NFL Week 17 – Betting News, Matchups, Injuries, Live Spread

Week 17 – the last week of the 2008 NFL regular season. Last chance to hit that nice little three-teamer and end the year on the plus side (thereby justifying keeping your gambling habit alive for another year). With a few playoff spots and homefield advantage still up for grabs, a lot of teams still have something to play for on Sunday, so we’ll focus on those games in this week’s writeup. The Giants, Titans, Colts and Steelers have already locked in their playoff seeding, so expect to see reserves playing early and often. And then we have the Lions. They are calling this week’s game against the Packers their Super Bowl, while the Packers really don’t have much motivation other than making sure Detroit stays winless. Can the Lions pull it together and avoid the embarrassment of 0-16 by pulling off the upset in Lambeau?

Key Injuries

• Both Harry Douglas and Michael Jenkins are listed as questionable for the Falcons.
• The Bears placed safety Mike Brown on Injured Reserve with a calf injury

• Ken Dorsey is out for the Browns, leaving them with Bruce Gradkowski as the starter for this week’s game against the Steelers

• Marion Barber is still dealing with that toe injury and will see limited action against the Eagles

• Jeremy Shockey is out for the Saints

Key Matchups

Remember, you can always visit SpreadWeekly’s Live Spread page to see the current NFL odds for every game, every week from three top sportsbooks – Bookmaker, Bodog and Sportsbooks.

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles

Spread: Philadelphia -1

Gametime: 4:15 EST

Weather: 61 degrees, showers and wind 22mph from SW

Preview:

Major playoff implications in this NFC East showdown. If the Cowboys win, their in. The Eagles need to win and get some help. Both teams are relatively healthy, although Marion Barber’s toe is still hurting so don’t expect to see him get anywhere close to 25-30 carries.

Trends:

• The Cowboys are 1-8 against the spread in their last 9 December games
• The under is 6-2-1 in the Eagles’ last 9 home games
• The underdog is 7-1 against the spread in the last 8 meetings between the Cowboys and Eagles

SpreadWeekly prediction: Cowboys 24 – Eagles 17

Miami Dolphins at NY Jets

Spread: NY Jets -3

Gametime: 4:15 EST

Weather: 58 degrees, showers and wind at 21mph from SW

Preview:

If you’ve had ESPN on for more than a few seconds at any point this week then you know the story – Chad Pennington going back to New York with a chance to get the Dolphins into the playoffs while also ending his former team’s season. Miami wins the AFC East with a win, The Jets need to beat the Dolphins and then get some help. Brett Favre has been looking every bit of his 39 years over the past few weeks and now it looks like his shoulder might be injured. If he can’t turn back the clock this week, look for the Dolphins to complete a remarkable turnaround from last season’s 1-15 and ESPN to relapse into 24/7 Favre Retirement Watch.

Trends:

• Dolphins are 4-0 against the spread in their last 4 games as a road underdog
• Jets are 4-1 against the spread in their last 5 games against teams with winning records
• The road team is 4-1-1 in the last 6 games between the Dolphins and Jets

SpreadWeekly prediction: Dolphins 21 – Jets 19

Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers

Spread: San Diego Chargers -8

Gametime: 8:15 EST

Weather: 61 degrees and sunny

Preview:

Gotta hate being the Broncos right now. The AFC West was theirs for the taking…for the past two months. Just a home win against the Raiders or the Bills would’ve clinched it, but they blew it. Now they have to travel to San Diego to play against a Chargers team that’s finally playing near expectations. Winner goes to the playoffs, loser goes home, very, very disappointed. Throw in the personal rivalry betweeen Jay Cutler and Philip Rivers and that was in full display at the end of last season and this should be a pretty decent finale to the regular season.

Trends:

• Broncos are 1-5 against the spread in their last 6 December games
• Broncos are 0-4-1 in their last 5 games against the Chargers
• Chargers are 4-1 against the spread in ther last 5 home games against teams with a winning record

SpreadWeekly prediction: Denver 31 – Chargers 35

NFL Week 16 – NFL Odds, Key Matchups and Injuries

Lots of action in week 16 with the playoffs inching closer and closer and teams in the hunt playing for their playoff life. There are also nfl teams that looked like locks for homefield advantage that have faltered lately Cough*Giants*Cough.

Key Injuries

• Marshawn Lynch is expected to play but has a shoulder injury
• Matt Forte did not practice with a toe injury
• Marion Barber is 50/50 with a toe injury and will likely be a game time decision
• Tono Romo was limited in practice with a back injury suffered last game
• Joseph Addai and Dwight Freeney are questionable with a shoulder and foot
• Brandon Jacobs practiced and should play after missing the dallas game with a knee injury

Key NFL Matchups for Week 16

To check out all the matchups for the week go to our NFL Spread page with the current spread as well as the line history for the week. Looking for a sportsbook to place a bet? Try Bookmaker.com

Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys (-4) the Saturday Night Game at 8:15pm ET

Game Notes: This is a big game for both teams who basically need to win out to make the playoffs. Last week the Cowboys were able to overcome locker room drama with an allegation by Terrel Owens that Romo and Witten were planning the offense without making him a factor. Though, this didn’t seem to matter as they defeated the Giants who have been struggling. This week they will take on the Ravens with Tony Romo beat up from last game with a hurt back. The betting odds are currently in the Dallas Cowboy’s favor with Bookmaker, Bodog Life and Sportsbook.com all going with the Cowboys -4.

Weather: Dome

Betting Trends: About 60% picking Dallas Cowboys on the Spread.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Tennessee Titans (2), Sunday Game at 1:00pm ET

Game Notes: This is a big matchup with both teams playing for first place in the division. If the Titans do win they will clinch the first place spot and have homefield advantage going into the playoffs. The Titans best two defensive lineman will not play, giving Ben plenty of time to run plays and find his receivers. Tenessee will try to run on the Steelers defense who has been solid against the run and will have their work cut out for them.

Weather: Wind from the West at 22mph, 38-20 degrees

Betting Trends: So far the spread has been very lopsided (65+%) going with the Steelers.

Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings (-3), Sunday Game at 4:15pm ET

Game Notes: The Vikings had a very slow start but have picked it up and are looking to clinch the division with a win against the Atlanta Falcons. The falcons are averaging 148.7 yards per game and are one of the top rushing offenses against the Vikings solid defensive line. Atlanta has won 3 of its last 4 games and are looking to get a playoff spot if they win and they also needs losses from (Cowboys or Philly and the Bucs). Two of the premiere runnings backs will face off with Turner (falcons) going against Adrian Peterson who currently is leading the league in rushing yards.

Weather: Dome

Betting Trends: There are varying reports with Minessota being heavily bet on at one sportsbook while at another atlanta has the slight advantage…so at this point I would conclude its a toss up.

NFL Week 15 – Odds, Injuries, Key Matchups

It seems like just yesterday the Bills were 4-0 and your bankroll was so fat it was going to be plasma-screens and Wiis for everyone this Christmas. But now it’s Week 15 and the Bills are relegated to playing spoiler and thanks to Polamalu’s touchdown that wasn’t, that 4-teamer that hinged on the Jets actually making it onto the plane to the West Coast and that always sound “the Lions are due” logic,  it’s time to print out another batch of Human Fund donation cards.

With that, let’s take a look at some of the key matchups this week including an all-defense showdown between the Ravens and Steelers (so of course you know it’s going way over the number), a critical game in the division nobody cares about between the Bucs and Falcons and a sunday night matchup between two teams we all know way too much about – Cowboys vs. Giants.

Injuries

 

Here are some of the key injuries for Week 15

• Brandon Jacobs – Out (knee)

• Frank Gore – Questionable (ankle). Singletary said today it would be a game-time decision, but it doesn’t look good.

• Marion Barber – Questionable (toe). Although, if you ask Jerry Jones, he’s fully healthy and just a big wuss.

• Daunte Culpepper – Out (shoulder). Don’t know if this really counts as a key injury, but oh well.

• Fred Taylor – Out (thumb)

Go here for a full, league-wide injury report

 

 

Key Matchups

Note: Check out our home page or NFL Spreads page For free, live odds on every NFL game, all season long.

 

TB vs. Atl

Line:

Atlanta -3

Game Time:

1:00pm ET

Weather:

Dome

Head-to-Head:

TB has won 3 straight. TB won 24-7 at home on 9/24 in first meeting this year.

Trends:

• NFC South home teams have won all 10 division games so far this season

• TB is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 December games

• Atlanta is 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight-up loss

• Atlanta is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a home favorite

• Tampa Bay is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 meetings in Atl.

Game Notes:

Both teams are fighting for their playoff lives after losses last week to divisional opponents (Tampa Bay lost to Carolina and Atlanta to New Orleans). Atlanta has played great at home this season, as have all NFC South teams, and Michael Turner should be licking his chops after seeing Carolina run up more than 300 yards on the ground last week against the Bucs. Tampa does have one major factor in their favor – experience. The Bucs have a banged up, but big-game tested quarterback in Jeff Garcia and a veteran defense. Matt Ryan has made Falcons fans forget all about the nightmare that was the past two years, but this could be the game in which he plays like a rookie and tries to do too much.

Pit vs. Bal

Line:

Baltimore -3

Game Time:

4:15pm ET

Weather:

Partly Cloudy, 45 degrees, Wind S at 13mph

Head-to-Head:

9/29/08: Bal 20 – Pit 23

12/30/07: Pit 21 – Bal 27

11/05/07: Bal 7 – Pit 38

Trends:

• Baltimore is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games

• Pittsburgh is 4-0 ATS in its last 4 road games

• Pittsburgh is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games as a road underdog of .5 – 3.0

• Baltimore is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games as a favorite

• Pittsburgh is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 meetings in Baltimore

Game Notes:

You can just see the pregame montage CBS is going to put together for this one. Scary music over shots of Ray Lewis, Polamalu and all the other defensive standouts in this matchup. But depite all the justified hype about the two defenses, this one could very well come down to quarterback play. just like the Tampa/Atlanta game, this game features a banged-up, veteran qb against a rookie playing well beyond expectations. It looks like the weather is going to relatively decent, so Flacco and Big Ben can’t just get away with handing the ball off and hoping their respective defense makes a big play. This is a major heat-check game for Baltimore and a potential playoff preview. If Flacco can keep his poise, I think the trend of the home team winning will continue.

NYG vs. Dal

Line:

Dallas -3

Game Time:

8:15pm ET

Weather:

Dome

Head-to-Head:

11/02/08: Dal 14 – NYG 35

01/13/08: NYG 21 – Dal 17

11/11/07: Dal 31 – NYG 20

09/09/07: NYG 35 – Dal 45

Trends:

• Giants are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight-up loss

• Giants are 8-0 ATS in their last 8 games as a road underdog

• Cowboys are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. NFC opponents

• Cowboys are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 December games

Game Notes:

Last week it was the Giants who had to deal with an off-field distraction and that led to a lackluster performance against the Eagles. This week, the Cowboys have had yet another week of T.O. drama, not to mention plenty of questions about their 4th quarter meltdown against the Steelers. The Giants will be without starting RB Brandon Jacobs, but they still have a strong running game and have proven they are the best road team in the NFL. If this was a couple weeks ago, I’d say Dallas was a good bet to defend their home turf, but with all the injuries and distractions, and their performance last week, I just don’t see it.

Cle at Phi (Monday Night)

Line:

Philadelphia -14

Game Time:

8:30pm ET (Monday)

Weather:

Partly Cloudy, 47 degrees, Wind from the South at 12mph

Head-to-Head:

8/10/06: Cle 7 – Phi 20

10/24/04: Phi 34 - Cle 31

Trends:

• Browns are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog

• Browns are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog

• Browns are 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall

• Eagles are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Monday games

Game Notes:

This one is pretty simple. Forget the trends, forget the player matchups. Ken Dorsey is starting for an already bad Browns team and the Eagles are at home and have to win this game to stay in the playoff hunt. Two touchdowns is a lot to lay on a team that could only tie the Bengals. But Dorsey will not be able to move the ball and Westbrook looks relatively healthy, so look for the Eagles to cover this one with relative ease.

NFL Week 14 – Point Spread, Weather, Injuries

The Spreadweekly staff took week 13 off to stuff our faces, but we’re back with odds, injuries and weather reports for Week 14 of NFL action. Key injuries/suspensions this week include – Kellen Winslow, Derek Anderson, Rashean Mathis and Kevin and Pat Williams (suspensions).

Visit Spreadweekly early and often for our free live odds feed and live scoreboard.

NFL News and Notes

• Suspensions handed down in steriod/diuretic case
• Plaxio Burress shot himself in the leg. Leg fine, career…not so much.
• Bills and Miami to play in Toronto. But in a dome, so who cares.

Injuries & Weather

Oakland at San Diego (-9.5) *Thursday Night*

Oakland Injuries:

• WRs Ronald Curry (ankle) and Ashlie Lelie (headaches) are both listed as questionable.

San Diego Injuries:

• No major injuries.

Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 62, Wind WSW at 6mph

Philadelphia at NY Giants (-7)

Philadelphia Injuries:

• Brian Westbrook and LJ Smith are Probable.
• Correll Buckhalter is questionable with a bad knee

NY Giants Injuries:

• Burress has been suspended for four games due to the shooting incident.
• Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs are both listed as probable, but will almost definitely play.

Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 38, 10% chance of precipitation, Wind WSW 4mph

Atlanta at New Orleans (-3)

Atlanta Injuries:

• Erik Coleman (quads) and Laurent Robinson (hamstring) are questionable

New Orleans Injuries:

• Will Smith was suspended for four games as part of the banned substances case.
• Charles Grant (triceps) is both injured and suspended.
• Deuce McAllister is suspended for four games as part of the banned substances case.
• Reggie Bush should be good to go.

Weather: Dome.

Cincinatti at Indianapolis (-14)

Cincinatti Injuries:

• TJ Housmanzadeh and Chris Perry are both Questionable
• Ben Utecht is out.
• Marvin White is out for the rest of the year.

Indianapolis Injuries:

• Gary Bracket is out with a broken right leg.
• Keyunta Dawson is out with a hamstring injury.
• Bob Sanders is out with a knee injury.

Weather: Dome.

Jacksonville at Chicago (-7)

Jacksonville Injuries:

• Rahsean Mathis is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury

Chicago Injuries:

• Nathan Vasher is on IR with a wrist injury

Weather: Snow/Wind, 32, 70% chance of precipitation, Wind from SW at 20mph.

Houston at Green Bay (-6)

Houston Injuries:

• No significant Injuries.

Green Bay Injuries:

• Atari Bigby is out with a shoulder injury
• Ryan Grant was upgraded to probable and should be good to go.

Weather: Snow, 27, 70% chance of precipitation, Wind from SW at 16mph

Cleveland at Tennessee (-14)

Cleveland Injuries:

• Both Brady Quinn (finger) and Derek Anderson (leg) are out for the season
• Kellen Winslow is out with an ankle injury

Tennessee Injuries:

• Courtland Finnegan is listed as questionable with a hamstring injury

Weather: Few showers, 46, 30% chance of precipitation, wind from S at 6mph.

Minnesota at Detroit (+8)

Minnesota Injuries:

• The big boys up front, Kevin and Pat Williams were both suspended. Although late word out of Minneapolis is that their suspensions have been temporarily delayed. So stay tuned.

Detroit Injuries:

• Mike Furrey was placed on IR with a concussion.

Weather: Dome.

New England at Seattle (+5.5)

New England Injuries:

• No significant injuries.

Seattle Injuries:

• No significant injuries.

Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 50, 10% chance of precipitation. Wind from S at 9mph

NY Jets at San Francisco (+4)

NY Jets Injuries:

• No Significant injuries

San Francisco Injuries:

• No Significant injuries

Weather: Sunny, 65, wind from NE at 3mph

Miami at Buffalo (-1) (game to be played in Toronto)

Miami Injuries:

• Justin Smiley is out for the season with a leg injury.

Buffalo Injuries:

• Chris Ellis is questionable with an ankle injury.
• Robert Royal has a hamstring injury and is questionable.
• Donte Whitner is questionable with a shoulder injury
• Aaron Schobel is questionable with a foot injury.
• Trent Edwards is questionable with a groin injury.

Weather: Dome.

Kansas City at Denver (-9)

Kansas City Injuries:

• No Significant Injuries.

Denver Injuries:

• Josh Shaw was placed on IR with an elbow injury
• Champ Bailey and Nate Webster are questionable

Weather: Partly Cloudy, 51, 10% chance of precipitation. Wind from SW at 9mph

ST Louis at Arizona (-14)

ST Louis Injuries:

• No significant injuries

Arizona Injuries:

• No significant injuries.

Weather: Sunny and 74.

Dallas at Pittsburgh (-3)

Dallas Injuries:

• Marion Barber and DeMarcus Ware are questionable
• Pat Watkins was placed on IR with a neck injury.
• Mike Jenkins is questionable and probably won’t play

Pittsburgh Injuries:

• Big Ben has a banged up knee and is listed as questionable. But you know he’s gonna play.

Weather: Few snow showers, 33, 30% chance of precipitation. Wind from SSW at 10mph.

Washington at Baltimore (-5)

Washington Injuries:

• The following players are listed as questionable – Shawn Springs, London Fletcher, Andre Carter and Clinton Portis.

Baltimore Injuries:

• Derrick Mason is questionable with a shoulder injury

Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 39, 10% chance of precipitation. Wind from SW at 5mph.

Tampa Bay at Carolina (-3)

Tampa Bay Injuries:

• Gaines Adams is questionable with a hip injury.

Carolina Injuries:

• No significant injuries.

Weather: Mostly Sunny, 46. Wind from NW at 11mph.