With rain in the forecast look for the field conditions to once again be soggy across the pond. Play the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints under the total in London.
Last year when the Giants and Dolphins met at Wembley Stadium in London, the field conditions could not have been worse. Wembley was built for soccer, not professional football. The description of last year’s game was “a mud-caked slog through the unfriendly pitch at torn-up Wembley Stadium.”
[articleBanner]who2beton[/articleBanner]Dolphins kicker Jay Feely said, "The field was like ice." Both teams were jet-lagged and inconvenienced traveling overseas. It was not pretty football. We should expect more of the same in 2008.
If you’ve ever been to London in the Fall, you know already that it rains almost every day. The lookahead forecast for London on Sunday shows a likelihood of rain falling throughout the game, leaving the field in ‘quagmire’ conditions once again.
Yes, the Saints and Chargers both have explosive, high powered offenses. But let’s not forget that these two offenses combined to produce just 21 points in good conditions this past weekend. And each team’s defense has exceeded expectations in recent weeks as well. After a streak of five consecutive Overs to open the season, the Saints have now gone Under the total in each of the last two weeks, with the Chargers riding a three-game Under streak of their own.
In a game where staying healthy in ugly conditions is likely to be every bit as important as winning, look for both coaches to utilize conservative gameplans, leading to another low scoring affair. Take the Under.
Free Pick: Chargers-Saints Under 45½ (-110)