NFL Handicapping Articles

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.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 11/22/2011

The most intriguing number at this moment in the NFL season is 10-0. That is the current record of the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers. But we'll get back to them later. For now, let's look at a few other interesting numbers we've gleaned from the recent goings on around the NFL.

NFL Picks: Packers at Lions Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 11/21/2011

For the past several years we have heard complaining that the Detroit Lions continued to host the early Thanksgiving Day game because they were terrible. You heard calls for the league to open up hosting the game to the rest of the league.

NFL Handicapping: Betting on the Indianapolis Colts
by T.O. Whenham - 11/21/2011

I’ll admit this up front — I have never been a fan of the Indianapolis Colts. They have obviously had success over the years, but I have never liked their style of play, and never respected them as much as their record would suggest I should.

NFL Odds for Green Bay Packers to Go Undefeated
by Darin Zank - 11/17/2011

The Green Bay Packers are 9-0, and now they must deal with all the baloney that comes with making a run at perfection. That's their problem. On our end, their situation opens up a betting opportunity. Namely, that online sportsbooks like TopBet are offering NFL odds on whether Green Bay can finish the regular season undefeated.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 11/16/2011

What did we learn from some NFL Week 10 numbers? Well, for starters, that you can complete two passes and win a game. And we learned that the NFC North might be taking over as the best division in the game. And we're reminded that we shouldn't let our liking of a team on a personal level get in the way of making good wagering decisions.

NFL Predictions: New York Jets at Denver Broncos Odds and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 11/15/2011

It doesn’t look like much of a game when the 5-4 New York Jets visit the 4-5 Denver Broncos on this week’s Thursday night NFL Network telecast, but it figures to have big playoff implications because the AFC is so wide open.

This Week in NFL Betting By the Numbers
by Darin Zank - 11/10/2011

Every NFL team has played at least eight games now, so it's all downhill from here as far as the regular season is concerned. The task for bettors now is to take what we've learned from the first half of the season and use it to make some money in the second half. Here are a few NFL numbers we've teased out that might help in that pursuit.