NFL Handicapping Articles

NFL Wild Card Predictions: Texans at Bengals Odds and Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 1/3/2012

Even though Cincinnati and Houston have already squared off once this year, when they meet to open the 2012 NFL postseason it will be a game of firsts. Not only will this game represent the first game of the 2012 NFL Playoffs, but it is also the first postseason game in the 10-year history of the Houston Texans franchise. Also, it will be the first playoff action for Cincinnati's dynamic rookie duo of Andy Dalton and A.J. Green.

NFL Picks: Lions at Saints Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 1/3/2012

For my money and if you like offense, easily the most entertaining NFL wild-card weekend playoff game should be Saturday night’s NFC matchup between South Division Champion New Orleans and wild-card Detroit (10-6), which is in the playoffs for the first time since 1999. The Saints are only the second 13-3 team ever to not earn a first-round bye (The 1999 Titans were the first).

NFL Playoff Handicapping: Raking the Teams
by T.O. Whenham - 1/3/2012

By the end of New Year’s Day there were 12 teams that could still win the Super Bowl. On Feb. 5 there will only be one. Theoretically, any of the six teams from each conference that are still alive can be the victorious squad, but some teams are obviously far more likely than others to be the one. Here’s a look at how I rank the chances of the 12 remaining teams from least to most likely to win the Super Bowl. I’ve included the futures odds from Bovada so you can see how my Super Bowl predictions vary — sometimes significantly — from that of the oddsmakers:

NFL Handicapping: Pros and Cons of Resting Players
by T.O. Whenham - 12/28/2011

I hate the fourth game of the NFL Preseason and several games in Week 17 of the regular season for the same reason. When teams have nothing left to play for and they are trying to save themselves for when games matter again then you are destined for some lousy football. Starters aren’t likely to play at all, and if they do they will only play for a short time and at half speed. In both cases people pay full price to see a poor excuse for football.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 12/28/2011

With one week to go in this regular season NFL schedule, nine playoff entrants have been decided, three are yet to be, as are numerous NFL Playoff seedings. Five teams are fighting for the last two spots in the AFC, and two teams will go head-to-head for the last playoff spot in the NFC.

NFL Playoff Scenarios and Week 17 Games That Mean Something
by T.O. Whenham - 12/27/2011

As we enter the last week of the regular season NFL schedule every year we have some games that have a huge amount of playoff significance as teams are playing for their postseason life, others that could be more or less significant because teams are playing for playoff position but may not be motivated by that, and other games in which neither team has anything significant to play for. It is important to know which category each game fits into so that you can accurately judge motivation for successful NFL handicapping.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 12/22/2011

The Green Bay Packers survived game No. 13 two weeks ago, but couldn't get past No. 14 Sunday in Kansas City. On the other hand, game No. 14 turned out to be the charm for the Indianapolis Colts, who avoided the prospect of going winless by beating Tennessee Sunday.

NFL Handicapping: Teams That Have Given Up
by T.O. Whenham - 12/21/2011

There are only two weeks left on the NFL schedule for the regular season. That’s two weeks too many for some teams, though. If the season has already been a long and brutal one for a club then the end can’t come soon enough, and motivation becomes harder and harder to find with each passing game. Those teams can easily give up in their last couple of games and make things really easy for NFL handicappers.

NFL Predictions: Texans at Colts Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 12/19/2011

Well, this Thursday night game got a lot less interesting thanks to the Indianapolis Colts. Really, the only intrigue here would have been that the Colts were winless and playing their final home game (could it be the final game on the Colts’ home sideline for Peyton Manning?). But Indianapolis ruined that by beating Tennessee, 27-13, on Sunday to assure that it won’t join the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only teams to go 0-16 in a season.

NFL Handicapping: Should Packers Go For Undefeated Season?
by T.O. Whenham - 12/15/2011

The Packers have already clinched a first-round bye and are all but certain to have home field advantage through the playoffs wrapped up in a few days thanks to their next game coming against the Chiefs. Given that, the debate is raging right now as to whether the team should try to go undefeated, or if they should rest their players to be ready for the ultimate goal — the Super Bowl.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 12/14/2011

Can it be? Just three weeks to go for the regular season NFL schedule? It seems like just yesterday the Buffalo Bills were the hottest thing since the wildcat, and the Detroit Lions were shoo-ins to break their long playoff drought. What, that's not the case anymore? Well, anyway, as we continue sifting through the numbers that make NFL handicapping so much fun, here are a few figures that stand out.

NFL Handicapping: The Haley and Sparano Firings
by T.O. Whenham - 12/14/2011

Monday was a bloody day of carnage in the NFL. It seemed likely that both the Dolphins and the Chiefs would be making coaching changes at the end of the season, but both organizations decided that it was time to end the suffering now.

NFL Predictions: Jaguars at Falcons Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 12/13/2011

Week 15 in the NFL kicks off on Thursday night from Atlanta, where the Falcons (8-5) face a pivotal game for their playoff hopes against the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9). As things stand now, Atlanta would be the top wild-card team in the NFC thanks to the Bears getting Tebowed on Sunday in Denver.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 12/7/2011

Well, we sweated out another Packers victory Sunday up here in snowy Cheesehead Land, and your humble correspondent can also take a little pride in having the right side of the point spread on that game, with the Giants getting nine points. So that's 12-0 for Green Bay, one more major hurdle cleared on the way to 16-0 and a singular “up yours” from Aaron Rodgers to the clowns out there who say, “yeah, he's great, but can he perform in the clutch?”

NFL Picks: Browns at Steelers Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 12/5/2011

Week 14 of the NFL season starts with what looks like quite a mismatch as sliding Cleveland visits Pittsburgh on Thursday night as the Steelers look to continue their push for the AFC North title and/or the top seed in the conference. (As an aside, boy are we in a rut when it comes to NFL prime-time weeknight games: Eagles-Seahawks last Thursday, Chargers-Jags on Monday, this one, Rams-Seahawks on Dec. 12 and Jaguars-Falcons on Dec. 15).

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 11/30/2011

The key number from last week for your humble correspondent was 2.5, as in the number of plates of bird, stuffing, squash and gravy I inhaled last Thursday, and the length of the nap, in hours, that followed. But with one big holiday weekend of feasting and football behind us, let's look forward to December, where the big number for NFL teams is five, as in the number of games left on their regular-season NFL schedules.

NFL Picks: Eagles at Seahawks Betting Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 11/29/2011

Try to temper your excitement for this week’s Thursday night NFL Network telecast as it features Philadelphia and Seattle, a pair of 2010 division winners who have been disappointments this season, with both at 4-7 and playing out the string.

NFL Handicapping: Buffalo Bills Betting Value
by T.O. Whenham - 11/25/2011

It’s almost as if the Buffalo Bills have played two distinct seasons this year. In their first five games they were 4-1, they were playing very well, Ryan Fitzpatrick was establishing himself as a top-level QB, and the team looked like it could be on a path to stealing the AFC East if they kept it up.

Handicapping and Betting Thanksgiving NFL Football Games
by T.O. Whenham - 11/23/2011

Because these games are so popular there are some differences between betting on these games and betting on a normal NFL game. The differences aren’t game-changing, but they are significant enough that they could present an opportunity for added profit for astute NFL handicappers. Here are five of those differences:

NFL Predictions: San Francisco 49ers at Baltimore Ravens Odds
by Alan Matthews - 11/22/2011

If you aren’t already in a turkey-induced coma by 8 p.m. Eastern on Thursday night then you no doubt will be tuning into the Harbaugh Bowl (or Har-bowl) when John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens host Jim Harbaugh’s San Francisco 49ers in the Thanksgiving nightcap. (If you are wondering, the brothers won’t be having Thanksgiving dinner together) John, 49, is 15 months older than Jim, who turns 48 on Dec. 23.