NFL Handicapping Articles

NFL Divisional Round Predictions: Giants at Packers Odds and Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 1/10/2012

The New York Giants are the most predictable team in football. A litany of diehard, “Joey” fans of the G-Men might not agree. Nor would a sea of football bettors, national prognosticators, or other members of the bobblehead media. However, when it comes to betting on or against, or predicting on or against the Giants, you need to follow one simple guide:

NFL Divisional Round Odds: Texans at Ravens Predictions and Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 1/10/2012

If you ask football fans to name the most difficult venues in the NFL for visiting teams to get a win you will get a list that includes the usual names: Lambeau Field, the Superdome, and even Qwest Field in Seattle. But even though most people don’t even know where M&T Bank Stadium is or who plays there, this site has been, in terms of against the spread success, the gold standard of home field advantage over the past decade.

Super Bowl Matchup Props: Odds and Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 1/10/2012

We’re down to eight teams in the NFL Playoff brackets, so people are inevitably looking forward to the Super Bowl. With four teams still standing in each conference we have 16 different possible combinations of Super Bowl opponents. Some are obviously more likely than others. Like anything else you can think of, the books will let you bet on which combination of teams you expect to see in Indianapolis in a few weeks.

NFL Predictions: Saints at 49ers Odds and Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 1/9/2012

“Can anyone stop the New Orleans Saints?” Beyond debates about Tim Tebow’s transcendental qualities, this has to be the second-most asked question in the NFL these days. New Orleans has scored 40 or more points in four straight games (and five of seven) and after demolishing one plucky upstart, Detroit, last week in the opening round of the NFL postseason. They will try to dispatch another surprise team, San Francisco, in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs this weekend.

NFL Picks: Broncos at Patriots Odds and Betting Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 1/9/2012

Apparently it is a miracle nowadays when a team advances deep into the postseason on the back of a powerful running game, a forceful defense, and some clutch big plays and turnovers. It is funny: I always thought that was what football was all about. But when Tim Tebow is the man leading that winning team the only real explanation is that there are Higher Powers involved.

NFL Wild-Card Weekend ‘Most’ Player Props Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 1/5/2012

There’s a lot of team and player prop options, as you would expect, for the opening round of the NFL’s postseason this weekend. But let’s go with the “most” options on players available: most passing yards on wild-card weekend, most rushing yards and most receiving yards (numbers may vary some at various books that offer this prop).

NFL Defensive Player of the Year Updated Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 1/5/2012

Your MVP, as good as Drew Brees has been in his record-setting season, is going to be Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, who was the huge 11/2 preseason favorite on Bovada. I stupidly argued that wasn’t good value although I admitted he should have been the favorite.

NFL Totals Betting: Wild-Card Weekend Over and Under Predictions
by David Schwab - 1/4/2012

Last week the NFL regular season closed things out with nine of the 16 games going ‘over’ the total. We ended-up on the wrong side of two of our three best bets to close-out the regular season with an overall record of 28-21-2.

NFL Props: Next Coach of Rams, Bucs Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 1/4/2012

Last week in my NFL Week 17 props story, I recommended that bettors on Bovada take the ‘over’ three head coaches fired from the end of Week 17 until the first playoff game – which is this Saturday. I figured at worst it would be a push, because the Tampa Bay Bucs’ Raheem Morris, St. Louis Rams’ Steve Spagnuolo and Minnesota Vikings’ Leslie Frazier were all goners and that the San Diego Chargers’ Norv Turner and Indianapolis Colts’ Jim Caldwell were likely out.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 1/4/2012

Finally, after 17 weeks of regular-season play, a new league single-season record 11,356 points scored, numerous bad calls, endless replay reviews and bad beats up the ying-yang, the NFL playoffs are here. The NFL Playoff brackets feature twelve teams, four rounds, and a championship tournament; what a novel idea. Are those money-grubbing college presidents paying attention?

NFL Handicapping: Looking Back at QBR Rating
by T.O. Whenham - 1/4/2012

At the start of the NFL season ESPN announced their revolutionary new statistic — the QBR or Total Quarterback Rating — with much fanfare and hyperbole. They had redefined the way we look at quarterbacks and understand their significance, they claimed.

NFL Playoffs Predictions: Falcons at Giants Odds and Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 1/3/2012

The Giants will welcome the Falcons to the Meadowlands at 1 p.m. on Sunday in an NFC Wild Card game. The Giants played their way into this position by beating Dallas on their home turf last Sunday night in a winner-goes-on-loser-goes-home game. The week prior to that they beat the New York Jets in a situation where a loss could have ended their postseason aspirations.

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

For the second year in a row we have a division champion in the playoffs without a winning record as the Denver Broncos (8-8) backed into the AFC West crown this past weekend. They will host the reigning AFC Champion Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in the final game of the NFL’s wild-card weekend.

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.