NFL Handicapping Articles

NFL Futures Odds: NFC East Season Win Totals Picks
by CarbonSports - 8/11/2014

With the likes of RGIII, Eli Manning, Chip Kelly's explosive offense, and the Dallas Cowboys all in the NFC East together you know this division will see plenty of headlines from the major media outlets. The past few years the winner of this division hasn't been known until the final games of Week 17 have been played. With that kind of parity, this division will be another tight one as Philadelphia tries to be the first team of these four to repeat as division champs since 2004.

2014 NFC East Predictions with Odds and NFL Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/4/2014

The NFC East has been a puddle of mediocrity over the last two seasons and has sent just one representative to the NFC Championship Game over the last five years. The East has experienced back-to-back worst-to-first finishes. They’ve had just two teams in the last three years win double-digit games, and it has been four years since a team has won more than 10 contests.

2014 NFC West Predictions with Odds and NFL Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/4/2014

It was just four short seasons ago that the NFC West became the butt of national sports jokes by producing the first division winner with a 7-9 record in league history. That was rock bottom for what had been the worst division in the league for nearly a decade.

2014 NFC North Predictions with Odds and NFL Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/4/2014

Change is in the air in the NFC North. One year after rookie coach Marc Trestman took over in Chicago, two more fresh headmasters join the fray. Jim Caldwell and Mike Zimmer have been brought in to inject life into sagging Detroit and Minnesota teams, respectively, in an attempt to dethrone the Green Bay Packers from atop the North standings.

2014 AFC West Predictions with Odds and NFL Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/1/2014

Statistically speaking, the two best divisions in football last year were the AFC West and the NFC West. Teams from those two divisions accounted for five of the 12 postseason slots (and that doesn’t include a 10-win Arizona team), and the Super Bowl representative for each conference hailed from out west.

2014 AFC South Predictions with Odds and NFL Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 8/1/2014

Much like the AFC East, the AFC South is ostensibly a one-horse race. With one franchise dominating this division for over a decade and three floundering organizations scrambling to catch up, the South is a pretty cut-and-dried example of how parity has not completely enveloped the NFL.

2014 AFC East Predictions with Odds and NFL Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/31/2014

The Patriots are going to win the AFC East. The End. My brevity is only partially in jest. The AFC East has been one of the biggest mismatches in the NFL over the past decade-plus. New England has won the division 11 times in 13 years, and according to Sportsbook.ag the Patriots are an overwhelming -300 favorite to win the title again in 2014.

2014 AFC North Predictions with Odds and NFL Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/31/2014

At a time when the rest of the NFL is still going pass-wacky and soft, it’s nice to see that the AFC North remembers its roots. Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Baltimore comprise one of the most rugged, physical and violent divisions in all of football. As such, it is also the most competitive division in the AFC and the one grouping without a clear-cut favorite heading into the season.

NFL Futures Odds: NFC West Season Win Totals Predictions
by CarbonSports - 7/31/2014

The West is the best at least when it comes to the NFC as the defending Super Bowl champion from Seattle are here, along with the NFC's runner up from San Francisco. Those two franchises are atop the odds list to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl again this season and with the talent level both teams have, they'll both be in the mix up until the end.

NFL Futures Betting: NFC South Season Win Totals Odds and Picks
by CarbonSports - 7/31/2014

The NFC South has always been a highly competitive division that typically sees a new winner every year. There hasn't been a team to repeat as champs of this division since realignment happened back in 1992. That's bad news for the Carolina Panthers who won this division with a 12-4 SU record thanks to a strong defense and a 3rd year QB in Cam Newton finally maturing into a superstar and taking care of the ball.

2014 Odds to Win NFC East with Picks and NFL Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 7/30/2014

The NFL is just weeks away from the start of a new season, and I have come to the end of the line with my trip around the league previewing and making predictions for each of the eight division races with the help of BetOnline’s NFL futures odds. My final stop on this tour takes me to the division that is most near and dear to my heart; the NFC East.

Denver Broncos Odds to Win the Super Bowl and Betting Futures
by Alan Matthews - 7/29/2014

So was the Denver Broncos' performance in the Super Bowl the biggest flop in NFL history? Seriously, it has to be asked. The Broncos set the NFL record for points, and Peyton Manning did the same for passing yards and touchdowns in the regular season in winning his record fifth MVP Award. Yet Denver didn't even belong on the same field with the Seahawks, a fact made evident on the first offensive play of the game when the Seahawks scored on a safety.

Betting the Cleveland Browns once Johnny Manziel Starts
by Robert Ferringo - 7/28/2014

On a personal level, I don’t have much to add to the Johnny Manziel discussion that hasn’t already been said: The Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback is a jerk. Manziel is a spoiled brat, an arrogant shit, and an unrepentant troll. But we already knew this. The question now is how will markets respond to Manziel when he becomes the Browns starting quarterback and how should we bet Cleveland once he takes the reins?

Seattle Seahwaks Odds to Win the Super Bowl and Betting Futures
by Alan Matthews - 7/28/2014

So how soon until we call Pete Carroll one of the best football coaches of all time when counting both college and the pros? No, he's not Jimmy Johnson yet, but you have to give it up to Carroll. He rebuilt USC into the marquee program in college football, if perhaps not while following the rules. Now he has rebuilt his once-tarnished NFL reputation by bringing the Seahawks their first Super Bowl title, and thanks to shrewd drafting it should be a team that will be a force for at least the next few years.

San Francisco 49ers Odds to Win the Super Bowl and Betting Futures
by Alan Matthews - 7/25/2014

I'm not an NFL historian and don't have a week to look this up, but has any team's three straight seasons ended as painfully as San Francisco's past three have? Yeah, don't tell me about those Bills that lost four Super Bowls in a row. They only were in place to win one of those. In 2011, the Niners won 13 games and reached the NFC title game. There's really no way they should have lost to a mediocre Giants team at Candlestick Park, but Kyle Williams picked a bad time to have two fumbles and the Niners lost in OT.

New England Patriots Odds to Win the Super Bowl and Betting Futures
by Alan Matthews - 7/24/2014

You can't count on much in sports these days, but one thing you can is the Patriots winning at least 10 games. They have every season since 2003, even in 2008 when Tom Brady was lost for the season in Week 1. The only time a Brady-led team has missed the playoffs was in 2002, and that club was a solid 9-7. It's still a minor miracle the Patriots haven't won a Super Bowl since repeating in the 2004 season.

2014 Odds to Win NFC North with Picks and NFL Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 7/24/2014

With all 32 NFL teams back to work with the opening of training camp, you know it will not be long before the start of another season of football. I have been previewing each of the eight division races with the help of BetOnline’s NFL futures odds, and the next stop on the tour takes us to the NFC North, where an 8-7-1 record was good enough to claim that title in 2013. The following are this season’s picks and predictions for Black and Blue Division of the NFL.

NFL Futures: Defensive Rookie of the Year Odds
by CarbonSports - 7/23/2014

In what was a very deep draft class, especially on the defensive side of the ball, predicting this year's Defensive ROY won't be easy. No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney comes in as the favorite (+200) and with his freakish athleticism he would not shock many if he won it. But history suggests that it's quite tough for defensive lineman to claim the prize.

NFL Futures: Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds
by CarbonSports - 7/23/2014

The 2014 NFL draft was loaded with offensive playmakers and big names. The biggest of those names (Johnny Manziel) slid in the draft but ultimately went to the team many thought he would (Cleveland) it just happened with their second 1st round pick. He is going to be locked in a QB battle during training camp and will likely be the 'popular' play for those betting this future.

Green Bay Packers Odds to Win the Super Bowl and Betting Futures
by Alan Matthews - 7/21/2014

It's hard not to envy the way the Green Bay Packers go about their business, no matter what team you are a fan of. The Packers are owned by the people, play in the most historic stadium in the NFL and in front of the most rabid fans in the league's NFL's smallest market by far. They almost never make a huge splash in free agency (Reggie White aside), preferring to build from within and the draft and the occasional trade (Brett Favre). It's just a really smart organization.