NFL Power Rankings Week 8
by Robert Ferringo - 10/25/2022

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve pointed out the cash cow that NFL underdogs and NFL ‘under’ betting has been this season. Scoring is depressed. That leads to closer games and more value on taking the points. It also, obviously, leads to more games going ‘under’.

NFL Power Rankings Week 7
by Robert Ferringo - 10/18/2022

Do you remember, “The Lego Movie”? If you have kids between the ages of 6-16, then I’ll almost guarantee you’ve watched that movie at some points since its 2014 release. And even if you don’t have kids, I thoroughly recommend it because of its brilliant deconstruction (and affirmation) of film tropes as well as its biting critique of the opposing political views of authoritarianism and hyper-liberalism.

NFL Power Rankings Week 6
by Robert Ferringo - 10/12/2022

Apparently, betting on the NFL is as easy as just taking the points. Underdogs have been absolutely killing it early in the season. Last week the dogs went 10-5 against the spread, and so far this season, puppies are an outstanding 46-31 ATS. That’s a 60 percent success rate through five weeks of the year.

NFL Power Rankings Week 5
by Robert Ferringo - 10/4/2022

An NFL-record 15 of the 16 NFL games last week were within one score at some point during the fourth quarter. Through four weeks of the season, 50 of the 64 games played have been within eight points – one touchdown and a two-point conversion – at some point in the fourth, also an NFL record.

NFL Power Rankings Week 4
by Robert Ferringo - 9/27/2022

The first month of the season follows an obvious pattern every single year. There is a seven-month buildup to Week 1. That is met with some odd opening week results thanks to some teams being overprepared and some underprepared. Following the opening week and prior to Week 2, there is a ridiculous overreaction to the Week 1 results. The reaction to Week 2 isn’t quite as bad but still enough to make everyone scramble to revise their preseason predictions after an 11-day stretch of football.

NFL Power Rankings Week 3
by Robert Ferringo - 9/20/2022

Generally speaking, NFL offenses are usually ahead of NFL defenses early in the season. As a result, September is usually one of the highest scoring months of any given year throughout the league. If that’s the case for this season, then we have a lot of ugly football ahead of us. Through two weeks, scoring is down league wide. That’s too small of a sample size to warrant being considered a legitimate trend. However, it has been bad enough to raise some eyebrows and has had a significant impact on the totals betting market.

NFL Power Rankings Week 2
by Robert Ferringo - 9/13/2022

One of the most important skills that an NFL bettor can have is a good hype filter. You need to be able to separate verifiable fact from mainstream fiction. Having a long-term perspective and not overreacting to everything that happens on a week-to-week basis is absolutely crucial. If not, you will simply get swept up in a wave of public sentiment and see your bankroll circle the drain right along with your pride.

NFL Power Rankings Week 1
by Robert Ferringo - 9/6/2022

“Who is going to win the Super Bowl?” I probably get asked this question more than any other. When people find out that I am a professional sports handicapper, their first question comment is usually something like, “So you’re a bookie.” I then explain to them that I am the exact opposite of a bookie. I’m the guy that beats the bookie.

NFL Power Rankings Week 18
by Robert Ferringo - 1/4/2022

Welcome to Week 18. This is the first Week 18 in NFL history. It’s being dubbed and advertised as the “season finale”. That’s cute. But it is also telling. Because like most television shows, there are always some unexpected twists and turns in the final episode of the season. That is actually important to remember as we put a wrap on the season.

NFL Power Rankings Week 17
by Robert Ferringo - 12/28/2021

This is the first season in which the NFL will play 17 games. However, right now, with COVID absolutely ravaging the sports world (and the real world, for that matter), I think everyone in professional football – from players to coaches to owners to fans to bettors – just wants this season to end as quickly as possible.

NFL Power Rankings Week 16
by Robert Ferringo - 12/22/2021

Well, this is a mess. The next three weeks of the NFL regular season are going to be a debacle. COVID is wreaking havoc across the country (again). And if the last week is any indication, the NFL decision makers are ill-equipped to handle it.

NFL Power Rankings Week 15
by Robert Ferringo - 12/14/2021

Sometimes in life, being successful doesn’t mean seizing the moment or claiming victory because of your amazing talent. No, sometimes being successful is the direct result of simply not being a screw-up. Simply not making unforced errors and just not messing up is actually a pretty valuable skill in life. And in the NFL, that is the difference between cashing tickets and breaking bankrolls.

NFL Power Rankings Week 14
by Robert Ferringo - 12/8/2021

Bill Belichick is the greatest coach in the history of North American team sports. That’s not meant to be a “hot take” or anything. There might be someone out there that would make an argument against my statement. But that argument would be wrong.

NFL Power Rankings Week 13
by Robert Ferringo - 11/30/2021

I’m not sure when it happened, how it happened, or why it happened, but home field advantage no longer exists in NFL football. So far this season, NFL home teams are a putrid 89-90-1 straight up and 78-102 against the spread. That means that blindly betting on NFL road teams has produced a 57 percent winning mark so far this year.

NFL Power Rankings Week 12
by Robert Ferringo - 11/23/2021

I want to start this week’s Power Rankings with some house cleaning. This week all the handicappers at Doc’s Sports will be releasing their football picks on Wednesday to accommodate the Thanksgiving holiday. Like normal, that one release will include all college and NFL selections for the entire weekend.

NFL Power Rankings Week 11
by Robert Ferringo - 11/16/2021

Every NFL season is unique. The same can be said for the NFL betting season. Every year there is a betting trend that usually presents itself as kind of a through line or subplot to the pro football betting season. Sometimes home underdogs crush it. Some years it is NFC teams over AFC teams. Things like that crop up from time to time, the public gets ahold of it, and then everyone starts banging the books with the same picks each week.

NFL Power Rankings Week 10
by Robert Ferringo - 11/9/2021

One of the biggest themes of last week was the confirmation and verification of a gambling truism: always bet on teams that lose a star player. We see this all the time across all sports. When a team loses a star player to trade, injury, suspension, or some other malady, you always want to bet on those teams in their next game. It is counterintuitive. But it is effective.

NFL Power Rankings Week 9
by Robert Ferringo - 11/2/2021

I have long said that betting on NFL teams coming off a bye week is one of the most overused and overrated handicapping angles. The assumption is that with an extra week of time and preparation, teams coming off a bye week will be extra ready to play and therefore have a big advantage over their opponents.

NFL Power Rankings Week 8
by Robert Ferringo - 10/27/2021

There is no stopping progress. As I’ve gotten older, I expected to get more cynical. Instead, I think I’ve become more optimistic. That’s been due in part to seeing that history bends toward what is right and what should be. There are always fits and starts. But eventually things find their level and inch closer to What Should Be.

NFL Power Rankings Week 7
by Robert Ferringo - 10/19/2021

One of the biggest misconceptions of betting the NFL is that the spread is extremely important. It isn’t. I know that statement flies in the face of what you’ve read and heard your entire life: that “line value” is critical. In some sports it is. The NFL is not one of those sports.