NFL Handicapping Articles

Odds for the 2015 Minnesota Vikings NFL Home Schedule
by Alan Matthews - 6/11/2015

Just about every year in the NFL you can count on four teams that didn't make the playoffs the previous season to get into the postseason the next. And I know many are high on the Minnesota Vikings off a 7-9 record in 2014. It looks like they have a keeper in second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, and they might still have the NFL's best running back in Adrian Peterson.

Odds for the 2015 Baltimore Ravens NFL Home Schedule
by Alan Matthews - 6/10/2015

There is no writer I respect more than Peter King of Sports Illustrated, but he has the Baltimore Ravens as the No. 1 team on his current offseason power rankings. King wrote: "Why? I trust John Harbaugh to find answers in a league devoid of a truly great team. I trust the running game to take pressure off Joe Flacco until he develops chemistry with new receivers, and I trust Dean Pees to replace Haloti Ngata with a combination platter of front-seven changeups.

Odds for the 2015 New York Giants NFL Home Schedule
by Alan Matthews - 6/9/2015

The Giants got some potentially concerning news this week in that it has been reported that rising superstar receiver Odell Beckham Jr., the 2014 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, might not be ready to practice with the team until camp because of a sore left hamstring (Madden curse!?). It's not a big deal if he misses OTAs (going on now) or next week's mandatory minicamp as long as he's ready for training camp.

Odds for the 2015 Miami Dolphins NFL Home Schedule
by Alan Matthews - 6/8/2015

I understand why the NFL sends teams to London to help grow the sport. And I get a team like Jacksonville wants to do it because it needs all the exposure it can get and doesn't sell out at home. But it's a major disadvantage potentially for a team that figures to be in the playoff hunt to lose a home game, and that's the case for Miami this season. The Fins went to London last season and it worked out well, a 38-14 win over the Raiders, but that was an Oakland home game.

Odds for the 2015 Arizona Cardinals NFL Home Schedule
by Alan Matthews - 6/5/2015

Think the Chicago Bears regret choosing to hire Marc Trestman as the team's head coach over Bruce Arians a couple offseasons ago? Trestman lasted only two non-playoff years in Chicago and was fired after the 2014 season -- now the franchise is rebuilding under John Fox. Arians, a finalist with Trestman, has worked a miracle in the desert with Arizona, following up a 10-6 record in 2013 (just missing playoffs) with an 11-5 mark in 2014.

Odds for the 2015 Kansas City Chiefs NFL Home Schedule
by Alan Matthews - 6/4/2015

Peter King of Sports Illustrated and MMQB.com released his offseason Power Rankings in the NFL for the coming season. Bit surprised that Baltimore was No. 1, but I guess I can see that. Seattle was No. 2 and Green Bay No. 3. I have no arguments with those. But Kansas City at No. 4? That I don't get -- sorry editor boss!

Odds for the 2015 New Orleans Saints NFL Home Schedule
by Alan Matthews - 6/3/2015

Remember when the Saints had perhaps the best home-field advantage in the NFL at the Superdome? In 2013, they were unbeaten there on the way to a wild-card spot. In fact, for a while there they had a very long home winning streak under Drew Brees. I don't count the 2012 season because Coach Sean Payton was suspended all season. In 2011, the Saints were unbeaten at home and won the division.

Odds for the 2015 Houston Texans NFL Home Schedule
by Alan Matthews - 6/2/2015

Bad news for the Houston Texans this season: They will not be playing in the Super Bowl. That's if you go off the previous nine teams to appear on the excellent HBO show "Hard Knocks." Last week Houston was announced as this year's team, and no club on the show has made it to the Super Bowl. The Jets did reach an AFC title game one season they were on the show. I think Houston's a solid choice because J.J. Watt is a pretty entertaining guy on social media, not to mention a total freak of a defensive player.

Odds for the 2015 Detroit Lions NFL Home Schedule
by Alan Matthews - 6/1/2015

Is this finally the season the Lions get a home playoff game? They haven't since 1993, back when they played in the old Pontiac Silverdome, and even that was a loss to Green Bay. The Lions' last playoff win was at home, a 38-6 rout of Dallas in the divisional round following the 1991 season. Unfortunately for Detroit, it's stuck in the same division as Green Bay, so barring an Aaron Rodgers injury I don't see an NFC North title and thus home playoff game this season, either.

Odds for the 2015 Cincinnati Bengals NFL Home Schedule
by Alan Matthews - 5/29/2015

Apparently it doesn't matter whether the Bengals have a home or road playoff game -- they are going to lose it. Do you realize that Cincinnati hasn't won a postseason game since 1990? Four of those losses have been at home, the most recent in the 2013 season as a sizable favorite in frigid cold against warm-weather San Diego. I don't see how Coach Marvin Lewis survives if the Bengals don't at least win one playoff game this season.

Odds for the 2015 Philadelphia Eagles NFL Home Schedule
by Alan Matthews - 5/28/2015

I am not an Eagles fan by any stretch, but I can't wait to see what this team does in 2015 because I do like Coach Chip Kelly. The guy is an innovator, that can't be questioned. But how is he is as a general manager? He was given full control this offseason and definitely took advantage of that in jettisoning some key players and seemingly always targeting former Oregon guys to bring in.

Odds for the 2015 Buffalo Bills NFL Home Schedule
by Alan Matthews - 5/27/2015

I'm excited to see the Bills this season and think they have a decent shot at ending the NFL's longest playoff drought. Buffalo will have a monster defense and should run the ball all day with new addition LeSean McCoy. That's what new head coach Rex Ryan likes to do, and he has brought plenty of excitement to the city. In fact, I'd say Ryan is probably the most popular Bill. Can any other team claim that of its coach over a player?

NFL Top Games with Odds and Predictions for Weeks 1 through 8
by George Monroy - 5/27/2015

The 2015 NFL season is months away, and at the moment the entire football world is still focused on quarterback Tom Brady's pending appeal of a four-game suspension issued by the NFL for his role "Deflategate" scandal. Placing the controversy aside, there is still a season's worth of games on the horizon, and CG Technology has released its first set of lines for every game on the schedule.

Finding the Betting Value in the 2015 NFL Season Win Total Odds
by Dave Schwab - 5/27/2015

The NFL offseason has entered the stage where we pretty much know what all 32 teams will look like this upcoming season after going through the bulk of the free agency signings and the college draft. Bovada has recently updated its moneyline betting odds for the projected win total for each and every team, making it a perfect time to find the best value in the numbers.

Odds for the 2015 Seattle Seahawks NFL Home Schedule
by Alan Matthews - 5/26/2015

The loudest stadium in the NFL these days is in Seattle with the "12th Man" fans there making it perhaps the hardest place to visit in the league. In 2013, Seattle rode home-field advantage in the playoffs to the Super Bowl, beating the Broncos in the big game. Last year, Seattle managed to snag home-field advantage again despite a 3-3 start. The Seahawks beat the visiting Panthers and Packers in the NFC playoffs before losing an epic Super Bowl to New England.

Odds for the 2015 Denver Broncos NFL Home Schedule
by Alan Matthews - 5/25/2015

To no surprise, Broncos QB Peyton Manning decided not to retire after that hugely disappointing home playoff loss to Indianapolis in the AFC's divisional round in January. Manning even says he would like to play past this season, but if his Broncos either really struggle or win the Super Bowl then I believe he walks away. Good luck to teams trying to win in Denver during the regular season as the Broncos are 22-2 there since Manning arrived in the Mile High City.

How New Extra Point Rules will Affect NFL Betting
by Robert Ferringo - 5/22/2015

I understand that The Powers That Be running the National Football League hate sports gamblers (well, some sports gamblers), but this is getting ridiculous. A cavalcade of rule changes over the past several years has warped the game and forced football bettors to stay on their toes. But the NFL's latest alteration is one that has a lot of pros shaking their heads.

Odds for the 2015 Carolina Panthers NFL Home Schedule
by Alan Matthews - 5/22/2015

I've never been to a Carolina Panthers home game. but will the team have the audacity to celebrate last season's NFC South title with some sort of banner or whatever inside or outside of Bank of America Stadium in downtown Charlotte? I ask because the Panthers won the division with a below-.500 record (7-8-1), only the second team to ever do so. Is that worth celebrating?

Odds for the 2015 Indianapolis Colts NFL Home Schedule
by Alan Matthews - 5/21/2015

Don't think that having home-field advantage matters in the playoffs? I give you the Indianapolis Colts as proof it does. The Colts have advanced one round in the playoffs each of the past two seasons, being eliminated on the road. In 2012, Andrew Luck's rookie year, the Colts went to Baltimore in the wild-card round and were dominated 24-9. In 2013, they staged a huge home rally in the same round and beat Kansas City 45-44.

NFL Season Win Total Sucker Bets
by Trevor Whenham - 5/21/2015

There are some NFL season win total bets that make sense. They fit with how you see things turning out during the season. They could be worth a bet. Then there are those that just seem like a really, really bad idea. Like convenience store sushi. You can't be certain that they are losing bets, but there is enough uncertainty and cause for concern that you just can't possibly justify betting on them.