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Two Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks,

a rematch of one of the biggest upsets in the game's history and fervent fan bases that share much of the same geographic region. Storylines abound for Sunday's Super Bowl ...

Super Bowl XLVI between the

New England Patriots and New York Giants is just over 24 hours away and we have the latest NFL betting and other information. The odds opened mostly at New England -3 and givi...

Super Bowl XLVI's mismatches:

New York Giants vs. New England Patriots (-2.5, 54) Vince Wilfork vs. Giants’ interior Nimble and powerful at 350-plus pounds - don’t believe his 325-pound listing - W...

Ny Giants over New England by 3

.....says Marc Lawrence It’s back to the drawing board for two teams who meet in Super Bowl XLVI at the ’House That Peyton Built’ in Indianapolis in a renewal of Super B...

Super Bowl betting:

Wednesday Cantor director surprised by big move on total Mike Colbert, sportsbook director at Cantor Gaming, was surprised to see the over/under total on the Super Bowl ...

Giants vs. Patriots is a big

deal not only in the Big Apple, Boston, Providence and other “home” cities for the teams involved, as well as Indianapolis, the host city. But no locale has embraced the S...

Tom Brady can’t bring

himself to watch Super Bowl XLII, but he and the Patriots surely are studying film of their latest last-minute loss to the Giants. Sharp bettors are doing the same. We we...

1-31-2012 Super Sunday!

by Jim Feist Rematch of the 2008 Super Bowl thriller with the Giants scoring late to stop the 18-0 Patriots, 17-14. Much of the same cast returns for both teams, includin...

Tom Brady can’t bring himself

to watch Super Bowl XLII, but he and the Patriots surely are studying film of their latest last-minute loss to the Giants. Sharp bettors are doing the same. We went back ...

The pointspread for Super Bowl

XVLI between the New England Patriots and New York Giants has been moving in the Giants’ direction as a lot people feel the matchups are to their advantage. New York is now ...

Super Bowl inflation has taken hold.

The public likes to bet “over” in big games. There’s no bigger game, and no game attracts more public bettors. The total of 55 is the second highest in Super Bowl hi...

NFL Pro Bowl:

The NFL does have a bowl game scheduled on Sunday. No, not the one pitting the New England Patriots against the New York Giants – that one will take place next week with dec...

NHL All-Star Game:

Daniel Alfredsson has long been embraced in Ottawa. The longest current serving captain in the NHL, the veteran Swede has made Canada's capital city his adopted second home. W...

You could smell the animosity

in the air, overpowering the stink of stale beer and fried food. The chill making its way down the spine of New England Patriots fans was nearly as cold as the temperature ...

Super Bowl XLVI betting trends and ...

by Marc Lawrence With two weeks to analyze and over-analyze every bit of statistical information connected to Super Bowl XLVI, bettors could go mad like Russell Crowe in A Beau...

As usual, the question regarding

the annual NFL Pro Bowl game is if there are any meaningful trends or angles or other information that be accurately gleaned before kickoff, and factored into a viable wagering...

Colin Cowherd says the wrong

team is favored in Super Bowl XLVI. The popular ESPN radio host told his listeners he was shocked when he woke up Monday morning and saw the New England Patriots favored by 3 p...

The New England Patriots

and New York Giants didn’t make it easy in their respective conference title games, but they’ll meet in Super Bowl XVLI on Sunday, February 5 in Indianapolis. Don Best jus...

Super Bowl Countdown!

by Jim Feist In the world of eleven to ten, there's nothing quite like Super Bowl week. In this case, it's two weeks, as the teams have two weeks to prepare for the Big G...

In a season of fabulous finishes,

Eli Manning and the Giants had another one in them. And now New York is headed toward the ending that matters most: another trip to the Super Bowl. Five plays after the 4...

With quarterback Eli Manning

back at practice Thursday after missing one day with a stomach bug, the New York Giants have no reason to feel queasy entering Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the host S...

Tom Brady and Joe Flacco

will have a similar mindset when they lead their teams into Sunday's AFC Championship Game in Foxborough. Mass. Both quarterbacks have plenty of reason to be wary of the Baltim...

Greg Cote’s NFL Playoff Week 3

HOW THE DARTS LANDED: Enjoyed a solid NFL playoffs Divisional Round last week, including a bull’s-eye on Niners’ outright upset of New Orleans. Didn’t see Packers losin...

The NFC Championship between the

San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants is a rematch of a Week 10 meeting, which the Niners won 27-20 at home. But a lot has changed with these teams since then. Oddsmakers...

It's been about 4½ months since

the NFL kicked off the 2011 season in Green Bay where the Packers hosted the New Orleans Saints. As the season progressed, it appeared those same two teams would close out the...

The Baltimore Ravens aren’t getting

much respect from the oddsmakers for Sunday’s AFC title game at the New England Patriots. New England is a solid 7½-point favorite with a total of 50½. CBS will broadcast...

NFL Playoffs:

Conference Champions at Stake! by Jim Feist This is it, the final weekend of games before the Super Bowl with the Ravens, Patriots, Giants and 49ers squaring off. The la...

Early action shifting odds

NFC Championship Game, New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers, 6:30 p.m. ET Sunday Las Vegas Hilton SuperBook opening line: Pick, 44.5; Moved to 49ers -1.5 The Sports Club...

BETTING NFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS:

It’s Championship Week in the NFL and with it two teams are one win away from playing in Super Bowl XLV in Indianapolis, Feb. 5. Like most football fans nationwide, everyone h...

It's no secret the road

to the Super Bowl goes through Green Bay. That hardly seems to faze the New York Giants, who are fairly confident they know how to navigate that route – again. The Giants wil...

The Houston Texans finally

found the formula to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, combining a dominating running game with a stalwart defense. Some would say they simply borrowed...

The best the NFL has to offer

closes out the Divisional Round today when last year’s champion Green Bay hosts the Giants at legendary Lambeau Field. The good news for defending champions is they are 12...

A tip of the Stetson to the

Texans on their Wild Card round victory last week. In the process, they became the 6th consecutive NFL expansion team to win its initial playoff contest, as these teams are ...

Tom Brady is hardly ever knocked

out of the spotlight, which is saying something when you're married to a supermodel. However, the husband of Gisele Bundchen – and quarterback of the New England Patriots –...

Does defense still win championships

in today's pass-happy NFL? Drew Brees and the high-powered New Orleans Saints will test that notion when they pay a visit to the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday afternoon. The ...

After expanding its playoff format

to 12 teams in 1990, the NFL left the door wide open to the possibilities of a Wild Card team running the table and hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. And while a wild card tea...

The first order of business

in breaking down this game is weighing strengths against weaknesses and, at fi rst glance, the Patriots look like body builders. But a closer look fi nds appearances are dece...

Drew Brees, the NFL’s

record-setting passing yardage leader, takes his torrid act to Candlestick Park. But it’s a venue where many a red-hot fl ame has been known to blow out like a candle in th...

Greg Cote's Week 2 NFL Picks

Took a big (and dubious) chance in thinking Falcons would win at Giants last week and paid for it. That is a pick that was ripe for second-guessing and a pick I wish I could hav...

Tom Brady had to be the only

guy in the universe not watching when the Denver Broncos Tebowed the Steelers in overtime last week. At first, that struck me as kind of odd. Brady always comes across as on...

Bettors aren't wasting any time

digging into this weekend's Divisional Playoff odds. We have already seen significant moves in every matchup so we tracked down Todd Fuhrman, senior sports analyst for Caes...

NFL Division Round action commences

this weekend with a pair of battles on both Saturday and Sunday. Although history suggests this round belongs to the home teams/favorites (usually one and the same), results i...

On the anniversary of Super Bowl

I from 1967, it’s appropriate that we’ll be discussing the Green Bay Packers, who are in action in one of two Sunday NFL Division Round games. But Packer backers wishing f...

NFL Playoff Time!

by Jim Feist As the playoffs begin, those who earned the top two seeds in each conference have a key edge, as they get a bye the first week while watching the others...

The team that needed a bye

the most, Pittsburgh, didn’t get one. So how much will it benefit Green Bay, San Fran, New England and Baltimore? Teams with rest and homefield advantage are 11-17 aga...

Divisional playoff betting trends:

by Marc Lawrence After expanding its playoff format to 12 teams in 1990, the NFL left the door wide open to the possibilities of a Wild Card team running the table and hoisting...

The last time the New York Giants

played the Super Bowl favorites tough during the regular season and got a rematch in the postseason, they won and ended a perfect season for the New England Patriots. The four...

The red-hot New Orleans Saints

head to San Francisco to take on the 49ers in this thrilling playoff divisional round matchup Saturday. New Orleans is currently a 3½-point road favorite. Saturday’s game i...

The never-say-die Denver Broncos

hope to continue their miracle season when they visit the New England Patriots in a divisional round matchup on Saturday night. Don Best has the just-released NFL odds and New...

The Houston Texans put together

about as good of a game as they could have asked for in their first ever postseason appearance last week against the Cincinnati Bengals. They’ll need that and probably a ton ...

NFL divisional playoffs opening lines:

No. 3 New Orleans Saints at No. 2 San Francisco 49ers, 4:30 p.m. Saturday Wynn Las Vegas opening line: Saints -3 (-120), 46.5 BetOnline.com line as of late Sunday: Saints ...

The Pittsburgh Steelers enter

the playoffs with running back Rashard Mendenhall out for the season with a knee injury and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hobbled by a high ankle sprain. So, it begs the obvio...

The Falcons are a team that’s

never quite as good as you think they should be. You add the perceived value of Matt Ryan to Michael Turner to Julio Jones to Roddy White to Tony Gonzalez to John Abraham, and ...

NFL Wild Card Playoff Matchups-

Texans’ pass defense vs. Andy Dalton Shutdown corner Johnathan Joseph sat out last week’s meaningless game vs. Tennessee so he’ll ...

Two NFC teams that took very

different paths to the playoffs will meet on Sunday when the New York Giants host the Atlanta Falcons in a Wild Card matchup. The fourth-seeded Giants (9-7) needed to beat Dal...

Even the most diehard

of Denver fans can be excused for wondering how their favorite team ever managed to qualify for the playoffs. But the Broncos are indeed into the postseason for the first time ...

Bad teams have been good playoff bets:

---The public “is betting Pittsburgh like it’s going out of style,” according to an industry insider, and shows no hesitation about laying 8 to 9 points on the road. Be...

Chatter around the league:

(Panthers offensive coordinator) Rob Chudzinski is one of the brightest young coaches in football. He understands personnel. He understands schemes. And he knows how to adjust ...

Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak

confirmed Monday that quarterback T.J. Yates is on track to start next weekend's wild card matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Oddsmakers have the Texans as 3-point hom...

The Detroit Lions have to be

kicking themselves as they visit the New Orleans Saints in a wild-card weekend matchup Saturday night at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The opening NFL odds are out and Detroit is a...

It is going to be a game full

of firsts on Saturday afternoon at Reliant Stadium, where the Houston Texans will look to beat the NFL betting odds against the Cincinnati Bengals. This is the first playoff g...

It took until the final gun

on the final Sunday of the regular season to decide, but the 12 teams are set for the NFL playoffs. The list of teams vying for the Super Bowl XLVI crown doesn't include a cou...

Lines are out for wildcard weekend:

No. 6 Detroit Lions (10-6) at No. 3 New Orleans Saints (13-3), Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, NBC The Sports Club recommended line: Saints -9, 58 Las Vegas Hilton SuperBook line:...

Take points in tight NFC East war

Cowboys (+3) over GIANTS: Big Blue hasn’t failed to cover in regular-season home games played in December or January against these Cowboys in decades, it’s fair to suspe...

NFL weather report:

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers (+3.5, 43.5) Snow is in the forecast for the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field. There’s a 29 percent chance of the white stuff, with game-ti...

Take a look at the tale of

the tape for Sunday night’s NFC East showdown between the Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants: Offense ...

NFL Trends by SB Breakers

NFL ATS PLAY ON TREND: The Bengals are 10-0 ATS (8.2 ppg) since December 14, 2008 the week after keeping their opponent out of the red zone on at least one goal to go attempt. ...

The Seattle Seahawks and Arizona

Cardinals both had a slim chance of making the playoffs heading into Week 16. But with each of them coming off a loss, the only things left to play for in the regular-season f...

Let’s rewind four months.

What would the masses have told us if we said that the San Diego Chargers would be out of the AFC West race and playoff picture by the last week of the season? Or that the De...

There are still plenty of playoff

scenarios in the AFC as we head into the last weekend of regular-season action. Unfortunately for the Chargers, none involve them, which is why we might be looking at the end ...

The Houston Texans are a week

away from hosting their very first playoff game in franchise history. Before heading to the postseason though, there is one more task to tend to when they take on the Tennessee...

Greg Cote's Week 17 NFL Picks

How the darts landed-- Enjoyed another solid outing against the spread last week, a parade led by Giants beating Jets in an outright upset pick. Bull’s-eyed underdog Seahawks...

The Atlanta Falcons have

already clinched a playoff spot, but they will not be in the same ideal position they were a year ago as the top seed in the NFC. Instead, the Falcons (9-6) hope Detroit loses...

A spirited sellout crowd

could help propel the Cincinnati Bengals into the playoffs when they host the Baltimore Ravens in a key AFC North matchup on Sunday. The Bengals (9-6) will be playing in front...

Except for the weather,

Sunday's matchup between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers is likely to have a preseason feel to it. Lambeau Field in Green Bay is expected to live up to its 'frozen tun...

NFC East foes duke it out

in NFL betting action in Week 17 when the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Washington Redskins. Things get started at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 (ET), a...

Still in the hunt for the AFC

North Title and a first-round bye with a bit of help, the Pittsburgh Steelers hope to finish up the season strong Sunday with a win over the Cleveland Browns on the road. Sund...

The Indianapolis Colts visit

the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday in a game that suddenly has very big implications for next year’s NFL Draft. Jacksonville is currently a 3½-point favorite. Sunday’s ...

The New York Giants hosting

the Dallas Cowboys is the marquee matchup of the NFL’s final regular season week. Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo will play, but his health is a big question. The Giants ar...

Has Rex Ryan’s act finally

worn thin? Brandon Jacobs certainly thinks so. Never mind the controversies surrounding the Jets’ head coach and the Giants’ punishing running back, which came to a head i...

With a first-round bye in

the playoffs on the line, the San Francisco 49ers head to St. Louis to take on the struggling Rams. San Francisco is currently a 10½-point favorite. Sunday’s game starts at...

Chicago’s season has unraveled

in December, with the Bears now on a five-game losing streak and out of the playoff discussion. Interesting, however, that it took this sort of slump to make Windy City fans a...

Incredible Stat of the Week by Marc...

The Detroit Lions are 0-18 SU on the division road versus winning opponents since 1998.

AWESOME ANGLE OF THE WEEK by Marc L...

PLAY ON any > .500 NFL division dog with revenge in its last game of the season versus an opponent off a win of more than 7 points. Play On: DALLAS COWBOYS

NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence

Sunday, January 1 Washington DIV: 9-0 away vs opp off away game… 12-6-1 L19 RD’s PHILADELPHIA SERIES: 0-4 L4 H… 1-8 favs > 7 pts off BB SU wins Tampa Bay SERIES: 7-2 L9...

The New England Patriots are

breathing a sigh of relief as they host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon, the final week of the NFL’s regular season. New England is a 12-12½ point favorite with an NF...

Fresh off of his record-setting

performance on Monday Night Football, Drew Brees will try to lead the New Orleans Saints to a win Sunday at home against the Carolina Panthers. The regular season finale for b...

NFL Tidbits:

If you look at the first half of the season, (Texans LB) Brian Cushing was playing great football. He was shocking (defenders) and getting to the ball with burst. Check out th...

Falcons at Saints:

Offense New Orleans averages 32.6 points, second-most in the NFL, and leads the league in total yards (456.7) and passing yards (331.4). Drew Brees has thrown 16 TDs and 0 ...

Tale of the tape:

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers (-11, 42) Offense This, of course, is a no-contest. The Packers have one of the most prolific offenses in the game (fourth overall in t...

Giants have ‘desperate’ edge

by Richard Witt Giants (+3) over JETS: As the newer kids, Gang Green have long enjoyed powerhouse psychological advantage in this matchup. The Jets’ playoff path is not who...

Greg Cote's Week 16 NFL selections

How the darts landedTook the broadside hit of a 9-7 mark last week. Called Chargers over Ravens but got blindsided by most of those other upsets. Also had a miserably failed Ups...

NFL Trends by Sportsbook Breakers

NFL ATS PLAY ON TREND: The Buccaneers are 10-0 ATS (10.8 ppg) since December 2005 on the road after a home game last week where they held their opponent out of the end zone o...

Indy’s ranks 31st in total

offense, producing just over 283 total yards per game. That’s translating to just 15.1 points per game. On the plus side, wideout Pierre Garcon is 125 receiving yards away fr...

The Green Bay Packers no

longer need to be concerned with perfection after suffering their first loss of the season last week. The Packers (13-1) simply need to beat their archrivals – the Chicago B...

The Atlanta Falcons are playing

much better football as we head towards the postseason. They will try to prove it’s no fluke at the tough New Orleans Saints on Monday night. Atlanta is 6½-point underdogs ...

The Minnesota Vikings and

Washington Redskins may not have much to play for on Saturday, but bettors will find something appealing about one of these teams. The Redskins (5-9) have stayed competitive r...

If the young Carolina Panthers

could finish games more consistently, they would be a factor in the NFC playoff race. Instead, the Panthers (5-9) find themselves on the outside looking in with an opportunity...

The Saturday NFL Armageddon

between the Jets and Giants and will have a lot more riding on it than just who is ‘King of New York.’ The Jets are between 2½-3 point favorites with a total of 46 points...

The Pittsburgh Steelers are saddled

with a bad time to have a short week as they host the St. Louis Rams on Saturday afternoon. Pittsburgh has still opened as 16-point favorites with a low NFL betting total of 3...

So far this season, the

Baltimore Ravens have literally been an unstoppable team at home. They'll look to finish out a perfect regular season at M&T Bank Stadium and move one step closer towards guara...

Teams from all across the NFL

will be paying attention intently to the Week 16 showdown in Motown between the Detroit Lions and the San Diego Chargers. These two teams are both still fighting to get into th...

Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos

hope to get their magical run back on track in Buffalo against the Bills this Saturday after losing big to New England last Sunday. Denver is currently a 3-point favorite. Sat...

Fresh off of their convincing

win on Monday Night Football, the San Francisco 49ers head to Seattle on a short week to take on the Seahawks this Saturday afternoon. Saturday’s game is set to kick off at ...

Two weeks remain in the regular

season, and the only thing we know for certain about the NFC East is the Washington Redskins will not be division champs. That situation could begin to clear up a bit this Sat...

Sometimes we have to search far

and wide for meaningful ATS history surrounding a given matchup – and sometimes the numbers just rain from the sky and fall right into our lap. Such is the case here as th...

AWESOME ANGLE OF THE WEEK by Marc L...

PLAY ON any greater than .400 NFL dog on Saturday off a SU favorite loss who lost ATS by 8 or more points. Play On: NEW YORK GIANTS

Incredible Stat of the Week by Marc...

The San Diego Chargers are 21-4-1 ATS as dogs in dome stadiums, including 11-0 ATS when playing off a win.

NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence

Thursday, December 22 Houston 5-1 A vs opp off SU dog win… 8-3 off SU fav loss INDIANAPOLIS SERIES: 2-5 L7… 12-4 bef Jaguars… 2-6 2nd BB HG’s Saturday, December 24 O...

Vibrations around the NFL:

If anyone thinks (Tim) Tebow is going to continue to win playing the way he has, they are nuts. You've got to be able to throw from the pocket to win in this league. Eventual...

History will tell you that an

AFC South clash between the Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Field would lead to an easy victory for the hosts. The Texans will try to rewrite history Thu...

The postseason hopes for

the Tennessee Titans are on the line this week when they engage in an NFL betting battle against the Jacksonville Jaguars. LP Field in Nashville will be the site of this Week ...

The Cincinnati Bengals and

Arizona Cardinals are both coming off wins on Sunday that kept them alive in their quest for the playoffs. However, only one of them can obviously keep that momentum going wit...

The New England Patriots have

already clinched the AFC East Division and are looking for a whole lot more when they host the Miami Dolphins on Saturday afternoon. The spread for this Week 16 contest has ju...

Last season we saw the Seattle

Seahawks win the NFC West with a 7-9 record and become the first team to make the playoffs with a sub-.500 mark. It was indeed a strange occurrence, made even stranger when Se...

The big question here is

obviously Ben Roethlisberger’s status. He’s still questionable with his high ankle sprain but did manage to complete 16 of his 21 pass attempts last week against Cleveland ...

Jets can fly higher than Eagles

by Richard Witt Jets (+3) over EAGLES: Gang Green injuries make this nervous call, but Eagles continue to be overrated by those who look at the roster and fail to observe how...

After riding a 4-game

losing skid, the Jersey Giants awoke from the dead to steal a win at Dallas and now control their fate in the NFC East – despite owning the 3rd-worst defense in the league ...

Here we go, hopping back

on the Chargers bandwagon. We realize that as long as Tebow is in the AFC West, the Chargers can’t win the division (as confi rmed by a higher power), but rest assured Phil...

It's rare that Tom Brady

enters an opposing NFL stadium and is looked at as “The other guy.” But that's the case this week, and it’s because Tim Tebow is converting non-believers one fourth-quart...

The Baltimore Ravens are locked

in a four-team fight for the best record in the AFC in what promises to be a suspenseful finish to the regular season. The Ravens, though, can remove much of the drama by winni...

The status of Pittsburgh Steelers

quarterback Ben Roethlisberger remains up in the air for this week’s Monday Night Football matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. Roethlisberger is listed as questionable ...

Plenty of teams are still

alive in the playoff chase and with just three weeks in the season remaining, each matchup has a heightened sense of importance for Week 15 of NFL betting action. There’s ju...

Was Yogi Berra at last week’s

Dallas game? He was present at least in spirit as the end of the Giants’ game proved to be “déjà vu all over again.” Yes, for the second week in a row, Dallas PK Dan ...

On the surface, it’s

very diffi cult to make a case backing losing teams against winning opponents at this stage of the season. After all, winners fi nd ways to win while losers fi nd ways to lo...

NFL Trends by SB Breakers

NFL ATS PLAY ON TREND: The Bills are 12-0-1 ATS (8.9 ppg) since October 09, 1994 within 3 of pick at home when their dps was negative in their last two games. SDQL TEXT: team...

The Cowboys average 24.4 points

(10th-most) thanks to a balanced attack. Tony Romo (26 TDs, 9 INTs) has terrific targets in Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, Laurent Robinson and Jason Witten. RB DeMarco Murray was l...

We’ve seen teams sitting

at 5-8 through 13 weeks make the playoffs before. In recent memory, in fact; three years ago, the Chargers had won just five of their first 13 games but still ended up qualify...

Never mind the Denver Broncos

and their penchant for hair-raising finishes with Tim Tebow at the controls. That’s because the Broncos don’t hold the patent on white-knuckle rides in t...

Greg Cote's Week 15 NFL selections

HOW THE DARTS LANDED I’m hotter than whatever the heck the hottest toy for Christmas is. I’ll take that 13-3 record outright last week, and I’ll also take 9-4-3 against t...

Two teams will be battling

for their playoff lives in Oakland this Sunday when the Detroit Lions visit the Raiders. Detroit is currently a 1-point road favorite. Sunday’s game will be televised nation...

The march towards perfection

continues for the Green Bay Packers, as they take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday afternoon. This Week 15 kickoff takes place at 1:00 p.m. (ET), and t...

The Denver Broncos and their

‘Tebow Time’ heroics are the talk of the NFL, but is their luck about to run out against the New England Patriots this Sunday? The oddsmakers are skeptical about the Bronc...

The Jags offensive got a

little help on the other side of the ball in last week’s 41-14 win over Tampa Bay. The Jacksonville defense returned two fumble recoveries for scores in the second quarter, t...

The Baltimore Ravens bring

a season-high four-game winning streak to San Diego for a key AFC matchup against the dangerous Chargers on Sunday Night Football. The Ravens (10-3) have played three of their...

The Pittsburgh Steelers have

a big injury problem with quarterback Big Ben when they visit the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. ESPN will have the usual primetime coverage at 8:30 p.m. (ET) f...

It’s time to find a few more

underdogs with bite in this week’s NFL card. We run down the slate game-by-game as we seek the best values on the card. Jacksonville (+11) at Atlanta (Thursday, Dec. 15) T...

The Indianapolis Colts host

the Tennessee Titans Sunday in a division rivalry game with plenty at stake for both teams. Tennessee is currently a 6½-point. Sunday’s game will be televised nationally on...

The 2011-12 NFL playoffs

are right around the corner, and here we are taking a look at how the races shape up with just three weeks left to play. We'll start in the NFC where, at least at the top, thi...

The Chicago Bears may

have literally fumbled away their playoff chances last week but will look to rebound Sunday when they host the surging Seattle Seahawks in the home finale at Soldier Field. Th...

The youth of the Cincinnati Bengals

could finally be catching up to them as they visit the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. Cincinnati is between 6-6½ point road favorites at Don Best with a low total of 38½. CBS wil...

Nobody has to tell Sean

Payton and the New Orleans Saints how important it is to gain home-field advantage for the playoffs. Roughly 11 months after winning Super Bowl XLIV, the Saints found themselv...

Amazing what a little difference

can make to a team. Guaranteed a fourth straight non-winning season, Jags’ ownership fi nally gave the boot to 9thyear head coach Jack Del Rio after a 38-14 home drubbing a...

AWESOME ANGLE OF THE WEEK by Marc L...

PLAY ON any .460 or greater NFL home dog from Game 13 out if they won 9 or more games last season – if they are facing a greater than .750 opponent that won 15 or fewer games...

NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence

Thursday, December 15 Jacksonville 16-3 bef Titans… DEC: 1-9 A vs opp off div w/ rev ATLANTA SERIES: 3-1 L4… 1-12 favs 8 > pts off SUATS win Saturday, December 17 Dallas...

It's Tebow Time up against the

Golden Boy and sportsbooks couldn't be happier. The two NFL icons meet in Week 15’s marquee matchup when the AFC West-leading Broncos host the AFC-East leading Patriots. ...

The Jacksonville Jaguars

and Atlanta Falcons both rallied back from large deficits on Sunday and hope to build on their big wins when they square off at the Georgia Dome on Thursday Night Football. Th...

Had you told an average NFL

betting fan at the start of the year that the Carolina Panthers would be using rookie Cam Newton as their starting quarterback, that would have been expected. However, had you ...

The Miami Dolphins and

Buffalo Bills are both holding on to the dimmest of playoff hopes this year, and the two will meet in an AFC East tussle in Week 15. The NFL betting lines will be on the board ...

That loud boom you heard Sunday

night just might have been the Dallas Cowboys' season blowing up. Just a few minutes away from taking a two-game lead in the turbulent NFC East, Dallas fell victim to a late r...

NFL Juggernauts and Fading Has Beens

by Jim Feist Looking at NFL in 2011, it's clear that, despite the unbeaten Packers, parity has returned. Look at teams that were recent doormats who are playing well: Lions...

St. Louis’ offense remains

up in the air with starting quarterback Sam Bradford and backup A.J. Feely both questionable and it’s not like the Rams were tearing it up to begin with. They picked up a sea...

The last time the St. Louis

Rams squared off with the Seattle Seahawks, the NFC West title and a berth in the playoffs were on the line. The stakes will be considerably lower when the Rams visit Seattle o...

There's talk..

...we don't know how mentally tough Carson Palmer is. He just looks fragile. The Raiders would have gotten their (butts) kicked if Jay Cutler was playing for the Bears and then ...

Witt's Take.........

Giants (+3 1/2) over COWBOYS: Off four consecutive losses, Giants coach Tom Coughlin’s troops need immediate aid to make it to January. The best way to proceed would be to swe...

Since the early-season demise

of the Dream Team in Philadelphia, the NFC East title has been there for the taking. Problem is, no team in the division seems inclined to take it. That will change Sunday nigh...

Only a quarter of the season

remains and that means it is crunch-time in the playoff chase. Injuries seem to be piling up, but that’s life in the National Football League as plenty of great matchups fill...

A line for Monday night’s matchup

between the St. Louis Rams and the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle was finally released Saturday. Seattle is a 10½-point favorite on the Don Best odds screen. The uncertainty at ...

Without Jay Cutler calling

signals against KC last week, the Bears’ offense went into hibernation: 3 points, 181 total yards and 0-for-11 in 3rd-down situations. Now they have to travel to Mile High ...

Though many will expect

the Giants to suffer a letdown after nearly derailing the Packers’ perfect season last week, we think the G-men will carry confi dence from that effort into this contest. T...

We know that the Saints

are marching into Nashville with four straight wins and covers. But we bet you didn’t know that favorites off a SU and ATS home win which was preceded by a SU and ATS Monda...

NFL Trends by SB Breakers

NFL ATS PLAY ON TREND: The Falcons are 12-0 ATS (10.6 ppg) since December 23, 2007 coming off a 7+ point loss SDQL TEXT: team=Falcons and p:margin<=-7 and 20071223<=date N...

Mathematically, both Buffalo

(5-7 straight up, 6-6 against the spread) and San Diego (5-7 SU, 3-9 ATS) remain alive for AFC postseason consideration. And in a sports world in which Boise State and San Die...

As usual, the NFL playoff

picture appears a bit of a jumble as we head into mid-December, although the projected fields in both conferences have narrowed considerably. Especially in the AFC, where we a...

Greg Cote's Week 14 NFL Picks

HOW THE DARTS LANDED Opportunities to brag seem so rare that one looks upon them as a lion eyes a limping gazelle. I am no better at resisting temptation, so I must preen over ...

Last year, the second meeting

between the St. Louis Rams and the Seattle Seahawks determined the NFC West title. The Seahawks (5-7) emerged victorious and made the playoffs while the Rams (2-10) looked to ...

The AFC North takes

center stage Thursday night, with two teams headed in separate directions. The Pittsburgh Steelers are rounding into form and look ready for a postseason push. The Clevelan...

Let’s rewind back about

three months, to early September. How would the normal Philadelphia sports fan have reacted if told that not only the Phillies wouldn’t make the World Series, but that their...

Anyone who left the country

a few weeks ago and just returned would probably not be surprised to see that the New Orleans Saints (9-3 straight up, 8-4 against the spread) have begun to pull away from chal...

The San Francisco 49ers look

to stay hot and keep on pace to earn a first-round bye with a win this Sunday on the road against the Arizona Cardinals. Sunday’s game kicks off at 4:05 p.m. (ET) and will b...

Just four wins away from

a perfect regular season, the Green Bay Packers host the Oakland Raiders this Sunday afternoon in hopes of inching one step closer. Green Bay is currently an 11-point favorite...

The Detroit Lions are still

holding on tightly to their Wild Card spot in the NFC, and they have a fantastic chance to take another step closer to the playoffs this weekend when they play host to the Minn...

The season-long injury to

Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback Peyton Manning has made a lot of their opponents happy, but arguably none more so than the Baltimore Ravens. CBS will broadcast this 1:00 p.m...

Heading into the season,

this game between the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos was going to be an intriguing matchup between two teams that completed a blockbuster trade in 2009 involving quarterbacks...

With four weeks remaining

in the 2011 NFL regular season, most of the division leaders have started to separate themselves from the other playoff contenders around the league. The Green Bay Packers (12-...

The Washington Redskins are expected

to be shorthanded in two key positions when they host the powerful New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon. CBS will broadcast at 1:00 p.m. (ET) from FedExField. Washington h...

The Dallas Cowboys and

New York Giants may be part of the most disappointing division in football, but each has a good chance at the playoffs with the regular season winding down. This will be the S...

Sunshine State foes square

off Sunday afternoon in an effort to beat the Week 14 NFL odds, as the Jacksonville Jaguars play host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sunday's kickoff at Ever Bank Field is set fo...

The Atlanta Falcons hope to

take a step towards making the playoffs as a wild card this Sunday on the road against the Carolina Panthers. Sunday’s matchup starts at 1:00 p.m. (ET) and will be televised...

AWESOME ANGLE OF THE WEEK by Marc L...

PLAY ON any winless NFL dog of more than 11 points after Game Seven of the season. Play On: INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Smart Box by Marc Lawrence-

Coaching Down the Stretch BEST: HOME: KUBIAK (Houston) 9-3 AWAY: SPARANO (Miami) 6-1 FAV: HARBAUGH (Balt) 7-3 DOG: MCCARTHY (G Bay) 6-0 The fi nal four weeks of the NFL se...

NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence

Cleveland 6-0 dogs off BB SU losses vs foe off BB SU wins (last by 7 >) PITTSBURGH 5-2 L7 Thursdays… 4-14 DD favs vs < .500 opp off ATS loss Sunday, December 11 Indianapoli...

NFL Quarterback Shuffle

by Jim Feist 2011…The Year of the Quarterback? Are you kidding? While the numbers that Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are putting up are on pace to both break Dan Marino...

Philadelphia, the preseason

Super Bowl co-favorite, can’t get its top receiver to run hard or go over the middle. Washington coach Mike Shanahan, supposedly an offensive guru, staked his reputation o...

The Cleveland Browns start

a brutal last month of their schedule by playing the second of two games against the top teams in the AFC North within five days when they visit the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thur...

The crowded AFC playoff picture

will take another twist on Sunday afternoon when the New York Jets take on the Kansas City Chiefs. The Week 14 NFL betting odds will be on the board until 1:00 p.m. (ET) when t...

Potential AFC playoff teams

meet at Paul Brown Stadium in one of the biggest tilts in Week 14 on the NFL betting odds, as the Houston Texans travel to take on the Cincinnati Bengals. Kickoff from the Quee...

The way we hear it-

The decisions to cut (Donovan) McNabb and (Kyle) Orton were not as big as they were made out to be (by the media). The Vikings lost a snapper and a safety that they needed to re...

Another HC to bite the dust-

The dismissal of Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio earlier this week was surprising only in its timing. Barring a stunning turnaround, there will be few eyebrows raised wh...

The Jaguars don’t have

much going on with their offense outside of running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who has piled up 1246 yards of combined offense with five touchdowns. The numbers are pretty ugly a...

Fate of a GM on the line tonight-

The potential fate of San Diego Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith is the latest breaking news for the Monday night game at the Jacksonville Jaguars. ESPN will have the usual ...

Sunday Night Football:

The Detroit Lions are not expected to have Ndamukong Suh kicking anyone around, and that will leave a huge void in their defense when they visit the New Orleans Saints on Sunda...

NFL betting action in Week 13

started with the Seattle Seahawks pulling off the upset of the Philadelphia Eagles at CenturyLink Field. Now, football fans are set for a Sunday chock-full of fantastic action ...

The potential fate of San Diego

Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith is the latest breaking news for the Monday night game at the Jacksonville Jaguars. ESPN will have the usual broadcast crew at 8:30 p.m. (ET...

Georgia looks to uninterested LSU

...How bizarre is this? No. 1 LSU can lose this brawl with Georgia and still punch a ticket to the national championship game (such is the result of yet another accurse...

Playoff berth to be clinched out west

What a difference a few months can make! When looking at the 2011 NFL schedule at the beginning of September, there was good reason to believe Sunday’s matchup at Candlesti...

Ravens fly home

Every NFL team (except the Packers, perhaps) is bound to step on at least a few banana peels each season. And, mostly, squads make sure not to trace the same path to slip a...

Leaders of NFC East take some time ...

The Cowboys have won their last four by a combined 114-63 score. The giveaway NFC East has taken several different twists and turns this season. The Dallas Cowboys (7-4 stra...

Greg Cote's Week 13 NFL selections

HOW THE DARTS LANDED Irrationally and with doomed results, I found myself predicting losses for the Packers and Patriots last week. Next time I start to do that, would someone ...

NFL Trends by Sportsbook Breakers

NFL ATS PLAY ON TREND: The Patriots are 12-0-1 ATS (14.4 ppg) since December 17, 2005 as a favorite the week after a game on the road where they stopped their opponent on at ...

Heading into the season, the Chicago

Bears thought they would be facing their former quarterback Kyle Orton in Week 14 when they visit Denver. Instead, the Bears (7-4) might have to meet Orton this Sunday when th...

Battle for the Titans........

Two teams fighting for a spot in the AFC playoffs meet up Sunday afternoon, as the Buffalo Bills play host to the Tennessee Titans. Kickoff from Ralph Wilson Stadium gets underw...

Some dream, eh?

The self-labeled "Dream Team" – otherwise known as the Philadelphia Eagles – will travel to the Pacific Northwest to continue their nightmare of a season on Thursday agains...

Fans pray for snow and Tebow

Bettors have been waiting for opponents to catch up to Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos, but it has been the oddsmakers who finally seem to be catching on heading into Sunday’...

Last tough stop for the Pack

If they haven’t yet popped the corks by December on the annual twilight cruise in Biscayne Bay, there must be a good reason. And serious football being played by some team in...

Raiders tell how the West gets won....

The Oakland Raiders look to win their fourth straight game and hold their lead in the AFC West with a win on the road this week against the surging Miami Dolphins. Sunday’s g...

Dogs barking at the Favs

Favorites and underdogs continue to split the spoils in 2011 NFL pointspread results, continuing to run neck-and-neck with one another heading into December. Remarkably, the ove...

Bolted Jags to get Jolted

...Monday Night Football betting action heads to Ever Bank Field this week, where the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Diego Chargers will lock horns to wrap up Week 13. The kick ...

NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence

Thursday, December 1 Philadelphia DEC: 16-2 A vs opp off NFC… REID: 8-1 RF off DD ATS loss SEATTLE 1-9 H vs NFC East (0-1 this year)… 1-4 SUATS Thursdays Sunday, December...

Suh is so full of crap

....(Lions DT) Ndamukong Suh is so full of (crap). He's living off where he got drafted. People that think he has played well are scouting off ESPN and watching too many highlig...

Texans pinning their hopes on.........

The Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons are closing in on postseason bids this year, and one will take a major step towards their goal when the two meet up at Reliant Stadium o...

Hawaii going home

The Hawaii Warriors know that they are going to be home for the holidays one way or the other. The question is whether or not they are going to be playing in the Sheraton Ha...

This team hopes to keep the fire li...

The New York Jets hope to keep their playoff hopes alive this Sunday on the road against the Washington Redskins. New York is currently a 3-point favorite. Sunda...

Through 12 weeks, two things are

certain in the NFL; the Green Bay Packers (11-0 straight up) are the best team in the league, and the Indianapolis Colts (0-11 SU) are the worst. From there, things get pretty ...

It's win or back out for this AFC team

Coach Marvin Lewis’ young Cincinnati Bengals proved they could stay on the field with AFC North heavyweights Pittsburgh and Baltimore in mid-November matchups. Bu...

The New England Patriots and

Indianapolis Colts will be making some betting history when they meet on Sunday afternoon. CBS will broadcast at 1:00 p.m. (ET) from Gillette Stadium. This is just the second ...

Take it or leave it..........

....An NFL team getting three touchdowns is ridiculous. So oddsmakers said this week. It didn’t stop them from opening the Colts as 21-point underdogs at New England. Gi...

Spiller a Bust?

Is it too early to call C.J. Spiller a bust? He was an amazing playmaker at Clemson and the No. 9 overall draft choice by the Bills, but he's shown exactly zero playmaking ab...

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will try

to snap a five-game losing streak when they host the Carolina Panthers this Sunday. The NFC South battle kicks off at 1:00 p.m. (ET) and will be televised nationally on FOX. T...

Thursday Night Football betting

action heads to CenturyLink Field where the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks duke it out in a de facto elimination game from the postseason. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m...

The New York Giants wanted to

be a running team, but that isn’t working out so well. With Ahmad Bradshaw expected to miss another game with a broken bone in his foot, New York heads into this one averagin...

The New York Giants stamped

themselves as serious contenders with a come-from-behind win at New England on Nov. 6. That was followed by back-to-back losses to San Francisco and Philadelphia, which has the...

Sunday Night Football:

Few teams have made much better use of their bye week than the Pittsburgh Steelers in the past few seasons. The Steelers will look to make it four consecutive wins coming off a...

Talk about value.

The loss of QB Jay Cutler has impacted this line by 7 points as the Bears have gone from 1.5-point favorites to 5.5-point dogs. Wasn’t it just last year that everyone was s...

Who’s afraid of the big,

bad Pats? Not Philadelphia, at least not from an ATS standpoint anyway! These two non-conference foes have met eight times since 1981 and it’s the Eagles that own a 5-3 SU...

Like in every fairy tale we were

ever told, nightmares eventually come to an end. In the Colts’ case, this season it isn’t a fabrication… it’s an improbable nightmare come true. The loss of all-world...

Backups take center stage.....

Two games featuring Super Bowl contenders who lost their starting quarterbacks to injuries lead the Week 12 slate as the biggest line movers for Sunday’s NFL betting action. ...

Bradshaw might be out------

Week 12 of the NFL season may eventually be called Round 1A of the playoffs once the dust settles on the regular season New Year's Day. The latest segment of pro football betti...

It's Leinart or bust....

Things change suddenly in the National Football League and the Houston Texans are a prime example. Among the AFC leaders entering Week 12, the Texans will travel to Jacksonville...

We take a trip in the hot tub time

machine and bring you an unlikely marriage in Houston. The wheels have fallen off in Buffalo, and we tell you the most under-reported story in the league this year. KEEP ...

Greg Cote's Week 12 NFL selections

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! Hope y’all had a great one. I had my turkey last week. It was that Bills-over-Dolphins pick, which I still cannot rationally explain. Otherwise ...

NFL Trends by SB Breakers

NFL ATS PLAY ON TREND: The League is 11-0-1 ATS (8.3 ppg) since November 19, 1995 in November games following a game where they committed at least four turnovers and allowed ...

Turkey Day Magic.....

The Green Bay Packers have seemingly been on cruise control ever since they won the Super Bowl. With an unblemished record after 10 games this season and a franchise-best 16 con...

Pick your sidebar story.

There are plenty of them from which to choose when Denver pays a visit to San Diego on Sunday in AFC West action. What might be most surprising about this matchup is that the...

The 2011 season is quickly slipping...

from the Titans and Buccaneers, who both envisioned themselves as playoff entrants when the campaign commenced. The loser of their Sunday clash, however, can probably forget a...

Minnesota and Atlanta have

met on a few memorable occasions in the past. We’re not sure Sunday’s renewal between two of the NFL’s expansion children from the 1960s will have similar long-lasting a...

The rumor mill is whirring in

Chicago after QB Jay Cutler suffered a broken thumb late in last week’s 31-20 win over the Chargers. Expect the buzz to continue until the Bears (7-3 straight up, 6-4 agains...

The nature of the NFL suggests

a natural back-and-forth in team performance and results. It also notes that once a team falls into the abyss, it is unlikely to recover. Which brings us to this weekend and ...

When looking at the 2011 NFL schedule,

more than a few were suspecting that this matchup featuring New England and Philadelphia could potentially be a Super Bowl preview. Technically, that’s still possible, altho...

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback

Ben Roethlisberger isn’t going to let a little broken thumb get in the way of a Sunday night visit to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Steelers are between 10-10½ point favorite...

The fourth-quarter magic

of Eli Manning has all but disappeared as he leads his New York Giants into the Bayou to face the New Orleans Saints. This is the Monday Night Football game and ESPN will broa...

NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence

Green Bay 1-8 A aft scoring 28 > pts w/ rev vs div opp DETROIT NOV: 10-1 off SUATS win vs opp off fav role Miami 5-1 A vs opp off 3+ SU wins… 0-3 O/U Thursday DALLAS SERIES...

Turkeys, Turnovers and Rivalry Tilts!

by Jim Feist It's Thanksgiving week, which means the middle of the NFL campaign while winding down the college football regular season. Late season college football means ...

Two of the NFL’s top teams take

the field this Thursday night for a Thanksgiving showdown when the San Francisco Giants visit the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore is currently a 3-point favorite on the Don Best o...

The Miami Dolphins and Dallas

Cowboys have played in some memorable Thanksgiving Day games before, and NFL betting fanatics will hope that this year's matchup is no exception when the teams meet in Arlingto...

The Green Bay Packers have

completed their first 10 steps towards a perfect season, but on Thanksgiving Day, they could be facing their toughest test when they take on the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. N...

I know Matt Leinart well

This is it for him. He can prove himself. The Texans' offensive scheme is run-predicated. All Leinart has to do is manage it. That is all he has to do. They have the division i...

KC Chiefs at New England Patriots

Offense Imagine how crazy the Patriots’ offense would be if they even had an average running game. The Pats are putting up 28.8 points per game with a rushing attack that m...

For one of the few times during

the Bill Belichick reign, the New England Patriots were dealing with more questions than they had answers heading into last week's AFC East showdown at the New York Jets. Facin...

With their playoff hopes flat-lining

and Michael Vick injured, the Philadelphia Eagles have zero margin for error as they hit the road for a divisional clash against the NFC East-leading New York Giants on Sunday....

After the New York Jets lost

to the Denver Broncos Thursday night, the New England Patriots have a chance to extend their lead over the Jets in the AFC East to two games with a win at home over the reeling...

The latest injury news for

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick leads the Sunday updates for NFL Week 11. Vick suffered broken ribs last week against Arizona and has been downgraded to doubtful ...

NFL Trends by SB Breakers

NFL ATS PLAY ON TREND: The Ravens are 13-0 ATS (12.7 ppg) since 2002 following a loss to a NFC team. SDQL TEXT: team=Ravens and season=2002 and p:L and conference!=po:confere...

The Chargers and Bears

have some history with one another. Although to the legions of fans in San Diego who believe time began when Philip Rivers became the Bolts’ quarterback, it might seem the eq...

This year’s AFC East race

has featured more twists and turns than the switchback Highway 9 that ascends from the floor of Zion National Park and out to US Highway 89. And no two sides have been more re...

Greg Cote's Week 11 NFL selections

Had a tough week, although my glass-half-full nature would lead me to mention that I nailed outright upsets with Rams winning at Browns and Pats at Jets. Also had Seahawks with ...

The Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis

will be the site of a divisional tussle on the NFL Week 11 odds, as the St. Louis Rams take on the Seattle Seahawks. Kickoff is set for 4:05 p.m. (ET), and there will be region...

The Atlanta Falcons will need

to put a poor overtime performance behind them and begin a positive run down the stretch if they hope to make it back to the playoffs, starting on Sunday when they host the Ten...

The New England Patriots will be

seeing some old familiar faces, plus a first-time starting quarterback, when they host the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. New England is up to a 14 ½-15 point f...

There’s usually not much activity

on Revis Island, but it will be taken to a new extreme when the Denver Broncos host the New York Jets on Thursday night. Jets coach Rex Ryan banks on teams not throwing at star...

The Cincinnati Bengals will be

playing their second of four consecutive divisional games on Sunday when they visit the Baltimore Ravens. The Bengals (6-3) are coming off a tough 24-17 home loss to the Pitts...

The unbeaten Green Bay Packers

will be playing on a short week, which may be one of their few challenges this season as they visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. The Packers (9-0) will be going for the...

The Oakland Raiders hope

to hold on to their lead in the AFC West and take another step towards their first playoff berth since 2002 with a win on the road this Sunday over the Minnesota Vikings. Oakl...

The San Francisco 49ers are

continuing their march this week towards the NFC West title when they engage in NFL betting action at home against the Arizona Cardinals. This duel is one of the 4:05 p.m. (ET...

The news for the Philadelphia Eagles

appears to be going from bad to worse as they head into an NFC East clash at the New York Giants on Sunday night. Philadelphia ranges from 3-4 ½ point underdogs at Don Best w...

Mention of the Cowboys and Redskins

recalls some of the more-familiar names in pro football over the last half century. Meredith. Jurgensen. Staubach. Kilmer. Dorsett. Riggins. Theismann. Aikman. Not to mention w...

Season-long spread results

in the NFL continue to be almost evenly split between favorites and underdogs, with the chalk holding a slim 72-71 edge heading into this week’s action. As only the Dog Poun...

NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence

Ny Jets 1-7 favs off SU fav loss… RYAN: 7-1 off div vs < .500 opp DENVER SERIES: 8-3 L11… 11-2 dogs 3 > pts vs opp off SU fav loss Sunday, November 20 Tennessee 5-2 Game ...

I think Philip Rivers

sternum is bothering him. He can't throw the deep ball. He is feeling the rush. He is 31 years old. I always thought he was a Bernie Kosar-type. People forget — Kosar was don...

Another interesting week of NFL

betting action is in the books, and we're set to take a look back at the week that was on the pro gridiron. It was a week for road teams for sure, as 10 of the 16 found ways t...

For the second week in a row,

two of the lowest scoring offenses in the National Football League will face off in an AFC matchup. Week 11 finds the Cleveland Browns (3-6) hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars (3...

Football's Home/Road Disparity

by Jim Feist How about those Baltimore Ravens? In back to back game they looked like world beaters, shutting down the Jets (34-17) and the Texans (29-14), covering both wi...

Both the Detroit Lions and Carolina

Panthers were blown out in Week 10 action, and both will try to right the ship this week when they face off in NFL betting action at Ford Field. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. (E...

The New York Jets will be battling

both physical and mental fatigue when they visit Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football. Week 11 NFL odds have already been posted at Don Best and New Yor...

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback

Matt Cassel was forced to leave Sunday's loss to Denver with shoulder and hand injuries. Cassel injured his left shoulder and was replaced in the waning minutes by Tyler Pal...

Pack Nobody's Fool...............

The Green Bay Packers aren’t trying to fool anybody on offense – they’re going to throw it all over the place. They rank third in the league in passing offense and just 20...

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan

has made no secret that he expects to get where Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots have been four times in the last 10 seasons. Having guaranteed that the Jets will re...

The Green Bay Packers will

be double-digit favorites for the third time in four games when they host the Minnesota Vikings in an NFC North divisional matchup on Monday Night Football. The unbeaten Packe...

Week 10 for NFL betting fanatics

started off with an upset on Thursday night, as the Oakland Raiders bounced the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Are there more upsets ahead? The injury front has claim...

Which Ravens team shows up

this afternoon in Seattle? The sleepless one that lost at Tennessee and Jacksonville? Or the one that rallied for an improbable win last Sunday night at Pittsburgh? Well, our...

Truly one of the more amazing

stories in the NFL this season has been the dramatic turnaround of the Houston defense. A 377- yard per game disaster last season, the Texans have thrived under new DC Wade ...

Battle for top spot in AFC North

means one thing. Both teams are on the clock with the Bengals currently residing in the same upscale neighborhood as the Steelers (read: fi rst place in the AFC North). Thus,...

NFL Trends by SB Breakers

NFL ATS PLAY ON TREND: The Bengals are 10-0 ATS (6.8 ppg) since December 14, 2008 as a dog after a game as a dog where they did not fail to score TDs on at least three trips ...

The Chicago Bears have won three

straight games since losing to the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football in Week 5. The Bears (5-3) will be looking to avenge that loss and earn a split in the season series ...

There’s a terrific battle of NFC

division leaders this Sunday afternoon when the upstart San Francisco 49ers host the New York Giants. San Francisco is a 3 ½-point favorite at Don Best with a total of 42 ½ ...

Greg Cote's Week 10 NFL selections

It’s all a matter of perspective. For example, I had a better week than, say, Herman Cain or Joe Paterno. Actually it was a good, buoyant Week 9 on its own, led by bull’s-ey...

Toughest, easiest second-half sched...

The Bengals streaked to a 6-2 first half (7-1 against the spread) behind a stingy defense, an efficient rookie quarterback, a spectacular wideout, a commitment to the run and go...

The Baltimore Ravens are tied for t...

record in the AFC and coming off of an emotional win on Sunday Night Football over the Pittsburgh Steelers. They could be up against it in spite of the fact that they are favor...

The fortunes of the New York Jets and

New England Patriots have changed dramatically as they meet in a huge AFC East showdown on Sunday Night Football. The Jets actually opened as 2 ½-point home ‘dogs, but ther...

A rough start to the 2011 season

is beginning to smooth out for Leslie Frazier and the Minnesota Vikings, especially on the betting front where they've beaten the spread three of the last four outings. Keepin...

The San Diego Chargers have made

a habit of starting slowly and digging themselves into early-season holes in the past few years. San Diego bucked that trend this season, opening with four wins in its first fi...

The Houston Texans take a

three-game winning streak to the road Sunday when they visit the slumping Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Texans (6-3) have dropped two of their last three games away from home and ...

Few NFL pundits predicted the Cinci...

Bengals would be leading the Pittsburgh Steelers at this point in the season, but that’s exactly where we stand for Sunday afternoon’s AFC North showdown. Cincinnati opene...

There was once a time when there

was about as much a mystery between eventual results of Denver (3-4 straight up and against the spread) and Kansas City (4-4 SU, 5-3 ATS) matchups as there was when John Wooden...

The soaring Atlanta Falcons

hope to overtake the New Orleans Saints for the lead in the NFC South on Sunday when they square off at the Georgia Dome in the first of two meetings. The Falcons (5-3) are th...

The Philadelphia Eagles hope to

keep their slim playoff hopes alive with a win at home over the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday. Sunday’s game starts at 1:00 p.m. (ET) and will be televised nationally on FOX...

Season-long results in the NFL coul...

be much closer regarding favorites and underdogs, with the chalk now trailing by a narrow 64-63 count after last weekend’s game. There are some underdogs out there, alright,...

Two teams at the bottom of the AFC

South will meet up this Sunday when the Jacksonville Jaguars go up to Indianapolis to take on the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. (ET) with coverage be...

If there is a crossroads matchup

for both teams in NFL action this weekend, it likely takes place at Jerry Jones’ Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. Indeed, most NFL insiders suggest the loser of this Sunday’s...

The Raiders better get (a GM)

in place quick or Hue Jackson is going to (mess) that roster up. I don't like any move he has made yet. Aaron Curry is not a pass rusher, and he does not have the instincts to ...

One team got off the schneid

with its first win of the season, another squad remained undefeated and one of the eight divisions ended the first half of the season jammed tight with just a game separating a...

The Tennessee Titans will try

to keep their dwindling playoff hopes alive this Sunday with a win on the road against Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. Coming off of their bye week, the Panthers are cur...

There was a time when

a Redskins-Dolphins matchup stopped the American sports public in its tracks. By comparison, this weekend’s renewal in Sun Life Stadium might not even slow traffic on the ne...

NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence

Oakland 7-2 vs opp w/ rev… 0-6 Thursdays… 1-4 O/U Game Nine SAN DIEGO NOV: 11-1 .500 > off non-div w/ rev… 14-2 off HG vs div Sunday, November 13 Pittsburgh SERIES: 7-2...

The NFL’s two worst teams against

the spread, the Cleveland Browns and St. Louis Rams, meet Sunday afternoon in Ohio with both trying to salvage their seasons. Cleveland is a 1-3 point favorite in the Week 10 ...

First place in the wide open AFC

West is on the line as the San Diego Chargers host the Oakland Raiders this Thursday night. The NFL Network will broadcast the weeknight affair with the kickoff at 8:20 p.m. (...

Football's Home/Road Disparity

by Jim Feist How about those Baltimore Ravens? In back to back game they looked like world beaters, shutting down the Jets (34-17) and the Texans (29-14), covering both wit...

The Chicago Bears and Philadelphia

Eagles both seek their third straight victory when the teams square off at Lincoln Financial Field on Monday night. Chicago will be playing its first game on North American soi...

The Eagles boast the league’s No. 1

overall offense and rushing attack, paced by Mike Vick and LeSean McCoy. They’re averaging 6.6 yards per play and McCoy is ripping off 5.6 yards per rush, while Vick checks i...

The Cowboys' defense, led by

bombastic coordinator Rob Ryan, had vaulted to several top-five rankings in the first seven weeks of the season. Then came Eagles week. The Cowboys were exposed in that prime-t...

Mike Shanahan was given a pass

for last season, given that he inherited most of the roster. This season, that pass is starting to slip away. For the first time since taking the job as head coach, after a 9-1...

Eagles RB LeSean McCoy has touched

the ball 62 times in the past two games, a total that Brian Westbrook never reached in Philadelphia, not even in his Pro Bowl 2007 season in which he had 278 carries and 90 rec...

Coming off a bye, the Bears

are about as healthy as a team could possibly hope to be halfway through the regular season. Except for the one player listed on the injury report Saturday — rookie ORT Gabe ...

The hottest moneymaking team

in the NFL (9-1 ATS last 10 regularseason games) is also 7-3 SU in that span and there’s no reason to believe that the Bengals will slow down anytime soon – except for t...

When the Raiders upset the Broncos

in the season opener for both teams earlier this year there was nary a ‘Tebowing’ sighting to be found in Denver – it was back when Kyle Orton was at the controls. Sin...

It’s not often we will Best Bet

a winless team in the NFL, yet we feel the Dolphins are an exception to the rule this week. For openers, despite their 0-7 start, the Fish are not giving off the foul odor of...

NFL Week 9's biggest mismatches:

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills (-2, 44) Jets run defense vs. Fred Jackson We always gush about Chan Gailey’s creative passing game in Buffalo but the Bills’ bread and ...

The Pittsburgh Steelers have found

their stride after a sluggish start to the season, reeling off four consecutive victories to move into sole possession of first place in the AFC North Division. They will have ...

Mere weeks ago, membership in

the Temple of Tim Tebow runneth over. After billboards begged for just a glimpse of their savior on Sundays, his disciples rejoiced as the tremendous Tebow resurrected his ...

The St. Louis Rams pulled off

the biggest surprise of the NFL season on Sunday when they defeated the New Orleans Saints 31-21 as 13.5-point underdogs. That got us to thinking: How many times has a doubl...

NFL Trends by SB Breakers

NFL ATS PLAY ON TREND: The League is 13-0 ATS (12.3 ppg) since October 22, 2000 as a home 7+ dog vs a non-divisional opponent between divisional opponents. Active on Indianap...

Four key divisional matchups

highlight the Week 9 slate of the NFL, but none are bigger than the Sunday Night Football clash of AFC North titans when the Baltimore Ravens visit the Pittsburgh Steelers in a...

The Chicago Bears and Philadelphia

Eagles have very little wiggle room in their battle for a playoff spot down the stretch, and both need this win Monday night in Philadelphia to keep pace in the NFC. After ope...

Greg Cote's Week 9 NFL selections

Steelers’ outright upset of Patriots grand-marshaled our decent little parade last week, and trailing floats in the cavalcade included three bull’s-eyes on underdogs coverin...

Two teams heading in opposite

directions with different quarterback situations will meet on Sunday in Nashville as the struggling Tennessee Titans host the upstart Cincinnati Bengals. The Titans (4-3) mana...

Competitors in the AFC will square off

in NFL Week 9 betting action, as the Houston Texans play host to the Cleveland Browns. Reliant Stadium will be the site for this tussle, and kickoff is set for Sunday at 1:00 p...

It’s hard to believe that just

one game separates the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks, but that’s the case as they meet Sunday afternoon in Big D. Oddsmakers certainly believe there’s a big differen...

The San Francisco 49ers will try

to keep their dominant season rolling this Sunday with a road win over the beat-up Washington Redskins. San Francisco is currently a 3 ½-point favorite on the Don Best odds s...

There won’t be any playoff implic...

when the Arizona Cardinals host the St. Louis Rams this Sunday, but both teams will be playing for pride and looking for their second win of the season. Sunday’s game starts...

Two months is a long time in

the NFL, and we need look no further than Denver (2-5 straight up and against the spread) and Oakland (4-3 SU, 5-2 ATS) as confirmation. When the Broncos and Raiders faced off...

The New Orleans Saints will have

revenge on their mind when they play their NFC South rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the second time in three weeks on Sunday afternoon. This pointspread is all over the board ...

Can it really be almost four years

since Super Bowl XLII? Yes, it is, and the New York Giants (5-2 straight up, 3-4 against the spread) and New England (5-2 straight up, 4-3 ATS) have not met in a meaningful ga...

The New York Jets should be rested

and ready when they visit the Buffalo Bills in an important AFC East clash on Sunday afternoon. The Jets are 1 ½-point underdogs with an NFL betting total of 44 points. Kicko...

Forty-one years after their first

meeting, Green Bay (7-0 straight up, 5-2 against the spread) and San Diego (4-3 SU, 2-5 ATS) square off once again Sunday afternoon at Qualcomm Stadium. The Pack is listed as ...

The Atlanta Falcons will try

to stay in the mix atop the NFC South with a win in Indianapolis over the Colts this Sunday. Sunday’s game starts at 1:00 p.m. (ET) and will be televised nationally on FOX. ...

We’re looking for some more

“live” NFL underdogs this weekend, and there appear to be several worth considering for the November 6-7 slate. Although dogs and favorites are level through the first eig...

Talk about your teams going in

the opposite direction. Sunday's matchup at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City finds the Chiefs coming off a very fortunate overtime victory to extend their win streak to four, ...

First place will be on the

line in the AFC North on ESPN's Sunday Night Football when the Baltimore Ravens pay a visit to their hated rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Kickoff from Heinz Field is set for ...

The Philadelphia Eagles looked

as good as they did in their season opener in their first game following their bye week last Sunday night. The problem is, the last time the Eagles won a game so convincingly,...

We’ve reached the halfway

point of a crazy season. Is there any way to predict which teams will finish strong and which will stumble? Marc Lawrence supplied some excellent data to help answer tha...

NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence

Atlanta 1-8 favs 6 > pts off SU dog win vs opp off DD SU loss INDIANAPOLIS SERIES: 4-0 L4… 9-1-1 vs opp off SU dog win Tampa Bay 5-0 w/ rest… MORRIS: 13-5 away (7-2 vs .50...

As we move into November

and the NFL season reaches its midway point, the campaign is more and more coming into focus. If Week 8 reminded us of anything, it’s that there are pros playing on all 32 te...

Aside from Super Bowl

losers falling to 0-12 against the spread and 2-10 straight up in Week 1 the following season, here’s what I remember: The Ravens went for two in highly unusual circumsta...

Football's Home/Road Disparity

by Jim Feist How about those Baltimore Ravens? In back to back game they looked like world beaters, shutting down the Jets (34-17) and the Texans (29-14), covering both wi...

If you look at the way

(49ers ILBs) Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman are playing, I don't think there are two better in the National Football League. There is no question they are the best tandem in...

Everybody’s flipping out

about Philip Rivers’ 11 turnovers but San Diego’s total offense ranks eighth in the league and the passing attack ranks seventh. The problem is the Chargers average only 23...

The Kansas City Chiefs are

feeling a lot better about themselves heading into this weekend’s matchup with the San Diego Chargers than they did when the teams met last month. The Chiefs will be seeking ...

Week 8's biggest mismatches

Tom Brady vs. Steelers defense Yellow towels flying around won’t intimidate Tom Brady. Neither does the league’s best home-field record over the last four decades. He cut...

Plenty of chatter and controversy

came out of Week 7 in the NFL. Chatter: Does Tim Tebow stink or not? Controversy: Is mouthy, physical Ndamukong Suh a dirty player? So the football gods have intervened for Wee...

The Philadelphia Eagles headed

into their bye week on a positive note. Since Andy Reid took over as head coach, they've been unbeatable after a week off. The Eagles will put a perfect 12-0 record under Reid ...

The Kansas City Chiefs and

San Diego Chargers have vastly different health situations for their Halloween clash on ESPN’s Monday Night Football at 8:30 p.m. (ET). Here’s a look at the breaking injury...

Week 8's NFL betting action

commences on Sunday, and here at Don Best we're keeping a close eye on what's going on with line movement and injury reports for each of the games. Jacksonville Jaguars @ Hous...

NFL Trends by Sportsbook Breakers

NFL ATS PLAY ON TREND: The Giants are 10-0 ATS (16.4 ppg) since September 21, 1992 after a game where they scored at least 21 points and failed to cover by between 1-3 points...

The Buffalo Bills are unbeaten

at home this season but will head North of the border to Canada on Sunday looking for their first win there when they host the Washington Redskins. The Bills (4-2) are coming ...

Two teams coming off record breaking

losses, the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans, meet up in Nashville on Sunday afternoon. The Titans are mostly an 8 ½-point favorite at Don Best after...

In one of this season’s biggest s...

the San Francisco 49ers have one of the best records in the NFL, and they’ll look to pick up another win this week at home against the Cleveland Browns this Sunday. San Fran...

Greg Cote's Week 8 NFL selections

Is it possible to wear the heavy yoke of a 6-7 record straight-up and come away from a week feeling not only OK but near ebullient? It is. What you do is, you go 8-4-1 (Seahawks...

When a team trails 34-7 at

halftime you expect a better second-half performance, if only because the players are professional, they don’t like getting embarrassed, and the winning side inserts backups....

He’s the odd man out,

the black sheep, the ugly duckling. He is Philip Rivers, quarterback of the San Diego Chargers. Sure, the Chargers sit 4-2 straight up and lead the AFC West by a game over ...

The Kansas City Chiefs may

have turned in the most surprising performance of Week 7 and hope to carry that over to Monday Night Football when they host the San Diego Chargers in a key AFC West matchup. ...

The Miami Dolphins are one

of the three teams in the NFL that have yet to win a game in the 2011 campaign. They hope to change all of that when they head to MetLife Stadium to tango with the New York Gia...

The quarterback position is getting...

the pre-game attention as the Denver Broncos welcome the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon. Denver is now a 3-point ‘dog at Don Best after opening at 3 ½. The injury situat...

To paraphrase the late,

great comic Henny Youngman, "Take the Rams...please!" So it goes for the tale of woe in St. Louis, circa 2011, as the Rams march inexorably toward another disastrous campaign ...

Two NFC East rivals in dire

need of a win take the field Sunday night when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys. Sunday Night Football will start at 8:20 p.m. (ET) and will be televised nation...

New England and Pittsburgh have

become rather familiar with one another over the years thanks to several memorable encounters. And perhaps we’ll get another when the teams square off on Sunday in the Steel...

New England and Pittsburgh have

become rather familiar with one another over the years thanks to several memorable encounters. And perhaps we’ll get another when the teams square off on Sunday in the Steel...

There’s a bit of history between

these franchises, mostly from previous incarnations. For years, this was the old Chicago and then St. Louis football Cardinals vs. the original Cleveland Browns. Their rivalry...

Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback

Cam Newton has exceeded all expectations so far. He’ll face off against one of his first-round compatriots when Christian Ponder and the Minnesota Vikings come to town. The ...

Two teams out of the AFC South

will match up this week after dominating performances on opposite sides of the ball in Week 7. The (4-3) Houston Texans will host the (2-5) Jacksonville Jaguars at Reliant Stad...

NFL Trends by Marc lawrence

Indianapolis 9-1 away vs .500 > opp… 1-4 O/U Game Eight TENNESSEE 1-5 w/ rev off BB SUATS losses vs < .500 opp Jacksonville SERIES: 3-1 L4… 7-0 A off non div w/ rev vs .50...

The Steelers' pass defense has

been stingy early this season, bucking a collective league trend. Through six weeks, NFL teams, on average, were surrendering more passing yards per game and per pass play t...

On this eve of Halloween week,

there were definitely plenty of delightful treats along with a bevy of treacherous tricks in NFL betting action. Week 7 will certainly go down as one of the strangest weeks tha...

Only one game on the Week 8 slate

matches winning teams. But oh, it’s a doozy. New England, 5-1 and off a bye, visits 5-2 Pittsburgh just as the Steelers are starting to...

The preseason hope in New York

was that QB Mark Sanchez would take the Year Three jump. We knew coming into the season that Sanchez had proved he could win big games with his poise under pressure, but the wa...

You want to know why the Saints

have struggled? (Saints C) Olin Kreutz was just barely hanging on. Is (Bears C Roberto) Garza better than Kreutz would have been this year? The answer is yes. Kreutz can't get ...

Winning Football:

"D" Comes Before "O" by Jim Feist So what do you prefer: offense or defense? Most casual bettors examining NFL picks like offense, which is why Monday night football ...

With Ray Rice bursting out

of the backfield, the Baltimore Ravens sit fifth in the league averaging 29.6 points per game. Rice has 398 rushing yards and 302 receiving yards to go along with four touchdow...

Mired in a five-game losing

streak amid growing speculation that their coach's job is in jeopardy, one of the last teams the Jacksonville Jaguars want to see come to town Monday night is the Baltimore Rav...

In a game where the Baltimore

Ravens seemingly have every advantage except playing on their home field, the Jacksonville Jaguars will look to their running game and defense to keep them competitive on Monda...

The NFL season is fraught with

uncertainties, and there's no better example than the quarterback matchup when the New Orleans Saints host the winless Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night. You can be sure that ...

Rams QB Sam Bradford will sit

out Sunday's game at Dallas with a high left ankle sprain. A.J. Feeley will start in his place. This will be Feeley's first start since 2007, when he played for the Eagles. ...

If you’re a bettor seeking out co...

action in Week 7 of the NFL season, look no further than the early part of Sunday’s slate. All seven games that kick off at 1:00 p.m. (ET) have lines of 3 ½ points or less,...

NFL Trends by Sportsbook Breakers

-NFL ATS PLAY ON TREND: The Vikings are 10-0 ATS (7.6 ppg) since November 19. 2001 after a Sunday game where they lost by 21+ points. SDQL TEXT: team=Vikings and 20011119<=da...

The status of St. Louis quarterback

Sam Bradford is the big question heading into Sunday’s game at the Dallas Cowboys. St. Louis is a 13-point ‘dog at Don Best after opening at 12. The NFL betting total is d...

First place in the AFC South

will be on the line on Sunday for Week 7 NFL betting action between the Tennessee Titans and the Houston Texans. Kickoff from LP Field is set for 1:00 p.m. (ET), and there will...

With a new quarterback at the helm,

the Oakland Raiders are set to host the Kansas City Chiefs at home this Sunday afternoon. Sunday’s game will be televised nationally on CBS and is set to start at 4:05 p.m. ...

Our famous Super Bowl loser

angles comes into play this afternoon in the desert as these teams are just 16-36-2 ATS as non-division road favorites, including 7-26-1 ATS when laying less than 6 points. I...

The handshake seen ‘round

the world may just be start the start of bad things to come for Jim Schwartz and his Lions. As the saying goes, “all good things must come to an end” and our PLAYBOOK.com...

Welcome to the Church of

Broken Hearts. Presiding over the congregation, and making his long awaited season debut at the dais, will be pastor Tim Tebow. Denver beat writer Brandon Galvin contends, �...

Greg Cote’s NFL Week 7

Like the sad Dolphins, our hard work and diligence is not being rewarded with results. Which is another way of saying, “I stink so far this season, and I’m not sure why.” ...

Despite rough starts to the season

for both teams, either the Seattle Seahawks or Cleveland Browns will reach the .500 mark after they meet on Sunday. Seattle is coming off a bye and will have an extra week of ...

Two teams breaking in new starting

quarterbacks will square off Sunday when the winless Miami Dolphins host the Denver Broncos. The Dolphins (0-5) will be playing on a short week after losing on the road to the...

Potential playoff foes in the NFC

duke it out on Motown on Sunday afternoon, and NFL betting fans can sink their teeth into the clash between the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions. Kickoff from Ford Field ...

The Sunday night game between

the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts has a completely different feel from the last time they met. New Orleans is a 14-point favorite, a huge swing f...

The Value of Run Defense

by Jim Feist Like a giant leak on a sinking ship, one of the first signs of a poor pro football team is weak run defense. Stopping the run is essential to building a cham...

It was only three years ago that th...

Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals met up in Super Bowl XLIII, one of the best Super Bowls in recent memory. Now, the two are just trying to get their footing to get back into ...

The Green Bay Packers are

the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL, and will look to stay that way this Sunday afternoon when they head to Minnesota to take on the Vikings. The odds currently list...

The San Diego Chargers (4-1)

have always been apt to sleepwalk through early-season games since Norv Turner arrived as head coach in 2007. But we don’t think we have to worry about the Chargers being fl...

Hold off on some of that Washington

Redskins (3-2) playoff chatter that has been gushing from D.C. over the past month. It looks like Mike Shanahan still might not have a proper quarterback to lead the 'Skins ba...

Was last week a "buy signal"

for both Chicago (3-3) and Tampa Bay (4-2)? Or was it just another in what might be a succession of rollercoaster efforts for both? We’ll have a better idea after this Sunda...

ESPN’s Monday Night Football

features one of the best teams in the National Football League in the Baltimore Ravens as they head to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. (ET) al...

The New York Jets and Philadelphia

Eagles shed their disappointment tags for at least one week and now look ahead to Week 7 of the NFL betting season. Philadelphia (2-4 straight up) had arguably a season-saving...

NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence

Chicago 7-1 Game Seven… 8-2 aft Vikings Tampa Bay SERIES: 4-1 L5… 1-8 O/U Game Seven Washington SERIES: 4-0 L4 / 4-0 L4 A… 0-4 Game Six CAROLINA 5-2 Game Seven… 1-6 H...

Opening line report Week 7

Indianapolis at New Orleans (-14, 47.5) The Saints are angry and coming home. The winless Colts are playing their second straight on the r...

Some pretenders, and surprise

contenders, have been established through five games, but the Saints are situated where they expected to be — leading the NFC South and in position to compete for a high seed...

There is speculation

about the race for Andrew Luck, and how teams like the Colts are trying to lose games. You would rather be 2-14 than 6-10 this year, but every team goes into the week trying to...

Well, it may not be the best Monday...

matchup we've seen this season, but at least there are a lot of compelling storylines. This line was bouncing around a touchdown and it's at New York -6.5 at most books as of S...

The Miami Dolphins (0-4) and

New York Jets (2-3) will meet up in an AFC East divisional matchup with both teams looking to turn things around. Kickoff from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, is schedu...

The Chicago Bears can uncheck

one of their primary goals this season. With the only two undefeated teams in the NFL sitting in their division, the Bears can pretty much abandon their hopes of repeating as N...

Week 6 of the 2011 NFL regular

season is just a day away and most of the attention will be squarely placed on the Dallas Cowboys heading to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots. Dallas has been a ...

NFL Trends by Sportsbook Breakers

NFL ATS PLAY ON TREND: The Patriots are 13-0 ATS (12.9 ppg) since October 11, 1998 in October games when they were a 7+ point favorite last game. SDQL TEXT: team=Patriots and...

We ‘Betcha Didn’t Know’

that the Jets would lose four straight games this season but ‘time is on the side’ of the winless, well-rested Dolphins this week as they ‘roll’ into the New Meadowla...

Like we mentioned –

albeit in phony fashion – the Rayduhs dug deep and won the game they wanted for Al. However, we have absolutely zero interest in backing them in their fi rst favorite role ...

We thought the Giants were

a bit of an overlay last week as 10-point chalk against Seattle but we didn’t think that the Seahawks (along with 90% of survivor pool players) would travel clear across th...

With Green Bay and Detroit both

at 5-0 and about to fly over the horizon in the NFC North, the situation has suddenly become crucial for both the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings. Win, or else. With play...

Drew Brees is second in the

National Football League with 1,769 passing yards. Shades of 1976 at Tampa Bay? Forgive those of us with long memories who recall the expansion Bucs of thirty-five years ago,...

The New York Jets are

dealing with a 3-game losing streak and some internal dissent as they host the Miami Dolphins on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. New York opened as 9-point favorites, but it w...

The Bet Box:

There was a time, say 20 years ago, when a visit to Foxboro by the Dallas Cowboys would be big, bigger than a 10-gallon hat and a pair of six-shooters on the hips. Of course,...

Greg Cote's Week 6 NFL selections

I make my picks on Thursday afternoons, and most times they still look good to me when published in the next day’s newspaper. Then there are times like last week, when I awake...

Best NFL red zone offenses:

Buffalo Bills (3-2 ATS) The Bills are 4-1 and one of the biggest surprises in the NFL. They’ve already matched last season's win total and there’s no doubt that cashing i...

The Washington Redskins aren’t

getting a lot of respect from the oddsmakers as they host the Philadelphia Eagles in a crucial NFC East matchup on Sunday. The game opened as a pick 'em, but Washington is now...

Falcons WR Julio Jones will not

play against Sunday against the Panthers because of a hamstring injury, head coach Mike Smith said Wednesday. Jones has 25 receptions and leads the team in receiving yards w...

According to the Pewter Report,

the Buccaneers have been impressed by the practice play of recently reinstated FS Tanard Jackson and could activate him for Sunday's game against the Saints. Jackson, who wa...

I was hoping the Raiders

would've come out last Sunday in Houston, on their first offensive play since Al Davis died, and sent one deep … just bombed one way out there through the stratosphere, with ...

The Streak Ends Saturday

by Bob Dietz Some of you following the contest may have noticed that I've won 16 consecutive games against the spread. Many people have asked how I've done it. Slavish de...

NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence

St. Louis SPAGNUOLO: 1-7 off BB SU losses vs .500 > opp (0-2 TY) GREEN BAY 7-1 bef Vikes… OCT: 2-9 off non div vs opp off BB ATS L’s Jacksonville SERIES: 5-2 L7… 8-0 A w...

So how important was

Minnesota’s rout over Arizona last week, you ask? Mighty, we reply. Not only are the Vikings off the schneid, they enter this triple-revenger with an air of confi dence. ...

What a difference a year

and a week makes for the Green Bay Packers and St. Louis Rams heading into their battle at Lambeau Field on Sunday. In Week 17 of last season, the Rams and Packers both needed...

The Atlanta Falcons have beaten

up on the Carolina Panthers over the past few seasons, but they will be hosting a much different team on Sunday when the NFC South rivals square off at the Georgia Dome. Rooki...

The Indianapolis Colts (0-5)

have officially entered the Andrew Luck sweepstakes as they travel to take on the Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) at Paul Brown Stadium. Sunday’s kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ...

The Buffalo Bills have their

toughest road test to date when they visit the New York Giants in an intra-state affair on Sunday. CBS will broadcast from MetLife Stadium at 1:00 p.m. (ET). The Bills are mos...

A little-known rivalry is about

to be revisited on Sunday in Week 6 of the NFL when the Jacksonville Jaguars head over to Pittsburgh to battle the Steelers. Kickoff from Heinz Field is set for 1:00 p.m. (ET) ...

In the last 10 seasons,

NFL teams coming off a bye week are 168-141-8 against the spread, a win rate of 54.4 percent. Eighteen of the league’s 32 teams have winning ATS records off a bye, four a...

Oddsmakers set the highest NFL totals

we’ve ever seen last week, and guess what? Nine of 13 games still went over. So now they’ve shattered another record. Based on Covers.com data, this week’s average tot...

Turnovers Can Turn the Tide

by Jim Feist Last week the Baltimore Ravens had just 267 total yards in a Sunday night showdown with the Jets and were a measily 6 of 18 on third down. In addition, they...

Week 5 in the NFL is

in the books, and two NFC North teams remain the league’s only unbeaten teams at 5-0. The Detroit Lions wrapped up the action by continuing their best start since 1956 with ...

Not many NFL insiders had

a Week 6 contest between the San Francisco 49ers (4-1) and Detroit Lions (5-0) tabbed as the league’s marquee game, but that’s exactly what’s occurred through five weeks ...

If the oddsmakers are correct,

the Sunday battle between the New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys is going to be a shootout. FOX will broadcast this marquee matchup at 4:15 p.m. (ET) from Gillette Stadium...

Division leaders duke it

out at M&T Bank Stadium in Week 6 NFL betting action, as the Houston Texans pay a visit to the Baltimore Ravens. Kickoff from Baltimore is slated for 4:05 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, ...

The Oakland Raiders hope

to build on the momentum of a big win last weekend when they host the Cleveland Browns this Sunday. Oakland is currently a 5 ½-point favorite at home on the Don Best odds scr...

Explosive plays and an

opportunistic streak have marked the Ravens' 3-1 start, with the defense especially impressing in these regards. The Ravens have scored four defensive TDs, three in a rout o...

The Panthers' passing game

has shattered expectations through the first quarter of the season, thanks in large part to the performance of rookie QB Cam Newton. Carolina's defense lags behind the highly p...

When it comes to things we

believe about the NFL, we stick to the script. After all, we wrote the script, and we know our stuff. We’ll tweak it if we have to. What ...

Nobody worked harder or sacrificed ...

than Al Davis in building the NFL into what it is today. He gave EVERYTHING. He was the true 'godfather' of the NFL. … He was one of a kind. I don't agree with everything he ...

Monday Night Breakdown

BEARS BREAKDOWN Complete this sentence and explain your answer: Jay Cutler is the Bears’ most _________ player. BearGogglesOn: Enigmatic. This is a hard one to put i...

The Lions on Monday Night Football

is no laughing matter. Detroit is undefeated and looking to down its division rival on national TV. Here’s a peek at what numbers say a...

Are you ready for some football?

It looks like Hank Williams Jr. isn’t. He obviously doesn’t fancy our president very much, but does he like the new kings of the jungle? He should. The Lions are 16-2 ATS...

If the Chicago Bears are going to

beat the Detroit Lions for a seventh straight time when they teams meet on Monday Night Football, they will need to protect quarterback Jay Cutler and stop wide receiver Calvin...

Seahawks cover vs. Giants?

By Rich Witt Not head-over-heels over Tarvaris Jackson, but Seattle did make up a lot of ground late with no-huddle offense against a rela...

Aaron Rodgers hasn’t stopped

toying with defenses since he and the Green Bay Packers left the Georgia Dome with a stunningly one-sided win over the top-seeded Atlanta Falcons last January. The question is:...

A couple of key injuries for the

Pittsburgh Steelers have contributed to the biggest line move of Week 5 in the NFL as the defending AFC champions prepare to host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. ...

NFL Trends by SB Breakers

NFL ATS PLAY ON TREND: The Steelers are 11-0-1 ATS since November 2000 after a game where they trailed by at least a TD after one quarter a controlled the time of possession....

The Denver Broncos (1-3),

a win away will host the AFC West-leading San Diego Chargers (3-1) on Sunday, with the Mile High City crew taking a third crack at its 400th regular-season win. Kickoff from S...

The unbeaten Detroit Lions

will be the home team for the first time on Monday Night Football in 10 years when the Chicago Bears visit them to close out Week 5. The Lions (4-0) beat the Minnesota Vikings...

Things That Make You Go Hmmmm:

HGH and the NFL by Bob Dietz Sometimes the sports world reeks of so much hypocrisy and doublespeak that a translator is necessary. My "Things That Make You Go Hmmmm" c...

Greg Cote’s Week 5 NFL Picks

I’d be money if this were horseshoes and close counted. Had Bills, Cowboys and (in an outright upset) Cardinals last week, and they blew leads of 14, 24 and 10 points, respect...

The Minnesota Vikings (0-4)

and Arizona Cardinals (1-3) have combined for only one victory through one quarter of the regular season, and neither seems inclined to make a run towards the playoffs. Kickof...

The Atlanta Falcons will play

hosts on Sunday Night Football for the second time in a month with revenge again on their minds. The Falcons edged the Philadelphia Eagles 35-31 in Week 2, as their former qua...

Two teams on the rise in the NFC

meet this week when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the San Francisco 49ers for Week 5 NFL betting action. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. (ET) at Candlestick Park, and will...

The Border War between

the New England Patriots and New York Jets continues Sunday afternoon with both teams having major question marks. CBS will broadcast at 4:15 p.m. (ET) from Gillette Stadium. ...

NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence

Kansas City 6-1 away off non conf (1-0 this year)… 1-6 SU Game Five INDIANAPOLIS SERIES: 9-2 L11 / 4-1 L5 H… 9-0 SU Game Five Arizona WHISENHUNT: 1-12 w/ rev vs opp off SU...

Who doesn’t adore the cute,

cuddly Lions? They went 0-16 just three years ago, an unmatched NFL low. They play for a beaten-down city that deserves something to cheer. They feature a swashbuckling ...

The Indianapolis Colts and

Kansas City Chiefs only have one victory between them this year, but one of the two will put a notch in the win column on Sunday when they meet up at Lucas Oil Field. Week 5's ...

The Philadelphia Eagles dream

season has been a nightmare so far as they play another tough game at the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. FOX will broadcast at 1:00 p.m. (ET). The Eagles opened as 3-point road favo...

Remember when it took an injury

to a quarterback or star runner to move an NFL line? Those days are long gone. In the National Fling-It League, wide receivers have usurped running backs in importance. One...

The New York Giants (3-1)

begin a three-game homestand Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium against the struggling Seattle Seahawks (1-3). Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. (ET), with the game being ca...

The Houston Texans are coming off

of one of the biggest wins in franchise history. However, they have a new test coming to Reliant Stadium in Week 5 NFL betting action, as the Oakland Raiders pay a visit to th...

The New Orleans Saints (3-1)

will look to make it three wins in a row when traveling to face the Carolina Panthers (1-3) in Week 5 of the 2011 NFL regular season. Sunday’s kickoff from Bank of America St...

With the first month of the NFL

season officially in the books, we move on to Week 5 where the card is cut down to 13 games as six teams take their bye weeks. Week 4 saw the favorites go 10-6 against the spre...

Two rookie quarterbacks will

duel this weekend in the National Football League when the Cincinnati Bengals (2-2) head to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars (1-3) at EverBank Field. This matchup out of the...

The Jets are like the Cowboys

in the 1990s. There is enough talent on that offense — they don't need to do a lot. They can be very vanilla and move the ball — that's when they are their best. Do you thi...

Very few NFL insiders would

have predicted the Tennessee Titans (3-1) entering this Week 5 matchup with a better record than the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2). That’s exactly what has played out with both ...

Beware of Early Season Phonies!

by Jim Feist So…are we all set for the Lions/Bills Super Bowl? Because after three weeks, those were two of the remaining three undefeated teams in the NFL, along wi...

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven’t

had a home game on Monday Night Football in eight years. The then-reigning Super Bowl champions played in prime time twice that season, and one of the games was among the most ...

The Indianapolis Colts (0-3)

and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) will close out Week 4 of the 2011 NFL regular season on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. Kickoff from Raymond James Stadium is scheduled for 8:30 ...

Rex Ryan is happy to tell anyone

who will listen that he has the best defense – and best team, for that matter – in the NFL. The brash coach of the New York Jets will be staring at an opposing defense that...

Only if you hail from the

eastern shore of Lake Erie can you fully appreciate what happened in Buffalo last week. The Bills’ dramatic come-from-behind win over ar...

If you’re wondering why every

dog in America was seen wagging its tail last Sunday, it likely had something to do with the fact that Michael Vick was reported to have suffered a broken right hand in the ...

Week 4 of the 2011 NFL

regular season has a full schedule of 16 games ready to go before the league starts handing out bye weeks. Three franchises will be looking for their first wins of the season S...

The last time the Indianapolis Colts

visited Tampa Bay, they completed one of the most improbable comebacks in the history of Monday Night Football. This Monday night, the winless Colts (0-3) will just be trying t...

Lambeau Field is the site for

the battle on the Week 4 NFL odds slate between the Green Bay Packers and the Denver Broncos. These two teams that are heading in opposite directions are set to square off in C...

NFL Trends by Sportsbook Breakers

NFL ATS PLAY ON TREND: The Bills are 12-0-1 ATS ( ppg) in database history after a game where they had at least 24 first downs but trailed by double digits at...

Greg Cote's Week 4 NFL selections

To mind comes the word “meh” when assessing a 10-6 week straight up, but I’ll gladly take a second consecutive 9-5-2 against the spread, thank you. (Last week, two games w...

The fightin’ Zooks are

4-0 for the fi rst time since 1951 but last week’s 3-point win over Western Michigan as 14-point home chalk reminds us that laying ample points with this bunch can be dange...

NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence

Detroit 5-1 aft Vikes… SCHWARTZ: 8-2 off div… 5-1 O/U Game Four DALLAS SERIES: 5-2 L7 / 3-1 L4 H… 8-2 favs < 10 pts vs NFC North New Orleans SERIES: 3-1 L4… 1-6-1 1st ...

The New York Giants (2-1)

face the first of two consecutive NFC West opponents on their schedule with a road trip to Arizona to face the Cardinals (1-2) at University of Phoenix Stadium. Kickoff is sch...

Quarterback Michael Vick

has already proclaimed there is a 100 percent chance he will start for the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday when they host the San Francisco 49ers. Ironically, Vick was not rea...

The Atlanta Falcons (1-2)

and Seattle Seahawks (1-2) will meet up in Week 4 with identical records, but one team came into the 2011 NFL campaign with much higher expectations. Sunday’s kickoff from C...

A pair of 2-1 teams meet up at Reliant

Stadium for one of the biggest Week 5 NFL betting showdowns, as the Houston Texans play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers. This 1:00 p.m. (ET) Sunday kickoff will be the nationa...

Avoiding overpriced commodities

Avoiding overpriced commodities makes fiscal sense, whether in the retail market or at the sportsbook. In other words, just because some people might be willing to pay $5 mil...

The Washington Redskins take to

the road for the second week in a row and hope for a better result when they visit the winless St. Louis Rams on Sunday. The Redskins (2-1) are coming off an 18-16 loss at Dal...

The Miami Dolphins (0-3) and

San Diego Chargers (2-1) will meet up Sunday afternoon in an AFC clash at Qualcomm Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:15 (ET) and will be televised on CBS. Oddsmakers had no ...

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan gets

a second shot at the team that spurned him when he visits the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night. NBC will broadcast at 8:20 p.m. (ET) from M&T Bank Stadium, where Baltimore loo...

Drew Brees and the New Orleans

Saints go marching into Jacksonville this Sunday to take on the Jaguars in Week 4 of the NFL season. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. (ET) and some markets will be able to catch ...

Best pass-rushing teams in the league

While defensive coordinators haven't been able to figure out how to shut down the high-powered offenses yet, they at least have an idea of what it will take. Defenses are blitzi...

The Minnesota Vikings (0-3)

and Kansas City Chiefs (0-3) are sure to gain some media coverage in Week 4 as the only NFL game between winless foes this weekend. Sunday’s kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p....

Neither the Tennessee Titans

nor the Cleveland Browns were expected to make a whole heck of a lot of noise this year in NFL betting action. They've both won two games in a row after disappointing Week 1 lo...

The New England Patriots play

their second tough road opponent in a row when they visit the improved Oakland Raiders on Sunday. CBS will broadcast at 4:15 p.m. (ET) from Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, wi...

The Dallas Cowboys don’t want

to rely on a third straight comeback when they host the undefeated Detroit Lions on Sunday. FOX will broadcast at 1:00 p.m. (ET) from Cowboys Stadium, the palatial estate of o...

Normally you go to Disney World

after winning the Super Bowl. The Bills are going to Cincinnati. Buffalo deserves to celebrate after beating big, bad New England for the first time in 16 tries and doing so...

Running lanes have been scarce

for RB Matt Forté, who was held to two yards on nine carries Sunday as the Bears' offensive line struggled to clear holes against the Packers. Forté ranks 30th in rushing ...

Giants DT Chris Canty,

quoted on nj.com refuting Eagles QB Michael Vick, who claimed that Canty's hit on him Sunday in which the Eagles' QB suffered a hand injury, was illegal: "He's entitled to his ...

After a promising start to the year,

the Chicago Bears will try to end a two-game skid this Sunday when they host the Carolina Panthers at Soldier Field. The Bears are coming off consecutive double-digit losses a...

There is only one undefeated team

left standing in the AFC standings after just three weeks of play, that being the Buffalo Bills. The biggest upstarts in the league are going to be back in NFL betting action i...

September Football: Upset City!

by Jim Feist There's a reason they play the games. Teams don't always play the way stats and power rankings suggest they are supposed to. That's often evident early in...

The Superman tattoo on

the hand of Mike Vick doesn’t make him a man of steel. The hand is broken. The kryptonite is the offensive line. The game will be off the board all week with Vick back...

Josh Freeman is an absolute

superstar, but the fact that he doesn't put up monster fantasy stats or live in a major media market keeps him well underneath the radar. Plus, this is a 'no-name' receiving co...

Most would agree that on paper

the Cowboys boast the more talented offense. But a rash of injuries has Dallas turning to some untested players. Regular starters Tony Romo (QB), Dez Bryant (WR) and Felix Jone...

The status of Dallas Cowboys quarte...

Tony Romo remains up in the air as he is officially listed as questionable on the injury report for Monday night’s home game against the Washington Redskins. Most sportsbook...

Vick, Eagles can’t fly over high ...

by Rich Witt EAGLES (-7 1⁄2) over Giants: Michael Vick likely will start, in yet another miraculous Eagles post-concussion recovery. Big Blue put up some good tech numbers in...

NFL Week 3's biggest mismatches

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles (-8.5, 48.5) Giants pass defense vs. Eagles pass offense Why Antrel Rolle opened his mouth this week is anybody’s guess. He said h...

The whispers are getting louder

and the wink and nods are becoming less subtle. There’s a new campaign for NFL have-nots and it’s not one that makes this underdog bettor’s job any easier. Suck for Lu...

Peyton Manning's neck injury

could turn out to be painful for more than the Indianapolis Colts. The executives at NBC Sports who were probably salivating at the prospect of Sunday night's matchup between I...

Are the Buffalo Bills and Detroit

Lions for real, and will they both remain unbeaten and improve to 3-0 after Sunday’s NFL action? Those are just a couple of key questions bettors are looking to answer before...

NFL Trends by SB Breakers

NFL ATS PLAY ON TREND: The Bills are 11-0 ATS (9.9 ppg) since November 1999 after a win by three points or less during which they controlled the battle of posession. SDQL TEX...

It's a good thing the Dallas Cowboys

have a group health insurance plan. One look at the list of walking wounded on the Cowboys roster, and you begin to wonder if some of the few healthy players might have to go ...

Greg Cote's Week 3 NFL Picks-

Told y’all I’d bounce back. I’m like Dwight Howard. I rebound. Had an embarrassing first week but jettisoned that quickly to past tense with a nice Week 2 both straight up...

The worst defenses in pro football

Teams averaged 23.4 points a game last weekend, just a tick below the 23.5 average of Week 1. A total of 1,502 points and 172 touchdowns have been scored already, the highest ma...

It didn't take long before Charles ...

was being mentioned as a possible alternative at free safety in place of Nick Collins, who is out for the year after suffering a costly neck injury in Week Two. But we hear the...

The Seattle Seahawks have looked

abysmal in losing their first two games of the season and will count on their 12th man in the stands to help them turn things around when they host the Arizona Cardinals on Sun...

The Kansas City Chiefs (0-2)

and San Diego Chargers (1-1) open up their respective AFC West division schedules this Sunday in a Week 3 contest. Kickoff from beautiful San Diego, is expected at 4:05 p.m. (E...

The Atlanta Falcons head to Tampa Bay

to face the Buccaneers in what could be a very important game down the road for divisional supremacy in the AFC South. The game kicks off at Raymond James Stadium at 4:15 p.m....

The Patriots announced Wednesday

that they placed starting C Dan Koppen and DL Myron Pryor on season-ending injured reserve. Koppen suffered an ankle injury in the Patriots' season-opening win at Miami. Dan...

Ten most intriguing players of Week...

Denarius Moore — A.J. Green and Julio Jones were billed as the impact receivers in this year's rookie class, but Moore's eye-opening performance in Buffalo last weekend made i...

The last time the Chicago Bears

hosted the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field, a trip to the Super Bowl was on the line. The stakes will be much smaller on Sunday when they meet again and renew the NFL’s o...

The Sunday night primetime matchup

between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts is not exactly what NBC executives were expecting. The Don Best odds screen has Pittsburgh as 10 ½-point road favorites...

How long has it been since

the Detroit Lions (2-0) were favored at Minnesota (0-2)? Well, Walter Cronkite was still hosting the CBS Evening News and Anwar Sadat was still President of Egypt...and the Vik...

The last time Denver trekked

to LP Field for a battle vs. Tennessee last October 3, the odds seemed stacked against the 6½-point underdog Broncos. Yet despite generating only 19 rush yards for the entire ...

Week 3 of the National Football

League season kicks off this Sunday and on the late-game slate will be the St. Louis Rams (0-2) hosting the Baltimore Ravens (1-1) at the Edward Jones Dome. Game time is set fo...

AWESOME ANGLE OF THE WEEK by Marc L...

PLAY AGAINST the defending Super Bowl loser as a non-division road favorite versus an opponent that won 9 or more games last season. Play Against: PITTSBURGH STEELERS

NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence-

San Francisco SERIES: 1-5 L6… 1-7 SU Game Three CINCINNATI SEPT: 8-0 vs opp off NFC… 1-8 favs off SU loss New England SERIES: 7-2 L9 / 7-0 L7 A… 11-1 div RF’s 4 > pts ...

The health status of Philadelphia

Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is the big question heading into Sunday’s home game against the New York Giants. The contest is currently off the board on the Don Best odds ...

The Miami Dolphins will head

to the road in search of their first victory of the season when they visit the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The Dolphins lost their first two games at home to a pair of unbeaten...

The New York Jets hope to stay

undefeated as they travel cross-country to play the Oakland Raiders in their first road game of the season. CBS will televise the matchup, which has a scheduled kickoff of 4:0...

This Sunday from Paul Brown Stadium

in Cincinnati, the Bengals (1-1) will host the San Francisco 49ers (1-1) in an interconferece NFL matchup. The game can be found in some markets on FOX beginning at 1:00 p.m. (...

Green Bay trailed 13-6 at the break

and the second half spread surfaced at -8½. Covering with a field goal was great value so I tried to get down as quickly as possible. Clicked the mouse and got the dreaded ...

Cincinnati’s offensive playcalling

was downright stupid. Jay Gruden crashed and burned as an Arena Football coach and I was shocked he got the offensive coordinator job here. Gruden spent the first 40 minutes of...

After two weeks the public has dism...

the Chiefs and Colts. Have two division winners ever become pure fade material so quickly? “For the first two weeks we couldn’t get a bet on Indy or Kansas City,”...

Forgive OLB Parys Haralson

for not being able to shed much light on the first of his two turnover-producing sacks in the Niners' Week One win over the Seahawks. "I honestly don't even remember, man," ...

"I think (Falcons GM) Thomas Dimitr...

is a very good GM. He has a plan and knows what it takes to win. The one thing I have noticed about young GMs — a lot of them don't trust the people that work for them. They ...

In what should be one of the

higher scoring matchups on the NFL Week 3 betting lines, the Houston Texans will take on the New Orleans Saints. Sunday afternoon's kickoff from the Louisiana Superdome is set ...

The Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1)

and Carolina Panthers (0-2) are set to square off in Week 3 of the National Football League regular season. Sunday’s kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. (ET) at Bank of Americ...

The Buffalo Bills have been

one of the surprise early teams in the NFL. They get a giant test on Sunday when their AFC East rival New England Patriots come to town. CBS will broadcast at 1:00 p.m. (ET) f...

The St. Louis Rams resembled

a M*A*S*H unit before the end of last week's season-opening loss to Philadelphia. That won’t earn much sympathy around the NFL, particularly from the injury-riddled New York G...

Kansas City Chiefs running back

Jamaal Charles suffered a torn ACL and is done for the season, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday afternoon. Charles suffered the injury during the first quarter of Sunday...

The St. Louis Rams (0-1)

and New York Giants (0-1) will close out Week 2 of the 2011 NFL regular season when facing off on Monday Night Football at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. St. Louis ru...

Low-scoring Jets giving too many

points by Richard Witt- Jaguars (+9 1⁄2) over JETS: Mixed signals — since Jets have nice ATS stre...

Michael Vick will make a second

homecoming trip to Atlanta and, naturally, will be the center of attention – but for all the right reasons this time. Vick and the Dream Team otherwise known as the Philadelp...

The Chargers are at it again.

Completely dominating opponents on the ﬁ eld with sometimes very little to show for it on the SU or ATS scorecards. Norv can be tough to back but the points in this one...

Not only did Tom Brady throw

for more yards in one drive than Donovan McNabb had in the entire game (39) but so did 30 other quarterbacks – not to mention probably a few backs and receivers. In a r...

It’s safe to say that the Motor City

is back on its feet. The cars are rolling off the assembly line, the Tigers will be in the MLB playoffs next month and the Lions have their roar back. But before we crown ...

The NFL regular season quickly

moves into Week 2 and some players are expected to make their first appearance. Houston Texans running back Arian Foster is the biggest name on the list after suffering from a ...

NFL Trends by SB Breakers

NFL ATS PLAY ON TREND: The Saints are 10-0 ATS (12.4 ppg) since November 25, 2007 following an away loss.SDQL TEXT: team=Saints and p:AL and 20071125<=date NFL ATS PLAY AGAINS...

Between the NFL lInes

Bears offense vs. Saints defensive line It’s no secret that the Achilles’ heel of Chicago is the offensive line. But this week’s opponent may not have the personnel to ...

It only took one week – and one loss

– for fans of the Denver Broncos to question whether or not the current starting quarterback of their team gives them the best chance to win this season. While the answer rem...

The St. Louis Rams (0-1) and

New York Giants (0-1) will both be looking to bounce back from dismal opening week performances when facing off on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. Kickoff from MetLife Stadium...

Week 2 of NFL betting action

continues this Sunday at Sun Life Stadium where the Miami Dolphins (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS) take on the Houston Texans (1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS). Kickoff is slated for 4:15 p.m. (ET) with reg...

NFL Trends by Marc lawrence

Sunday, September 18 Chicago 5-1 Game Two… SMITH: 2-11 dog vs non div opp off SU loss NEW ORLEANS 1-5 aft allowing 35 > pts… 8-1 O/U Game Two Kansas City SERIES: 5-0...

Greg Cote’s Week 2 NFL picks

Using a Hubble telescope to see a bright side, at least I had a better Week 1 than the Dolphins’ pass defense. OK, maybe not. Can we at least call it a push? Giving up 517 yar...

Ten most intriguing players of Week...

1. Cam Newton — So much for the idea that the much-ballyhooed rookie quarterback from Auburn faced a steep learning curve in his jump to the NFL. But then again, Newton's boff...

Michael Vick makes his first return

as a starting quarterback to the Georgia Dome on NBC's Sunday Night Football when the Atlanta Falcons play host to his Philadelphia Eagles. These top NFC contenders kick it off...

The Dallas Cowboys will be looking

for their first win of the season Sunday afternoon when they visit the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park. Dallas is currently listed as a 3-point road favorite on the Do...

The defending Super Bowl champion

Green Bay Packers have never lost a road opener under head coach Mike McCarthy and will look to improve to 6-0 in that scenario when they visit the Carolina Panthers on Sunday....

FSI Says-

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Packers CB Charles Woodson has been fined $10,000 for throwing a punch at Saints TE David Thomas in Green Bay's Week One victory ove...

September could be the launching pad

for both the Arizona Cardinals (1-0) and Washington Redskins (1-0). But only one will still be taking reservations for their respective bandwagons after their 1:00 p.m. (ET) cl...

The San Diego Chargers meet their

recent nemesis on Sunday afternoon when they travel 3,000 miles to meet quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. This will be the featured game on...

The Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1) are

likely to earn the distinction of being the highest priced favorite in the early going of the 2011 NFL regular season when hosting the Seattle Seahawks (0-1) Sunday. Kickoff f...

This Sunday in Week 2 action

of the National Football League, the Jacksonville Jaguars will travel to MetLife Stadium to battle the New York Jets. It will be on the early game slate with a start time of 1:...

The over went 12-3-1

as Week 1 surprisingly turned into a scoring bonanza. The shortened offseason? Didn’t hurt offenses, as many had predicted. Kicking off from the 35? That did lead to m...

Hoping to recapture some of the magic

from two years ago when they acquired another veteran quarterback, the jury remains out on the Minnesota Vikings’ recent addition of Donovan McNabb, who struggled in his firs...

Two teams trying to rebound from ugly

Week 1 losses meet up in NFL betting action on Sunday, when the Indianapolis Colts play host to the Cleveland Browns. This 1:00 p.m. (ET) duel in Week 2 from Lucas Oil Field wi...

The Oakland Raiders travel to Buffalo

Sunday to take on the Bills as both teams attempt to improve to 2-0. Opening kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. (ET) at Ralph Wilson Stadium, and will be televised on CBS. The Bills...

The Baltimore Ravens had an inspired

win over their AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1. They look to avoid a letdown as a solid road favorite at the Tennessee Titans this Sunday. Baltimore opened up as...

NFL Week 2 is the most interesting ...

for oddsmaking and handicapping. We’ve finally seen games that count, but they comprise such a small sample. Are the Chiefs that bad? Are the Ravens that good? Where...

NFC Notes:

Chicago Bears: This offense came out of the gate looking completely in sync, despite a myriad of issues on the offensive line. Rookie left tackle Gabe Carimi (first round out...

Pro Football Stats: Read Between th...

by Jim Feist The best time of the sports calendar is here, the opening week of the pro football campaign! There are mountains of stats and angles available for sp...

Donovan McNabb called his performance

"embarrassing" and lamented the fact that he couldn't do anything in the Vikings' 24-17 loss to the Chargers on Sunday, passing for a mere 39 yards. "I could do that in a se...

The news could have been a lot worse

in the wake of the Rams' painful season-opening 31-13 loss to the Eagles, as it appears the finger and ankle injuries suffered by former first-round draft picks Sam Bradford an...

What are the Redskins

doing at quarterback. Rex Grossman plays like he has bipolar disorder. He's great one play, awful the next. Go back and study him throughout his NFL career. He has always been ...

The Detroit Lions make their home

debut on the 2011 NFL betting campaign in Week 2, as they take on the Kansas City Chiefs. Kickoff from Ford Field in the Motor City is slated for Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. ...

The New Orleans Saints will look to...

their defensive woes behind them and bounce back from a season-opening loss to Green Bay when they host the Chicago Bears in their home opener on Sunday. Game time is schedule...

Bill Belichick is the master

of the poker face and non-disclosure, but the coach of the New England Patriots made no secret of his strategy this offseason: He’s all in. Following a second straight ho...

Most of the offseason talk

surrounding the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders centered on their respective quarterbacks. No surprise there, except in both cases the quarterbacks in question are not expec...

NFL ATS PLAY ON TREND:

by SportsBook Breakers The Cardinals are 7-0 ATS (5.2 ppg) since November 18, 2001 as a home favorite when they play on the road in each of the next two weeks.SDQL TEXT: team=...

The Dallas Cowboys proudly wear

the moniker of America’s Team, but that won’t impress Rex Ryan, who is convinced that his New York Jets are the NFL’s superior team. Ryan has guaranteed a Super Bowl cham...

The second game of the Monday Night

Football doubleheader comes from the Mile High City where the Denver Broncos host the hated division rival Oakland Raiders. Kickoff is scheduled for 10:15 p.m. (ET) and will b...

The New England Patriots have

made some bold moves to their roster as they begin a ‘Super Bowl or bust’ campaign at the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football. The Don Best odds screen has New England...

Biggest mismatches on the field

in Week 1 of the NFL season: Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs (-5.5, 40) Bills rushing defense vs. Chiefs rushing offense When Chan Gailey showed up in Buffalo last...

CFB RETURNING STARTER ANGLE WEEK 2 ...

by Rocketman Sports Many years ago I received a newsletter from Mike Lee, a sports handicapper who just recently passed away in the past few years. I’m not sure if he came ...

Last season, the Raiders ran

their way to an 8-8 record, using Tom Cable's zone-rush attack to gain 155.9 yards per game on the ground. RBs Darren McFadden and Michael Bush each had breakout campaigns, as ...

The Patriots have drafted a cornerback

in each of the past three drafts, but it's waiver claim Antwaun Molden who impressed enough to make the 53-man roster and make 2009 second-rounder Darius Butler expendable. The...

Saints WR Marques Colston

suffered a broken collarbone in Thursday night's season opener against the Packers and will miss approximately four weeks, Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported. Colston had six c...

Three years removed from making

it to their first-ever Super Bowl, the Arizona Cardinals hope another bold move for a starting quarterback will eventually pay off as they open the 2011 regular season at home ...

NFL betting fans very well could

be seeing a change of the guard in the AFC South, perhaps once and for all on Sunday afternoon, as the Houston Texans play host to the Indianapolis Colts. Week 1's kickoff from...

Two teams aiming to return to

the NFL playoffs will open up the 2011 regular season against each other, as the Minnesota Vikings take on the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. The Vikings finished las...

The defending NFC West Champion Sea...

Seahawks head to San Francisco to take on the 49ers in a battle for early position atop the division. San Francisco is a 5 ½-point home favorite on the Don Best odds screen. ...

Vegas Vick says RAMS (+5) over Eagles:

RAMS (+5) over Eagles: Double V does not normally put too much stock in the preseason, but with a 4-0 mark, St. Louis did open my eyes very wide. The Rams also opened a bunch o...

NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence

Sunday, September 11 Pittsburgh 13-4 dogs vs div opp… 26-10 away vs div opp BALTIMORE SERIES: 0-3 L3H… 4-1 Game One… 1-7 div favs < 11 pts Detroit SERIES: 4-1 L5… 3-1...

AWESOME ANGLE OF THE WEEK by Marc L...

PLAY AGAINST the defending Super Bowl loser in Game One of the season if they are on the road Play AGAINST: PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Practice report for Week One

ATLANTA FALCONS at CHICAGO BEARS ATLANTA FALCONS Practice Report OUT (DEFINITELY WILL NOT PLAY) Wednesday C Todd McClure (knee) Thursday ...

Right off the bat, two of the top

contenders for the AFC Championship will meet in NFL betting action in Week 1 on Sunday, as the Pittsburgh Steelers pay a visit to their archrivals, the Baltimore Ravens. M&T ...

The NFL team with the most hype

heading into the 2011 regular season faces the team with arguably the most promise as the Philadelphia Eagles visit the St. Louis Rams on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. The ...

The Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets

will close out the first Sunday of the 2011 NFL season at MetLife Stadium in front of a nationally-televised audience on NBC. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. (ET) and emotio...

The New York Giants' upcoming season

could not look bleaker with the tremendous free agent moves made by their NFC East rivals in Philadelphia and Dallas. After losing multiple players to injuries and not making a...

NFL 2010: A Statistical Freak Show

by Bob Dietz The 2010 NFL season featured some of the strangest team statistics in the history of the league. These stats/results combinations had never been seen before,...

Pointspreads, as most of you know,

are derived to attract equal action on both sides. They are based on the public’s perception of a team. The public’s perception is formed by the media, which paints the pic...

Since Super Bowl XLVI is this year,

here are 46 things you should know before betting the NFL this season: TRENDS OF NOTE 1. The Lions went from the worst ATS team in 2009 (4-10-2) to the best in 2010 (12-4...

A high-octane matchup between

the past two Super Bowl winners kicks off the season when the New Orleans Saints visit the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night. Aaron Rodgers led the Packers to three playoff r...

The early weeks of the season are

always the most difficult to gauge matchups but that's no excuse. You're paying your hard earned money for results. Let's take a look at Week One's top matchups to take advanta...

Professional football is finally back

and Sunday’s first week of NFL action includes an AFC South grudge match between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. (ET) from EverBan...

The Detroit Lions were the toast

of the 2011 NFL preseason by beating the spread in all four games and will now aim to extend their regular-season win streak to five games. Tampa Bay just missed the 2010 play...

A pair of AFC North rivals

square off in Week 1, as the Cincinnati Bengals take on the Cleveland Browns Sunday afternoon at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The opening kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 (ET) and wi...

Following a disappointing preseason

during which they finished as one of three winless teams in the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs will begin the 2011 NFL regular season with a clean slate on Sunday when they host t...

Two NFC playoff teams from a year ago

will try to build on that success in their 2011 regular-season opener when the Atlanta Falcons visit the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field. Both teams overachieved in e...

The Green Bay Packers seemingly

have nowhere to go but down. The Packers, after getting into the playoffs as the NFC's No. 6 and final seed, made a memorable postseason run last winter that ended with them...

Former Patriots CB Darius Butler

didn't remain on waivers for long, as he was claimed by the Panthers, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. "#PanthersNation I'm on my way!" Butler tweeted. ...

The Best of the NFL

by Jim Feist The pro football season kicks off this week when the Saints travel to the defending champion Packers, a battle of the last two champs. Despite the fact that the...

Two positions that saw the most

change in the offeason also were given the deepest reserves on the opening 53-man roster to start the season. The offensive line, which sent Marc Colombo and Leonard Davis p...

That nobody stepped up to take

the Cardinals' starting ROLB job away this preseason from aging Joey Porter, who was widely considered to be on shaky ground a month ago, is cause for concern in the desert. To...

Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas

was not placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list, meaning the team believes he can contribute in the first six weeks of the season. Thomas tore his Achilles tendon in Fe...

New Vikings head coach Leslie

Frazier apparently isn't afraid to put his stamp on his team. That came in the form of cutting several veterans who were bastions of the Brad Childress era, including TE Jeff D...

The NFL -- world’s most popular

league to watch and wager on -- is back Thursday. I’ll drink to that. While the lockout was annoying, the sides reached a 10-year deal! I’ll drink to that, too. And w...

If history is any indication,

the New Orleans Saints are in big trouble for the NFL season opener Thursday night at the defending champion Green Bay Packers. The Don Best odds screen has Green Bay as 4-po...

After the Seahawks raised

eyebrows with the free-agent signing of TE Zach Miller, there was instant speculation that holdover TE John Carlson might be sent packing. Truth be told, though, we hear the Se...

One position to watch throughout

the season for the Chiefs is the third CB spot, where rookie Jalil Brown, second-year man Javier Arenas and veteran Travis Daniels all have made their claims for the position. ...

The Texans were awful defending

the pass last season, so it is no wonder the secondary will have an entirely new look in 2011. We all know about the club's two big-ticket free-agent signings, CB Johnathan Jos...

Since Norv Turner became

the head coach of the Chargers in 2007, the team has yet to finish the first quarter of the season with a winning record. Turner's teams have a total record of 7-9 through thei...

The defending Super Bowl champion

Green Bay Packers will wrap up the 2011 preseason at home on Thursday night against the winless Kansas City Chiefs. The Packers (2-1) earned a 28-20 victory against the Arizon...

Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick

won’t be backing up his shiny new contract on the field when the Eagles meet the New York Jets on Thursday night. The Don Best odds screen has New York as 3-point home ‘do...

The Indianapolis Colts will

look for their first win of the preseason and stability at quarterback Thursday when they head to Cincinnati to finish up the preseason against the Bengals. Thursday night’s...

Seahawks TE John Carlson will

have season-ending surgery, head coach Pete Carroll announced Tuesday. "That's a big loss for us," Carroll said. Carlson suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder, an injury...

The old, conventional wisdom

was that a NFL rookie QBs needed a season or two or three to learn the playbook and make the transition from the college to the professional game. But pro teams have sped up...

Once again, betting favorites

ruled the preseason in Week 3 with the Monday Night Football contest between the Jets and Giants still to play. Teams favored in Week 3 were 14-1 straight up and 10-5 against ...

Weather permitting the

New York Jets play the New York Giants tonight. This game was originally scheduled for Saturday but was bumped to Monday because of Hurricane Irene. There was talk about movi...

Eagles' right tackle job has been h...

Todd Herremans, a move that appears to indicate that the Eagles are all systems go with starting two rookies on the offensive line. Herremans moves over from left guard, and...

With the prospect of injured Browns...

Eric Steinbach and RB Brandon Jackson missing significant time — and perhaps the entire season, Mary Kay Cabot of The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reported Friday — Cleveland's...

We're told the Bengals believe

rookie WR A.J. Green is even better than they believed him to be when they selected him No. 4 overall in April. Green had a very good training camp and hauled in a 40-yard TD f...

AFC West division preview

In all four seasons under Norv Turner, the Chargers opened 2-3. Last year it finally cost them the AFC West, ending a four-year reign atop...

Oakland coach Hue Jackson wouldn’...

how long he’ll play his starters on Sunday against the Saints, but, judging by the general rule of thumb, bettors should count on the Raiders’ first-string offense playing ...

NBC's Sunday Night Football betting...

returns this weekend with a stand-alone game on the NFL slate. The Oakland Raiders (0-2) will play host to the New Orleans Saints (1-1). Kickoff from O.co Coliseum is slated fo...

The Bears are leaving open

the possibility of reinstalling WR Johnny Knox as a starter and demoting free-agent addition Roy Williams. It's a departure from where things stood early in training camp, but ...

Even though the visiting Rams

looking to push their starters in this matchup and despite what a terrible preseason bet the Chiefs are under Todd Hanley, bettors are moving this game closer to a pick ‘em a...

The lone Week 3 NFL preseason matchup

between unbeaten teams will take place at Ford Field on Saturday night when the Detroit Lions host the New England Patriots. Both teams have been impressive in winning their f...

With teams kicking from

the 35 instead of the 30-yard line, touchbacks are on the rise. “When they get done looking at this year they’re going to say, ‘Boy, scoring dropped. Wow. I wonder wha...

NFL preseason Friday:

Green Bay Packers at Indianapolis Colts (8.5, 39) Starter Report Packers: Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy will not give his starters three quarters of work like most co...

While we hear a nagging left

hamstring injury might be severe enough to cause Shawntae Spencer to miss the season opener, growing speculation that Spencer could lose the starting right cornerback job altog...

Friday night’s NFL preseason

action features four teams trying to round into form before their season regular season openers in two weeks. Starters generally see a solid amount of playing time in the third...

The Cowboys have agreed to a long-term

extension with CB Orlando Scandrick, keeping one of their top young defenders locked up for the foreseeable future. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Scandrick and the team...

A three-pack of NFL betting duels will

take place on Thursday night, the first night of the preseason's third week. Six teams will take to the field in what should amount to their "tune-up" game for the preseason. ...

Just hours after placing starting

CB Terrell Thomas on injured reserve, the Giants announced that rookie DT Marvin Austin tore his pectoral muscle and is likely out for the season. Austin, the team's second-...

Former NFL QB and Pro Football Hall

of Famer Warren Moon has taken young players under his wing before. Offering guidance to prospects isn't new to him, but this season will be different for Moon as he watches Ca...

Week 2 of the NFL preseason

is in the books and favorites continue to create a profit for bettors with a 9-7 record against the spread to bring the overall preseason mark to 21-11 ATS. The ‘over’ is ...

AFC South division preview

They don’t play a lot of defense in the AFC South. Indianapolis was the “stingiest” last year, ranking 20th. Tennessee (26th), Jacksonville (28th) and Houston (30th) of...

Head coach Lovie Smith didn’t re...

his plan for playing time for his starters but Sean Jensen, Bears beat reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times, guessed Smith will play his first-string offense 20 to 25 snaps. G...

Although his performance declined

significantly after he was named to the Pro Bowl at the end of the 2009 season, ORT Jon Stinchcomb was a valuable locker-room presence for the Saints. The team admitted it w...

One of the feel-good stories

of training camp had been that rookie MLB Casey Matthews had understood and was making all of the calls as the starter from the first day after football commenced. He showed li...

Word is the Seahawks are cautiously

optimistic that second-year OLT Russell Okung will be able to start the regular-season opener after suffering what initially appeared to be another serious left ankle injury in...

Amid growing concern that Peyton Ma...

might not be ready, the MGM Mirage has stopped taking bets on the Colts' regular-season opener or their season win total. Sportsbook manager Jay Rood told Covers.com he cut ...

The only time offensive linemen

get noticed is when they mess up. If they make their blocks, open holes and protect their quarterback, nobody says a word. However, if they give up a sack or get called for ...

NFL preseason Sunday:

The Bengals were stomped 34-3 by the Detroit Lions in Week 1 of the preseason, with the offense providing little pop. Rookie quarterback Andy Dalton, and probable No. 1, was 11 ...

The Ravens' offensive line, a weak

link in 2010, is somewhat unsettled entering this season. The most pressing concern: there is no clear-cut starter at right tackle. Rookie Jah Reid, a third-round pick, is the ...

With the release of Tank Johnson,

Bengals second-year DT Geno Atkins is getting an opportunity to show he can thrive getting more snaps. The quick and explosive Atkins, who is slated to start next to run-stuffi...

With the exception of rock-solid

third-year pro James Laurinaitis manning the middle, it appears the Rams' situation at linebacker could remain a bit tenuous for the foreseeable future. Entering the preseas...

NFL preseason Saturday:

The Titans starters made only a cameo appearance in last week’s win over Minnesota. While Mike Munchak hasn’t finalized his gameplan, all indications are that Matt Hasselbec...

The Seattle Storm suffered

The Seattle Storm suffered their second straight loss, falling 81-79 to the Phoenix Mercury Tuesday. However, the defending WNBA champs were without a big piece of the puzzle fo...

Mike Westhoff's special-teams

unit took a hit in free agency, but an undrafted addition could provide a boost. Once the lockout ended, the Jets pounced and signed Central Michigan ILB Nick Bellore, who was ...

Though he played and started

all 16 games in 2010, Broncos OLT Ryan Clady was not at full strength for much of the season. After tearing his left patellar tendon playing basketball in April ’10, Clady mi...

Although he didn't generate nearly

as big a buzz as fellow free-agent additions Sidney Rice, Zach Miller, Robert Gallery and Tarvaris Jackson, we hear the Seahawks couldn't be happier with Alan Branch. Plenty of...

After being eliminated by

the Ravens in the playoffs last January, the Chiefs had a lot of soul-searching to do, trying to figure out a way to improve as a club and join teams such as Baltimore among th...

The Pittsburgh Steelers

and Baltimore Ravens finished 12-4 last season. Baltimore lost the division because it failed to block Troy Polamalu on a blindside blitz. Then the Ravens lost at Pittsburgh...

Coach Mike Shanahan announced

that John Beck will start at quarterback Friday. Beck is battling Rex Grossman for the starting job in Washington. Grossman started against the Steelers and completed 19 of 26 ...

NFL preseason Thursday:

New England Patriots at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2.5, 36.5) Starter report New England: There was lot...

The 49ers are no longer in the market

for a third-string quarterback after reaching an agreement on Wednesday with QB Josh McCown. McCown played last season in the UFL, but has previously seen time with the Card...

Preseason NFL betting moves

into Week 2 after favorites posted a 12-4 record against the spread record and the ‘over’ finished 9-7 during the first round of action. Home favorites are once again found...

Betting the preseason is a different

animal. The old saying about if you have two or three quarterbacks, you really don’t have one, doesn’t apply here. No. 2 and No. 3 quarterbacks get most of the snaps, so...

Jacksonville spent a lot of money

to fix the middle of the defense. I like the players they signed. But they put a lot of eggs in a small basket. A couple of injuries, and it could blow up in their face. And wh...

The NFL cracked the seal

on the 2011 exhibition campaign last Thursday with one of the more exciting Week 1 preseason contests taking place in Dallas. Two fourth-quarter drives engineered by backup qu...

The following quotes

are from NFL scouts, coaches and front-office personnel, speaking on the condition of anonymity. • "Jacksonville spent a lot of money to fix the middle of the defense. I l...

AFC East training-camps---

BUFFALO BILLS Juiciest story line: It has been awhile since Shawne Merriman put anyone's "lights out." Injuries have plagued him, but the Bills are pinning their hopes for a ...

AFC North training-camps---

BALTIMORE RAVENS Juiciest story line: Can the Ravens remain a major player in the AFC after losing some key players in the offseason? Baltimore still has more blue-chip perfo...

AFC South training-camps----

HOUSTON TEXANS Juiciest story line: Head coach Gary Kubiak was brought back despite last season's regression. New defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was hired to fix a broke...

AFC West training-camps---

DENVER BRONCOS Juiciest story line: All offseason, it was expected the major focus was going to be on Tim Tebow's progress as the team's starting quarterback. Instead, there ...

NFC East training-camps-

DALLAS COWBOYS Juiciest story line: The lack of juice has been interesting, even with Rob Ryan. The new defensive coordinator has lived up to his name by being bombastic and ...

Betting the preseason is a

different animal. The old saying about if you have two or three quarterbacks, you really don’t have one, doesn’t apply here. No. 2 and No. 3 quarterbacks get most of the...

The Texans are holding steady

as 2.5-point favorites and the total has dropped a half point since the open. About 57 percent of Covers.com Consensus bettors are supporting the Jets. New York Jets Mon...

AFC East division betting preview

Rex Ryan is 3-2 lifetime against Bill Belichick. You know that burns the hoodie-wearing genius. So after bullrushing Shaun Ellis sacked Tom Brady twice in the Jets’ 28-21 p...

Since the offseason,

we knew the main training-camp battle to watch in Miami would be at free safety, between Chris Clemons and Reshad Jones. The way we hear it, Clemons still has the upper hand, a...

One of the biggest headlines

to come out of Texans camp this offseason was the announcement that Mario Williams is being converted to a rush outside linebacker in Wade Phillips' new 3-4 defense. But Willia...

Lost in the wallowing

of the Giants' post-lockout slump is the fact that Will Beatty is being thrust into the starting lineup at left tackle, the all-important pass-blocking position on the line. He...

It was only one preseason game,

and a week ago it was presumed that John Beck would be the Redskins' Week One starter, but QB Rex Grossman is doing his best to steal the job as Beck's injured groin heals. Gro...

There is tempered excitement

at Buccaneers' training camp about the team's highly touted young group of defensive linemen. GM Mark Dominik spent his first two picks in 2010 on DTs Gerald McCoy (No. 3 ov...

The Vikings might be counting

on second-year CB Chris Cook more than people realize. If Cook can't make the jump in Year Two, the Vikings could find themselves fairly thin at one of the crucial defensive po...

The Lions were sharp in the

preseason opener against the Bengals, something that won't dissuade anyone from considering them to be one of the NFC's improving clubs. QB Matthew Stafford threw two TD passes...

Titans new defensive coordinator

Jerry Gray has preached all offseason about getting bigger and stronger on defense, with a greater emphasis placed on stopping the run. Gray is well aware of the team's defensi...

Patriots RB Stevan Ridley

was not only one of the first rookies at camp, but one of the first backs to report. The new CBA rules kept BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Kevin Faulk and Sammy Morris from practicing ...

DT Corvey Irvin is earning

rave reviews at Panthers training camp and has positioned himself as the front-runner to start at three-technique. He arrived at camp in better shape than in previous years and...

The Bears chose Roberto Garza

to take over for Olin Kreutz as the starting center and Garza will play wherever the Bears ask him to. He has started only one game at center in his 11-year NFL career, though,...

Pierre Thomas started the Saints'

first preseason game, but he was outperformed by first-round pick Mark Ingram, who is well on his way to locking up the job as the featured back. With Ingram serving as the pri...

The Cowboys have had to shuffle

along their offensive line more than at any other position, but they are managing as best they can with the players they have. One real bright spot to date has been the play of...

The Browns haven't added

to the WR corps since the lockout was lifted, putting the performance and progress of the wideouts on the roster squarely under the spotlight this summer. To that end, the Brow...

Sources close to the top of the Eag...

chain have expressed continued concern with the health of WR Jeremy Maclin, who remains sidelined with an undisclosed ailment. Neither the team nor Maclin have commented in any...

The Jaguars' recent spending spree

on defense helped fill several needs, but it didn't address the club's biggest deficiency — pass rush. Their 26 sacks in 2010 were a slight improvement over the franchise-wor...

As has been the case throughout

As has been the case throughout head coach Mike McCarthy’s tenure, Packers starters aren’t expected to play more than a few series Saturday. It’s unlikely that Aaron Rodge...

Cincinnati will start rookie

Andy Dalton at quarterback against the Lions on Friday with veteran Bruce Gradkowski coming on after the first quarter and Carson Palmer’s little brother Jordan and rookie Da...

NFC West division preview

NFC West teams made history last year. But not the good kind. When Seattle won the division at 7-9, it marked the first time a losing team made the playoffs in a full season...

There was some thought that

the Jets would add another outside linebacker, either in the draft or free agency. Even with the loss of Jason Taylor, the team stood pat, and that means the onus is heavy on t...

Despite a 4-12 record,

the Bills made only one coaching change in the offseason — hiring former Bears and Dolphins head coach Dave Wannstedt to be the team's assistant head coach/inside linebackers...

Our 49ers sources put the odds

that Dashon Goldson will retain the starting role at free safety after signing a new one-year contract at "about 70 percent." Goldson was widely expected to become the Niners' ...

Veteran Cardinals SS Adrian Wilson

seems pretty confident that he will be able to play through the torn biceps he suffered in an early training-camp scrimmage. But daily team observers have their reservations...

The NFL preseason is a month-long

opportunity for sports bettors to exploit generic lines that can offer plenty of value if you're paying attention. While teams' against the spread numbers tend to fluctuate ...

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Ma...

Colston will be shut down after he developed irritation and swelling in his surgically repaired right knee. Colston underwent microfracture surgery on his knee during the of...

Thursday Preseason Tips

Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots (-3.5, 35.5) Starter Report Jaguars: Rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert will start for the Jags against the Patriots Thursday....

The Milwaukee Brewers wrap

up a key three-game set with the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday after winning the series opener 5-3 in 10 innings on Tuesday. Thursday's series finale at Busch Stadium is sch...

The offseason of discontent officia...

Thursday night when the NFL kicks off its preseason slate with five games. The opening docket includes an ESPN prime-time matchup in San Diego between the Chargers and Seattle...

NFL Preseason Pointers

by Jim Feist The pro football preseason kicks off this weekend (and it's about time)! Remember that each season is different, with players changing teams, new coaches ...

NFL PRESEASON PLAYING ADVANTAGES

By Marc Lawrence The ‘Great Debate’ continues every year throughout the month of August. Is it wise to expose your bankroll during the exhibition season, or is it bette...

The adorned “Dream Team” in the...

Love made the most headlines heading into the 2011 NFL season, but it wasn’t one of the biggest movers in the odds to win Super Bowl XLVI category. Below, we look at the ...

The NFL win total market

is not particularly complex. We don’t see many head fakes, where bettors bet in the wrong direction early, hoping to take advantage of a bad market number down the road once ...

We hear the Ravens would have

We hear the Ravens would have liked to have re-signed TE Todd Heap, but he signed with Arizona after his release from Baltimore. We're told the Ravens are likely to go with the ...

Dominique Franks is coming on

strong at Falcons training camp and is making a strong push to beat Chris Owens in the nickel back competition. Franks, a fifth-round pick in 2010, doesn't have much experience...

Based on early betting so far

this preseason on 2011 NFL futures and win totals, the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets will be among the top contenders to not only capture their respective conference bu...

In the nine-year history of the NFC...

no team has won the division two straight years. Oddsmakers give the Falcons a good shot to be the first, installing the 2010 champs as +120 co-favorites with New Orleans. ...

In recent seasons, the Ravens were ...

for their ample backfield options. In addition to Ray Rice, they had Willis McGahee and FB Le'Ron McClain as capable ballcarriers in reserve. Now, McGahee and McClain have move...

Veteran WR Derrick Mason decided

to sign with the Jets on Saturday. ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the news. "I'm looking forward to working under Rex and rejoining some familiar faces," Mason said. ...

Being the first one in the pool

takes some guts, especially when the water in the world of college football betting can run so hot and cold. Offshore sportsbook BetOnline.com jumped head first into the NCA...

The Jaguars were one of the

busier teams in the league during the first week of free agency, giving the second and third levels of the NFL's 28th-ranked defense in 2010 a vital makeover. But while the ...

It would appear the most popular

free-agent move by the Rams was the signing of ex-Falcon Harvey Dahl, who provides a big upgrade at right guard. "That's a huge pickup," said one team insider of Dahl, who had ...

The Colts have a void to fill

in the secondary following the release of starting LCB Kelvin Hayden, who was disappointing after signing a five-year, $43 million extension prior to the 2009 season. Injuries ...

The signing of CB Johnathan Joseph,

paired with the drafting of CBs Brandon Harris and Roc Carmichael, means the competition for playing time at the cornerback position will be fierce. 2010 first-rounder Kareem J...

The Titans' plan to shore up

their revamped defensive front under new coordinator Jerry Gray will not include veteran DT Tony Brown, who was released by the club July 29 after failing a physical. The move ...

Many were surprised the Broncos

waited until the seventh round before drafting a defensive lineman in April, given the team's major need for talent in that area. Denver allowed the most yards and points per g...

The Bengals didn't set out

to make significant additions to their LB corps in free agency, but two injuries changed those plans, we're told. In addition to starting WLB Keith Rivers undergoing wrist surg...

By adding WR Steve Breaston

and FB Le'Ron McClain, the Chiefs will have the ability to have a much more wide-open offense than they did a season ago. Breaston gives the team a legit slot receiver who can ...

2011 free-agent tracker, by position

Quarterbacks FA type 2010 team 2011 team Derek Anderson cut Cardinals Panthers Todd Bouman UFA Jaguars Brian Brohm UFA Bills Mark Brunell cut Jets Jets Marc Bulger UFA...

NFC North division betting preview

It’s easy to forget the Chicago Bears are the defending NFC North champs, what with the Green Bay Packers’ return to glory and the Detroit Lions’ bandwagon jammed beyond c...

The Big Apple is rotten for WNBA

bettors trying to cash in on the New York Liberty at home. The Liberty have covered just once in their last four home stands, dropping to 5-5 against the spread inside Madi...

Patriots correspondent

Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald says that the Eagles contacted WR Randy Moss after he had filed his retirement papers with the league and were willing to make him an offer to...

A week ago the NFC East

was a three-team race. Now, after a free-agent blitzkrieg, the Philadelphia Eagles are heavy favorites to capture the division and one of three co-favorites to win the Super Bo...

While CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

was considered to be a fun-loving, popular player who was hard not to like, we hear his mental issues made it easier for the Cardinals to justify the trade that sent him to Phi...

Excuse Eagles DE Jason Babin

if he gets a little irritated at a question about his — tipping-point word here — comeback. "Not to be short with you, but it's one of those things that irritates me so ...

The Panthers came out of the gate f...

(in free agency). The one thing about Jerry Richardson — he was the right man to head up the labor committee. He treats his people right. When a lot of teams were making cuts...

The Eagles added yet another veteran

on Tuesday, signing former Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown to a one-year deal. Brown has spent all six of his NFL seasons with the Dolphins, and 2010 was the first season in which ...

NFC free-agent moves, by team

Note: UFA means unrestricted free agent; RFA means restricted free agent; EFA means exclusive-rights free agent; FFA means franchise free agent. ...

NT Kelly Gregg was signed

by the Chiefs to do more than just shore up their defensive line and be a run stuffer in the middle of the 3-4 scheme. A 12-year veteran, the last 10 with the Ravens, Gregg has...

With the free-agent market not

to his liking, FS Michael Huff opted to re-sign with the Raiders, which came as a bit of a surprise. Oakland has two young safeties in Tyvon Branch and Mike Mitchell whom coach...

It wasn't a surprise

to see Barrett Ruud, the Buccaneers' starting MLB for the past four seasons, move on and sign with the Titans. Ruud didn't see the commitment he wanted from the Bucs, and Tampa...

The Philadelphia Eagles have

come out with guns a' blazing during the NFL’s abbreviated free agency period and the oddsmakers are rewarding their effort. The barrage of activity started by trading backu...

The Colts have reached an agreement

with franchise QB Peyton Manning on a five-year, $90 million deal, according to Colts owner Jim Irsay. That's an $18 million-a-year average, equaling the deal the Patriots g...

After making big splashes

to their defense with the signings of CB Nnamdi Asomugha and DE Jason Babin, the Eagles showed on Saturday that they aren't done improving that side of the ball quite yet. A...

2011 free-agent tracker, by position

Players are listed alphabetically under each position. Note: "UFA" means unrestricted free agent; "RFA" means restricted free agent; "FFA" means franchise free agent; "cut" mean...

So much for the Jon Gruden special.

It looks like Terrelle Pryor will have to wait a year before he enters the NFL. According to ESPN's John Clayton, the former Ohio State quarterback has been ruled ineligible...

With the NFL lockout

freezing player movement since March, teams have been like frantic last-minute shoppers from the time the gate was lifted on the 2011 season. Free agency, which usually pla...

After winning just four

games and finishing with the NFL's worst defense a season ago, it's clear the Broncos have a lot of work to do. Add in the fact that the team brought in a new head coach in ...

So who's the best bet to

replace Matt Hasselbeck under center in Seattle? Will it be the holdover, Charlie Whitehurst, or the newcomer, Tarvaris Jackson? Regardless of who it is, the consensus among...

The Nnamdi Asomugha sweepstakes

are over, and he is not going to be playing for either Ryan brother. After much attention was focused on the Jets and Cowboys as likely landing spots for the Pro Bowl corner...

The Patriots strike again.

Hours after acquiring DT Albert Haynesworth from the Redskins for a fifth-round pick, the Patriots traded for Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco. ESPN's John Clayton reported that Oc...

A day after it was reported

the Bears were actively looking to trade TE Greg Olsen, a report states that the team traded the former first-round pick to the Panthers in exchange for a 2012 third-round draf...

The Texans have signed

free agent CB Johnathan Joseph on Thursday night, filling a major area of need on their roster. The news was first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter and confirmed by PFW corresp...

AFC free-agent moves, by team

AFC free-agent moves, by team AFC EAST Buffalo Bills Unsigned players: LB Akin Ayodele (UFA), QB Brian Brohm (UFA), TE Scott Chandler (RFA), OLB Keith Ellison (UFA)...

NFC free-agent moves, by team

Note: UFA means unrestricted free agent; RFA means restricted free agent; EFA means exclusive-rights free agent; FFA means franchise free agent. The free-agent signing period...

The Giants will release

DT Rocky Bernard after failing to restructure his contract, according to ESPN. Bernard spent the last two seasons in New York, playing in 29 games with zero starts. He has 3...

The Vikings agreed

to re-sign PK Ryan Longwell to a four-year deal, PFW correspondent and Minneapolis Star Tribune writer Judd Zulgad reported. Longwell has played the last five seasons for th...

The 49ers may cut CB Nate Clements

to clear cap space and to go after Nnamdi Asomugha, but it is not certain. NFL Network's Jason La Canfora had reported the impending release on Wednesday, but said later tha...

AFC free-agent moves

Note: UFA means unrestricted free agent; RFA means restricted free agent; EFA means exclusive-rights free agent; FFA means franchise free agent. The free-agent signing period...

The Buccaneers became

the first team to sign their 2011 first-round draft choice when they agreed to terms with DE Adrian Clayborn on Wednesday morning. Clayborn, selected out of Iowa with the 20...

Here's a list of unsigned players

from all 32 teams, broken down by position, for the 2011 season. Players are listed alphabetically under each position. Note: "UFA" means unrestricted free agent; "RFA" means r...

This time of the year normally

finds fans and bettors scouring Major League Baseball's transaction wire as the trade deadline looms the last day of July. There are still going to be major and minor deals in...

The Redskins have reached

an agreement with veteran WR Santana Moss on a three-year deal worth $15 million, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported. Moss is entering his 11th season in the NFL, having spent th...

The Ravens announced Tuesday

that they have agreed to terms on a multi-year deal with OG-OT Marshal Yanda. "We got Marshal Yanda! That's great news," said head coach John Harbaugh, according to the team...

Quintin Mikell was cut

by one team and agreed to terms with another on Tuesday, although neither move will be official until Friday. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Rams plucked Mikell off ...

The Seahawks seem to have

their quarterbacks set, as they are reportedly reuniting Matt Leinart with his college coach Pete Carroll. According to ESPN, the Seahawks agreed to a deal with Leinart on T...

With NFL teams able to

communicate with their players again, the Ravens wasted no time informing some high-priced veterans that they are not part of their plans for the 2011 season. The team conta...

The NFL allowed its teams

to begin negotiating with drafted rookies and undrafted rookie free agents on Monday night, but no official signings can take place until Tuesday. Teams appear to be reachin...

A variety of factors helped

the Raiders finish tied for second in the NFL last season in sacks with 47, just behind the Steelers, who won the AFC, and equal to the Packers, who won the Super Bowl and Char...

The Vikings quietly are growing

concerned about their ability to retain WR Sidney Rice, who almost certainly will be a free agent when the lockout is lifted. Fourth-year free agents such as Rice now appear to...

Despite a disappointing 2010 campaign

in which FS Dashon Goldson managed only one takeaway, all indications point toward the Niners making the re-signing of fifth-year free agent a relatively top priority. "With...

LB Rocky McIntosh,

a free agent, told PFW his first choice would be to remain with the Redskins. "This is my town, but I also want to win more than six or eight games a season," he said. "I want ...

A bigger role might be in

store for Saints WR Adrian Arrington this season. Arrington, a seventh-round pick in 2008, received his first taste of NFL regular-season action last season — he made a ga...

Entering what is expected to be

a wild free-agency period, the Bills are more than $35 million under the proposed cap in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, according to ESPN's John Clayton. The Bills ar...

Dolphins rookie RB Daniel

Thomas is expected to handle a big workload in his first season in the NFL. He might be adding the "Wildcat" to his list of things to learn when training camp begins. There ...

A variety of factors helped

the Raiders finish tied for second in the NFL last season in sacks with 47, just behind the Steelers, who won the AFC, and equal to the Packers, who won the Super Bowl and Char...

We are not quite there yet;

the NFL lockout is still ongoing and the football year has not started. The entire situation had been laid out as if there were a plan or a deadline, but it appears as though o...

Big-time quarterbacks

will be on the move soon, if the lockout ends this week as expected. Betting lines will move with them. But the QB who will shift futures odds the most, oddsmakers say, is t...

Chargers WR Vincent Jackson

"made no demands" regarding a settlement for his role as a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the NFL. Reports persist that Jackson and Patriots OG Logan Mankins are asking for $10...

The majority of the Lions'

core players are under contract for 2011, but Detroit is still left with some interesting decisions in free agency, ones that could signal position battles to come. For instanc...

Even with the Browns moving

from a 3-4 base defensive scheme to the 4-3, most key spots on defense appear filled. For instance, it's expected that the Browns will be able to stay in-house to fill the thre...

Free-agent WR Plaxico Burress

would love to play for the Texans. "When you say Houston," Burress recently told ESPN.com, "all I can say is 'Wow.' That's all I can say, because I give respect where respec...

Indianapolis Colts superstar

quarterback Peyton Manning, who had offseason neck surgery, will not be ready to participate when training camp opens and it's unknown how long he will be sidelined. The Ind...

One look at the Cardinals'

crowded depth chart at running back with training camp apparently just around the corner would seem to indicate that Jason Wright's decision to retire after seven NFL seasons w...

The NFLPA held a conference

call on Wednesday with all of its player reps who were not in Washington, D.C. to discuss a vote on a settlement of the antitrust lawsuit and the open TV money court case, and ...

NT Kris Jenkins,

who played 10 seasons in the league for the Panthers and Jets, announced his retirement on Wednesday. "Wanted to let you all know that I have loved the support and respect t...

Ravens WR Derrick Mason,

discussing his future in Baltimore, as quoted on baltimoresun.com: "My reign is going to come to an end soon and I know that. And I expect that to happen. But I'm going to make...

The NFLPA executive committee

wrapped up its meeting Tuesday evening and, according to Sports Illustrated's Jim Trotter, did not come to a decision on whether to recommend approval of the settlement of the ...

The Eagles are planning

The Eagles are planning to hit the free-agent market to look for a defensive end. With the news that DE Brandon Graham (right knee surgery) likely will not be available to start...

(Ex-Ohio State QB Terrelle)

Pryor has been on the take since he went to college. He's an immature prima donna. He's never been much of a leader. There's not a lot of verbiage in the offense. He's got a bi...

Patriots OG Logan Mankins

and Chargers WR Vincent Jackson, two of the plaintiffs in the "Tom Brady vs. NFL" antitrust lawsuit, have asked for special deals as part of the suit's settlement, according to...

Las Vegas oddsmakers are

close to releasing one of the most popular prop wagers among football bettors: NFL season win totals. “The minute the lockout ends, we’re going to try and have our seaso...

There was speculation that

the Redskins were ready to embark on a rampant spending spree the moment that free agency was set to begin, but we hear the reports are not entirely accurate. But we do agree w...

Buccaneers OG Davin Joseph,

an unrestricted free agent, has said that his decision on whether to re-sign with the Bucs will be affected by the way the team deals with OT Jeremy Trueblood and MLB Barrett R...

It's no secret the Ravens

aren't lacking in free agents that will be desirable to other clubs and that they could have a productive start to the new league year by simply re-signing some of their own pl...

With the end of the lockout looking

close at hand, Jordy Nelson is definitely ready for some football. "Yeah, it's time to get going," the Packers' fourth-year wideout told PFW shortly after finishing off a Fr...

The NFL and NFLPA released

a joint statement on Friday afternoon saying that progress has been made and work will continue through the weekend. Here is the statement: "The discussions this week hav...

ESPN reports indicate

that a settlement of the NFL's collective bargaining agreement is on the "fast track" and that a final settlement could be reached in 24-48 hours. Sal Paolantonio and Chris ...

It’s been a rough offseason

for NFL fans. But if the lockout ends soon, as has been widely speculated, we’re in for the most intriguing free-agency period in history. In the span of a couple weeks o...

Agent Joel Segal, who

represents free-agent WR Randy Moss, ensuring prospective buyers that his client is going to be an impact player this season: "Randy has been working out, two-a-days, all spri...

The winds of change have

been blowing through the Colts' backfield this offseason — and more change is on the way. In January, the club fired longtime running backs coach Gene Huey. His replacemen...

The Bears are expected

to pursue a wide receiver in free agency and there is plenty of chatter about their options. Plaxico Burress called the Bears one of the top three teams he would like to sign w...

The decision by Mike Vrabel

to become a college football assistant coach instead of an active NFL player has several ramifications, but the most pressing one for the Chiefs is the vacancy left in their li...

Jaguars rookie S Chris Prosinski,

a fourth-round selection out of Wyoming, knows he will have plenty of catching up to do once the lockout is lifted. Other than a few phone conversations, Prosinski still has...

The fallout from WR Hines

Ward's arrest on misdemeanor DUI charges on July 9 and OLB James Harrison's controversial comments in Men's Journal is to be determined. Discipline for Ward, who reportedly fac...

Roman Harper, an unrestricted

free agent, says he would prefer to re-sign with the Saints, but he's not interested in giving them a hometown discount. "I can't do that," the five-year veteran starting st...

Eagles DE Brandon Graham

was not expected to be ready by Week One after tearing his ACL during his rookie season. But reports surfaced Wednesday that Graham also underwent microfracture surgery this of...

After hitting a home run

last offseason with the addition of veteran free-agent DT Fred Robbins, who was also a quality contributor to the well-regarded Giants defense formerly coordinated by Rams head...

The owners and players know

the clock is ticking and are taking Wednesday's negotiations into the night. NFL Network's Albert Breer reported that the talks will continue past business hours and that both ...

One of the most common reactions

after the Patriots' playoff loss to the Jets was that New England needed a wide receiver who could create space to catch balls the way Randy Moss did. There are a host of free-...

There's no denying the

leap of faith the Seahawks appear committed to on the right side of their offensive line with rookies James Carpenter and John Moffitt already being named the starters at right...

Chiefs GM Scott Pioli,

praising LB Mike Vrabel, who announced his retirement on Monday after 14 seasons, as quoted by The Associated Press: "His genuine love for the game, his preparation, his work e...

It once looked like OLG

Kyle Kosier's return to the Cowboys was unlikely this offseason. But the longer the lockout has lingered, the greater the chances have become of him returning. That becomes esp...

One of the undisputed

locker-room leaders of the Chiefs is RB Thomas Jones, and that has been apparent this summer, even as the team is locked out of their locker room. According to a report, Jones ...

A quarterback has won

the official MVP award, given out by the Associated Press, 14 times in the last 20 years. A running back has captured it seven times (Barry Sanders and Brett Favre shared t...

Lawyers representing the players

and owners will meet Monday, with owners and players themselves rejoining negotiations Tuesday or Wednesday, NFL Network's Albert Breer reported. Judge Arthur Boylan, who ha...

Cowboys WR Dez Bryant

is predicting big things this season following an offseason of controversy. Bryant told the Dallas Morning News he is "very healthy" after missing four games last season wit...

LB Mike Vrabel,

one of the plaintiffs in the Brady et al v. the NFL antitrust lawsuit, will reportedly retire after accepting a coaching position at Ohio State. Sports Radio 810 in Kansas C...

Steelers WR Hines Ward

was arrested in Georgia on suspicion of drunk driving early Saturday morning. Ward was booked just outside Atlanta at the DeKalb County Jail at 3:41 a.m. ET and charged with...

Eagles WR DeSean Jackson

apologized Saturday for using a gay slur on Sirius XM radio. "In a recent radio interview a caller got really confrontational with me. I got very heated with the caller, too...

It's far from a certainty,

but we hear a changing of the guard could be coming on the 49ers' offensive line with the versatile Adam Snyder possibly closing in on Chilo Rachal for the starting ORG job. ...

On the offensive side

of the ball, the Texans' plans for free agency likely will begin by attempting to lock up their own players, with making an offer to unrestricted free-agent FB Vonta Leach the ...

Competition could be hot

and heavy for the Cardinals at both OLB spots. On the left side, 34-year-old holdover Clark Haggans is expected to get a real run for his money from Will Davis, who has display...

The lockout might delay

the progress of many rookies around the NFL, but we hear the Broncos have no doubts that OLB Von Miller is capable of being a starter from Day One. Miller, who was the second o...

There's a feeling in local

and league circles that the Lions could be players for a big-name cornerback in free agency, the way we hear it. On the other hand, there is some sentiment that if the Lions do...

Free-agent LB Stephen Tulloch

has said that he wants to move on from the Titans. And with five years of accrued service potentially making him an unrestricted free agent, Tulloch could get his wish. The 26-...

Many mock drafts early

on had the Bills taking OLB Von Miller with the third overall pick. Miller made tons of sense as the Bills desperately need help in the pass rush. With Miller off the board, th...

Veteran QB Kerry Collins

announced his retirement from football on Thursday. His career lasted 16 seasons with five different teams. "After 16 fulfilling years of playing quarterback in the NFL, I a...

Giants CB Terrell Thomas,

explaining what he's been doing to keep busy during the lockout, as quoted in the New York Post: "I got a regular Daddy Day Care going on at my place. Cooking, cleaning, changi...

Lawyers representing the players

and owners wrapped up Wednesday's meetings in New York with reports surfacing that Judge Arthur Boylan, who has mediated talks, is scheduled to go on vacation Saturday. ESPN...

Remember the summer of 1993

and the movie "Jurassic Park?" Audiences all across the country wanted to see how realistic the special effects looked and what type of action the big-budget blockbuster would ...

There are roughly 1,800 players

in the NFL. On Sunday night, the players announced who they felt was the best of all of them. On the NFL Network show "The Top 100: Players of 2011," Patriots QB Tom Brady w...

At 1:30 a.m. ET on Sept. 15, 2008

Dolphins first-year head coach Tony Sparano asked his quarterbacks coach David Lee to join him in the front of the team's plane. The decision Sparano made next brought a for...

Following are whispers from around ...

You can add Texans RB Steve Slaton, who apparently has been made expendable in Houston considering Arian Foster's emergence, to the free-agent/trade possibilities being rumored...

We're hearing the Bears

will only re-sign S Danieal Manning if he agrees to return at their price, and the team is not expected to offer him the deal he's seeking. Manning turned down an extension ...

One could make a compelling

argument for Colts backup QB Curtis Painter having the easiest job in the NFL. Sitting behind Peyton Manning on the depth chart — Manning holds the league's longest active st...

The key for the Dolphins

this offseason was to find ways to improve the offense, and they addressed their needs with their first four picks of April's draft. One of the reasons some observers believed ...

The Raiders face some

serious questions when free agency begins. It is already assumed that they will let CB Nnamdi Asomugha, OG Robert Gallery and FS Michael Huff sign elsewhere, as those players' ...

Players and owners

will rejoin their legal teams Thursday for negotiations in Minneapolis, NFL Network's Albert Breer reported. The two sides' representatives have been meeting since Monday at...

49ers C Eric Heitmann is

expected to miss the entire 2011 season after undergoing neck surgery, CSN Bay Area's Matt Maiocco reported. Heitmann underwent the surgery four weeks ago to repair a ruptur...

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell

will take a quick break from negotiations on Wednesday, and it could be a good sign that progress is being made toward a settlement to the current labor impasse. Goodell has ac...

Colts QB Peyton Manning

was the winner of a PFW video elimination tournament crowning him as the NFL's most feared player. When we asked our readers "Who is the NFL's most feared player?" in a poll qu...

When Tim Leiweke,

president/CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), which is trying to build a stadium and bring the NFL back to Los Angeles, said he spoke to five teams about relocating, the...

The Chargers have made

overhauling their secondary a theme of their offseason, signing SS Bob Sanders before the lockout started and taking two defensive backs — FS Marcus Gilchrist and CB Shareece...

While it appears TE David Thomas

will get an opportunity to gauge his value on the open market as an unrestricted free agent, we hear he's very much a part of the Saints' plan and they intend to re-sign him. W...

NFL commissioner Roger

Goodell and NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith spoke to reporters following CBA negotiations on Thursday at a resort just outside Boston. Goodell spoke first, saying, ...

Jets WR-KR Brad Smith,

who also serves as the team's "Wildcat" quarterback, is set to be an unrestricted free agent. Despite his uncertain future with the team, Smith attended Mark Sanchez's "Jets We...

It’s no surprise

the six teams listed below combined for a 59-37 over/under record last season. Or that they went 41-52-3 against the spread. Their defenses were that bad. In some cases,...

When Cantor Gaming

released pointspreads for every NFL regular-season game earlier this month, one line immediately caught my eye. It was a role reversal that got me thinking about a team, a divi...

QB Donovan McNabb worked

out with his former Eagles teammates on Wednesday, according to CSNPhilly.com. McNabb's future with the Redskins is in limbo during the lockout. McNabb practiced with Jamaal...

So the solution to the

Florida Marlins’ problems is … Jack McKeon? Sure, the guy had his moments with the team, but isn’t it time to let go of the past and move forward so Jack can chill ou...

In analyzing the Ravens'

plans for free agency, charting the potential path for QB Marc Bulger has been one of the seemingly easier exercises. Bulger, the conventional wisdom has gone, is likely to sig...

For the past decade,

OLG Brian Waters has been a premier player for the Chiefs, earning five Pro Bowl appearances while being a leader both on and off the field. However, he might be nearing the en...

With NFL coaches unable

to contact their players during a lockout, the Redskins' staff has to be a little worried, we hear, that OLT Trent Williams has been a no-show at player-organized workouts. Wil...

Here's what is known

about the Raiders' quarterback situation heading into the 2011 season: Jason Campbell is the starter and Kyle Boller is a backup. Other than that, the position is a mystery. ...

The Vikings have made it

abundantly clear that bringing back WR Sidney Rice, who might be a free agent this offseason, is one of their top priorities. The goal is to sign Rice to a long-term deal and h...

While the lockout is keeping

Falcons rookie WR Julio Jones from getting a chance to learn from and interact with Atlanta's coaching staff, the reviews of his performance at player-organized workouts are ve...

While first overall pick

Cam Newton will be in the spotlight and attract a great deal of attention in Carolina when football does resume, the return of ORT Jeff Otah is a significant issue facing the P...

The competition for reserve

spots on the Steelers' offense should be intriguing, with quarterback, wide receiver and running back positions to watch. At quarterback, the Steelers have three capable backup...

While several potential free-agent

cornerbacks, including Johnathan Joseph, Carlos Rogers and Ike Taylor, could help improve the Texans' league-worst pass defense from a season ago, the options at safety appear ...

Osi Umenyiora stated in a sworn

affidavit that the Giants broke promises, likely explaining why he wants out of New York before the 2011 season. According to ESPN's Adam...

The last 11 Super Bowl losers

have gone 0-11 ATS and 2-9 SU in openers the following season. The trend spans from the 2000 Titans to the 2010 Colts. You have to go back...

It was just two weeks ago

that Scottie Pippen said that LeBron James may be better than his former teammate Michael Jordan. He may want to rethink that opinion. James struggled once again in the fourt...

Contenders hurt most by lockout

Fans are tired of hearing about the lockout, and you can’t blame ‘em. Savvy bettors, however, haven’t tuned out. They know the lockout will have a very real effect on the ...

Let’s look at teams inspiring

zero public confidence. Their numbers, compared to 2010, are sure to plunge once oddsmakers release betting totals. The 2011 numbers won’t come out until after the lockout...

Sportsbooks haven’t released

Sportsbooks haven’t released NFL season win totals yet, and with good reason. The lockout has stalled the offseason calendar and no one knows where free agents will land. B...

Betting action on the odds

to win Super Bowl XLVI was down at multiple Las Vegas sportsbooks, as the NFL lookout hit 60 days this week and became the longest work stoppage in the sport’s history. Bu...

NFL front offices are

proceeding as if the season will start on time. But try selling season tickets when your team has no NFL-caliber starting quarterback. Wi...

The Chicago Bulls team

that showed up for Game 3 was a lot more like the club that had cruised through the regular season with the best record in the NBA. After regaining home-court advantage with th...

Despite the ongoing labor

struggle between the players and owners in the NFL that has resulted in an “on-again” lockout, fans and bettors alike got a chance to somewhat enjoy the three-day annual le...

NBA Stretch Run:

The Best of the East by Jim Feist It's been a long haul, this 82-game NBA regular season, but the playoffs are just around the corner. So who wins the NBA title? The mos...

The NFL passed important rule changes

on kickoffs recently. The changes will likely reduce scoring, affecting totals. But how much is the question? Statistical analysts are having a field day debating how b...

No. 13 Connecticut will host

the Georgetown Hoyas on Wednesday. Connecticut rarely loses in Storrs, going 12-2 at home this season. The 13th-ranked Huskies, though, host red-hot ninth-ranked Georgetown W...

Ottawa Senators at Edmonton Oilers ...

This is one of those rare HNIC games that makes you wonder if the NHL might consider the NFL’s theory on flex scheduling. One of the worst in the East travels to face one of t...

With two of the oldest franchises

squaring off, this year’s Super Bowl is being pegged as one of the most historic in NFL history. “We think it’s going to be one of the most popular Super Bowls ever,�...

Brett Favre called Dom Capers

the MVP of the 2010 Packers. After dialing up a “Right Cat” coverage that put B.J. Raji in position for a pick-six in the conference championship, Capers can now be called ...

Super Bowl XLV between the Pittsburgh

Steelers and Green Bay Packers is almost here and movement of the betting line has been eerily quiet of late. Las Vegas Sports Consultants (LVSC) sent out an opening line of G...

The Green Bay Packers,

2 1/2-point favorites to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl, will do better than that, according to an investment manager whose model has predicted the outcome of t...

For the first time in years there

are whispers about Bill Belichick being outcoached, after the Patriots came out flat as a pancake in the playoffs against the Jets. And the defense still hasn’t proven it�...

Super Bowl XLV props this season

range from the ridiculous to the sublime, and here at DonBest we're taking a look at a few of the prototypical props, and a few that are just a tad bit off the board from the n...

Super Bowl Props by Bob Dietz

of Integrity Sports-Unlike in years past, when I sought value in low-scoring, anti-public angles, this year I invested in quarterbacking. Here's the list of this year's Integrit...

It’s isn’t so much where Super ...

parties are in Las Vegas. It’s more like where isn’t there a Super Bowl party. “Anywhere there’s a TV monitor, alcohol and food you’ll find a lot of people,” said ...

Super Sunday! by Jim Feist

The Steelers are looking for their third Super Bowl title in six seasons while the Packers make their first trip to the big game since 1998. Back in August the Steelers and Pa...

Steelers fans will have

a seventh Super Bowl championship to celebrate. Super Bowl XLV will feature two of pro football’s most historic and successful franchises, battling for the...

The forecast in Honolulu

in calling for rain showers which could dampen the annual event between the best players in the NFL. Scattered showers and light winds are expected to drop the game-time temper...

Are the Pittsburgh Steelers

the NFL equivalent of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs? While the popular debate about who’s the best team of the decade has gone from this team to that team over the years, the...

The betting line for Super Bowl

XLV is holding steady now at Green Bay minus 2 ½ with an ‘over/under’ of 44 ½. But there are no guarantees it’s going to stay that way before the Feb. 6 kickoff betwee...

Can’t wait until the Super Bowl

to get your football betting fix? The Pro Bowl’s got you covered. Some of the AFC and NFC’s brightest stars will line up in Hawaii for the NFL’s annual all-star game S...

It’s not quite true

that there isn’t any pro football the week before the Super Bowl. The 41st matchup of the AFC versus the NFC, otherwise known as the Pro Bowl, takes place Sunday at 4 p.m. PT...

The Green Bay Packers will

be victorious against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the classic matchup between two of the most storied franchises in NFL history. Las Vegas Sports Consultants sent out an openin...

For the all-we-care-about-is-results

crowd, Roethlisberger has numbers that simply cannot be dismissed. Only seven quarterbacks in history have a better passer rating than his 92.5. Just four others are better tha...

Super Bowl betting action

is finally upon us, and here at Don Best we are analyzing Super Bowl XLV odds. The Pittsburgh Steelers are short underdogs to the Green Bay Packers, but there are three tremend...

We’ve got the NFL’s top two

scoring defenses: Pittsburgh allowed 14.5 points per game in the regular season, Green Bay 15.0. We’ve got Pro Bowl defenders on each side. We’ve got brilliant defensiv...

Super Bowl Countdown!

by Jim Feist- In the world of eleven to ten, there's nothing quite like Super Bowl week. In this case, it's two weeks, as the teams have two weeks to prepare for the Big Game. I...

Surprised the Green Bay Packers

opened as 2 ½-point Super Bowl favorites? Yeah, so am I. But bookmakers don’t want to be ambushed again with lopsided Green Bay money like they have during the past three ...

Curly Lambeau and Vince Lombardi

Curly Lambeau and Vince Lombardi would be proud. The Green Bay Packers are headed to their fifth Super Bowl, this time courtesy of a win on the frozen tundra of Soldier Field, ...

The NFL’s longest-running rivalry

The NFL’s longest-running rivalry convenes for the 182nd time with a berth to the Super Bowl on the line. The Green Bay Packers and host Chicago Bears are two of the league’...

Picking Green Bay and Pittsburgh

to win on Sunday isn’t the difficult part. It’s easy to ride the Packers with their hot quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, and back the Steelers at home with their awesome run de...

While two phases of Green Bay’s

team have been hitting on all cylinders, the third is lacking. The Packers special teams unit was exposed again last week when Eric Weems returned a second-quarter kickoff ...

America’s love affair

– included in that, of course, is the betting public – with the Green Bay Packers is strong these days, to say the least. When you puncture two NFC division champions in ba...

Having trouble picking a side

in either of the two NFL title games? No worries. There are plenty of proposition wagers to choose from in the Green Bay-Chicago and New York Jets-Pittsburgh matchups. From A...

The strangeness continues

The strangeness continues this playoff season, as once again the road team ends up being favored. But with the way Green Bay is playing it is hard to argue with the spread. Chic...

Two of the NFL’s top defenses

Two of the NFL’s top defenses square off Sunday in the AFC Championship game, but that doesn’t seem to be deterring over bettors. Books opened Sunday’s total between 3...

The New York Jets and

Pittsburgh Steelers meet for the second time in five weeks when they battle in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday evening. Bookmaker.com has Pittsburgh as 3 ½-point home ‘...

Believe it or not, there are only t...

games left in the NFL betting season this year, and there are just four teams left standing that can win football's most coveted prize. The Lombardi Trophy will belong to eithe...

NFL Playoffs: Conference Champions ...

by Jim Feist This is it, the final weekend of games before the Super Bowl. The last month we've been hearing about playoff seedings, bye weeks and home field advantage. Are al...

The NFL wagering world is wide open

now that the two top seeds are out of the picture. After sneaking into the playoffs in Week 17, the Green Bay Packers are now set as the Super Bowl favorites, pegged at aro...

The 182nd meeting between border

rivals Green Bay and Chicago takes place Sunday at noon PT on FOX at Solider Field. Few, if any, of their games have been more important. At stake is the NFC championship and ...

The two NFC North rivals

go head-to-head again with a ticket to the Super Bowl in Dallas on the line. Chicago manhandled Seattle for the game in its opening playoff game, but a late surge from the Seah...

Football's oldest rivalry has a

grand new prize: a spot in the Super Bowl. The Bears' 35-24 dismantling of overmatched Seattle on Sunday sets up the biggest game in their 90-year series with the Packers. C...

Atlanta's week started with

several inches of snow and ice piling up to bring the city to a standstill. The week ended with the Green Bay Packers piling up points on the Falcons and ending Atlanta's hopes...

The Seattle Seahawks threw football

bettors for a loop by outslugging the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints in their Wildcard playoff game last weekend. Marshawn Lynch's spirited 67-yard touchd...

Not since they went 16-0

in the 2007 regular season have the New England Patriots looked so dominant. Of course, the New York Jets would like to follow the cross-town Giants' lead in ending such a stre...

Possible Super Bowl Champion

amongst 4 teams? By Stan Lisowski If you are looking for...

The Atlanta Falcons will look

to justify their seeding when they host the Green Bay Packers Saturday night. Even though the Falcons own the NFC’s best record and have been nearly unbeatable at home with t...

Round 3 of one of the most bitter

and undoubtedly the most physical rivalries in the NFL. The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers split two meetings this season, with each winning on the other team’s fie...

The Seattle Seahawks will try

and shock the world again on Sunday when they visit the Chicago Bears in the NFC Divisional Playoffs. Last week the Seahawks stunned the New Orleans Saints, 41-36, as quarterb...

Baltimore’s visit to Pittsburgh

Baltimore’s visit to Pittsburgh is the standout matchup of the four games. How could it not be? Everything that people love about football will be there, and nobody will leave...

Ben Roethlisberger isn’t nearly

as polished passing outside of the pocket as he is in it. While Pittsburgh’s offensive line has improved overall since last year, the unit still has holes, particularly along...

The New York Jets and coach Rex Ryan

are turning up the rhetoric big-time as they visit the hated New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon. Bookmaker.com has New England as 8 ½-point home ‘chalk’ with a tota...

As he watched the Falcons lose

to the Saints on the night of Dec. 27, Phil Richart tried to think of a word — one that fit the situation the Falcons were facing and one that would register with Falcons head...

The convenient hook to this year's

divisional round is that the games are all rematches from the regular season. There are fresh footprints and fingerprints and clusters of evidence to examine. A gumshoe's deligh...

Burned last week by wagering against

Seattle?It is tempting to go against 8-9 the Seahawks again Sunday when they meet rested Chicago at 10 a.m. PT on FOX in a division round NFL playoff matchup. The Seahawks pull...

Pittsburgh and Baltimore split

two games this season, each winning by a field goal on the road. New England tarred and feathered the loudmouth Jets in Foxboro last month by 42 after the Jets beat the Pats, 28...

The Atlanta Falcons had the best re...

in the NFC, were idle last week and host Green Bay in a divisional round playoff game Saturday night. Even with all that going, the Falcons are just two-point favorites against...

Steelers' toughness in run game key

The following quotes are from NFL scouts, coaches and front-office personnel, speaking on the condition of anonymity. • "Can you think of a team in the AFC North that has e...

That was fast!

That was fast! And, the way we hear it, that's a good thing. Sources on the streets of San Francisco and around the league are telling PFW that the speed and urgency that Nin...

There are two things Rex Ryan

isn’t short of: XXXL T-shirts and personal confidence. "I told Belichick after the game, 'We'll see you in Round 3,' " the Jets coach told reporters of his exchange with ...

The Baltimore Ravens

and Pittsburgh Steelers will get to settle their brutal AFC North rivalry on the field when they kick off the divisional playoff round on Saturday afternoon. Bookmaker.com has ...

NFL Playoff Time! by Jim Feist

As the playoffs begin, those who earned the top two seeds in each conference have a key edge, as they get a bye the first week while watching the others duke it out. Sittin...

With a 30-7 blowout

of the Kansas City Chiefs, the Baltimore Ravens set the table for another nasty defensive showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers.Ben Roethlisberger owns a 6-2 straight up record ...

There won't be a Super Bowl rematch

when the AFC and NFC champs meet at Cowboys Stadium on Feb. 6. The Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets made sure of that Saturday with victories on the opening day of the NFL pl...

Michael Vick and the Eagles

get a second crack at the Green Bay Packers, who recorded a 27-20 victory in Philadelphia in Week 1. Vick came off the bench in that game when starter Kevin Kolb suffered a conc...

The Baltimore Ravens enter the post...

as one of the league's hottest teams and owning the third-best record in the NFL. Still, they will open the playoffs on the road when they visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday...

The Baltimore Ravens won 12

games this NFL betting season but they still have to start the NFL playoffs as a Wild Card team and play on the road. Baltimore will visit Kansas City on Sunday in a game that ...

Wildcard Weekend Preview

by Charlie Scott New Orleans Saints Defending Super Bowl Champs, led by Sean Payton's creative offensive play calling & Vet QB Drew Brees. Defeated Seattle 34-19 in the Regu...

Both the Indianapolis Colts

and New York Jets might have expected to see each other in the playoffs – just not this soon. It’s a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship game, which the Colts won 30...

The Seattle Seahawks have sparked

quite a debate just by being in the playoffs - qualifying by virtue of winning the NFC West despite a 7-9 record - and they would love nothing more than to create an even greate...

He was not being arrogant,

or flip, or disrespectful. He was being truthful, and that unabashed honesty is part of the beauty of Asante Samuel [stats] — or as he calls himself on Twitter, The president...

Louisiana State (10-2) and its two-...

offensive attack did not look anything like the Tigers teams that won a pair of National Championships in the last decade but that didn’t stop them from coming darn close agai...

In the oddsmakers’ eyes,

the Saints were dealt the best draw of Wildcard Weekend. But they are faced with the task of preparing for two quarterbacks. Whether it’s the crippled Matt Hasselbeck or Je...

Seattle limped into the playoffs

losing seven of their last 10 games both straight up and ATS and will go with a banged-up Matt Hasselbeck at quarterback. The Seahawks lost 34-19 and failed to cover against New...

The Kansas City Chiefs

are an interesting home underdog Sunday at 10 a.m. (PT on CBS) facing Baltimore in an NFL wild-card playoff matchup. The Chiefs have done a lot of things right in going 10-6 a...

Odds to win the Super Bowl

By Doug Upstone at 3DailyWinners.com Yesterday morning I ventured over to one of my favorite spo...

John Elway's first move as football...

in Denver might be his most important. He has to find a head coach, and there's little time to dilly-dally around. The guy Elway reportedly wants is on fire. Jim Harbaugh...

After clinching the No. 1 seed in the

NFC playoffs, head coach Mike Smith was not short on good options to choose from when PFW asked him whom he considered to be the team's MVP of the regular season. He narrowed...

The way Danyluk sees it each contest

of the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs comes wrapped in its own distinctive cloak. In Seattle, the cloak is a disguise — an unclean passenger breaches security and slips o...

It’s been nearly a week since

these teams met and the Kings are still stinging from the butt whipping the Nuggets handed them on New Year’s Day. Denver dropped Sacramento 104-86 as a 10.5-point home fa...

For the first time in three years

, we've got a team catching double-digits points in a wild-card playoff game. The 2007 Tennessee Titans were 10.5-point dogs on the road, whereas this year's Seahawks are gettin...

It’s not often a home team

in the NFL playoffs is a 10 ½-point underdog. But the Seattle Seahawks aren’t just any team. They are the worst division winner in NFL history. The Seahawks, the league’s...

Last year, the New York Jets

came out of nowhere to make it to the AFC Championship Game, where they were defeated by the Indianapolis Colts for the right to go to Super Bowl XLIV. This year, on the first ...

Wednesday's NBA Plays

So have Cavs coach Byron Scott and forward J.J. Hickson kissed and made up? The Akron Beacon Journal reports the feuding pair sat down for a little discussion earlier this week ...

Will Rex Ryan

and the Jets actually do some damage in the AFC playoffs? New York heads into Indianapolis this Saturday night with a solid road record (...

The NFL playoffs are supposed to

separate the contenders from the pretenders but every now and then, a bad team sneaks into postseason play. That's right Seattle. We're looking at you. For the first time...

Falcons draw top NFC odds

The Atlanta Falcons are not the defending world champions like the New Orleans Saints. The Falcons don’t have a player as charismatic and dangerous as Michel Vick, or a glorif...

Patriots best bet to win it all

The New England Patriots could face some familiar foes in their path to reach Super Bowl XLV, while enjoying home-field advantage in each matchup. Bill Belichick’s crew clinc...

Eagles' pass rush finding no answers

The Eagles' defensive woes have come to light down the stretch, raising concerns for how long this team can last in the playoffs with such an unbalanced team. Injuries have hurt...

Week 17 NFL selections

By GREG COTE My 2010 season of predictions has been a rough one, but because I make all my picks from home, at least I c...

Rams at Seahawks

It's as straightforward as it gets: The winner wins the NFC West title and the loser goes home with a losing record. The NFL higher-ups are probably rooting for a win by St. Lo...

NFL Week 17's biggest betting misma...

Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs (-3.5, 43.5) Raiders’ run defense vs. Chiefs’ run offense Todd Haley has provided some assurance to bettors that the Chiefs won�...

NFL Week 17 lines moves

The final week of the NFL regular season is an oddsmaker’s worst nightmare. The questions surrounding player availability and team motivation delay lines for as long as they c...

NFL Trends Week 17

by Sportsbook Breakers Chargers at Broncos – The Chargers are 13-0 ATS (14.6 ppg) since December 28, 2003 the game after they allowed at least 21 points in weeks 13-17. The C...

Saints host Bucs in finale

There are plenty of crucial contests on the NFL Week 17 slate, but perhaps none more important than the Tampa Bay, New Orleans matchup at the Louisiana Superdome. At least for ...

Deflated Chargers finish at Denver

Norv Turner has flirted with disaster before with slow starts in his three previous years coaching the San Diego Chargers. This year Turner got bit. No playoffs for the 8-7 Ch...

NFL Week 17 Trends

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints (-8) Why Buccaneers cover: They're 6-1 ATS in their last seven meetings in New Orleans. The ro...

Colts 10-point NFL spread versus Ti...

The Indianapolis Colts can clinch the AFC South with a win at home on Sunday against Tennessee. If the Colts win as expected, they would get into the playoffs for the ninth str...

Rams and Seahawks clash for NFC Wes...

Judging just by a won-lost standard, Sunday night’s matchup between the 7-8 St. Louis Rams and 6-9 Seattle Seahawks shouldn’t mean anything. The sad reality is different as...

Raiders, Chiefs battle in KC

Doesn't it still feel weird to see "AFC West Champs" and "Kansas City Chiefs" in the same sentence? Believe it or not, this is the situation that we're in right now, as the Chie...

Final week NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence

Sunday, January 2 Oakland SERIES: 4-0 L4 A… Visitor in Chiefs series 8-1 KANSAS CITY 0-3 SUATS in Last Home Game… 1-8 H off BB non div Miami SERIES: 3-0 L3 A… SPARANO: ...

Colts close at home with Titans

No 14-0 start for the Indianapolis Colts this year. The 9-6 Colts have struggled, but still can clinch their ninth straight playoff berth with a home victory against Tennessee ...

Lions' Stanton raising profile with...

The Lions have been impressed with QB Drew Stanton's play this season, as he has led the team to its first winning streak since the 2007 season. It was not long ago that Stanton...

Jones may stick with Garrett in Dallas

When Jason Garrett was handed an unenviable position on a 1-7 team, taking over for fired head coach Wade Phillips, many thought Garrett might have been set up to fail. He was a...

Singletary's firing sign of 49ers' ...

It's rare that four coaches get fired before the season is over. The looming work stoppage could be seen as one reason why moves were made, with owners less likely to have made ...

Mangini hoping for patience from Ho...

The way we hear it, there is some sentiment in league circles that head coach Eric Mangini will face an uphill battle to return for a third season in Cleveland. Team president M...

Week 17 is a wagering minefield

The books have odds all over the place and nobody really has any idea of who’s going to play and who will sit out, as teams either battle for a playoff spot or play for next y...

Stakes high in Packers, Bears tilt

Of all of the games on the Week 17 NFL betting slate, there aren't many that mean more than the matchup between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Fo...

Vikings at Eagles on Tuesday night

A nasty snow storm hit the East Coast Sunday, forcing the NFL powers to postpone Sunday night's game between the Minnesota Vikings (5-9, 4-10 ATS) and Philadelphia Eagles (10-4,...

NFL playoff picture begins to take ...

Welcome to the wacky NFL where San Diego, one of the better teams in football, is out and either 7-8 St. Louis or 6-9 Seattle is going to the playoffs. The Rams are one-point r...

Saints at Falcons

The Falcons opened as 2-point home favorites and the line has since risen to -2.5 in most locations as 53 percent of the public is supporting Atlanta according to the Covers.com...

Vikings at Eagles Sunday Night

Brett Favre's attempt at a dramatic comeback last week didn't last long. Not that it could have rivaled the one authored by Michael Vick. ...

Week 16 weather report

Detroit Lions at Miami Dolphins (-3.5, 41.5) Morning rains will give way to strong winds in South Beach on Sunday. The forecast is calling for winds of up to 25 mph whipping ...

NFL Lines Moves

San Diego Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals – Open: +7 Move: +9 It seems bettors have no faith in the Bengals, not that they really did in the first place. Cincy has dropped f...

This week's NFL Mismatches

Indianapolis Colts at Oakland Raiders (+3, 47) Colts’ run defense vs. Raiders’ run offense Darren McFadden has registered back-to-back 100-yard games on the ground and...

Cowboys at Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals were still in a playoff race as late as last week. The Dallas Cowboys have seemingly been out of it contention since September. All in all, just a great Ch...

Saints, Falcons end Monday Night Fo...

Monday Night Football's 16-week slate of broadcasts have produced a few routs, a couple of stinker matchups and one game that wasn't even on the schedule or played at its origin...

Eagles heavy favorites over Vikings

Except for another Love Boat scandal, just about everything bad has happened to the 5-9 Minnesota Vikings this season. From going through a coaching change, dealing Randy Moss, ...

Eagles, Vikings Scouting Report

Recent history: The Eagles defeated the Vikings in Minneapolis, in a wild-card playoff game on Jan. 4, 2009, 26-14. The Eagles lead the series, 12-11. OFFENSE Latest Eagle...

NFL Odds favor Packers over New Yor...

The last time the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers met was three years ago in the NFC championship game. The Giants upset Green Bay, 23-20 in overtime, as eight-point road ...

Jets visit Bears

The New York have been arguably the best team in NFL betting action on the road all season long, as they are 6-1 this year outside of the Meadowlands. For a team that is likely ...

This Weeks' NFL Trends

by Sportsbook Breakers Panthers at Steelers – The Panthers are 9-0 ATS (9.3 ppg) since October 12, 2003 the week after a straight up win as a favorite in which their completi...

Tebow's start, McNabb's finish

Viagra is an active sponsor of the NFL, and in the TV promos we are dutifully warned about erections lasting more than four hours. After listening to CBS's Gus Johnson broadcast...

Ravens' ground game displays its po...

Late last season, the Ravens' rushing attack asserted its will and racked up yards by the bushelful. While Baltimore's ground game has largely disappointed in 2010, there is hop...

Texans' first-half woes prove too m...

The Texans' nosedive out of playoff contention came after a fast start raised hopes that this finally would be the season Houston would break through and earn a playoff berth. ...

Gilberry rare D-line delight for Ch...

When assessing the Chiefs' weak spots this season, the defensive line certainly would rank near the top. The unit has underachieved for most of 2010, and lately it has shown in ...

Panthers at Steelers

Big NFL pointspreads - like in Thursday night’s Panthers-Steelers matchup at blustery Heinz Field - can be very difficult to handicap. Clearly, the Steelers (10-4, 8-6 ATS)...

Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals

It takes a lot to get eliminated from the NFC West before the final week. But the Arizona Cardinals turned the trick losing to Carolina, 19-12, last Sunday as 2 ½-point road �...

NFL Opening Lines

The NFL has been divided into two very different camps – those who have something to play for this year and those that are already playing for next year. Those teams that ...

Incredible Stat of the Week

The Dallas Cowboys are just 1-16-1 ATS as non-division favorites from Game Thirteen out.

AWESOME ANGLE OF THE WEEK by Marc L...

PLAY AGAINST any NFL road team from Game Ten out off three straight home games if they are off a double-digit win and are facing a sub .690 non-division opponent. Play Ag...

NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence

Thursday, December 23 Carolina 8-0 DD dogs w/ rev… 3-1 Game Fifteen… 3-10 non-con dogs PITTSBURGH 6-1 off SU fav loss vs non conf opp… 4-0 O/U Game Fifteen Saturday, De...

Redskins an absolute mess

Could there be any more red flags flapping in the breeze as the Redskins continue to unravel in their disappointing first year under head coach Mike Shanahan? With Shanahan a...

Steelers host Panthers in Thursday NFL

There might not be a bigger mismatch on the NFL odds than what we are about see unfold on Thursday Night Football this week. The Carolina Panthers are going to hit the road agai...

Raiders host Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are coming off a big home win over division rival Jacksonville, a triumph that knotted the two squads atop the AFC South with 8-6 records. Peyton Manning...

New England Patriots clear favorites

They had a major scare against Green Bay, but clearly the New England Patriots have emerged as the team to beat. New England has by far the shortest odds to win the Super Bowl ...

BEARS AT VIKINGS

The Chicago Bears have a first-round bye in their sights as they head into Monday’s game at This game was off the board all week until Saturday because of the uncertainty of...

Vikings, Bears game breakdown

by Mike Burzama and Covers Staff Chicago was really embarrassed by New England last week. Were the Bears exposed or do you see them still as a Super Bowl contender? I think ...

Packers at Patriots on SNF

The Green Bay Packers got a glimpse of life without quarterback Aaron Rodgers last week and it was not a pretty sight. It could be even uglier this week if Rodgers is unable ...

NFL Line Moves

Arizona at Carolina Opening Line: Carolina -2.5, Total 38 Current Line: Carolina -2.5, Total 38 This is a balanced line with 63 percent action on Arizona. About 72 percen...

Weather for NFL Sunday

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins (-5.5, 39.5) The forecast in Miami is calling for cloudy skies with a chance of isolated thunder showers in the area. Winds will pick up early...

Broncos GM Xanders wants larger role

Broncos GM Brian Xanders had limited power with former head coach Josh McDaniels at the helm and is hopeful to be given a larger role with the organization next season, the way ...

Inability to maintain success a pro...

One step forward, three steps backward. Shaking their heads after the Niners' latest disappointing loss in San Diego, sources on the scene believe perhaps the most disturbing as...

Raiders’ Cable, Jackson deny rift

Raiders head coach Tom Cable and offensive coordinator Hue Jackson each laughed off a report suggesting they were at odds this week. They both said there was no truth to it, and...

QB situation brewing for Vikings

With Brett Favre out of the mix for the Vikings' Monday-night game against the Bears, they will turn their hopes to rookie Joe Webb as the starter with newly signed Patrick Rams...

Cribbs finding going tough on kickoffs

A mix of good strategy and sound coverage from the opposition have helped to blunt Browns RS Joshua Cribbs' productivity on kickoffs this season. Four dislocated toes suffered b...

Cowboys unlikely to bring back Barber

Below are several whispers we've been hearing from around the NFC East: • Even with RB Tashard Choice's autograph request of Michael Vick upsetting some folks in Dallas, it...

Jackson's foot injury might nag Eagles

by Vegas Vick Eagles (+3) over GIANTS: Michael Vick had a solid game against the Giants in November at the Linc (winning, 27-17), but failing to throw for a touchdown. He did p...

Redskins bench Donovan

ASHBURN, Va. -- Donovan McNabb to second-string. Then to third-string. Then no guarantee that he'll be back next season. Maybe he's no John Elway after all. The ever-drama...

Packers, Patriots meet Sunday Night

The Green Bay Packers are an NFL second-best in scoring differential at plus 117 points. They also haven’t lost a game by more than four points. But the Packers are in troub...

Bears, Vikings prep for MNF

First the head coach, then the quarterback and now the stadium roof. Everything, it seems, has collapsed this season for the Minnesota Vikings. The 5-8 Vikings are going to mee...

Colts 4-point NFL betting favorites...

The Jacksonville Jaguars can clinch the AFC South on Sunday if they can win at Indianapolis. The Jaguars haven’t won a division title in 11 years and they have never swept th...

Pats plugging holes on defensive line

Injures have forced Bill Belichick to do a lot of shuffling on the Patriots' defensive line this season. They lost starting DLE Ty Warren for the season in training camp and the...

Team unity leading to Dolphins' roa...

If the Dolphins have a miracle finish and make the playoffs, they will do so with a losing record at home. If they miss out on the playoffs, they will likely have one of the bet...

Roosevelt looks to be latest Bills ...

All season long the Bills have been getting contributions from unexpected places, and that will continue in the final weeks of the season. With Lee Evans going on I.R. on Dec. 1...

Packers have confidence in Flynn

As far as qualified backup quarterbacks go, team sources tell us the Packers have felt for a while now that Matt Flynn more than fills the bill. The consensus seems to be that F...

Bucs DT McCoy finishing strong

We hear rookie DT Gerald McCoy was just beginning to meet the Buccaneers' expectations for him when he suffered a torn left biceps in Week 14. McCoy, the third overall pick in t...

Saints draw early NFL betting actio...

It is crunch time in the NFL for these two teams as the New Orleans Saints and the Baltimore Ravens are looking to keep their divisional title hopes alive when they clash this S...

Cassel injury slows NFL odds for Ch...

The season very well could be on the line on Sunday when the two teams from the Show Me State duke it out at the Edward Jones Dome in NFL betting action. The AFC West-leading Ka...

49ers at Chargers

As disappointing and inconsistent as San Diego and San Francisco have been, the Chargers and 49ers are only one-game out of first place in their divisions. The two hard-to-fi...

Steelers at home versus Jets

The Pittsburgh Steelers have won four straight, with a 3-1 spread record in that stretch. Mike Tomlin’s club hosts its second straight home game in Sunday’s matchup against...

Brace for Jets' crash

The Jets, who won the August-September-October-November Super Bowl, but now are ducking for cover now that real bullets are starting to fly. The Jets, whose offense has turned i...

AWESOME ANGLE OF THE WEEK

by Marc Lawrence PLAY ON any .666 > NFL road dog of more than four points during the fi nal four games of the season versus a .666 > opponent off a SU and ATS win. Pla...

NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence

Thursday, December 16 San Francisco 6-1 non conf dogs 4 > pts… 4-1 Thursdays (5-0 SU) SAN DIEGO SERIES: 1-3 L4 H… 1-8 vs non div opp off DD SU win Sunday, December 19 Ka...

Chargers, 49ers begin NFL Week

The San Diego Chargers and San Francisco 49ers are both fighting for postseason berths as they kick off NFL Week 15 on Thursday Night Football. Bookmaker.com ...

Falcons flying high

At the outset of the season, the Atlanta Falcons were considered one of these dark horse teams that didn't make it to the playoffs the previous year and could make some real noi...

Feist Facts: Dec. 14, 2010 NFL Ju...

Feist Facts: Dec. 14, 2010 NFL Juggernauts and Fading Has Beens by Jim Feist Looking at NFL in 2010, it's clear that after a brief hiatus, parity has returned. Look at t...

Giants vs. Vikings

Home Game In Detroit? Mother Nature got in the way of Minnesota being able to host a game against the Giants that was supposed to be played Sunday afternoon at the Metrodome....

Ravens at Texans

The Ravens opened as 3-point road favorites and the line has held steady at most books, while a few shops have Baltimore at -2.5 (-120). The line might rise a bit on Monday nigh...

Make money with Miami

by Richard Witt Dolphins (+5½) over JETS: History suggests this near-term result more likely, given Dolphins ability to rise to occasion in divisional-underdog setting, and Ma...

Giants-Vikings game moved to Monday

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre's record consecutive starts streak got a one-day reprieve when the NFL announced that Sunday's game against the New York Giants was pos...

Significant lines moves in NFL this...

Anthony Munnelly is an oddsmaker with SportsInteraction.com. Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers Opening Line: Atlanta -7.5, Total 41 Current Line: Atlanta -8, Total 42....

Eagles at Cowboys SNF

There are a number of reasons the Dallas Cowboys were considered top Super Bowl contenders entering the season. Two of them were lopsided routs of the Philadelphia Eagles at the...

Ravens at Texans MNF

The Baltimore Ravens are chomping at the bit to get back onto the field when they visit the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football. Bookmaker.com has Baltimore as three-point ...

This week's NFL Trends

by Sportsbook Breakers Patriots at Bears – The Bears are 0-6 ATS (-9.1 ppg) since December 26, 1999 as a dog the week after a straight up win in which their completion perc...

Durability helps Mendenhall

Since entering the starting lineup last season, Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall has not missed a game, no small factor in his development, RB coach Kirby Wilson told PFW this wee...

Saints RB Ivory's impresses

There was a massive void in the Saints' backfield earlier this season when RBs Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush missed long stretches with injuries. Bush returned from a broken leg...

Raiders WR Heyward-Bey still strugg...

After a rookie season in which he made just nine catches in 11 games, Raiders WR Darrius Heyward-Bey has been stuck on 19 grabs since Halloween this season. He hasn't made a cat...

Cowboys will try to engage Bryant

The Cowboys will do what they can to continue to teach WR Dez Bryant and keep him involved even while he is on injured reserve. League rules prohibit him from attending team pos...

Bengals have broad range of roster ...

The Bengals had a clear primary need entering last offseason: bolstering their pass-catching corps for QB Carson Palmer. They did just that, albeit with one expensive misstep: t...

Cowboys short home dogs vs Eagles

It doesn’t matter that the Philadelphia Eagles play at the New York Giants next week in a showdown for first place in the NFC East Division. There is no looking ahead for the ...

Patriots FG favorites at Chicago

The New England Patriots won their biggest game of the NFL betting season last week against the New York Jets but they don’t get to enjoy it long because they have to face the...

Bucs QB Freeman’s confidence not ...

While his completion percentage hasn't been as impressive of late, Buccaneers QB Josh Freeman said he doesn't think his performance has declined much and we're told the second-y...

Pryce moved to NT

Following the blowout loss to the Patriots in Week 13, during which every aspect of the Jets' defense was exposed, coaches pledged that some changes would be made, with Rex Ryan...

NY Giants short favorites at Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings still have to wonder if they are clinging to the slightest of playoff hopes in the NFC. If they can't beat the New York Giants on Sunday afternoon at Mall ...

Week 14 matchups to exploit or avoid

Matchups to exploit A Monday-night matchup with the Texans is the time to start Ravens QB Joe Flacco with confidence. While he hasn't been as prolific as many hoped this seas...

Vikings' offense starting to evolve

There has been speculation about how the Vikings' offense might change without Brad Childress' fingerprints on it, and we're starting to see what that effect is. In the first ga...

Carlson's production for Seahawks a...

here were few if any daily team observers who did not think TE John Carlson would be the team's primary passing weapon in 2010. But with Seattle's season entering the home stret...

A method to Haley's fourth-down mad...

Unlike many head coaches in the NFL, the Chiefs' Todd Haley has not been shy about going for it on fourth down. The results, however, have been mixed, causing some to question w...

Colts at Titans

Desperation often translates into motivation. And there is no question that the Titans and Colts are two desperate football teams, heading into Thursday night’s AFC South batt...

Patriots face tough test at Chicago

The New England Patriots need to rebound quickly, both mentally and physically, when they face the tough Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon. Bookmaker.com has New England as thr...

Bengals at Steelers

Two rivals on opposite ends of the AFC North standings collide Sunday when Cincinnati visits Pittsburgh. The Bengals (2-10 straight up, 4-8 against the spread) are gunning for ...

Chargers by TD versus Chiefs ?

Slow starts are nothing new for the San Diego Chargers. Something that is new for the Chargers, though, is losing at home in December to the Oakland Raiders as 13 ½-point favo...

Colts and Titans kick off NFL slate

The Indianapolis Colts-Tennessee Titans Thursday night matchup looks great on paper with marquee stars Peyton Manning, Chris Johnson and Randy Moss. The reality is quite differ...

Mismatch - Panthers host Falcons

Preseason futures odds priced the Atlanta Falcons as a legitimate threat to the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South. The Falcons were plus 165 behind the Saints' minus 250 in t...

NFC West at bottom

No doubt the NFC West is the worst division in the NFL. But just how bad is it? It’s so bad that former Baltimore Ravens coach and network analyst Brian Billick said the NFL ...

NFL teams that need to be rebuilt f...

While most current NFL teams will avoid the fate of the Baltimore Colts and Dallas Texans, there are some that need an overhaul. Below, we take a look at five clubs that should ...

New York Jets at New England Patrio...

by Steve Merril The Patriots briefly opened as a -3 -120 favorite last week, but the majority of sportsbooks around the world opened the line at -3.5 where it...

Don't pass on 'Skins against G-Men

By RICHARD WITT Redskins (+7) over GIANTS: Big Blue have struggled in the Swamp against this foe, except for the 36-0 Mara Memorial steamrolling. Donovan McNabb can rise to occ...

Redskins must piece together runnin...

Although they do not have the parts they would like to have to operate offensively, the Redskins must find a way to manufacture an offense with a run game that has not produced ...

Lions' Smith has plenty of promise

CB Alphonso Smith, by most accounts, has been a success story in Detroit since coming over in a trade from the Broncos, but he came under fire for his poor play in the Thanksgiv...

Steelers' pass protection an issue

As the Steelers enter the final weeks of the regular season, several issues bear watching. The health of QB Ben Roethlisberger tops the li...

McCoy rivals Vick in Eagles' offense

There is no question that Michael Vick plays a vital role in the Eagles' offense. He's the dual-threat quarterback who forces defenses to choose which element of his unique game...

Steelers at Ravens

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison may eventually be forced to change his wrecking-ball style of play. Just don't expect it to happen this week. ...

Sunday NFL Weather update

The first weekend of December doesn’t disappoint cappers looking to the weather for that betting edge. Strong winds will impact passing and kicking, while rains are expected i...

NFL Trends by Marc lawrence

Sunday, December 5 Buffalo SERIES: 3-0 L3… DEC: 9-1 < .500 vs < .500 opp MINNESOTA DEC: 3-9 L12 HG’s… 8-2 non conf favs > 3 pts Cleveland SERIES: 3-0 L3… 9-2 vs AFC E...

Jets at Patriots in MNF showdown

The New York Jets and New England Patriots have played each other 100 times during the regular season. None of those games is as big as Monday night’s matchup in New England. ...

Steelers look for revenge at Ravens

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a 2-1 NFL spread record in their three games against AFC North Division foes, allowing 16 points per game in that stretch. Mike Tomlin’s squad tr...

Tampa Bay 3-point home dogs to Atlanta

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in a critical NFC South battle on FOX. The Falcons have the best NFL betting record in the NFC at 9-2 while the Bucs...

NFL Week 13 trends

by Sportsbook Breakers Saints at Bengals – The Saints are 6-0 ATS (18.3 ppg) since November 26, 2006 on the road when their opponent is on a 3+ game losing streak. The Bengal...

Colts need to acquire new O-linemen

With the Colts' offense sputtering in recent weeks, the ineffectiveness of the offensive line has been magnified. The running game has been virtually non-existent again this sea...

LB Roach doesn’t want to ‘get u...

The Bears' top two strong-side linebackers, Pisa Tinoisamoa and Nick Roach, are both going to become free agents after the season. PFW recently asked Roach, a fourth-year vet...

Edelman has to wait for time on the...

In the Patriots' first preseason game this season, WR Julian Edelman led the way with six catches for 90 yards. He received lots of attention for being a Wes Welker 2.0. With We...

Jaguars visit Titans

Kerry Collins is an over-the-hill, 38-year-old backup with a quarterback rating of less than 80. Collins, though, is the key now to turning around Tennessee’s season. The Tit...

Redskins at Giants

Washington and New York meet for the first time this season in a matchup of two NFC East teams vying to stay in the postseason chase. The Redskins (5-6 straight up, 5-5-1 again...

Week 13 matchups to exploit or avoid

Matchups to exploit It looks like QB Jay Cutler is finally getting a feel for the new offense in Chicago, as he has thrown nine TD passes and three interceptions in his last ...

Bucs' Williams proving he was worth...

Buccaneers WR Mike Williams didn't sound like a player in need of a wake-up call in an interview with PFW earlier this month. The rookie with a checkered college career seemed m...

Cassel exceeding K.C.'s expectations

Considering that the Chiefs only expect QB Matt Cassel to be a game manager, they are more than happy with his play throughout the 2010 season. Thanks to an unbelievable stretch...

Crosby getting Bolts' special teams...

We hear that some around the organization believed that somebody needed to take the fall for a Chargers special-teams unit considered to be one of the worst of all time early in...

RB Jennings could be valuable down ...

RB Rashad Jennings flashed in limited opportunities as a rookie in 2009, gaining 5.2 yards per carry while backing up starter Maurice Jones-Drew. Then he opened some eyes this s...

Colts host Cowboys

If there were ever a time to push the panic button, now would be that time for the Indianapolis Colts. There are just five games left to their 2010 season, and unless they want ...

Where have all the flowers gone?

by Jimmy Vaccaro Those electrifying Saturdays we counted from the middle of June are again history and marked with a lot of W’s and L’s, but we wouldn't trade them for any...

Texans take on Eagles on Thursday n...

Thanks to Indianapolis losing at home this past Sunday night to San Diego, the Houston Texans are just one game out of first place in the AFC South Division. So Thursday night�...

Home Field Advantage for Pats

Patriots Are Favored by 3 1/2 Points Over Jets Due to Home Field Advantage By Erik Matuszewski With the New England Patriots unbeaten at home and the New York Jets perfec...

Falcons have Patriots look

• The Falcons' defense has been the focus of much criticism, and on paper does not look like a top unit statistically, but what does not show up in the numbers is its aggressi...

AFC South odds still favor the Colts

It is still anyone’s game in the tightly-bunched AFC South Division. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning may be interception-happy lately, but oddsmakers still like...

The Overlooked Edge: Football Depth

Feist Facts: Nov. 30, 2010 by Jim Feist Depth is such an essential element of success in pro and college football, and one that is easily overlooked. Big college programs h...

49ers at Cardinals

There has been very little movement on this line. The 49ers opened as 1-point road favorites in most locations, while a few sportsbooks have raised the line to -1.5. The public ...

Cardinals host Niners Monday Night

The Arizona Cardinals have dropped five straight, with a 1-4 NFL spread record in that stretch. Ken Whisenhunt’s crew hosts Monday’s matchup against the San Francisco 49ers...

Wade, Nelson get extended looks fro...

Injuries to several Bengals cornerbacks, most notably Johnathan Joseph, forced newly signed Jonathan Wade into the starting lineup in Week 12, and the former Lions starter fared...

Moore impressive in first season as...

An injury to Erik Coleman gave Falcons SS William Moore his first opportunity to start in Week Two, and he's established himself as one of the team's more promising young defens...

Browns' defense shows potential

It isn't a group loaded with household names, and by the numbers, it is clear that more improvement is still needed, but the Browns' defense has shown some promise in 2010. And ...

Chargers at Colts

There has been plenty of praise for Peyton Manning's ability to carry an Indianapolis Colts offense that has been decimated by injuries. Blasphemous as it may sound, there's ...

NFL Line Moves

Carolina Panthers at Cleveland Browns Opening Line: Cleveland -10, 38 Current Line: Cleveland -10, 38 We had to delay setting this line because of uncertainty at quarterb...

Falcons versus Packers

Two of the top NFL betting teams in the NFC get together on Sunday in Atlanta as the Falcons host the Green Bay Packers. Both teams have won four straight games overall and eac...

Titans at Texans

That mean ol' Tennessee coach. Doesn't Jeff Fisher know he ruined Vince Young's homecoming this weekend when the Titans visit the Houston Texans for a 10 a.m. (PT) kickoff at R...

Jacksonville visits Giants

David Garrard and the Jags look for their fourth-straight win at New York. The Jacksonville Jaguars have reeled off three straight wins, cashing with a 3-0 NFL spread record in...

Colts vs. Chargers

Two of the marquee teams in the American Football Conference collide on the Week 12 schedule under pedestrian records. Both San Diego (5-5 straight up and against the spread) an...

Some offenses make defenses look good

Some offenses make defenses look good By Bill Ordine INQUIRER STAFF WRITER When NFL bettors size up games, they sometimes figure it's just as profitable to wager against pa...

Portis' Redskins career might be over

The Redskins placed RB Clinton Portis on injured reserve, and it's very possible that he might not play for the team again. This is the case despite the fact that head coach Mik...

Donnie Jones putting up Pro Bowl Nu...

Although his numbers are down a bit this season, daily team observers agree that Rams P Donnie Jones deserves a Pro Bowl berth more than anybody on the team. “He’s really de...

Foster a positive for Texans

The biggest positive in what has been a disappointing Texans season to date has been the sustained success of RB Arian Foster, who is on pace for more than 1,600 yards rushing a...

NFL Trends by Sportsbook Breakers

Saints at Cowboys – The Saints are 6-0 ATS (14.4 ppg) since October 13, 2002 as a road favorite vs a non-divisional opponent before playing against a non-divisional opponent. ...

Saints at Cowboys

The Saints march into Dallas for one of the more intriguing Thanksgiving Day games in recent memory. The defending champs appear to have shaken off any lasting Super Bowl han...

Patriots at Lions

If any team in the NFL is ripe for a letdown, it's the New England Patriots. Fresh off back-to-back wins over the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts, the Patriots hav...

Bengals at Jets

The New York Jets may be able to skip their Houdini act this week. It helps when the opponent has already disappeared. The Jets will look to stay atop the AFC East when they ...

Nance adds punch to Packers' ground...

Following in the footsteps of Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn, who have both done a much better job replacing the injured Ryan Grant than most team observers expected, rookie Dimi...

Cardinals unlikely to trade Fitzgerald

With the Cardinals’ offense drying up big-time in the desert, there has been increased speculation on the future of star WR Larry Fitzgerald. Rumors that the Cardinals might a...

Saints payback time at Dallas Cowboys

Last season, the New Orleans Saints were undefeated at 13-0 and looked poised to make a run for the glorious 16-0 mark compiled by the New England Patriots in 2007. However, the...

Ravens at home vs. Bucs

The Buccaneers are the most surprising team in the league at 7-3. That’s just one game behind fellow NFC South Division rival Atlanta for top mark in the NFC. The Buccaneers w...

Upset Special of the Week by Marc L...

by Marc Lawrence of Playbook.com TEXAS over Texas A&M by 7 Wow, what a difference a year makes! Last season at this time, the Horns were poised to claim the Big 12 crown (whi...

This week's NFL Trends

Thursday, November 25 by Marc Lawrence of Playbook.com New England 11-0 off BB SU wins vs opp off BB SU losses (1-0 this year) DETROIT 1-9 dogs < 10 pts vs .666 > opp (1-0 thi...

Young-Fisher showdown won't end well

Showdowns happen all the time in football. It's a team game, yes, but it's one based on individual matchups — on and off the field. Think about some of the best matchups th...

Patriots to tame Lions

Thanksgiving Day has been a day for the Detroit Lions for 70 seasons. They are 33-35-2 SU in their Turkey Day tussles and have fallen upon hard times of late, going winless both...

Packers at Falcons

Greg Jennings caught seven Aaron Rodgers passes last week, three for touchdowns. Division leaders collide in a possible postseason preview when NFC North co-l...

Marinelli has Bears’ defense on roll

In his first season as a defensive coordinator, Rod Marinelli has the Bears' defense ranked near the top of the league, and no team is allowing fewer points per game (14.6). If ...

Gradkowski ready if Campbell stumbles

Head coach Tom Cable has complimented Bruce Gradkowski for the way he's conducted himself since he found out Jason Campbell would continue as the starter when the Raiders travel...

The 'Bungles' are back

One year removed from a surprising first-place finish in one of the league's tougher divisions, the Bengals have undeniably become the "Bungles" again, with one ill-advised turn...

Why Childress didn't work out

Soon after Brad Childress was hired, he gave an interview in which he readily admitted that he was not a Bill Parcells-like candidate, that if he failed to be successful in Minn...

Vikings fire Childress

The National Football League has just completed 11 weeks of its regular-season schedule, and some high-profile teams have failed to live up to preseason expectations. There wer...

Broncos at Chargers

The Chargers opened as 10-point home favorites and the line has since dropped down to 9.5 and 9 in most locations. This isn’t a surprise since 56 percent of the public is supp...

Giants have means to stop SuperVick

By RICHARD WITT Giants (+3) over EAGLES: Michael Vick took the nation's breath away Monday night. Big Blue is looking to snap four-game losing skid vs. imposing divisional foe,...

Colts at Patriots

The New England Patriots turned in their finest performance of the season a week ago with a lopsided victory in Pittsburgh. Their reward? A visit from Peyton Manning and the ...

Sunday Night Football

The New York Giants' defense looked flat-footed a week ago. It's a good bet they'll be on their toes this week. The Michael Vick Experience will be on display when the New Yo...

MNF favors Chargers over Broncos

If the San Diego Chargers hope to win their fifth straight AFC West Division title they need to get in gear now. There’s no better time for the 4-5 Chargers to do that than on...

Eagles' offensive line holds key

Amid the din over the stellar performance of QB Michael Vick this season, a simple point has been overlooked: The Eagles' offensive line remains a unit with something to prove. ...

Williams deserves another HC shot

It would be tough (to replace Williams), but that's the nature of the business," Vilma said. "The NFL (stands for) Not For Long for a reason, whether good or bad. I may not have...

Knighton becoming a leader

Jaguars second-year DT Terrance Knighton, better known to his teammates as "Pot Roast," was the first defensive player drafted in GM Gene Smith's rebuilding effort. At 6-3, 336 ...

Vick and Eagles Favored over Giants

Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles get the spotlight again this week as they host the New York Giants in NBC’s Sunday Night Football. The Eagles and V...

The heart of a Lion

Each year, Nov. 17 comes and goes on Mike Utley's calendar. He acknowledges it, obliges those who ask about it, then gets on with all that keeps him busy in his post-football li...

Cardinals' defense down

The natives are getting increasingly restless in the desert, with the heat that has been on the Cardinals' punchless offense all season catching up to a defense in a major meltd...

Clemons a mule for Seahawks

It has been an up-and-down season so far for the Seahawks’ defense, but one defender who has been consistently up is DE Chris Clemons, who quietly has emerged as one of the NF...

Roles of Maroney, Buckhalter dimini...

RBs Laurence Maroney and Correll Buckhalter are slowly being phased out of the Broncos' offense. We hear Denver's coaches like what they have seen from RB Lance Ball, who was re...

Fitzpatrick QB of the present & fu...

Determining who the quarterback of the future will be has been a hot topic among Bills fans, but that player may be the man under center right now. Ryan Fitzpatrick, who will be...

Colts continue to shuffle O-line

Perhaps the biggest concern for the Colts heading into the season was who would win the two starting jobs at offensive guard. Jamey Richard got the nod on the left side to start...

Bucs looking to give Winslow more o...

As QB Josh Freeman has grown more comfortable throwing to rookie WRs Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn, it has cost TE Kellen Winslow some targets. He's on pace to have fewer cat...

New England three-point favorites v...

The New England Patriots are extremely young and aside from Tom Brady lack stars. Yet the Patriots have the best record in the NFL at 7-2 along with the New York Jets and Atlant...

Week 11 NFL Trends

by Sportsbook Breakers Bears at Dolphins – The Bears are 0-7 ATS (-10.6 ppg) since November 27, 1997 as a road dog when they won last week while benefiting from a takeaway ma...

Bears at Dolphins

What does it mean when Miami, which is expected to start third-string quarterback Tyler Thigpen, is still favored over a surging Chicago team? The handicapper that correctly...

Texans visit Jets

The once-promising Houston Texans are reeling with three straight losses as they battle the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon. Bookmaker.com has the Jets as seven-point home fa...

Bills' Gailey knows offense

The following quotes are from NFL scouts, coaches and front-office personnel, speaking on the condition of anonymity: • "(Bills head coach) Chan Gailey is a very good offen...

NFL Trends

Thursday, November 18 by Marc Lawrence of Playbook.com Chicago 7-2 A off SU dog win (0-1 this year)… 1-4 O/U Game Ten MIAMI SPARANO: 2-7 fav vs non div opp (1-0 this year) ...

NFL Opening Lines Week 11

Dallas opened the year as a favorite to win the Super Bowl, but things fell apart quickly for the Cowboys and their supporters. When Tony Romo went on the shelf and coach Wade P...

Falcons 3-point favorites at Rams

The St. Louis Rams have a 7-1 spread record in their last eight games, with the ‘under’ going 5-3. Steve Spagnuolo’s crew hosts Sunday’s battle against the Atlanta Falc...

Dolphins favored despite QB injuries

Welcome to another round of As the Quarterbacks Turn. The setting is Miami where the Dolphins host the Chicago Bears on Thursday night at 5:20 p.m. PT with the NFL Network tele...

Not time to sit Favre, fire Childress

The hot seat under Brad Childress has not cooled, nor has talk that QB Brett Favre should step aside and let the Vikings evaluate what they have in Tarvaris Jackson. But that...

Gut-check time in San Diego

It happens every fall around this time. The days grow shorter, the checkout lines at shopping malls grow longer and — after always seeming to take their sweet time the firs...

Jaguars and Texans are AFC pretenders

Just two games separate first-place Indianapolis from last-place Houston in the AFC South Division. Despite missing eight starters against C...

Pro Parity and 20-Point Blowouts

Feist Facts: Nov. 16, 2010 by Jim Feist For years, pro football has been the sports leader when it comes to parity. Pete Rozelle was credited with, "On any given Sunday any...

Dolphins go fishin' for a new QB

The Miami Dolphins are down to their third-string quarterback Tyler Thigpen after Chad Pennington and Chad Henne were both injured in Miami’s 29-17 win over the Tennessee Tita...

EAGLES AT REDSKINS

by Steve Merril Oddsmakers opened Philadelphia as a 3-point road favorite last week and the money has come in Philadelphia, pushing the spread to 3.5 in many locations, while o...

Browns the right choice vs. Jets

by Rich Witt BROWNS (+3) over Jets: Given that Brownie troop has done some heavy lifting in rank upsets of the Saints and Patriots, not eager to go full-bore ...

Lions try not to become victim of w...

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- There's a theory that nobody wants to play a winless team because they're going to be incredibly desperate with a nothing-to-lose mentality and there's als...

Patriots at Steelers

On their way to a heavyweight fight, the New England Patriots were flattened by a lightweight. Now, the Patriots must regroup from a lopsided loss as they travel to Pittsburg...

NFL Line Moves

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Opening line: Tampa Bay -7, 35.5 Current line: Tampa Bay -7, 37 Action on this game is completely one-sided with 90 percent of b...

Redskins, Eagles Monday Night

Most Hollywood sequels never live up to the original productions. The reverse might be the case in Monday night's Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins matchup, a sequel tha...

Sunday night pits Steelers and Patr...

The Pittsburgh Steelers have played three straight road games, escaping with two wins and a 1-2 spread record. Mike Tomlin’s squad returns home for Sunday night’s clash wit...

Jaguars' Thomas avoiding injuries

Mike Thomas' development in his second season is a by-product of the young receiver learning how to avoid injuries, the way we hear it. Thomas had a successful rookie campaign, ...

Vikings' Berrian has chance to impress

Bernard Berrian appeared all but out of the Vikings' WR picture for this season and certainly beyond when Randy Moss joined the team in October. Berrian's salary had become an a...

Panthers shuffling linebackers

Some in Charlotte are beginning to look ahead to next season with the Panthers struggling to dig out of a deep hole at 1-7, and one of the questions the team will face in the of...

Dallas at Giants

So much for the Dallas Cowboys being the first team to play in a Super Bowl on there own field. At least Wade Phillips has left the building. Being the most disappointing team ...

Browns host Jets

The New York Jets are finding ways to win as they get ready for a Sunday afternoon showdown at the Cleveland Browns. Bookmaker.com has the Jets as three-point road favorites (m...

Week 10 NFL Trends

by Sportsbook Breakers Ravens at Falcons – The Ravens are 0-11 ATS (-7.5 ppg) since October 19, 2003 on the road the week after a straight up win in which they had at least t...

This season, underdogs rule By Bi...

At the NFL season's approximate halfway point, weekly performances against the point spread continue to mystify bettors and oddsmakers alike. Last weekend's stunner was New E...

Ravens head to Atlanta

The Ravens head to Atlanta Thursday night for a showdown between two top-tier Super Bowl contenders. The Falcons are +1,000 and the Ravens +700 to win the Super Bowl, according ...

Haley's motivation reason for Johns...

Derrick Johnson might not have gotten off on the best foot with Todd Haley, but the Chiefs' head coach may be a major reason why Johnson is the owner of a new five-year contract...

Browns QB McCoy — what pressure?

Cleveland QB Colt McCoy — I haven't seen too many rookies who have handled an NFL pass rush like he has thus far, the headiness of him back there, like Yeah, yeah, I know you'...

NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence

Baltimore SERIES: 8-0 L8 / 4-0 L4 A… 1-5 L6 O/U Thursday ATLANTA 4-1 Thursday… 0-13 H off BB SU wins (1-0 this year) Sunday, November 14 Cincinnati 8-0 dogs > 6 pts vs op...

Colts look to beat up on Bengals

Things aren't exactly looking promising right now for either the Indianapolis Colts or the Cincinnati Bengals. Obviously the Bengals, at 2-6, are in significantly more dire shap...

Falcons host Ravens in Thursday Nig...

Ready for some Thursday night NFL? It’s back this week starting with Baltimore meeting Atlanta at 5:20 p.m. PT on the NFL Channel. The host Falcons are minus one at the NFL b...

Dolphins, Titans in tight NFL clash

The top 11 AFC teams reached the halfway point of the season divided by just two games in the standings and packed between 6-2 and 4-4 records. Two of those will meet in Miami ...

Steelers, Giants Are Narrow Super B...

By Erik Matuszewski - Nov 9, 2010 The Dallas Cowboys have gone from preseason Super Bowl favorites to 2,000-1 long shots at some Las Vegas sports books. With their Super...

Coaches with a fork in them

Wade Phillips finally, and mercifully, got the axe on Monday. Here's a look at four other NFL head coaches who will be looking for new jobs in the near future: John Fox, Caro...

Overs having a season

The ‘over’ has gone 72-56 this season for 56.3 percent of all games. That includes a 9-3 mark this past week, pending the Pittsburgh at Cincinnati game on Monday Night Footb...

Phillips done

So much for Jerry Jones' claim that Wade Phillips was safe as the Dallas Cowboys head coach through this season. A day after the club suffered its fifth straight loss, a 45-7 s...

Eagles just can't beat the spread ...

The Eagles deserved to be 31/2-point favorites over the Colts. The oddsmakers thought so, and the bettors confirmed it. And except for a backdoor cover touchdown by Indianapoli...

Winning’s over for backers, too

By Tim Bresnahan / The Bet Box | Monday, November 8, 2010 Patriots bettors surely knew their team couldn’t keep winning - and covering - forever. But of all the coac...

STEELERS AT BENGALS

The Steelers opened as 3.5-point road favorites last week and the money has since pushed the line higher. Pittsburgh is now a 5 to 5.5-point favorite. This is not a surprise as ...

Giants will cover on road vs. Seahawks

By RICHARD WITT Giants (-6½) over SEAHAWKS: With discretion the better part of valor, Seattle's is withholding quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who is recovering from his concussi...

Bradford living up to top billing

With the first half of his rookie season in the books, the read on Rams QB Sam Bradford couldn't be more positive. While he has been far from perfect, Bradford has done more ...

Lions' Backus bounces back

Following are several whispers we've been hearing from around the NFC North: • Lions OLT Jeff Backus took a lot of heat for giving up the sack that injured QB Matthew Staff...

Texans WR Johnson playing through i...

The right high ankle sprain suffered by Texans WR Andre Johnson in Week Two is something he continues to contend with, and it could be an issue that occasionally flares up as it...

Cutler facing pressure

The steady flow of pass rushers allowed into the backfield by the Bears' offensive line hasn't been the only source of pressure on QB Jay Cutler this season. He was asked this w...

Bears’ Cutler facing pressure

The steady flow of pass rushers allowed into the backfield by the Bears' offensive line hasn't been the only source of pressure on QB Jay Cutler this season. He was asked this w...

Cowboys visit the Packers on Sunday...

The first Sunday night in November shaped up as one of the more highly-anticipated games of the season when the NFL schedule for 2010 was released. Nine weeks into the seaso...

Steelers visit Bengals on Monday Night

ESPN programming execs were no doubt licking their chops when they scheduled Monday's matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals. A midseason battle between...

Jaguars' offensive line progressing

The Jaguars' offensive line is a work in progress. Veterans Jordan Black and Vince Manuwai are still getting their feet wet since replacing Eben Britton (shoulder) and Justin Sm...

Dolphins looking for another pass r...

The Dolphins were one of the teams to reportedly put a claim on OLB Shawne Merriman. They were not scared off by Merriman's injuries and decrease in production. Actively looking...

Bengals' 'D' can spark turnaround

I think for us it's going to come (down) to us making a big play at the end of a ballgame for us to really turn around our season, for us to get to back to where we were last se...

NFL should fix replay

To those who would do away with instant replay in the NFL in favor of living with the occasional missed calls and arguably enhancing the human drama in the game, I say forget it...

Jets will break Lions' bubble

Wins over Washington and St. Louis do not mean the Detroit Lions are a competent NFL team. The way in which commentators and analysts have gushed about the Lions this past week ...

Colts gallop into Philly

The Colts are coming off a big win on Monday night against Houston which put them into first place in the AFC South while the Eagles were on their bye week. Philadelphia gets M...

Fantasy Football Madhouse a Go-Go

Week 9 NFL FROM STAN LISOWSKI Buffalo has the #6 ranked pass defense and is also the 6th toughest t...

Seahawks host Giants

Seattle sits on top of the NFC West standings at 4-3. That’s more victories than Minnesota and Dallas combined. But are the Seahawks really any good? There are doubters. Some...

Cowboys fighting off Bills for wors...

Bizarre as it may seem, only the winless Buffalo Bills have a worse record than the 1-6 Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys, who have the worst spread mark in the NFL at 1-6 ATS, trave...

49ers' QB job looks like Troy Smith...

All it took was one start for the 49ers and head coach Mike Singletary to decide that the starting QB job is now Troy Smith’s to lose. Team insiders tell us that, even when Al...

Chiefs CB Flowers forcing QBs to th...

While his first two seasons were nice, Year Three has been the charm for Chiefs CB Brandon Flowers. The way we hear it, Flowers is on the brink of becoming a shutdown corner. Af...

Loss of DE Bryant a big blow to Sea...

When the Seahawks decided this offseason to move 320-pound Red Bryant from tackle to end, daily team observers tell us the coaching staff couldn’t get over how quickly Bryant ...

Moss signing bold power play by Titans

The Titans were awarded former Vikings WR Randy Moss on waivers Wednesday, the team confirmed. PFW has confirmed that the Titans were the only team to put in a claim for the ...

And the beat goes on in New England

Teams march up and down the field on a defense that has been strip-mined of every big-name player. Injuries have robbed them of one of their best defensive linemen and one of...

NT Garay a surprising standout for ...

After parting ways with veteran Jamal Williams in the offseason, nose tackle was one of the Chargers' biggest concerns entering 2010. To the surprise of most, though, it has bee...

Hot Raiders and surprising Chiefs h...

Finally, at long last, a Kansas City Chiefs-Oakland Raiders matchup that means something. And, no, Len Dawson and Ben Davidson aren’t involved. The surprising Chiefs are 5-2 ...

Fish out of the water in Baltimore

One week after a heartbreaking loss to Pittsburgh, the Dolphins walked into Cincinnati and shut down the Bengals. The stakes get ratcheted up with a second road game, this time ...

This week NFL Trends

Sunday, November 7 by Marc Lawrence of Playbook.com Chicago NOV: 1-10 off non div vs opp off SU loss w/ rev Buffalo NOV: 3-8 L11… 2-6 O/U Game Eight San Diego SERIES: 3-0 L...

Harvard education means little in NFL

For Ryan Fitzpatrick, a Harvard education has been a handicap, which says more about the NFL than it does about Fitzpatrick. In most work places, a Harvard diploma is a leg u...

Mangini will make call on whether M...

Browns president Mike Holmgren said Tuesday that head coach Eric Mangini will make the call regarding whether Colt McCoy will be the club's starting quarterback going forward in...

Week Nine matchups to exploit or avoid

Matchups to exploit Bears RB Matt Forté has had just one big rushing day all season, but he has a great opportunity for another one this week. That's because he travels to T...

MVP Candidates

As the NFL reaches the midway point, the list of legitimate MVP candidates seems to be growing. Players from teams that were initially considered afterthoughts seem to be emergi...

alcons host Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers try to prove they’re for real when they visit the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon. The winner moves into first place in the NFC South. Bodog.com ...

Where is Randy Moss headed next?

Randy Moss is expected to be waived by the Vikings, and now that the trade deadline has passed, he will be subject to the NFL's waiver-wire process, even though he's a vested ve...

Vikings' Greenway off to terrific s...

Our defensive line, it's sort of weird that people are questioning the way they have played, but they are giving great effort. They are getting pass rushes," he said. "It's more...

No double QB jeopardy in Philly

Coming off their bye week, the NFL standings would appear to indicate that the 4-3 Eagles are just another one of the many up-and-down teams currently dominating the landscape. ...

This week's NFL Opening Lines

The Minnesota Vikings are reportedly cutting ties with wide receiver Randy Moss after some sort of falling out with the coaching staff and/or management. Moss had some pointed p...

Feist Facts: Nov. 2, 2010

Winning Football: "D" Comes Before "O" by Jim Feist So what do you prefer: offense or defense? Most casual bettors examining NFL picks like offense, which is why Mon...

Cowboys pack it in

Looking for another reason for Dallas to fire Wade Phillips? If poor fundamentals, excessive stupid penalties and lack of attention to details aren’t enough how about this: T...

Stick a fork into Dallas they're done

Futures wagers are exactly what the term implies - a straight-odds bet on some future event, such as who will win this season's Super Bowl. ...

Texans at Colts

by Steve Merril Indianapolis has fluctuated between a 5 to 6-point home favorite during the week and currently stand -5.5 in most locations. The over/under on this game opened ...

Pickin' Pack as six-point 'dogs vs....

By RICHARD WITT Packers (+6) over JETS: Packers are healthier than they were earlier, and Aaron Rodgers was able to beat the Vikings without completing any passes to Donald...

Steelers vs. Saints

In a city in which the hangover has become part of its lore, the local pro football team is enduring a head-splitting one. The defending champion Super Bowl champion New Orle...

Steelers match up well with Saints

The New Orleans Saints suffered their biggest setback of the season in last Sunday’s 30-17 loss as 12-point home favorites against the Cleveland Browns. Sean Payton’s crew ...

Colts need Monday night win

Both teams are 4-2, but a home loss for the Colts could spell the end of their dominance of the AFC South. That’s because Indianapolis has lost its first two division games fa...

NFL Week 8 Trends

by Sportsbook Breakers Dolphins at Bengals – The Dolphins are 0-10-1 ATS (-6.0 ppg) since October 17, 2004 when they were 3+ point dogs last game and punted three or fewer ...

Steelers and Saints clash on nation...

Pittsburgh’s offense has moved up a gear in the two weeks since Ben Roethlisberger returned. The Steelers are averaging only 300.7 yards of total offense per game for the seas...

Chargers still favored

The Tennessee Titans are 5-2 while the San Diego Chargers are 2-5 but the Chargers are still getting a lot of respect from the oddsmakers as they are favored at home on Sunday. ...

Saints the favorites this week, but...

NEW ORLEANS – The odds-makers usually know something, though they didn't know much last week when they made the Saints 13 point favorites against the Browns, only to see the B...

Young expected back v. Chargers

Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young practiced for the second consecutive day Thursday and will likely start for Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers, according to t...

Jets asked to cover big number vs. ...

There has been a lot of big talk coming from Rex Ryan and his New York Jets about how they are the best team in football. But so far the 5-1 Jets have backed up their talk. The...

Are bettors bailing on Cowboys?

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo's broken collarbone, along with the timing of the injury, has made the Cowboys a point-spread enigma. Already the impact on the point spread has ...

Lack of depth at DT spot could impa...

While injuries to high-profile offensive players grabbed most of the headlines during the Colts' bye week, the loss of DT Antonio Johnson, who is out indefinitely after undergoi...

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers

Prepped at a small school in Northern California (Chico, Calif.) and did not receive a Division I scholarship offer. Attended Butte College (Calif.) in 2002 and completed 164-of...

Healthy Burnett bringing the heat f...

It certainly doesn't reflect in their 2-5 record, but the Chargers have been one of the league's premier defenses in 2010. Not only are they not allowing yardage through the air...

Growing apathy could be 49ers' bigg...

So just why exactly did beleaguered 49ers head coach Mike Singletary decide to start Troy Smith instead of David Carr in place of the injured Alex Smith in the Week Eight game a...

NFL News and Notes

The Lions have won only 42 times since the start of the 2000 season, when the team went 9-7. Since then, the Lions have gone down to defeat 111 times in the regular season, perh...

NFL parity

What professional sports league has achieved the greatest success in obtaining parity amongst its participating teams? No, not baseball, basketball or hockey – oh, you think i...

Childress, Favre not on same page

All you needed to do was watch Vikings head coach Brad Childress' postgame press conference following the 28-24 loss to the Packers in Green Bay to know that he was upset with Q...

MVP Meter

It's election season across the country, as candidates stump for votes by making speeches, kissing babies and slinging mud at their opponents before citizens fill out ballots on...

Jets living large on the edge

In the NFL, the standard practice has always been to make sure you can walk the walk before attempting to talk the talk. But in the New York Jets' world, with ringmaster Rex ...

Texan defense weakened

The loss of star MLB DeMeco Ryans to a season-ending Achilles tendon injury weakens a Texans defense that is struggling in multiple areas. Ryans, who has started every game in h...

Week 8 NFL Trends

Sunday, October 31 by Marc Lawrence Playbook.com Denver 0-7 vs .250 < opp… 0-3 Game Eight San Francisco 9-0 off SU fav loss (3-0 this year)… 1-6 SU Game Eight Jacksonvill...

NFL Betting notes from Week 7

What a difference a year makes. During Week 7 of the NFL last season, it was the worst day in Las Vegas sportsbook history with estimated losses of up to $8 million across the s...

NFL opening line report for week 8

After watching the Saints put up just three points through three quarters before coming back to make the game a little more respectable, many Saints bettors have to be just abou...

Cowboys, Jags down to backup QBs

When the injury report came out for Sunday's Week 8 NFL betting affair between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys, there were five quarterbacks on it. For the Cowboys,...

NFL Week 8 early betting trends

The NFL betting campaign is about to enter its eighth week of play on Sunday afternoon. There are some notable matchups to watch in Week 8, and here at Don Best we're keeping tr...

Minny has no choice....

This has to be it, right? Who plays on an ankle with two fractures in it? Those who made their NFL picks for Minnesota to win the Super Bowl can now chalk things up to a loss. T...

Sharp money makes a bundle

Of course, you can talk about the hangover from the Super Bowl [victory], and maybe in New Orleans, hangovers last longer.

Giants at Cowboys

The Cowboys are 3 to 3.5-point favorites at different sportsbooks and the oddsmakers are more content to adjust the moneyline associated with the pointspread than to move on and...

NFL crackdown not a game changer

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The number was the same for both the wise guys and the people who bookies in this gambling city like to call squares. On the big electronic board in the spor...

Dallas is due to get it all right, ...

By RICHARD WITT NY POST COWBOYS (-3) over Giants: Having already endured infinite quantities of aut...

Vikings at Packers

Books opened this NFC North battle with the Packers set as field-goal favorites and that number was moved to -2.5 with action on the underdog. The total opened at 44.5 points at...

Dallas hosts Giants

Bookmaker.com has Dallas as three-point home favorites (minus 125) with a total of 44-points. New York is plus 160 to win the game outright. ...

Vikes Take on Packers

Quarterback Brett Favre is making his second trip ever to Lambeau Field as the visiting signal caller on Sunday Night Football. However, the storyline is significantly deeper th...

Sunday's biggest mismatches

We just know the importance of the run game and obviously the success that allowed us to have last year," Brees said. "You can't be one-dimensional in this league.

Beadles key to Broncos' improved ru...

The Broncos' running game was much-improved in Week Six against the Jets, surpassing the 100-yard mark for the first time this season with 145 yards on 37 carries. While the ret...

Redskins CB Rogers not ducking hand...

The lasting image of the Redskins' loss to the Colts in Week Six was the team's missed opportunities, more specifically in the form of dropped interceptions. FS Kareem Moore had...

Vikings struggling to settle on Pet...

Adrian Peterson is running toward yet another fine season, but his backups have not seized their opportunity to make their mark yet. When the valuable Chester Taylor left in fre...

Loss of Clark puts Colts in tight spot

As outstanding as he has been in the first six games, the Colts probably can get by without WR Austin Collie, what with all of the other proven weapons at receiver. The loss of ...

FANTASY FOOTBALL Madhouse A Go-Go

NFL 411 for Week 7 from SATN LISOWSKI BEN ROETHLISBERGER completes 69% of his passes for his career vs. Miami, with 3 touchdowns thrown in his last game against them...

NFL Trends Week 7

by Sportsbook Breakers Redskins at Bears – The Redskins are 7-0 ATS (9.4 ppg) since October 01, 2006 when facing a team that has forced an average of at least six punts per g...

Bucs DT McCoy connects with coachin...

Buccaneers rookie DT Gerald McCoy's admission this week that he is just now figuring out how his coaches want him to play his position was alarming to some observers. The appare...

Injuries an obstacle for Saints’ ...

Heading into the season, some were predicting that Gregg Williams' defense wouldn't be able to ride a wave of turnovers to the top the way it did during the Saints' run to the S...

Rookie DE Deaderick gets into the mix

The members of the Patriots' rookie class have gotten a lot of hype, many getting thrust into starting roles and performing well. But Alabama DE Brandon Deaderick, a seventh-rou...

Spikes has been Niners' best LB

All the talk earlier this season about starting veteran ILB Takeo Spikes possibly losing significant playing time at the expense of third-round rookie NaVorro Bowman actually mi...

Lions' DT big three getting it done

The numbers might suggest otherwise, but the Lions are making strides defensively, and much of it has to do with much-improved play in the trenches. And for all that DE Kyle Van...

Chargers host Patriots

New England travels across the country in an effort to extend its current winning streak, but the Patriots figure on getting a stern test from San Diego. The Chargers have been...

Favre should've ridden into the sunset

Some people don't know when to quit when they're ahead. Brett Favre is such a person. The first 17 times he retired, you felt sorry for him. He seemed to be a guy struggling ...

Lynch, Forsett enjoying reunion in ...

For a team that has had trouble establishing cohesiveness due to nonstop turnover at a number of positions, we hear the Seahawks couldn't be happier over the instantly apparent ...

Week Seven matchups to exploit or a...

Matchups to exploit Chiefs QB Matt Cassel and WR Dwayne Bowe took full advantage of a favorable matchup vs. Houston, with Cassel tossing three TDs and Bowe racking up 6-108-2...

Ten most intriguing players of Week...

1. Aaron Rodgers — How lucky are Green Bay fans? Some NFL franchises go decades without a decent quarterback. The Packers went from the Brett Favre era straight into the Aaron...

Faith in DE depth allows Chiefs to ...

We hear that the Chiefs' reasons for shipping DE Alex Magee to Tampa Bay at the NFL trade deadline were two-fold. For one, Magee had been an extreme disappointment during his sh...

Week 7 NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence

Sunday, October 24 by Marc Lawrence Playbook.com Pittsburgh 9-3 Game Six… 1-4 vs opp off SU dog win (1-0 this year) MIAMI OCT: 9-2 .500 > H w/ rev vs opp off div… 0-7 Game...

LSU and Auburn in SEC betting battle

Auburn’s QB Cameron Newton and the fifth-ranked Tigers face a huge test as they host No. 6 LSU Saturday at 12:30 p.m. (PT). Both teams are 7-0 as they battle for first place ...

Steelers head to Miami

Ben Roethlisberger gets his first taste of the road after his suspension when the Pittsburgh Steelers visit the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon. Bookmaker.com has Pittsburgh...

Broncos TD favorites to beat Raiders

AFC West rivals Oakland and Denver renew acquaintances this weekend with identical records, trailing Kansas City in one of football’s most balanced divisions. The Raiders are...

MVP Meter: Kolb, Vick don't make cut

n most seasons, Kevin Kolb would be an obvious choice to be among the league's top MVP candidates. After being Donovan McNabb's backup for the past three seasons, Kolb was hande...

Cowboys on deathbed

Dallas, one of the preseason’s most popular Super Bowl bets dropped to 1-4 straight up and against the spread with another frustrating loss, this time losing 24-21 to the Minn...

Worst teams against the spread

Carolina Panthers (0-5, 1-4 ATS) Carolina wasn’t expected to be great by any stretch, but the Panthers are actually underachieving. The ...

NFL odds updates

It’s understandable that New England with Tom Brady and Indianapolis with Peyton Manning are the two top scoring teams in the NFL. But ranking right behind them at No. 3 are ...

Feist Facts: Oct. 19, 2010

The Value of Run Defense by Jim Feist Like a giant leak on a sinking ship, one of the first signs of a poor pro football team is weak run defense. Stopping the run i...

Week 7 Wrap

It took a few quarters for Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger to knock the rust off following his four-game suspension. His first drive ended in an interception as he struggled to g...

Rams' on right path

For the first time in his two years as head coach of the Rams, Steve Spagnuolo’s master plan was masterfully carried out by his troops on both sides of the ball in Week Six. A...

NFL opening line report for week 7

Dallas, one of the preseason’s most popular Super Bowl bets dropped to 1-4 straight up and against the spread with another frustrating loss, this time losing 24-21 to the Minn...

NFL Spread Beaters

Let's take a look back at what has been for the best and worst teams of the season for football bettors. Stock Up: Detroit Lions (5-1 ATS, 1-5 SU) Notice the SU and ATS marks ...

Ravens big favorites for Sunday

There is an interesting Week 7 matchup when Buffalo travels to Baltimore searching for its first victory of the season. The Bills are off to their worst start in 25 years and e...

Panthers going nowhere fast

If ever a stage was set for the Panthers to stand up and be counted after four dreary losses to begin the season, a beaten-down Bears team seemed to provide the perfect kind of ...

Eagles make bookmakers' day

By Bill Ordine Inquirer Staff Writer For the second week in a row, the Eagles delighted not only their fans but also the bookmakers. Among Sunday's early-afternoon NFL game...

Big Blue will keep on rolling

by Richard Witt GIANTS (-10) over Lions: Not so much a Big Blue endorsement as a reluctance to get all warm and fuzzy over the Detroiters off first double-digit win since Nov. ...

Offensive Show expected Monday night

Don't expect a defensive struggle Monday night when two Physical, ground-oriented and defensive-minded teams meet in Jacksonville. Don’t be shocked if these two AFC South Div...

Week 6 NFL Trends

by Sportsbook Breakers Seahawks at Bears – The Seahawks are 0-11 ATS (-11.2 ppg) since November 1990 when Seattle is coming off a bye and played a divisional foe last game. T...

Colts invade DC on Sunday nite

The Washington Redskins have host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night in Landover, Maryland. This is only the second meeting between the teams since 2002. Bookmaker.com has ...

Las Vegas NFL Money Moves

Las Vegas Money Moves At first glance, when looking at the NFL line moves from this week, you’ll see that all the moves have gone in favor of the underdogs. It definit...

Capping is as easy as eating soup w...

by MATTHEW OSBORNE I have run out of excuses for my lousy picks. Sure, two team...

Ochocinco's catches, swagger down

In the last four games before the Bengals' Week Six bye, WR Chad Ochocinco caught just 14 passes for 157 yards and no touchdowns. Entering the bye, Ochocinco, who said he had no...

S Bruton, CB Jones to have expanded...

The wave of injuries that has hit the Broncos over the past few weeks should mean additional playing time for S David Bruton and CB Nate Jones. We hear both will play a part in ...

Page working hard to help Patriots'...

Patriots FS Jarrad Page has played sparingly this season after being acquired from the Chiefs on Sept. 4. The fifth-year veteran has plenty of game experience, having started al...

Giants' first-down, first-half defe...

Any defensive coordinator will tell you that the difference between defending second down and five yards to go and 2nd-and-10 is like night and day. On 2nd-and-5, the entire pla...

Injuries made Merriman untradable

It was common knowledge that OLB Shawne Merriman would not be back with the Chargers next season. For that reason, his calf injury proved to be fairly costly. A three-time Pr...

Branch's exit from Seattle makes fe...

There was nary a shrug when the disappointing Deion Branch era came to an abrupt halt in Seattle with his Oct. 11 trade back to the Patriots in exchange for a fourth-round draft...

Jets at Broncos

The once proud Charger, LaDainian Tomlinson, makes his ninth trip to the Mile High City. This time, though, he is bringing the New York Jets with him. In a 1:05 p.m. PT start o...

NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence

Sunday, October 17 by Marc Lawrence Playbook.com San Diego SERIES: 3-1 L4… 8-0 off DD ATS loss (2-0 this year) ST. LOUIS 1-7 H off DD SU ...

"Pack" half empty

The Green Bay Packers have lost their franchise quarterback, which hurts more than their overtime loss to the Skins this past Sunday. The 3-2 Packers may have lost their status ...

Berrian odd man out with Vikes?

There is no question that the acquisition of WR Randy Moss is an immediate upgrade over the personnel the team had at receiver. He should provide QB Brett Favre with the downfie...

DT Perry to get more PT with falcon

Falcons DT Peria Jerry went from being a starter at the outset of his rookie year to a sub-package player off the bench this season, but GM Thomas Dimtroff told PFW Jerry's curr...

Steelers survive QB suspension

Not only does it appear the Pittsburgh Steelers have survived the suspension of two-time Super Bowl-winning QB Ben Roethlisberger with flying colors. The pro football experts...

It's not over till it's over

Thus far the Pats have gone ‘over’ in all of their games this season. Maybe that will change now that the Patriots no longer have Randy Moss. One thing that hasn’t change...

Turnovers Can Turn the Tide

by Jim Feist- Last week the Dolphins led the Patriots 7-6 at the half on Monday Night and ended up with an edge in yards 400-265. Final score: Patriots 41, Dolphins 14....

Will Moss be the difference maker ?

Is this the mother of all Monday Nighters? It was already the premier matchup of the week and then Randy Moss got thrown into the mix. We thought the best way to sweeten the pot...

Monday Night preview by Steve Merril

by Steve Merril New York opened as a 4.5-point favorite last week and the early money came in on the Vikings, especially once Minnesota acquired WR Randy Moss. New York dropped...

Big Blue D will slow Texans

by Richard Witt Giants (+3) over TEXANS: After their slick sacking of the Bears brought them back from the dark side, Big Blue engage another respected outfi...

Fantasy Football Madhouse a Go-Go

OutofmyHead for Week 5 in the NFL from Stan Lisowski JOE FLACCO is 20 of 25 for 80% against Denver, but nothing is deep as his dinks have gone for just 175 yards, or 7 yard...

Favre visits Jets on Monday Night

The Minnesota Vikings, a team that is still looking for an identity, will be taking on the New York Jets who appear to be in the driver's seat in the AFC. For...

Vickless Eagles at 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night in a game that will be televised on NBC. The 49ers were expected to be the team to beat in the NFC West thi...

NFL week five trends

by Sportsbook Breakers Buccaneers at Bengals – The Buccaneers is 9-0 ATS (15.7 ppg) since October 13, 1996 when they lost by 21+ last game on normal rest. The Bengals are 7-0...

Eagles at 49ers

Once upon a time the 49ers were the favorites to win the NFC West but San Fran has come out of the block losing four straight games and is two games back of all three teams in ...

Las Vegas Money Moves

By Micah Roberts VegasInsider.com I can’t help but think about what happened last year as a res...

Game of the week Chargers (-6) at R...

The Chargers are the best 2-2 team in the National Football League. It’s a bold statement, but the ‘Bolts are producing statistics that prove the point. Through four ...

Cote's Week 5 NFL selections

The breakout week continues to elude as my rough, rocky season lurches on. Had some nice picks last week -- upset wins by Rams and Ravens, plus Panthers and Redskins with points...

Bears moves questionable

First it was the benching of three-time Pro Bowler DT Tommie Harris and then DE Mark Anderson, who was tendered at the second-round level ($1.759 million) as a restricted free a...

Bengals' ground game off-stride

Through one-quarter of the season, the Bengals were still searching for answers for their running game. Entering Week Five, the Bengals' longest run was 13 yards, and the club w...

Panthers DE Johnson proving to be s...

Julius Peppers' departure in the offseason left the Panthers with a massive void at defensive end and had GM Marty Hurney facing questions about how to replace him. Hurney felt ...

Ravens' secondary stingy

The Ravens' pass defense has been a strength early this season, even with FS Ed Reed sidelined for the first six games with a hip injury. It can be argued circumstance helped th...

Dolphins' transition to youth hurt ...

Even before the Patriots manhandled the Dolphins' special-teams unit under the Monday-night lights in Week Four, Miami had concerns. And when Patriots WR Brandon Tate returned t...

Titans at Cowboys

These are two teams that are loaded with talent but have not thus far met their lofty expectations meet in a 1:15 p.m. PT contest on CBS hoping to put the panic button back on...

Bettors getting bitten by underdogs

Talk about your seasons of discontent. Just ask someone trying to pick winners this year in the NFL. "You can see the look on the faces of the bettors. I feel bad for them," ...

NFL Trends Week 5 by Marc Lawrence

Sunday, October 10 Denver SERIES: 6-1 L7… 1-5 dogs 7 > pts… 1-5 Game Five BALTIMORE HARBAUGH: 9-1 fav vs non div opp… 0-6 O/U Game Five Jacksonville 14-3 bef Titans… ...

Mr. Rodgers goes to Washington

It doesn't get any easier for the Washington Redskins who are in for another tough game when they host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon. Bookmaker.co...

Chiefs bring better record in battl...

Who would believed or predicted that the Kansas City Chiefs would be 3-0 and the Indianapolis Colts only 2-2 four weeks into this 2010 NFL season. The NFL teams meet Sunday at ...

Broncos at Ravens

Two teams off impressive road victories collide Sunday when Denver visits Baltimore. The Broncos enter this matchup off an impressive road victory, while the Ravens just defeat...

Mr. Versatile Brad Smith

No player on the Jets has more jobs than Brad Smith. Listed as a wide receiver, the versatile Smith catches passes, returns kicks, is on both punt- and kickoff-coverage teams an...

Chiefs following in Patriots' foots...

With the 2010 NFL season not even one month old, most league insiders agree that it's way too early to get carried away over the Chiefs' surprising early-season success. That...

Notable matchups for Week 5

The NFL betting odds is about to enter its fifth week of play on Sunday afternoon. There are some notable matchups to watch in Week 5. Check out the 10 a.m. PT games on Sunday ...

Beware of Early Season Phonies!

by Jim Feist So…are we all set for the Bears/Chiefs Super Bowl? Because after three weeks, those were two of the remaining three undefeated teams in the NFL, along with ...

Lions a good bet

Looking for a sure thing when handicapping the NFL this season - or as close as you can come to such a thing? Try the Detroit Lions. ...

Pats, Dolphins Preview

New England has a 52 percent chance of winning the game straight-up as they are a slight -115 favorite on the moneyline. This line might go up on Monday evening since 62 percent...

Pats take on Fish in MN affair

Everyone knows about the issues New England is having with its secondary. Do you think coach Belichick will figure out a way to take some of the heat off of the unit? ...

Chicago Bears at New York Giants

For the second time in the first four weeks of the 2010 NFL season, the Giants will be featured on Sunday Night Football. With home-field advantage this time, they hope things g...

Fantasy Football MADHOUSE A-GO-GO

Fantasy Football MADHOUSE A-GO-GO OutofmyHead Knowledge for Good and Not Evil #6 from Stan Lisowski Injuries share the spotlight this week, with several prominent players...

Pack big favorite over Motown Boys

The Green Bay Packers cost themselves a win in Chicago because they couldn't get out of their own way. It is a feeling the Lions know all too well. In Monday night's loss to th...

McNabb on his way back to Philly

Guess who’s back, back again? Donovan McNabb has been the Redskins quarterback for all of a month and already he’s on his way back to Philadelphia. The former Eagles’ quar...

Bears visit Giants

No coach was on a hotter seat than Chicago’s Lovie Smith before the season. But entering Week 4 it’s the New York Giants’ Tom Coughlin who is firmly planted on the hot se...

NFL Trends Week 4

by Sportsbook Breakers Jets at Bills – The Bills are 9-0 ATS (11.2 ppg) The Bills are 8-0 ATS (10.0 ppg) since September 30, 2007 after a straight up loss on the road as a TD...

Key NFL Trends by Marc Lawrence Week 4

Sunday, October 3 Denver SERIES: 3-1 L4… 5-0 off DD SU loss vs opp off SU dog win TENNESSEE OCT: 1-7 home off dog role vs opp off non div game Baltimore 4-0 div dogs… 1-9...

Always something to learn when Bett...

No matter how much time you’ve spent following the NFL odds and wagering on-line, a good rule of thumb is to expect the unexpected. Let’s look at the early weeks of the 2010...

Eagles and Redskins have a point

Donovan McNabb’s dramatic return to Philadelphia this Sunday is the most talked about game of NFL Week 4. Bookmaker.com has Philadelphia as six-point home f...

Donovan McNabb Bowl

Donovan McNabb Bowl 1 takes place Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field when the Washington Redskins travel to face the Philadelphia Eagles. Most offsho...

NFL Power Rankings

NFL Power Rankings Current Rank Last Week Change Team W-L-T (ATS) Power Rating Team Comments 1 2 1 3-0-0 (3-0-0) -9.50 Pittsburgh Pittsburgh moved into the top spot follow...

Upset City! by Jim Feist

Feist Facts: Sept. 28, 2010 September Football: Upset City! by Jim Feist There's a reason they play the games. Teams don't always play the way stats and power ranki...

Titans versus Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos have a wheezing ground game, a turnstile offensive line and issues finishing drives, ingredients that will add up to many more losses if they don’t fix thin...

NFL Opening Lines

This week there aren’t nearly as many big underdogs on the board (though Carolina did open as a 13.5-point dog at New Orleans), but some of the average pointspreads may not st...

Week 4 trends (Part 1)

The Detroit Lions have had eight head coaches since 1991. The one thing they have in common, other than being fired, is losing on the road against the Green Bay Packers. ...

Week 4 trends (Part 2)

Tom Brady will visit his personal house of horrors Monday night when the New England Patriots travel to Miami to do battle against the Dolphins during the ESPN national telecast...

Money going Bear's way

The Packers are a 3-point favorite over the Chicago Bears. Oddsmakers are unlikely to move off such a key number as NFL favorites win by e...

Jets fishing in Miami

The Miami Dolphins are surprisingly sitting atop the AFC East Division standings thanks to two tight road wins and covers. The ‘under' also cashed on each occasion. Tony Spar...

Bush injury opens door for Thomas

With Reggie Bush expected to be out for about another five weeks or so while his broken leg heals, word is Saints RB Pierre Thomas will play more snaps. Thomas has already prove...

Hasselbeck on hot seat?

Forget Denver. Even though Matt Hasselbeck had a very forgettable performance against the Broncos in Week Two, which instantly triggered p...

Gradkowski out to end controversy

He wasn't even allowed to compete for the job in training camp and the preseason, but, for a second straight season, the Raiders have turned to QB Bruce Gradkowski to be their s...

Texans' defense faltering

A Texans secondary young at cornerback has been all too easily taken apart by opposing passing games this season. Colts QB Peyton Manning and Redskins QB Donovan McNabb both thr...

Pats out to hurt Bills

It is clear that the Bills really don't have a great direction for their franchise right now. Head Coach Chan Gailey is still in search of his first win in Buffalo, and in order...

Packers dominate Bears at Soldier F...

The Green Bay Packers have defeated the Chicago Bears in 13 of their last 16 series meetings at Solider Field, and have covered the spread 12 times in the process. Both teams en...

New York Jets at Miami Dolphins

The undefeated Dolphins sit atop the AFC East at 2-0 and have a chance to separate themselves in the division from the preseason division favorite Jets. Mainly thanks to ...

Four Sunday Dogs

Detroit Lions (+12) at Minnesota Vikings Minnesota’s offense is really bad. Like really bad. The Vikes lost at home to the Dolphins last week even though the visiting side ...

Steelers on QB revolving door

The problem for the Steelers is that they are already on their fourth quarterback of the season. We all know that QB Ben Roethlisberger will be set to start in Week 6 when he re...

NFL Latest Updates

It's been quiet on the Albert Hanyesworth front of late. Perhaps the Redskins see that as progress, but we see a team ge...

Skins' Williams to get the call

If you want to keep an eye on a player who could give the Redskins' offense a boost, it could be RB Keiland Williams. Although Clinton Portis remains the starter and Williams is...

Sportsbook Breakers' NFL Trends

Colts at Broncos – The Colts are 9-0 ATS (7.1 ppg) since November 09, 2008 on the road after a straight up win as a favorite. The Broncos are 9-0 ATS (12.0 ppg) since October ...

Dallas near the bottom in points sc...

The Houston Texans are off to a 2-0 start, and their quest for a first-ever playoff appearance could not be going better. The Texans will host the Cowboys on Sunday in the bigge...

Jets-Dolphins lovefest

During an MMA event last January, Jets coach Rex Ryan -- visiting South Florida for Super Bowl festivities -- directed a middle finger at a rowdy Dolphins fan who, along with ot...

NFL Notes week 3

San Francisco at Kansas City (+3) Why 49ers cover: Kansas City has not won consecutive home games since the 2006-07 season. So far, the Niners have one of the league's best d...

Colts and Broncos "team" up

This has been a very difficult week for the Denver Broncos as they prepare for Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts at Invesco Field. The Broncos have been coping with t...

Vick installed as Eagles QB

I could hardly believe my ears when it was announced that Michael Vick would start at quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles during this week's game in Jacksonville. Philly fan...

Saints host Falcons

The defending world champion New Orleans Saints continue to win games, but they haven’t been covering pointspreads in the regular season. The 2-0 Saints are 3-9 ATS during ...

Fantasy Football Madhouse a Go-Go

Fantasy Football MADHOUSE A-GO-GO OutofmyHead Knowledge for Good and Not Evil #5 by Stan Lisowski TITANS have 8 sacks this year, which is #2 in the league behind GREE...

Dolphins offense needs to show more

There are too many positive aspects of the Dolphins being 2-0 to harp on any negatives. There's the better-than-expected p...

NFL Trends Week 3

Sunday, September 26 by Marc Lawrence Playbook.com Tennessee FISHER: 10-1 .500 A off SU loss vs opp off SU loss NY GIANTS COUGHLIN: 8-1 off...

Texas Duel

There’s a Texas team off to a hot start and soaring up the oddsboard, but it’s not the one most predicted. The Houston Texans shoot for a 3-0 record Sunday afternoon when th...

Week 3 Insight

Things change quickly in the NFL and it’s up to oddsmakers to stay ahead of the curve on a week-by-week basis. It’s a catch-22: bettor...

Week 3 Betting Trends

The New York Jets grabbed the attention of the NFL last Sunday without a TV show or brash behavior when they dominated the New England Patriots, despite several bumps and bruis...

49ers at Saints

The San Francisco 49ers were arguably the most disappointing team of NFL Week 1. They’ll try to redeem themselves when they host the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Footbal...

Manning Bowl is set for primetime

The second installment of the Manning Bowl is set for primetime; the Giants and Colts will square off for the first time in four years on Sunday night. Peyton got the best of...

Ravens and Bengals Tangle

The Baltimore Ravens will have to deal with a much-hyped, trash-talking, 2009 playoff team this week. Again. One week after dispatching the "Hard Knocks" Jets with a dominati...

Vikings, Dolphins to stay 'under' t...

They took the air out of the football during the first week of the season in the NFL and ‘under’ bettors were dancing in the aisles at sports books throughout Las Vegas. ...

SBB’s NFL Five Trends to Watch: W...

Trends The Steelers are 10-0 ATS (+15.9 ppg) since 1989 as a dog of more than four points when they rushed for at least 140 yards in their previous game. The Seahawks ar...

SportsBook Breakers’ System of th...

Teams are 17-0-1 ATS (11.5 ppg) in database history (since 1989) in week 2 on normal rest, when they held their opponent to 45 or fewer yards rushing on no more than 21 attempts...

Sportsbook Breakers Newsletter Week 2

Subscriptions Still Available The Killersports.com NFL Newsletter is back in 2010 and again includes all the information you need to win in the NFL. Killerspo...

Sunday key Trends by Marc Lawrence

Kansas City 1-7 off div HG… 1-5 aft Chargers… 1-4 A vs AFC North CLEVELAND 4-1 favs vs non-div conf opp w/ rev… SEPT: 2-9 fi rst HG ...

Giants and Colts

No team in NFL history has been able to match the Indianapolis Colts’ record of at least 12 victories during the past seven straight seasons. But that record is in jeopardy...

Jets host Pats

The New York Jets find themselves in an early and dangerous hole as they host the hated New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon. Bookmaker.com has New England as two-point r...

Fantasy Football Madhouse a Go-Go

Fantasy Football Madhouse a Go-Go Outofmyhead #4 Knowledge for Good and Not Evil If you are a GREENE owner, you might be a little concerned after Monday’s JETS game...

Line of Scrimmage: Week 2

Line of Scrimmage: Week 2 - Do Chargers have a real challenger? ...

Week Two matchups to exploit or avoid

Matchups to exploit If QB Michael Vick starts this week, the Eagles could have a run-first mentality against Detroit, a below-average run defense that finished 25th la...

Rams-Raiders Week 2

Rams vs Raiders 2010 NFL Picks Week 2: Sunday afternoon in a NFC vs AFC match-up the Oakland Raiders will host the St. Louis Rams at 4:15 PM ET. The Rams (0-1) are coming off a ...

NFL Shorts

Chris Cooley rips "bonehead" Eagles for trading Donovan McNabb Redskins tight end Chris Cooley is thrilled to have Donovan McNabb as his quarterback. And Cooley would like th...

Bears Visit Dallas Cowboys

The Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys debuted with similar performances in Week 1. The Bears may be 1-0 in the standings. But they are 0-for-1 in restoring the confidence of t...

High hopes, high anxiety over Bradford

As he began his career Sunday afternoon at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Sam Bradford already has performed a minor miracle by creating a rush for tickets and filling the ...

Last week tidbits

By Ted Sevransky of Covers.com Chicago Bears The offensive line protection was there for the pass, but they couldn't move the pile when trying to run the football, particul...

Giants-Colts highlights Week 2 NFL ...

The New England Patriots were impressive in every phase against a Cincinnati team that’s supposed to be a legit contender in the AFC. Back in 2007 the Patriots opened the seas...

Three QBs doubtful for Next Sunday

It has been a tough opening day for NFL quarterbacks so far. The Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, and Carolina Panthers all lost their starters. Philadelphia's Kevin Kolb ...

Baltimore Ravens at New York Jets

CURRENT ODDS The Jets opened as 3-point home favorites earlier this summer but the money came in on the Ravens. New York is between 1.5- and 2-point chalk. The over/under ope...

Monday's Hot and Cold Pitchers

Hot Brett Myers (11-7, 2.91 ERA), Houston Astros Myers has blanked two of his last three opponents heading into Monday’s start against the Milwaukee Brewers and has a 1....

Outofmyhead Week 1 Knowledge

Fantasy Football Madhouse a Go-Go Outofmyhead Week 1 Knowledge for Good and Not Evil from Stan Lisowski CUTLER has never thrown an interception vs. Detroit, while hav...

15 things you don't know about the ...

Below are statistically-based nuggets on the Packers. The Green Bay chapter in the Football Outsiders Almanac helped on several of these. 1. As you probably know by now, th...

Steelers home dogs vs. Falcons

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be in the unusual spot of a home underdog Sunday afternoon when they host the Atlanta Falcons in the season opener for both squads. When asked if...

Packers, Eagles duck 'under' NFL od...

The highest current total among NFL Sunday games is 47 ½ on the Green Bay-Philadelphia matchup. There are two schools of thought regarding a big total: Play ‘over’ figur...

NFL Betting Week 1 action

Sunday Night Football kicks off in Cowboys Stadium, the same place where the Super Bowl will be held in February. The Dallas Cowboys want to make it a home game but they face a ...

Betcha Didn't Know

If you start me up I’ll never stop. You got me ticking, gonna blow my top. Ride the wind at double speed, I’ll take you places that you’ve never, never seen.” Ther...

Raiders at Titans

A prediction of 2,500 yards rushing this NFL season seems ludicrous since the record is 2,105 yards. But when Chris Johnson sets that projection, it’s worth taking serious....

Vikings at Saints

MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (-4.5, 48.5) WHAT'S AT STAKE Well, taking into account both the Saints and the Vikings didn't lose much in terms of personnel this ...

NFL spread sheet Week 1

For the first six weeks of the season, every week was Shark Week. The Clevelands, Tampa Bays, Detroits and St. Louises of the world never had a chance. Even teams with a little ...

Back to the Futures – 2010

We turned the NFL schedule up, down, and sideways this year, looking for any conceivable advantage. At first, we examined the “Regular Season Wins” futures. Generally, our b...

NFL Week 1 Trends

Featured System: The League is 14-0 ATS (10.9 ppg) in database history when they lost by between 25 and 34 the last time they faced the team within the last three years but did ...

Colts seek fast start at Texans

The Indianapolis Colts look to put another terrible preseason behind them when they visit their AFC South rival Houston Texans on Sunday. Bookmaker.com has Indianapolis as two-...

NFL Line Report: Week 1

That’s because we’ve had lines for this week’s games for months now, so there aren’t many surprises on the board at this point. Most of these lines are pretty stable, m...

NFL Week 1 trends

Road favorites are 14-9 against the spread and 16-7 straight up since 2006. Last year the Eagles, Vikings and Cowboys all rolled in their first contest of the regular season, wh...

49ers a Factor in the NFC West

The San Francisco 49ers are becoming favorites to win the NFC West. This is one of several changes in the updated NFL future odds. Bookmaker.com has San Francisco as heavy 30...

NFL Opens with a Bash

Thursday night’s game between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome unveils the new season with excitement. The Vikings believe they, not the Sa...

OL Shuffle -- Wells Here, Cole Star...

Max Jean-Gilles was getting a tattoo Saturday evening around 6:30, he said, when agent Drew Rosenhaus called with an odd bit of news. The ...

Value in Betting NFL 'Overs/Unders

A lot of people like to wager various NFL futures, including season win totals.. Obviously, certain teams will win more games then others. But can you get value in betting 'over...

Feist Facts: 9-01-2010

The Best of the NFL by Jim Feist The pro football season kicks off this week when the Vikings travel to the Saints in a rematch of the NFL Championship thriller. Here is a l...

Eli Manning the man for Giants

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s just another pass being unleashed by one of the NFC East’s cannon-armed quarterbacks. This division is loaded with talent under center,...

Week 1 trends and angles

Will the defense be ahead of the offense during the opening week of the NFL season? Which teams traditionally get off to a quick start and which have trouble getting their engin...

Fantasy Football Madhouse

OutofmyHead - Fantasy Football Madhouse a Go-Go By Stan Lisowski Jay Cutler was sacked 9 times in about 3 quarters of play the past 2 games, having a completion percentage...

The Best of the NFL by Jim Feist

The pro football season kicks off next week when the Vikings travel to the Saints in a rematch of the NFL Championship thriller. Here is a look at some of the best of the NFL, a...

NFL Betting: Week 1 trends and angles

Will the defense be ahead of the offense during the opening week of the NFL season? Which teams traditionally get off to a quick start and which have trouble getting their engin...

Eli Manning the man for Giants

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s just another pass being unleashed by one of the NFC East’s cannon-armed quarterbacks. This division is loaded with talent under center,...

NFL efficiency ratings

There are some stats that don’t tend to carry over from year to year – red zone efficiency, offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency. Understanding these numbers will h...

AFC North preview and picks

The Pittsburgh Steelers have ruled this division over the years. But the Cincinnati Bengals served noticed last season that there’s a new gunslinger in town. As hard as it is ...

AFC South Preview Houston Texans

Houston Texans is coming off its first winning season in seven years going 9-7 in 2009. Head Coach Gary Kubiak who was reportedly on shaky ground early last season emerged unsca...

NFL Teams with tough schedules

The difference between a 10- and a 6-win team isn’t just about who’s under center – it’s also about who’s on the schedule. The NFL ensures that conference division win...

AFC South preview

The interesting thing about this division is that every team has an offensive game-breaker who can single-handedly change the complexion of a game. Jacksonville and Tennesse...

Best ATS teams since 2006

Unpredictability is something that makes the NFL so popular with its fans and frustrates the hell out of those who bet on the league. Pro football bettors are constantly on...

2010 AFC EAST DIVISION PREVIEW

By Marc Lawrence With NFL ‘EAST’ division teams leading the charge with a combined total of 13 games played in Conference title tilts this past decade, including an leag...

NFL Odds: Chicago Bears preview

Brian Urlacher missed almost the entire 2009 season with a wrist injury. It’s going on four years now but the Chicago Bears still haven’t recovered from their Super Bowl ...

AFC West preview: San Diego

The San Diego Chargers should take no prisoners in this division and anything less than a Super Bowl victory will be a disappointment to their fans. San Diego is one of the top ...

NFL Betting: Green Bay Packers preview

Clay Matthews led the Packers defense in ’09 with 10 sacks. This is definitely not your father’s NFC North. What used to be the NFL's “Black and Blue” division and...

NFL Futures Odds: 2010 Detroit Lions

Matt Stafford’s rookie season was derailed by a shoulder injury. Your challenge today is to keep track of the number of times the words bad, worse, worst, inept, embarrassi...

2010 AFC NORTH DIVISION PREVIEW

010 AFC NORTH DIVISION PREVIEW By Marc Lawrence Once an AFC division powerhouse when operating under the ‘Central’ brand, the AFC North has pretty much settled...

NFL Futures Betting: AFC North Prev...

John Harbaugh will begin his third year has Baltimore Ravens head coach. The Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl two years ago. Cincinnati and Baltimore each qualified for...

Vikings favored in NFC North

Green Bay’s offensive line should help Aaron Rodgers in the 2010 season. The Minnesota Vikings fell one agonizing play short of making it to Super Bowl XLIV and should quar...

NFL Futures Odds: 2010 Carolina Pan...

DeAngelo Williams is one half of a two-headed RB monster in Carolina. The Carolina Panthers have the misfortune of playing in one of the toughest divisions in football that h...

NFL Futures Betting: 2010 New Orlea...

Reggie Bush had 855 all-purpose yards for the Saints in 2009. In poker they call it a pat hand. The NFL equivalent is the New Orleans Saints. Every key contributor from th...

NFL Betting Focus: Cincinnati Benga...

Leon Hall had 58 solo tackles and six interceptions in 2009. Each year, the NFL betting preseason kicks off with the Hall of Fame Game played in Canton, OH the weekend of ind...

NFL Odds: 2010 Dallas Cowboys Preview

Miles Austin led Dallas in 2009 with 1,320 yards receiving. The Dallas Cowboys would seem to have all the pieces in place as they look for a return trip to the Super Bowl, an...

2010 NFL Odds: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cadillac Williams rushed for 823 yards, most since his ’05 rookie season. They say things happen for a reason and there could be some validity to that way of thinking. Take...

NFL Betting: Can Giants bounce back?

Eli Manning threw for a career-high 4,021 yards last season. Eli Manning and the New York Giants look to bounce back from last season's disappointing 8-8 record and a third-pla...

2010 AFC SOUTH DIVISION PREVIEW

2010 AFC SOUTH DIVISION PREVIEW By Marc Lawrence Don’t look now, but it appears as if the South may be rising again. Let’s put it another way. When qu...

NFC East preview

NFC East preview: Boys separate themselves from pack Dallas is the team to beat in the NFC East with strength on both sides of the ball. But off-season moves by the Gi...

NFL Betting Preview: Washington Red...

Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb are part of the Redskins makeover. After watching his team finish the 2009 season with a disappointing 4-12 record and miss the playoffs for ...

NFL Betting Preview: 'Capping speci...

Devin Hester remains one of the Bears’ biggest scoring threats. There is no chance to beat the bookie on a consistent basis in the National Football League unless one is wi...

NFL Betting Preview - Baltimore Rav...

Ray Rice had over 2,000 yards rushing and receiving last season. If you're looking for a great NFL betting future to dig into, the Baltimore Ravens might be one of the safest...

NFL Betting: Bengals face tough sch...

Cedrick Benson ran for over 1,200 yards and six scores last season. The Cincinnati Bengals were one of the surprise teams of 2009. After years of being mocked as the team whe...

NFL Betting Preview: 2010 Cleveland...

The Browns could be a spoiler in the AFC North this season. This is going to be a huge year for the Cleveland Browns and their fans are anticipating and fully expecting a big...

NFL Prop Bets: Brees a QB favorite

Drew Brees’ 34 TD passes in 2009 helped the Saints to the NFL title. Pro football training camps are preparing to begin around the country for the upcoming campaign, provid...

NFL Betting: 2010 Houston Texans Pr...

NFL Betting: 2010 Houston Texans Preview Matt Schaub has quietly emerged as one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks. For NFL betting handicappers and regular fans alike, the ...

NFC North betting preview

For the second straight year, the burning pre-season NFL question comes from the NFC North. Sports media outlets nationwide are leaning with bended ear in the direction of Hatti...

NFC North betting preview

For the second straight year, the burning pre-season NFL question comes from the NFC North. Sports media outlets nationwide are leaning with bended ear in the direction of Hatti...

NFL Betting: 2010 Jacksonville Jagu...

Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for 15 TDs and nearly 1,400 yards in 2009. The Jacksonville Jaguars are in a tough division with the Colts, the Texans on the rise, and Tennessee. A...

NFL Betting Preview: Tennessee Titans

Chris Johnson ended 2009 on an 11-week, 100+ yards rushing streak. The Tennessee Titans went 13-3 in 2008, finished ahead of Indianapolis and won AFC South title. With expect...

NFL Betting: Two-team race in NFC N...

Jay Cutler will be directing a new offense under Mike Martz in 2010. The Chicago Bears have Julius Peppers and a healthy Brian Urlacher to bolster their defense, along with M...

NFL Odds: Big Ben driving AFC North...

en Roethlisberger’s suspension has the AFC North up in the air. The Pittsburgh Steelers are turning to Byron Leftwich and Dennis Dixon to replace quarterback Ben Roethlisbe...

NFL Odds Preview: 2010 Buffalo Bills

Trent Edwards is part of the Buffalo Bills training camp QB battle. Over the last decade Buffalo has been the model of mediocrity with only one winning season. The Bills hav...

NFL Betting: 2010 Miami Dolphins Pr...

One way or another, the Miami quarterback will be a guy named Chad. The Miami Dolphins have been a tough team to figure out over the past few seasons. In 2007 the Dolphins re...

Make-or-break young quarterbacks

t’s amazing how fast careers can change in the NFL. Take a look at some of this year’s starting quarterbacks entering training camp and where they were this time last yea...

NFL Odds: Betting NFL 'unders' in 2...

No Ben Roethlisberger the first month means more Rashard Mendenhall. There are many ramifications to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger being suspended for at...

NFL Betting Preview: New England Pa...

Laurence Maroney rushed for 757 yards and nine touchdowns in 2009. Despite the fact that New England went 10-6 and won the AFC East division title, 2009 has to be considered ...

NFL Betting Preview: 2010 New York ...

Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets have Super Bowl dreams in 2010. Is this the year the New York Jets get to the Super Bowl? Jets fans hopes are for a big winning season c...

Broncos out to buck the odds

In 2009 the Denver Broncos were two totally different teams. There was the team that started off 6-0 and the team that lost eight of the remaining 10 games, failing to make the ...

NFC South preview

on’t like the team on top in the NFC South? Wait a year and somebody else will be king of the castle. The NFC South hasn’t produced back to back division champs in its entir...

2010 NFC EAST DIVISION PREVIEW

By Marc Lawrence Long considered the ‘beast’ of all NFL divisions, the NFC East features no less than three Pro Bowl quarterbacks. The division is also the t...

NFL Odds: Are Chiefs the Patriots-L...

Chiefs QB Matt Cassel will be working for new OC Charlie Weis. The Kansas City Chiefs now have the former New England Patriots Vice President Of Player Personnel, offensive c...

NFL Odds: Saints try for NFC South ...

Sean Payton and the Saints should have an easy ride in the NFC South. Forget the Super Bowl. The New Orleans Saints have another daunting task this season. The Saints are ...

Most turnover-prone teams in football

It is quintessential coach speak. But, at the end of the day, you have to hand it to the NFL's princes of the podium. When they address the media about turning the ball over, wh...

Colts target Super Bowl return

Peyton Manning will be looking to add to his record four MVP awards. The Indianapolis Colts are coming off a devastating Super Bowl loss to the New Orleans Saints, but oddsma...

Eagles lead 2010 'over' teams

Kevin Kolb takes over for Donovan McNabb at QB in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Eagles, and new quarterback Kevin Kolb, lead a pack of NFL teams that could be going ‘over�...

Teams with best depth at quarterback

he common NFL wisdom — which usually comes in the form of a cliché — when talking about depth at quarterback, typically goes something like this: “If you have two, you ac...

2010 NFC SOUTH DIVISION PREVIEW

By Marc Lawrence If you are a vegan chances are you are likely a devotee of the NFC West. If you like barbeque, Cajun jambalaya and southern fried chicken, then the NFC South...

Pro Football Teams with Something t...

Frustration and failure can prove excellent motivating factors in sports. We see quality teams get beaten badly all the time, then bounce back the next game with a terrific perf...

NFL Betting: AFC West looks one-sided

San Diego QB Phillip Rivers has tossed 62 touchdown passes the past two years. If numbers made by oddsmakers are any indication, there won't be much of a race for the top spot ...

2010 NFC WEST DIVISION PREVIEW

By Marc Lawrence The days of the wild, wild West are long gone and in the rear view mirror. Hall of Famers Joe Montana, Steve Young and Jerry Rice have been replaced by ...

Players who affect betting odds most

Brett Favre’s decision to — once and for all — return to the Vikings on Wednesday certainly stole the NFL summer spotlight, didn’t it? And despite the dramatic holdout o...

NFL Betting:A look at the AFC

Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens are minus 139 to capture the AFC North. There will be nothing wild about the AFC West in 2010. Sure LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Cromar...

2010 AFC WEST DIVISION PREVIEW

By Marc Lawrence When the Denver Broncos selected Tim Terrific with its second pick in the first-round of this year’s NFL draft, they issued a statement. It said last year...

NFL Betting:A look at the AFC