Thrilling shootout in opener bound to buoy books

It was a shot of 5-hour Energy with a Red Bull chaser. Aaron Rodgers racked up three touchdown passes in the first quarter, and from there it was a high-speed chase.

What are the odds the last game of this NFL season will be as entertaining as the first?

It's going to be tough to top the aerial circus staged by Rodgers and Drew Brees on Thursday night at Lambeau Field, where the only tired act on display was Kid Rock.

Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers held off the New Orleans Saints 42-34, and this was why everyone was so desperate for the lockout to end. It's the type of game, between the past two Super Bowl champions, that boosts the football betting business. The wagering handle was strong for the opener, and it's about to go on steroids.

"A game like this can only get people more excited about football," Las Vegas Hilton sports book director Jay Kornegay said.

Rodgers was unstoppable early, putting up video-game numbers and making a mockery of his proposition totals -- 279.5 passing yards and 1.5 touchdown passes -- by halftime.

But, much like Hurricane Irene a few weeks ago, the blowout that was threatened never happened. That was because Brees brought the Saints back and took the outcome down to the final play.

Brees finished with 419 yards passing and three touchdowns when he needed 420 and four. The Green Bay defensive front torpedoed New Orleans running back Mark Ingram at the goal line to end the game.

Maybe the Saints should have thrown the ball from the 1-yard line instead. With 3:02 remaining in the third quarter, and facing a fourth-and-1 at the Green Bay 7, the New Orleans offense abandoned the run as Brees was pressured into a hopeless incompletion.

Saints coach Sean Payton will be second-guessed for two plays, as will those who bet the game under the total of 48. That ticket basically was turned into trash when the Packers led 28-17 at intermission.

It was assumed the betting public would pound the Packers and over the total, and that was the most common parlay, but the result was not a lopsided loss for all books. Green Bay closed as a 4.5- to 5-point favorite.

"There was more support for the Saints than we expected," Kornegay said. "Surprisingly, it wasn't a big decision because we anticipated more Packers money to show up with the 'over' money. We were pleasantly surprised with a lot of Saints money to balance it out."

The show had more stars than Rodgers and Brees. There were special-teams touchdowns on both sides -- Darren Sproles is exactly what the Saints needed to replace Reggie Bush. The only thing missing was defense, but the Packers found it when they needed it most.

"It has become a huge passing league," Kornegay said, "and there are some very talented quarterbacks who can tear apart defenses."

Excluded from that group are Kerry Collins and Curtis Painter, the unworthy candidates to replace Peyton Manning, who will be out at least two months after another neck surgery.

So the race is over for the Indianapolis Colts before they get out of the starting gate.

Jimmy Vaccaro, director of operations for Lucky's sports books, adjusted the Colts' odds to win the Super Bowl from 15-1 to 50-1 after Manning's neck news broke. The Colts are 8.5- to 9-point underdogs at Houston on Sunday.

"I was right on the money on this one. Sometimes I'm right, and sometimes I'm wrong. But I said a month ago in this game, without Manning, you could see a 9- or 10-point adjustment," Vaccaro said. "It's the biggest adjustment I've ever seen.

"But if the Colts win, I don't want to hear people on Monday say, 'Hey, those morons don't know what they're doing.' Nobody is clamoring to take the 9 now."

The season opener, in terms of quarterback play, was a thing of beauty. But the Colts, without Manning, are ugly underdogs.

■ CLOSING NUMBERS -- If you're looking for a good spot to watch college football on Saturday, the Hilton is hosting a viewing party in its theater, which in the past was open only for NFL Sundays. The theater also will be open Sept. 17, Oct. 1 and 29, and Nov. 5.

Not counting the refund on Michigan, I went 3-2 last week. Here are five plays for Saturday (home team in CAPS):

COLORADO (+6.5) over California; Texas Christian (-1) over AIR FORCE; TEXAS (-7) over Brigham Young; Utah (+9) over SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA; MICHIGAN (+3.5) over Notre Dame.

Contact sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts the "Las Vegas Sportsline" weeknights at midnight on KDWN-AM (720) and thelasvegassportsline.com.