NFL Superbowl
NFL: Sunday Late Afternoon NFL Kickoffs (4:05 PM ET, FOX & CBS)
2009-09-25
Of the five late afternoon games in the NFL, all are important in some way or another. Of course, when you’re betting, the games that mean more are the ones you have wagering tickets on. With that thought in mind, here’s is a look at three of the games to choose from with kickoffs in the 4 o’clock hour. Get the latest wagering options from Sportsbook.com at the LIVE ODDS page.
(419) CHICAGO at (420) SEATTLE
Chicago got a big win on Sunday afternoon vs. Pittsburgh and now has some momentum as it heads to Seattle for a matchup of 1-1 teams. The Bears, without LB Brian Urlacher for the rest of the year, stepped up and knocked off the defending champs as home dogs. However, they have won just one of their L6 road games, both SU & ATS, and making matters worse, haven’t won in Seattle in over 25 years, being outscored 92-49 in three games since. The Seahawks are off the loss in San Francisco, a game in which they were chewed up for 256 yards rushing by the 49ers. However, they are on a 12-5-1 ATS run at home, including 8-2-1 ATS as a favorite. They opened as 2.5-point chalk in this one. Chicago is on a 3-11 ATS slide when coming off a win.
(421) NEW ORLEANS at (422) BUFFALO
New Orleans might be one of the NFL’s elite teams and the favorite in Sunday’s game at Buffalo, but make no mistake, this one won’t be easy. After last week’s win over Tampa Bay, Head coach Dick Jauron now owns a 15-3 ATS mark at home against non-conference teams. His Bills’ clubs are also 9-4 ATS in September, and 8-4 ATS as home dogs. By all rights, Buffalo should be 2-0 headed into this one as well, having handed New England the win in the Monday night opener. The Saints are in a comfortable role however, that being road favorites. Under Sean Payton, they are 7-1 SU & ATS after last week’s win at Philly. His team was also 4-0 ATS against the AFC in ’08. In this h2h series, road teams are on a 3-1 SU & ATS run, with favorites having swept the last three.
(423) MIAMI at (424) SAN DIEGO
Miami & UNDER, that has been the winning betting recipe in the series between the Dolphins and Chargers. Miami owns a 7-1 SU & ATS record in the L8 head-to-head matchups since ‘95, while the UNDER has converted on all eight games during that span. The Chargers will be looking to change that side trend when the clubs meet in a Week 3 contest. They are on a run of 12-3 ATS as a host to AFC foes after the win over Baltimore. That trend will be tested by the fact that Miami swept all six road games vs. conference opponents in ’08. The Dolphins are also on a more extended run of 31-12 vs. AFC West teams. San Diego is 1-1 after losing at home to the Ravens’, a game in which the Chargers gained 474 yards of offense.
NFL: Tight odds splitting bettors2009-01-06NFL: Tight odds splitting bettors
The Divisional Playoffs begin this Saturday and all four home-favorite games are pretty evenly split among early bettors.
In Saturday’s games, 52% like Tennessee giving three points to Baltimore, and 43% like Carolina giving 10 points to Arizona.
On Sunday, 59% like the NY Giants giving four-points to Philly and 36% like Pittsburgh giving six points to San Diego.
That’s a far cry from last week when all four home teams were underdogs, and the betting public was heavily in favor of the visitors, giving them more than 80% support in every game.
Home dogs ended up going 2-2 straight-up and ATS last week with Arizona and San Diego getting the job done on Saturday, and road favorites Baltimore and Philadelphia being victorious on Sunday.
Looking at the first game this week, it begins on Saturday afternoon with the Tennessee Titans (13-3) giving three-points to the Baltimore Ravens (12-5).
On paper, this is set to be the best game of the weekend as both teams are extremely physical, want to run the ball and rely on their defense to win.
The Ravens are the faster and the more physical of the two and the question is whether Tennessee quarterback Kerry Collins can withstand the pass rush or will he end up throwing interceptions like Miami’s Chad Pennington did last week.
The Saturday night game features the Carolina Panthers (12-4) giving 10-points to the Arizona Cardinals (10-7). This is the only big spread of the weekend and it makes sense even though Arizona looked very good at home last week in beating Atlanta.
Arizona is not a great away team, losing their last two on the road to Philadelphia and New England by a combined score of 95-27. Carolina is also a perfect 8-0 at home this season, with a 5-2-1 ATS mark.
The early game on Sunday has the New York Giants (12-4) giving four-points to the Philadelphia Eagles (10-6-1). These NFC East rivals know each other intimately and you can be sure the Giants were rooting for the Eagles to lose so they could face warm weather Arizona instead.
These teams split their regular season meetings but the Eagles won the last one 20-14 in the Meadowlands just four weeks ago. Don’t think that doesn’t play into the psyche of both teams.
The final game of the weekend has the Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) giving six-points to the San Diego Chargers (9-8). These teams met in mid-November in Pittsburgh with the Steelers sneaking out with an 11-10 win. The Chargers had plenty of chances to win that game and they did cover the 4 ½-point spread.
The Chargers lost their next two games after the loss to Pittsburgh but they reeled off four straight to end the season and claim the AFC West. They then pulled off a great mini-upset of Indianapolis last week and no team is playing with more confidence right now despite the injury to LaDainian Tomlinson.
It’s the ‘never-say-die’ attitude of San Diego which is why more bettors like them this week than any other team. Out of the early bettors, 64% are backing the Chargers this Sunday.
In addition to the odds for this weekend’s playoff games, make sure you check out all our future odds including our recently updated Super Bowl Odds.
We are also offering Primetime Props for the Divisional Playoffs. The popular promotion was a huge hit during the regular season as well as during Wild-Card Weekend.
NFL: Early Afternoon Kickoffs (1:00 PM ET, FOX & CBS)2008-11-04Hopefully you remembered to turn your clocks back an hour on Saturday night or you’ll be turning on the TV to pregame shows rather than kickoffs on Sunday. Of course that isn’t all bad either. In any case, eight games are on the early betting board in the NFL, including three key showdowns. Here is a quick look at those key games. Be sure to visit the LIVE ODDS, TEAM STATISTICS, and BETTING TRENDS PAGES anytime before kickoffs for more important game information.
(399) HOUSTON at (400) MINNESOTA
Houston hits the road for the first time since September 28th, a span of five weeks and four games. It was a rare scheduling situation caused by Hurricane Ike. The Texans used the four-game homestand to heat up, winning the last three games to move to 3-4. Ironcially, they should have been 4-0 in the set, blowing a late 17-point lead to Indy in the first game. Here, they will be traveling to Minnesota for the first time ever, and will be putting to the test this trend: HOUSTON is 1-10 ATS in road games after playing a game at home over the last 3 seasons. The Vikings meanwhile, were off last week, left to reflect on a 3-4 start to the ’08 campaign. They are just 2-4 SU & ATS in their L6 games hosting the AFC, including an 18-15 loss to the Colts in Week 2.
(407) NY JETS at (408) BUFFALO
Last week’s game results of teams in the AFC East brought the standings much closer together as we move into the second half of the season. All four teams are currently within two games of one another. Two of the clubs, 4-3 New York and 5-2 Buffalo get together this week in what will be an important game. For the Bills, it’s a second straight divisional contest, and they will be looking for a fourth straight win and cover against the Jets. They are also 13-6 ATS at home under Dick Jauron. Even more impressive, Jauron owns a 22-6 ATS mark as a Head Coach in November home games. HC Eric Mangini’s team, which has already turned the ball over 16 times in seven games, is 1-2 on the road this season but boasts a 7-2 ATS mark in its L9 divisional road contests.
(413) GREEN BAY at (414) TENNESSEE
Green Bay and Tennessee go into their Week 9 contest atop their respective divisions. The packers have the luxury of an additional week of rest having enjoyed their bye week last Sunday. That could be big not only because the Packers are 7-1 SU & 5-3 ATS after the bye, but also because they are expected to get several key defensive starters back from injury. Their last outing was their most impressive win of the season, a 34-14 rout of Indianapolis, the fifth SU & ATS win in a row for HC Mike McCarthy’s team vs. the AFC. Of course, his team also boasts a 14-5 ATS record on the road in his tenure. The Titans also last played the Colts, this past Monday night. HC Jeff Fisher’s team is 29-14 ATS vs. the NFC, including wins in two straight over Green Bay.
NFL - Baltimore at San Diego (4:15 PM ET – CBS)2007-11-23Baltimore and San Diego were two of the more highly touted teams in the AFC prior to the season. Neither has lived up to advanced billing.
The Ravens are 4-6 and headed for worse with five of six games remaining against teams .500 or better. The Chargers are 5-5, but amazingly still atop the AFC West. Oddsmakers apparently believe that Baltimore has slipped much further, installing host San Diego as a 9-point favorite in their matchup on Sunday. HC Brian Billick’s team has been brutal on the road thus far, going 1-4 SU & 0-5 ATS, scoring just 12.6 PPG. Overall, they average just 16.8, leading to a trend showing San Diego as 29-15 ATS vs. teams scoring <=17 PPG. The Chargers have played their best ball at home, going 4-1 SU & ATS, holding teams to 15.6 PPG.
A roster noted for veteran leadership now appears to be better defined as aged and incapable. Several of the key positions are filled players failing to meet needs and the indecision at QB must be called into question. The inability to bring an effective passing offense has resulted in concerns for nearly every other aspect of Baltimore’s effort. The defense continues to enjoy strong efforts but is tainted by abuse as the offense fails to produce. Now injuries to dominating CB Chris McAlister and safeties Ed Reed and Samari Rolle introduce more need for concern.
Ask any fan in San Diego to identify the primary failure of this Charger squad and the answer should be unanimous: The defense is a failure. Fingers should point to Ted Cottrell, the defensive coordinator who has failed to retain employment and earn respect for far too long, leaving questions about San Diego’s decision to take this route. QB Philip Rivers has also drawn criticism for regression into poor habits, resulting in a lopsided offense built on the talents of RB LaDainian Tomlinson that opponents are finding far too easy to defend.
Keys to the Game – The Ravens run is over for all intents and purposes. QB Steve McNair is more done than burnt toast and the offensive line is living on history, not results. The defense, though brave, is no longer the 2001 Super Bowl unit. The Ravens are 6-15 ATS on the road over the last three years. Rivers has taken a step backwards as a quarterback, not showing the needed composure when things are difficult. The Chargers are a dull 10-10 ATS the last five seasons before playing an AFC West opponent.
Trends
Baltimore is 5-14 ATS after playing a game at M&T Bank Stadium.
San Diego is 43-23 ATS when their defense forces two turnovers.
StatFox Pick – Chargers minus points