NFL Handicapping Articles

NFC Championship Game Picks: Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers Prediction
by Alan Matthews - 1/21/2016

The AFC title game earlier on Sunday is going to get all the hype. It's two marquee franchises in the Broncos and Patriots as well as the two biggest stars in the NFL and the best players of this generation: Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. And that's fine. That game might even draw bigger ratings despite the 3:05 p.m. ET start. But if we are being honest, the 6:40 ET start from Charlotte between the NFC No. 2 Cardinals and top-seeded Panthers is the better matchup.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Carolina Panthers Expert Betting Picks for Best Props on Board
by Chris Vasile - 1/21/2016

The storyline for the NFC Divisional Round had a bit of everything this past weekend. Arizona's spot in this week's NFC Championship game was almost a foregone conclusion as the clock struck 0:00 in the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers. That was until divine intervention reared its beautiful head (depending who you ask) and blessed the Packers with a game-tying 41-yard hail mary completion from Aaron Rodgers to Jeff Janis.

NFL Props Odds with Expert Betting Picks and Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 1/21/2016

The final four teams left in this season's NFL Playoffs will battle it out this Sunday in the conference championships for a spot in Super Bowl 50. BetOnline has set the New England Patriots as three-point road favorites against the Denver Broncos in the AFC title game, and in the NFC the Carolina Panthers are listed as three-point home favorites against the Arizona Cardinals.

AFC Championship Game Expert Picks: New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
by Alan Matthews - 1/20/2016

The Pittsburgh Steelers might have beaten the Denver Broncos last week if top receiver Antonio Brown and starting running back DeAngelo Williams were healthy and/or if backup running back Fitzgerald Toussaint didn't commit a deadly late-game fumble.

NFC Championship Betting: Keys and Distractions Arizona vs. Carolina
by Trevor Whenham - 1/20/2016

The NFC Championship is a rematch. Last year the Carolina Panthers beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-16 in the wild-card round of the playoffs. This is a much higher stakes game. You can't read too much into that last game - Ryan Lindley was under center for the Cards, so Carolina only did what they absolutely should have done.

New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos Expert Betting Picks for Best Props on Board
by Chris Vasile - 1/20/2016

This year's divisional playoff round was nothing short of entertaining. Exactly seven points decided three of the four games, and the other game was decided by a game-winning touchdown in overtime. New England showed its offensive prowess against a good Kansas City team that could not finish drives and had to settle for field goals. The late game saw Arizona edge out Green Bay in overtime thanks to a 75-yard catch and run by Larry Fitzgerald on the first play from scrimmage in OT.

AFC Championship Betting: Keys and Distractions New England vs. Denver
by Trevor Whenham - 1/19/2016

The pretenders have gone home. Now it's all about the big boys in the NFL. In the AFC we have the top two seeds meeting to decide who will be representing the conference in the Super Bowl. It's the Broncos and the Patriots - much like many expected before the season even started. As bettors we have the luxury of only having to concentrate on two games - instead of the huge number that face us during the regular season.

NFL Playoffs Handicapping: Revenge a Factor in all Four Divisional Round Games
by Robert Ferringo - 1/15/2016

Motivation is one of the biggest factors in handicapping any sport. One of the unique challenges of handicapping the NFL postseason is the fact that the motivation angle is essentially gone since each team in the playoffs has exactly the same motivation: win a championship and prevent the end of the season.

NFL Divisional Round Predictions: Expert Handicapper Handicaps Games
by Robert Ferringo - 1/15/2016

The NFL Divisional Round takes place this weekend, and there are all kinds of stats, facts, tidbits and trends for intrepid football bettors to pour through before making their wagers this weekend. Well, I'm here to throw a few more at you! Here are five interesting angles to consider before putting your money down at the window this weekend:

NFL Betting and Wagering Advice: Biggest Mismatches for Divisional Round
by Victor Ryan - 1/15/2016

With only the NFL's elite remaining, it becomes a more difficult task to find any obvious statistical mismatches that could play a key role in a game's eventual outcome. Sunday's matchup between Carolina and Seattle is one example of this. On paper, these teams are evenly matched-it's simply strength vs. strength as there are no discernible statistical advantages.

NFL Props Odds with Expert Betting Picks and Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 1/15/2016

This season's NFL Playoffs move on to the Divisional Round this weekend with all four Wild-Card teams advancing with victories as road favorites in last week's games. While I cashed in on Bovada's special NFL team prop for how many Wild-Card teams would win last week with a play on "over 2" at -150 betting odds, one of the most popular sportsbooks for releasing special prop bets is back at it this week with betting odds for how many Wild-Card teams will win this time around.

NFL Expert Picks Against the Spread: Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos Predictions
by George Monroy - 1/14/2016

The Pittsburgh Steelers versus Denver Broncos divisional round matchup is a tale of two "beat-up" quarterbacks, and the game may hinge on which legendary passer can manage the game best. Ben Roethlisberger is nursing an injured shoulder he suffered late in the wild-card round against Cincinnati, while Peyton Manning has dealt with foot, rib and shoulder issues throughout the entire season. Denver, however, employs one of the elite defenses in the league and may not need a fully-equipped Manning to earn a victory.

NFL Expert Picks Against the Spread: Seattle Seahawks at Carolina Panthers Predictions
by George Monroy - 1/14/2016

The Carolina Panthers cut through the NFC like a hot knife on their way to a 15-1 record, but with a schedule filled with also-rans and sub-.500 teams, Cam Newton and company won't start turning heads until they can produce in the postseason. Carolina may be the least threatening one-loss squad in NFL history as evidenced by its less-than-stellar futures odds, where the team is ranked third, behind Arizona and New England. Only time will tell if Carolina's 15-1 record was the result of a soft schedule or the rise of a future NFC contender.

Green Bay Packers vs. Arizona Cardinals Expert Betting Picks for Best Props on Board
by Chris Vasile - 1/14/2016

This game has the makings to be a crazy, high-scoring contest, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The Arizona Cardinals are putting up points at will. With each passing game, their offense finds new ways to move the ball down field and impress me. If they get to 30 points, they will win this game.

NFL Playoffs Betting Predictions: How the Home Teams Might Fare Against the Spread
by Trevor Whenham - 1/14/2016

As we head into the divisional round of the NFL playoffs each year, you can't help but focus on the teams coming off a bye week. Four lucky teams got a week off to rest and prepare last week, while their opponents had to win a sudden-death game just to get here. Those bye teams also get to play at home, while the more tired teams have to add to their woes with travel. And the bye teams had the best records in football, too. Add it all up and it is no wonder that the betting public has a strong bias towards the bye teams every year.

NFL Playoffs Betting: How Bye Teams have Fared in Divisional Round
by Trevor Whenham - 1/14/2016

Every year it's the same thing in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs. In all but one game in the last five years and this year - 24 games in total - the home team has been favored. The home team, of course, is the one that is coming off of the bye week. Public bettors love home teams, and they especially love home teams good enough to earn the bye. They flock to the home teams this weekend every year almost without exception.

Kansas City Chiefs vs. New England Patriots Expert Betting Picks for Best Props on Board
by Chris Vasile - 1/13/2016

If the NFL Playoffs were a Hollywood movie, I do not think the opening acts could have been any more dramatic. All four Wild-Card games were off-the-charts crazy! Knile Davis' 106-yard opening kickoff touchdown got the party started and left Houston stunned and ultimately defeated. The street fight that followed in Cincinnati was like a scene straight out of Fight Club. The Bengals choked the game away in dramatic fashion, and it will take a while to live this playoff loss down. Good job, Adam Jones!

NFL Expert Picks Against the Spread: Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots Predictions
by George Monroy - 1/12/2016

The Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots matchup is a tale of two teams trending in opposite directions. Kansas City closed out the year with 10 straight victories and dominantly made its way into the divisional round of the playoffs with a mugging of the Houston Texans last weekend. New England limped into the postseason with multiple injuries throughout the year and on the heels of a disappointing two-game losing streak that cost the team the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

NFL Expert Picks Against the Spread: Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals Predictions
by George Monroy - 1/12/2016

The NFL playoffs move into the divisional round this weekend with a Saturday matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots in the afternoon and a stylistically intriguing game between the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals to end the day. The Cardinals ran through the NFC mostly unnoticed with a 13-3 regular-season record, and Bruce Arian's powerhouse squad could very well be the best team in the entire league.

NFL Betting and Wagering Advice: Biggest Mismatches Wild-Card Weekend
by Victor Ryan - 1/9/2016

Wild-card weekend of the NFL Playoffs opened with all four road teams favored, and each of those hold at least one significant statistical mismatch that lends credence to the lines. The "opened" qualifier in the lead is needed because the Packers-Redskins, which started with Green Bay as a 1-point road underdog, has since been bet to a pick'em.