Category Archives: NFL

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

49ers among early line movers on NFL week 17 odds board

Will quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo close out the 2017 NFL regular season with a fifth straight victory as a starter since being traded to the San Francisco 49ers (5-10) from the New England Patriots (12-3)? Bettors apparently think so, moving the 49ers from 4-point road underdogs visiting the Los Angeles Rams (11-4) to 3-point favorites after the home team announced its intention to rest starters after clinching the NFC West title.

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The hype surrounding Garoppolo has also contributed to the line movement, as he has thrown for 1,250 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions in winning his first four starts. Without Garoppolo under center, San Francisco would probably be a small road dog. Meanwhile, Los Angeles will either get the third or fourth seed in the NFC playoffs depending on whether the NFC South winner has a better record or not.

In the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs (9-6) have decided to start rookie quarterback Patrick Mahomes and rest their key players as well heading into a divisional matchup with the Denver Broncos (5-10). However, the Chiefs are visiting the Broncos and may still have the best signal caller on the field since Mahomes was a first-round draft pick.

Winless Browns among underdogs on NFL week 16 betting lines

Time is running out for the Cleveland Browns (0-14) to avoid becoming the second team ever to finish the regular season winless. With two weeks to go, the Browns are 6.5-point road underdogs visiting the Chicago Bears (4-10), who sportsbooks may need to cover the spread on Sunday if sharp bettors wager against another 0-16 campaign.

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The Bears have shown glimpses of success in the first season for rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and what looks to be the last year for head coach John Fox. However, Cleveland still has a decent shot to upset Chicago here and has a much tougher road matchup on deck versus the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17. So this line could dip to six points or less knowing that history favors the Browns getting a win.

On the other side of the spectrum, the New England Patriots (11-3) host the Buffalo Bills (8-6) in a huge divisional game for both teams on Sunday. The Patriots are coming off a 27-24 road victory against the Steelers and simply need to win out in order to earn the top seed in the AFC again after taking home their ninth consecutive AFC East title.

Week 14 NFL slate includes Jets as road favorites against Broncos

After opening as 1-point road underdogs visiting the Denver Broncos (3-9) on Sunday, the New York Jets (5-7) have moved to 1-point favorites following their 38-31 win over the Kansas City Chiefs last week. The Broncos have dropped eight straight games heading into the matchup with the Jets, their longest losing streak since 1967.

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That may be enough reason to back New York, although Denver is still 4-1 straight up and against the spread in the past five meetings. The Broncos are also 5-2 SU and ATS in their last seven as home underdogs. On the other side, the Jets are favored on the road for just the fifth time in the last two years and have won four of those games (3-1-1 ATS). Two of the wins came against the Cleveland Browns, including one this season.

Another team that has seen some early movement in its favor is the Houston Texans (4-8) as they host the San Francisco 49ers (2-10) off a big road win versus the Chicago Bears. The Texans opened as 1.5-point chalk and are up to -3 as Jimmy Garoppolo prepares to make his second start for the 49ers and second in a row away from home. Garoppolo would seem to have an edge at quarterback over Houston’s Tom Savage, but San Francisco has gone 1-7 SU and 2-6 ATS in its last eight games after a victory.

QB changes could help or hurt teams on NFL week 13 odds slate

Many fans of the worst teams in the league probably are rooting for them to keep losing in hopes of securing one of the top picks in the 2018 NFL Draft. One of the first true signs of playing for the future is making a quarterback change down the stretch, opting to go with a younger player who will be around next season and needs experience.

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With Week 13 upon us, teams like the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers have decided to go in that direction as road underdogs and may actually see more support.

Last week, the Denver Broncos made a similar move in giving second-year player Paxton Lynch his third career start, but it backfired in a 21-14 road loss to the Oakland Raiders. Lynch suffered a high-ankle sprain with the Broncos trailing 21-0, and he was then replaced by veteran Trevor Siemian, who has taken the starting job back yet again.

Five teams favored by double digits in Sunday’s NFL betting action

If you want to know some of the top Super Bowl contenders for this season, all you need to do is take a look at the point spreads for Sunday’s Week 12 games. Five teams that are among the favorites to win the big game are listed as 10-point home chalk or higher, including the New England Patriots (8-2) and Philadelphia Eagles (9-1).

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The Patriots are the biggest favorites on the betting board at -17 against the Miami Dolphins (4-6), who do not know if quarterback Jay Cutler will be able to play due to a concussion. Cutler left after throwing three interceptions in the first half of last week’s 30-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he was replaced by Matt Moore.

The line has not moved yet, but sportsbooks will likely need Miami to cover the big number like the team did in a 20-17 road win over the Atlanta Falcons as 14-point dogs in Week 6.

Half of Sunday’s NFL matchups see road teams favored in week 11

There are 12 games scheduled for Sunday in Week 11 of the NFL season. In those 12 matchups, six road teams are favored, including the Kansas City Chiefs (6-3), who are listed as the biggest chalk overall at -11 visiting the New York Giants (1-8).

It is hard to fathom the betting public will find any way to back the stumbling Giants despite the fact that they have won four of the past five and covered seven of eight in the series.

However, it would not be surprising to see some of the other five home underdogs get support from bettors on Sunday, especially the Green Bay Packers (5-4) hosting the Baltimore Ravens (4-5).

While Green Bay quarterback Brett Hundley is considered questionable with a hamstring injury, there is a chance this line could flip from +2 if he is cleared to play based on his performance last week in a 23-16 road win over the Chicago Bears. The Ravens lost at home to the Bears in Week 6 and have dropped three of four.

Bears rare favorites over rival packers in week 10 NFL betting

How important is two-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers to the Green Bay Packers? Including the game where he suffered a likely season-ending broken collarbone, the Packers have lost three in a row and not scored more than 17 points in any of them behind backup quarterback Brett Hundley.

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On Sunday in Week 10, Green Bay visits Chicago in the NFL’s oldest rivalry. The Bears are 5.5-point favorites, the first time they have been favored in this series since December 2008 when Rodgers was in his first year as a starter.

The Bears were 7.5-point underdogs when they visited Lambeau Field on a Thursday in Week 4. Green Bay rolled to a 35-14 victory. Rodgers threw four touchdown passes. That was also the final game Chicago started ineffective Mike Glennon at quarterback. It has since been rookie No. 2 overall pick Mitch Trubisky.

Packers underdogs hosting Lions among NFL week 9 betting matchups

A couple NFC teams coming off bye weeks in Week 9 got an opportunity to get additional practice time in with new quarterbacks after losing their starters to injuries. For the Green Bay Packers, they are hoping Brett Hundley will get the job done as they host the Detroit Lions as 3-point home underdogs in the Monday Night Football game.

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Hundley lost his first start against the New Orleans Saints two weeks ago replacing the injured Aaron Rodgers (collarbone), and bettors seem to be fading Green Bay again in this spot versus Detroit after the Lions opened as 2.5-point road favorites. Detroit has failed to cover the spread in five of its last six trips to Lambeau Field, and sportsbooks will likely need that trend to continue based on early betting action supporting the Lions.

On Sunday, the winless San Francisco 49ers are listed as 2-point home dogs as they welcome the Arizona Cardinals to Levi’s Stadium. While the 49ers just acquired quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots earlier in the week, he is not expected to make his first start until November 12 against the New York Giants.

Will big favorites come through again in week 8 of NFL season?

Just when football bettors think they have the NFL figured out, the sportsbooks strike back and avenge their losses.

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That was certainly the case last week when favorites bounced back and dominated, especially those playing at home with a 6-1-1 mark against the spread. Overall, favorites were 10-4-1 ATS after going 3-11 the previous week.

Bettors generally like taking dogs due to the perceived value, although Week 7 might have made them think twice about that. Heading into Week 8, there are again several big favorites like the Minnesota Vikings (-9.5 in London versus the Cleveland Browns), New Orleans Saints (-9 at home against the Chicago Bears), Philadelphia Eagles (-13 at home against the San Francisco 49ers) and Cincinnati Bengals (-10.5 at home against the Indianapolis Colts).

Home underdogs worth watching heading into week 7 of NFL season

Underdogs ruled Week 6 of the NFL season, and there are a few home dogs that sportsbooks will likely need to cover the spread in Week 7 starting on Thursday night when the Oakland Raiders (2-4) host the Kansas City Chiefs (5-1).

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The Raiders are listed as 3-point home dogs and will be looking to break a four-game losing streak.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs are coming off their first loss last week at home to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they have gone 11-3 both straight up and against the spread in the past 14 meetings with Oakland. The public may end up putting their money more on Kansas City to rebound in this spot as a small road favorite rather than back the home dog.

Alabama becoming bigger favorite to win National Championship

Not too much has changed at the top of the betting board halfway through the 2017 college football season, as the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (6-0) have only strengthened their status as the team to beat for this year’s national championship.

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The Crimson Tide have taken advantage of a fairly weak SEC so far and cut their future odds down to +120 (bet $100 to win $120) as the favorite.

Alabama likely will not be truly challenged until squaring off against the 10th-ranked Auburn Tigers (5-1) in their annual Iron Bowl rivalry game on November 25. Four of the Tide’s next five games are at home, and none of their opponents during that stretch are ranked.

Double-digit NFL favorites on board for week 6 of the season

By the time Sunday’s NFL games kick off, there could be as many as five double-digit favorites on the Week 6 slate.

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Five favorites are currently sitting at 10 points or more and could easily move up because they are either popular public teams or facing opponents that are among the very worst in the league heading into this week’s betting action.

The Houston Texans (2-3), New England Patriots (3-2) and Washington Redskins (2-2) are all currently listed as 10-point chalk, and sportsbooks will obviously need their opponents to come through and cover the spread as big underdogs if they close even higher.

Winless Browns in pick’em matchup as NFL week 5 odds hit board

The winless Cleveland Browns (0-4) are well on their way to being the worst team in the NFL again this season, although this Sunday would seem to be their best opportunity to earn a victory because they are at home hosting the New York Jets (2-2) in a pick’em matchup.

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Last Sunday, the Browns were routed at home by the previously winless Cincinnati Bengals 31-7 as 3-point home underdogs, and the week before that the Indianapolis Colts picked up their first win against them 31-28 as 1-point dogs.

Cleveland is hoping to get top overall pick Myles Garrett back versus New York so that he can put some pressure on quarterback Josh McCown. The public likes the Jets so far though, moving this game to a pick’em after the Browns had opened at -1.5. New York has won the past four meetings both straight up and against the spread.

Seahawks’ Sherman says fantasy sports dehumanizes athletes

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman says fantasy sports have conditioned people to dehumanize professional athletes, especially when they’re lying injured on the field of play.

Following the Seahawks’ victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night, Sherman was quizzed during the postgame press conference about injuries incurred by two Seahawk players, running back Chris Carson and offensive lineman Rees Odhiambo.

Without anyone mentioning fantasy sports, Sherman offered his view that “a lot of fans out there have looked at players less like people because of fantasy football.” Sherman said that, when a player gets hurt during a game, his fellow athletes were more concerned about their colleagues’ physical and mental wellbeing, while some viewers at home or in the stands are “thinking, ‘oh man, he’s messing up my fantasy team.’”

Sherman said that type of response was “why you see the frustration from a lot of players who don’t care about your fantasy team … these are real players, this is real life … your fantasy team may not win, and hey, guess what, you’ll live the next day.” Meanwhile, the injured players “may not ever get another shot. They may never get another down, another play.”

Clemson a solid road favorite against Virginia Tech in ACC Clash

The betting trends support backing the defending national champion Clemson Tigers (4-0) as solid road favorites in this Saturday’s ACC showdown against the Virginia Tech Hokies (4-0).

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The Tigers opened as 7-point road chalk versus the Hokies, with their rout of the Louisville Cardinals two weeks ago away from home serving as a baseline for oddsmakers in setting this line.

Clemson was only a 3-point road favorite at Louisville and ended up crushing the home team 47-21 in an early statement game. The big question bettors need to consider heading into this matchup at Virginia Tech though is how the Hokies rank when compared to the Cardinals.