week and they crushed the Chiefs 34-0. The Rams have been a 9 or 9.5-point underdog in all four contests this season, and have lost each game by at least 17 points with three losses by 24 or more.

Detroit has allowed a league worst 429 yards-per-game (ypg), 6.7 yards-per-play (ypp) and minus (-6) in turnover differential. They are tied with the Rams for the fewest turnovers forced (2). They have been equally inept against both the run and pass. The Lions allow 180 ypg rushing at 5.0 yards-per-rush (ypr). Detroit has allowed an incredible league-high 11 runs of 20 yards or more. Needless to say, facing the Vikings and Adrian Peterson in Minneapolis this week doesn’t look too promising. The pass defense is just as poor, allowing a league high 9.4 yards-per-pass-play (yppp), over 67% completions and 249 passing ypg. Detroit has only registered four sacks this season, ahead of only the Chiefs and Bengals with three each. The Lions have not played too tough a schedule yet either in losing both home games against division opponents Green Bay and Chicago while losing badly on the road at San Francisco and Atlanta.

Remember, Detroit ended last season on a 1-7 straight-up run. That makes them 1-11 since the second half of last season, and despite the horrific defensive performance, the Lions offense has been a major disappointment also while ranking no. 26 in the NFL. Detroit is no. 31 in rushing offense, averaging just 72 ypg on the ground and just 4.6 yards-per-play overall. Of course, the Lions have faced big deficits early in each of their four games and have led for a grand total of 2 minutes and 24 seconds this year. What the heck was this Detroit team doing during their bye week? With two weeks to prepare for division rival Chicago, the Lions managed just 185 yards total offense. They went three-and-out on their first three possessions and were only 2-13 on third down conversions. They were whipped soundly and embarrassed at home by the Bears, 34-7. Nobody, not the players, coach Rod Marinelli or new offensive coordinator Jim Colletto has been able to adequately explain the offensive woes. Against the Bears, the Lions opened in their regular two-receiver set then took their best player, Calvin Johnson, out on the second play. The next series, they came out with three receivers and tried the no-huddle offense they installed three weeks ago after not working on it once during training camp. For much of the game, they looked unprepared and struggled with miscommunications. The Lions do have three rookie starters (right tackle Gosder Cherilus, running back Kevin Smith and fullback Jerome Felton) and a fourth player (right guard Manny Ramirez) making essentially his NFL debut. Coach Marinelli said the no-huddle was a no-brainer not to do, and the Lions will “pull back” on their scheme this week against Minnesota.

Perhaps betting against this Lions team is a no-brainer. However, check back tomorrow for more NFL winless team notes and a look at how the big NFL underdogs have fared long-term Against-the-Spread.