Giants, Raiders among few constants in odd start

With due credit given to the "Seinfeld" gang, the NFL has come out of the starting gate and thrust us all into a "Bizarro World."

Black is white, up is down, the Detroit Lions won a game, the Denver Broncos are 3-0, the Cincinnati Bengals could be unbeaten, people almost have given up on the New England Patriots, the Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers are 0-3, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have lost two in a row.

Get the drift?

Thankfully, to ensure the world isn't spinning out of control, the New York Giants again are a force, and the Oakland Raiders remain a five-alarm fire.

Today's game of the day features a pair of unbeatens as the New York Jets pay the New Orleans Saints a visit. The Saints were hammered at the betting windows last week, and that trend continued heading into Week 4. Support for the Saints has driven the line onto a key number. New Orleans is a 7-point favorite, and the total is 451/2.

The Jets are getting steady play from rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez, but their defense has been more than impressive. We immediately think of offense when the Saints are the topic, but their defensive unit was stout last week and seems to be improving under respected coordinator Gregg Williams' guidance.

But Jets coach Rex Ryan's defense has caught the eye of Las Vegas Sports Consultants oddsmaker Ken White, who sees value with the underdog.

"Getting a touchdown with the better defense is hard to ignore," White said. "I made the number a little lower solely based on the Jets' defense, which looks built to be excellent throughout the year. They have everything it takes -- speed and size and the willingness to fly around to the ball."

For the second straight week, money has surfaced against the Patriots, who are 2-point home favorites over Baltimore. This time it would appear that it's a play on the Ravens, who have gotten out to an impressive 3-0 start.

LVSC's Mike Seba said he thinks New England minus-3 is the right number.

"The Patriots know how to win games they need to win at home. They want to keep pace with the Jets in the division, but this may mean a lot at the end of the year with tiebreakers, which cost the Patriots a berth in the playoffs last year," Seba said. "As for the Ravens, they're a more balanced team. Being a year older on defense isn't a good thing, but (quarterback) Joe Flacco's added experience and confidence can offset that."

The Dallas Cowboys are 3-point favorites at Denver in an intriguing matchup. New Broncos coach Josh McDaniels almost was being burned in effigy after Jay Cutler's controversial summer departure. Now, some Denver fans want to throw a parade for McDaniels.

Don't name a grand marshal just yet, LVSC's Tony Sinisi said.

"The Broncos have beaten the Bengals, Browns and Raiders. Ouch, ouch and ouch," Sinisi said. "I'm not a believer."

Is Denver a contender? Time will tell, but Seba said the Broncos will be underdogs in 10 of their next 12 games.

In the interest of full disclosure, Las Vegas Hilton sports book director Jay Kornegay is a Denver fan. He's more than happy to hear the naysayers take shots at his beloved Broncos.

"It's like a non-BCS team in college football. Teams get poked at for not playing the big boys, but when they do get the chance and win, it's because the big school didn't get up to play them," Kornegay said. "Before the season, no one thought Denver would win five games."

Tonight's game features two of the preseason picks to likely represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, as the San Diego Chargers face the Steelers, who are 61/2-point favorites. Both teams have been less than spectacular.

The Chargers are dealing with key injuries and are vulnerable on defense. San Diego running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who missed the past two games with an ankle injury, is listed as probable.

The Steelers, off back-to-back losses, can be counted on to give their best effort. If they flop again and drop to 1-3, that truly would be bizarre.

Brian Blessing, project manager for Las Vegas Sports Consultants, can be reached at bblessing@lvsc.com. Listen to the LVSC oddsmakers on "Sportsbook Radio," weekdays at 3 p.m. on ESPN Radio (1100 AM) and Sirius 98.