NFL Handicapping Articles

NFL Predictions: Saints at Packers Betting Odds and Football Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/5/2011

Not sure if you heard, but the NFL returns this week, and as has been the case for the past several years the defending Super Bowl champs host the season opener on a Thursday night. In fact, this year it’s the past two Super Bowl champs in the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers facing off. Many believe these are two of the favorites in the NFC this year – although obviously you have to throw the Miami Heat … err, Philadelphia Eagles … into the equation.

NFL Handicapping: What You Forgot From 2010 Season
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/5/2011

The NFL 2011 regular season is fast approaching and with the unpredictable nature of the game, there are bound to plenty of things that surprise you. Here is a list of some surprising developments during the 2010 NFL season that you may have likely forgotten about to help you with your NFL handicapping.

NFL Handicapping: Teams That Went Winless in Preseason
by T.O. Whenham - 9/2/2011

There are, as I write this, three teams that have not won a game in the NFL Preseason. The Falcons and the Chiefs have wrapped up an imperfect 0-4 mark, and Oakland has one more shot on Friday night against Seattle to notch a win and become one of eight teams finishing up at 1-3. Right now the two 0-4 teams perfectly match the number of 4-0 teams (Detroit and St. Louis didn’t lose, though the Lions should be concerned because they also swept the preseason the year they went 0-16 in the regular season).

NFL Betting Tips: Fourth Week of Preseason
by T.O. Whenham - 8/31/2011

I hate the NFL preseason. It’s a pointless month of horrible action designed to fatten the owners’ wallets and torture fans. The whole preseason is terrible, but it’s the fourth week when things really hit a low. That’s when most major decisions have been made and most coaches are just focused on keeping their teams healthy for the first week. We’ll see lots of playing time from guys who won’t be starting in the regular season, and a lot of high-paid stars will do nothing more strenuous than holding a clipboard or riding a stationary bike. It’s all a painful waste of time.

NFL Betting Advice: Rookie Quarterbacks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 8/31/2011

Starting a rookie quarterback in the NFL is one of the biggest gambles a team can take. For every trip to the AFC Championship Game delivered by Ben Roethlisberger (2004), Joe Flacco (2008) and Mark Sanchez (2009), there are the growing pains/train wrecks with the likes of Josh Freeman (2009), Colt McCoy (2010) and Jimmy Clausen (2010).

2011 NFC South Predictions and NFL Betting Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/26/2011

It is high times for the NFC South. In 2010 they were the only division in football to boast three teams with double-digits in wins. They housed the defending Super Bowl champions (New Orleans) and scored the NFC’s No. 1 seed (Atlanta). Tampa Bay established itself as an up-and-comer and even though Carolina was the worst team in football they were able to secure a Heisman Trophy winner (one of two drafted into the division this April) to bolster the franchise.

NFC North Predictions and NFL Odds for Super Bowl
by Robert Ferringo - 8/25/2011

The NFC North is the perfect example of the changing face of the NFL. Long the roughest, toughest division in football – The Black-and-Blue Division – the teams in the North were renowned for their bruising brand of football. However, as rule changes have softened the sport and created les incentive for physicality, the North has altered its preferred style.

2011 AFC West Predictions and Super Bowl Betting Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/25/2011

The Raiders swept their six AFC West games in 2010 and finished in third place in the division. The Chargers had the No. 1 offense and No. 1 defense in the entire league and didn’t make the playoffs. The Broncos – who have owned the Raiders for decades – lost 59-14 at Mile High Stadium to their rivals from Oakland.

2011 Pittsburgh Steelers Predictions and NFL Futures Odds
by Aaron Smith - 8/25/2011

The Pittsburgh Steelers last season fell just short of adding to their record six Super Bowl trophies. The Steelers outgained the Packers and won the time of possession battle in the big game, but the team’s three turnovers were too much to overcome. This is a team that went 12-4 and had a very successful season, but they realize that winning it all is what matters to their fans. The Steelers retained most of the players from last year’s team, and expectations are always high in Pittsburgh.

Peyton Manning Injury and NFL Handicapping
by T.O. Whenham - 8/25/2011

For the first time in a long, long time I actually think Peyton Manning might be mortal. Despite the rumors of his injuries and the impact it could have on the start of his season I never believed it. But then the Colts took bold action — they signed Kerry Collins. This is a team that doesn’t seem to believe in competent, experienced backup quarterbacks, so this signing is by far the clearest indicator we have had that everything might not be rosy in Indianapolis. In fact, it’s hard to believe that things are good at all after this move.

NFC West Predictions and NFL Futures Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/24/2011

About the nicest thing that I can say about NFC West football is that it makes a great punching bag. The NFC West is a bit like the minor leagues of the NFL. Outside of a few glimpses, this division has generally produced the weakest collective group of teams in the sport.

2011 Baltimore Ravens Predictions and Super Bowl Futures Odds
by Aaron Smith - 8/24/2011

The Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2000. While the team has been close on multiple occasions, it hasn’t been able to get back to the big game for a chance at a second ring. Ray Lewis and the Ravens defense is getting older, but it is still one of the better defenses in the NFL. Joe Flacco and the offense have quite a bit of ability, but they have struggled badly against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Baltimore hasn’t been quite as consistent as they need to be in recent years.

Betting on the NFL Preseason Week 3
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 8/24/2011

Some consider the beginning of football season to be the first week of preseason. Others don’t think the season really begins until the first game of the NFL regular season. For people who just love watching the NFL’s best compete, there is a middle ground: the third week of the preseason. This week is often a dress rehearsal for Week 1 of the regular season.

2011 AFC North Predictions and NFL Futures Betting Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/23/2011

You know exactly what you’re going to get from the AFC North each year: Blood and pain. Pittsburgh will again be a Super Bowl threat. Baltimore will again be the able challenger led by a violent defense. Cleveland and Cincinnati? Yeah, they suck just as badly as they have for the past 20 years.

2011 AFC South Predictions and Super Bowl Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/23/2011

Indianapolis has had a stranglehold over this division since its inception in 2002. But Peyton Manning’s offseason neck surgery has sidelined the future Hall of Fame quarterback throughout the preseason. And if he can’t go or is limited this season while at the helm in Indy then the door is wide open for another team to jump up and seize the throne of the AFC South.

2011 AFC East Predictions and NFL Betting Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/22/2011

Only two teams in the NFL have managed to dominate their respective divisions to the tune of winning seven titles in eight years. The first is Indianapolis in the AFC South. The second is the New England Patriots, who have made the postseason in 12 of 17 seasons and demolished the AFC East for the past decade.

2011 Buffalo Bills Predictions and NFL Betting Odds
by Darin Zank - 8/22/2011

Few teams long for the good old days like the Buffalo Bills. For a franchise that played in four straight Super Bowls back 20 years ago, the last decade has been torture. After going 4-12 last year the first year under new Head Coach Chan Gailey, Buffalo has now gone through six straight losing seasons and still hasn't made the playoffs since 1999. This is tied with the Detroit Lions for the longest such drought in the league.

2011 Green Bay Packers Predictions and Super Bowl Futures Odds
by Alan Matthews - 8/22/2011

What else can you say about the 2010 Packers? As late as Week 16, the playoffs were in jeopardy for Green Bay. But then Aaron Rodgers returned from missing nearly two games with a concussion and shredded the New York Giants for 404 yards passing and four touchdowns and the Packers wouldn’t lose again on the way to their fourth Super Bowl title. And how confident are the Pack in their current group? They have not made any significant free agent or trade acquisitions while nearly every other team has been very busy in this truncated offseason.

2011 Minnesota Vikings Predictions and NFC North Futures Odds
by Alan Matthews - 8/22/2011

It’s funny how two teams can look at a 6-10 record from the year before so differently heading into a new season. My first NFC North preview here at Doc’s was on the Detroit Lions. They won six games in 2010 and considered it a giant step forward and a possible steppingstone to a playoff berth in 2011.

2011 Chicago Bears Predictions and NFL Futures Odds
by Alan Matthews - 8/22/2011

Most times, a team coming off an 11-win season, division championship and conference championship berth would be highly regarded heading into the next season. But if you look at the Chicago Bears’ futures odds, it appears everyone forgets about those things and only remembers quarterback Jay Cutler on the sideline in the second half of that NFC title game loss to Green Bay. Cutler’s demeanor and apparent lack of pain caused probably the biggest immediate social media criticism of any pro athlete before LeBron James’ poor performance in the NBA Finals.