Category Archives: NFL

NFL preseason week 3 betting preview

There’s no question that Week 3 of the NFL preseason every year is the one that most closely resembles the regular season. Most starters should play at least the first half on every team – some veteran quarterbacks like Drew Brees or Tom Brady or Ben Roethlisberger can be exempt – and perhaps even early into the second half. You rarely see preseason spreads higher than 5 points, but will in Week 3.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

This is also the final week of the preseason where the games are spread out over multiple nights as every club plays on Thursday in Week 4. One marquee game this week is the annual battle for bragging rights in the Big Apple as the Giants “visit” the Jets – of course, they both actually play in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. It’s the 50th preseason meeting between them, easily the longest-running exhibition rivalry in the NFL. The Jets are 2.5-point “home” favorites.

These teams will always be tied by the 2018 draft. The Giants could have taken a franchise quarterback like Sam Darnold at No. 2 overall but instead took Penn State running back Saquon Barkley. The Jets and their fans were giddy that Darnold slipped to No. 3. While Darnold is a lock, barring injury, to play plenty on Friday (likely start), it’s not expected that Barkley will play for a second straight week. He’s dealing with a hamstring injury.

NFL preseason week 2 betting preview

While Week 1 of the preseason had the vast majority of the games scheduled on a Thursday, Week 2 is much more spread out – including the first Monday Night Football matchup of the season. Two games clearly stand out overall, though, and both are on Thursday. They could each be Super Bowl previews.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Of course, the Philadelphia Eagles upset the New England Patriots in February’s Super Bowl in Minneapolis in a record-setting offensive showcase. It probably won’t be much solace for the Patriots to get a little payback Thursday when they host the Eagles as 3-point favorites. New England and Philadelphia are the favorites to win the AFC and NFC again, respectively, so perhaps this is a preview of Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta on February 3.

Eagles star quarterback Carson Wentz missed the Super Bowl with a knee injury and won’t play this preseason, either, as he works his way back. Philly opened the exhibition schedule with a 31-14 home loss to Pittsburgh. Quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles didn’t play a snap, but should see action here. New England opened the preseason with a 26-17 home win over the Washington Redskins. Tom Brady didn’t play but also should at least take the field briefly Thursday.

New Jersey regulated mobile wagering makes its debut at Browns-Giants game

Sports fans got their first taste of regulated mobile wagering while watching the new-and-improved Cleveland Browns demolished the New York Giants during their NFL preseason debut at MetLife Stadium on Thursday.

The Browns-Giants clash was one for the books for two reasons. First, NFL’s top two overall picks in the 2018 draft, Baker Mayfield and Saquon Barkley, made their league debut on Thursday. Second, the match was also considered to be the first NFL game to provide an opportunity for New Jersey’s regulated mobile sports wagering.

ESPN’s Ben Fawkes described the atmosphere inside the Meadowlands Racetracks, located a stone’s throw away from MetLife, to be festive as punters watched the duration of the Giants-Browns match in one of the six big televisions inside the FanDuel sportsbook at Meadowlands.

Punters are allowed to place their bets before the game, along with a halftime line, according to FanDuel.

NFL preseason week 1 betting preview

It’s been said before but will be said again here: A team’s preseason record has no bearing on what it will do in the regular season. Last year’s Cleveland Browns finished 4-0 in the exhibition schedule and 0-16 when it counted.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

In fact, the following teams finished first or tied for first in their division in the 2017 preseason and failed to make the playoffs: New York Jets and Miami Dolphins (both 2-2 in AFC East), Baltimore Ravens and Browns (both 4-0 in AFC North), Indianapolis Colts (2-2 in AFC South), Denver Broncos (4-0 in AFC West), Dallas Cowboys (3-1 in NFC East), Green Bay Packers (3-1 in NFC North) and Seattle Seahawks (4-0 in NFC West).

That said, if a team wants to win a Super Bowl – and which doesn’t? – it better not finish with a losing preseason record because none of the past 10 NFL champions have. Last year’s Philadelphia Eagles continued the trend with their 2-2 exhibition mark.

Ravens betting favorites in NFL Hall of Fame game

First off, let’s be clear: What a team does in the preseason has absolutely nothing to do with how it performs in the regular season barring major long-term injury in an exhibition game. Want proof? The 2008 Detroit Lions were the first team in NFL history to finish a regular season at 0-16. They were perhaps the league’s most dominant team that preseason in going 4-0. Last year, the Cleveland Browns joined the Lions in 0-16 infamy. What did Cleveland do in the preseason? 4-0, naturally.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

All that said, NFL bettors are going to wager on the preseason simply because football is back. And the exhibition slate begins as usual with the Hall of Fame Game from Canton, Ohio, on Thursday night. This year the participants are the Baltimore Ravens, who are 2.5-point favorites on the NFL odds, and the Chicago Bears. The league tries to schedule teams that will have someone inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame that weekend. Baltimore will send in Ray Lewis and Chicago will have Brian Urlacher, two legendary linebackers.

Because the Ravens and Bears will be the only teams to play a fifth preseason game, they were allowed to report to camp earlier than the other 30 clubs in the NFL. In all honesty, though, the Hall of Fame Game is largely a throw-away event for the teams participating. It’s unlikely most starters will play and if they do it will be briefly.

Early NFL week 1 odds roundup: Betting lines and trends

NFL handicappers and oddsmakers will tell you that the first week of the regular season is the hardest to pinpoint because no one really knows what teams truly are yet.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The NFL has the most parity of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States, and every year a few clubs that were supposed to be good aren’t and a few that were supposed to stink don’t. Just look at the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2016, they were last in the NFC East. Last year, they won the franchise’s first Super Bowl.

The biggest Week 1 home underdogs for 2018 are, to no surprise, the Cleveland Browns as they are +6.5 against the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns come off the second 0-16 season in league history and have one victory in 32 games under head coach Hue Jackson.

2018 NFL MVP odds: Usual suspects Rodgers, Brady lead list

Believe it or not, the first NFL team reports to training camp already on July 11: the Baltimore Ravens’ rookies are due in Owings Mills, Maryland, on Wednesday. That’s the first reporting date of any team, with Baltimore’s veterans also the earliest on July 18.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The annual Hall of Fame Game, this year featuring the Chicago Bears and Ravens, is less than a month away (August 2) in Canton, Ohio. The Ravens were allowed to report earlier than any team because they are playing in that game. The Bears will be the earliest NFC team to report (veterans on July 19) for the same reason.

With all due respect to the Ravens and Bears, it would be a mammoth upset if either team had a player in the NFL MVP conversation for 2018. Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco is +7500 on this prop. Flacco has been trending downward ever since winning MVP honors of Super Bowl XLVII and getting a huge contract extension – which has essentially killed the Ravens ever since.

NFL division odds: Eagles, Rams among NFC betting favorites

The NFL has a ton of parity, at least in terms of teams reaching the postseason. Every year since the league switched to a 12-team playoff format in 1990, at least four new teams have made the postseason from one year to the next.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

That said, there’s usually one dominant team in one division per conference, the New England Patriots in the AFC East being a good example. The Green Bay Packers have been the Patriots of the NFC in the North Division. Thus, there’s usually at least one repeat division champion in each conference each season. That wasn’t the case, though, in 2017 as all four NFC division champions were new. Could it happen again in 2018?

The biggest NFC divisional betting favorite is the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles at -175 in the NFC East. Their division title last year was their first since 2013, and they won the franchise’s first Super Bowl despite losing starting quarterback Carson Wentz in Week 14 to a season-ending knee injury. Backup Nick Foles played his way to Super Bowl MVP honors. Will Wentz be ready for Week 1? Signs seem to be pointing that way.

NFL Division odds: AFC favorites include Patriots, Steelers

Since a then-fairly unknown sixth-round quarterback out of the University of Michigan named Tom Brady took over as the New England Patriots starter early in the 2001 season, probably the safest bet in sports has been on the Patriots winning the AFC East Division.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The only times they haven’t claimed the AFC East since that season were in 2002 (New York Jets) and 2008 (Miami Dolphins – and Brady was lost to a season-ending injury in Week 1).

No surprise, then, that New England is the biggest division favorite on the board by a wide margin for the 2018 season, priced at -650 to win the AFC East for a 10th straight year. There are many reasons why the Pats have dominated the East, but it really comes down to quarterback. They have Brady, and the other three teams have been cycling through guys.

NFL seeks uniform standards on US sports gambling

The National Football League (NFL) is seeking a uniform set of rules for sports betting following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) of 1992.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called on lawmakers to enact legislation that protects the players, coaches and fans and, at the same time, maintains public confidence in their games. He said sports betting should be governed by federal law and not by the state law.

In a nutshell, Goodell’s wish list to Congress include substantial consumer protections; intellectual property protection against those “who attempt to steal or misuse” their content; fans will have access to official, reliable league data; and to give law enforcers the resources and monitoring and enforcement tools against “bad actors.”

“There is no greater priority for me as the Commissioner of the National Football League than protecting the integrity of our sport,” Goodell said in a statement posted on the NFL website. “Our fans, our players and our coaches deserve to know that we are doing everything possible to ensure no improper influences affect how the game is played on the field.”

NFL win totals hit sportsbooks for 2018 season

Now that we are past the NFL Draft, teams for the most part know what their rosters will look like entering training camp, although there could be a surprise post-June 1 release and there’s always the threat of serious injuries in OTA, etc.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The sportsbooks generally know what teams are too, so let’s check on the updated win totals around the league.

To absolutely zero surprise, the New England Patriots lead the NFL at a total of 11 wins, and the over is a -140 favorite. The Patriots annually have the highest win total because of Tom Brady. You didn’t really think the three-time league MVP was going to retire this offseason did you? Brady had one of his best seasons in 2017 at age 40, including throwing for a Super Bowl record 505 yards in a wild loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Oddsmakers expect second half to be higher scoring in Super Bowl

Last year in Super Bowl 51, the New England Patriots outscored the Atlanta Falcons 31-7 in the second half and overtime after overcoming a record 25-point deficit to win their fifth Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The Patriots trailed 21-3 at halftime, so the second half and OT easily won the prop bet for highest-scoring between the two. This year in Super Bowl 52, the second half and OT is a solid -145 favorite (bet $145 to win $100).

The first half is listed as a +115 underdog (bet $100 to win $115) and was higher scoring two years ago in Super Bowl 50 when the Denver Broncos held a 13-7 lead over the Carolina Panthers at the intermission en route to a 24-10 victory.

Super Bowl LII betting odds: Underdog Philadelphia Eagles out to prove they’re not all bark

Philadelphia Eagles’ fans have been wearing lots of dog masks lately.

No one ever predicted that the team will ever book a ticket to the Super Bowl in Minneapolis on Sunday since the start of the season. The Eagles, however, clawed their way to the top with much gusto, vanquishing one team after the other.

The Eagles fought football juggernauts like the Minnesota Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons until they become the first team to be both a betting underdog and at the same time No.1 seed.

Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox best described how everyone treated the team all year when he was interviewed by ESPN last month: disrespected.

Super Bowl props: Patriots, Eagles rematch in spotlight for Sunday

When the Philadelphia Eagles last met the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl 13 years ago, the biggest health concern for either team was wide receiver Terrell Owens.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The brash Owens vowed to play in the big game for the Eagles despite a severely sprained ankle and fractured fibula, and he did with nine catches for 122 yards in a 24-21 loss to the Patriots. The odds of T.O.’s name being mentioned during the Super Bowl 52 broadcast this Sunday in a rematch of sorts is listed as a pick’em.

The previous Super Bowl meeting between New England and Philadelphia was unique in many ways. There was Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb reportedly vomiting on the sidelines (he still disputes it), Patriots quarterback Tom Brady not earning Super Bowl MVP honors even though they were crowned champions (wide receiver Deion Branch won it instead) and their team becoming the last to win back-to-back titles.

From Brady’s missing jersey to Trump tweets: Super Bowl LII crazy prop bets

The New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles are not the only ones that have come prepared for Sunday’s Super Bowl LII showdown.

Bookmakers across the U.S. dished out some of the ridiculously insane—if not incredibly obscure and granular—prop bets that have nothing to do with the game itself but will surely provide absolute entertainment for sports fans and punters alike.

In fact, online sportsbook Bodog has over 20 pages of creative prop bet list for punters ahead of the much anticipated Super Bowl LII.

Will Tom Brady’s jersey be stolen again this year? The oddsmaker said there is 10/1 chance that the New England’s top quarterback will lose his jersey after the game.

Brady, Foles top favorites on Super Bowl 52 MVP odds

The night before Super Bowl 52, bettors will know if Tom Brady of the favored New England Patriots will have a chance to win the NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP awards in the same season.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The NFL MVP winner will be announced on February 3, and Kurt Warner of the St. Louis Rams was the last to win both under that scenario 18 years ago.

Brady has actually won the Super Bowl MVP twice as many times (four) as the NFL MVP (two). And he has never won the Super Bowl after winning NFL MVP honors. Last year, Brady was named Super Bowl 51 MVP after throwing for a record 466 yards, leading the Patriots back from a 28-3 deficit to win the big game 34-28 in overtime.

Patriots settle as solid Super Bowl betting favorites against Eagles

The New England Patriots (15-3) and Philadelphia Eagles (15-3) were both the top seeds in their respective conferences heading into the playoffs, so it is not too much of a surprise to see them squaring off in Super Bowl 52 on February 4 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

But the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots are fortunate that Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz will not be on the field, making them 5-point favorites.

With Wentz under center, bettors would likely be looking at close to a pick’em game. Instead, they get to agonize over deciding whether or not backup Nick Foles is really worth that many points, or if Philadelphia’s defense can somehow limit New England’s Tom Brady and an offense that looks as good as ever, especially when it counts.

Jags, Vikes looking to snap skid for road teams in conference title games

The Jacksonville Jaguars (12-6) have never been to the Super Bowl. The Minnesota Vikings (14-3) are 0-4 in the big game and have not played for the Vince Lombardi Trophy in more than 40 years.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Both the Jaguars and the Vikings are road teams that will also be trying to break an eight-game losing streak for visitors in conference title games, going 0-5 against the spread in the previous five as well heading into Sunday’s action.

Jacksonville undoubtedly has the more difficult road, going through Foxborough against the New England Patriots (14-3), who are playing in their seventh consecutive AFC Championship Game. The Jaguars are listed as 9-point underdogs and have lost the past seven meetings with the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots straight up, going 2-5 against the spread in those games

Road teams coming off 4-0 ATS mark heading into divisional round

The visitors had their revenge in last weekend’s wild card round of the NFL playoffs, going a perfect 4-0 against the spread and winning both of Saturday’s games straight up. This weekend should be much more difficult for the road teams though, with the top two seeds from each conference finally beginning their journey toward Super Bowl 52.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

In fact, the defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcons (11-6) are the lone road team favored in the divisional round, and that is only because the top-seeded Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) are playing without their top player in injured quarterback Carson Wentz. The Falcons are 3-point road chalk against the Eagles in the early game on Saturday and have gone 4-0 SU and ATS in their last four Saturday games after upsetting the Los Angeles Rams 26-13 last week as 6-point road underdogs.

The top two seeds in the AFC are huge home favorites, starting with the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots (13-3) versus the Tennessee Titans (10-7) on Saturday night. The Patriots are listed as 14-point home chalk, and they have won the past five home meetings (4-1 ATS) with the Titans, who are coming off a 22-21 upset of the Kansas City Chiefs last Saturday as 8.5-point road dogs. However, Tennessee has gone a disappointing 7-20-1 ATS in its last 28 games after a win.

Will home teams continue to dominate Wild Card round of NFL Playoffs?

Last year, bettors saw the home teams go a perfect 4-0 straight up and against the spread in the four NFL Wild Card Weekend games. Favorites over the past three years have also gone an impressive 10-2 SU and 7-4-1 ATS in this round, and this weekend that puts the Kansas City Chiefs (10-6), Los Angeles Rams (11-5), Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6) and New Orleans Saints (11-5) in prime position to move on.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The Chiefs kick off Wild Card Weekend on Saturday by hosting the Tennessee Titans (9-7) as 9-point home favorites as they try to win a postseason game at Arrowhead Stadium for the first time since 1993. They have struggled against the Titans previously there though, losing four of the past five meetings and failing to cover five of six.

Later on Saturday, the Rams will meet the defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcons (10-6) as 6-point home chalk. Night games have been good to the Falcons recently, with them going 10-3 against the spread in their last 13 primetime appearances. Atlanta definitely has postseason experience on its side, and Los Angeles has not played great at home lately either with a 3-8 ATS mark in its last 11 at the Coliseum.