If one is to hear the expression “over/under” in sports they assume it refers to the score. But this week, I think the biggest danger for the average handicapper is to over respond or under respond to the actual results from the first weekend.
The Buffalo Bills lost at home in their season opener to the Pittbsburgh Steelers. That result puts the Bills in a miniscule minority of National Football League teams that have recovered from a home loss on the opening weekend and gone on to win the Super Bowl. How many times has it happened?
Once.
Of the 55 Super Bowl winners only one of them lost on opening day on their home field, that was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002. They lost in overtime to the New Orleans that year, then went on to win Super Bowl XXXVII over the Oakland Raiders. Every other team that didn’t prevail on their home field in their opening game failed to win a Super Bowl.
When the bell rings, the teams most likely to end their campaign in a hail of confetti are the ones that open with a victory. The Bills didn’t. They brought back to mind what David Letterman said was heard in the Bills locker room before they gave up a first half lead and lost Super Bowl XXVIII to the Dallas Cowboys, “Hey, save some of that champagne for after the game.”
The Bills pushed the Steelers around in the first half last Sunday, took a 10-0 lead to their halftime locker room before getting steamrolled over the final 30 minutes to end up on the wrong side of a 23-16 score.