NFL Conference Championship Spread

There are two games this Sunday with the winners going to Superbowl XLIV. The long shot are the Jets who are currently 13/2 on the futures bet. Hopefully we will have some good games as surprisingly so far there really hasn’t been very many playoff games decided in the last couple minutes (other then Jets last week & Cardinals beating the Packers 2 weeks ago).

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Sunday @ 12pm

New York Jets +8 (+270) vs. Indianapolis Colts -8 (-340)
O/U – 39½

Game Question:
- Can rookie quarterback Sanchez hold his own against Manning who has proven he can handle the pressure of playoff games.

Sunday @ 3:40pm

Minnesota Vikings +4 (-115) vs. New Orleans Saints -4 (-180)
O/U – 53

Game Question:
- Will Favre continue his excellent playoff run without trying to do to much which has cost him in the past.

NFL Week 4 Betting Preview

It’s Week 4 already? Seems like just yesterday we were watching Hard Knocks to see Andre Smith and his manrack break an ankle after spending oh about .2 seconds on the practice field and making a note to fade the Bungals all season long. Now, Cincy is 2-1 with wins at Green Bay and vs. Pittsburgh, and just that freak Brandon Stockley play away from being 3-0. As nearly a touchdown favorite on the road this week, Cincy can breath easy. But for the rest of the league, this is when things start to get interesting. Week 4 is all about going into full panic mode (see: Titans, Tennessee and Panthers, Carolina) or an unreasonable and unwise state of confidence (see: Broncos, Denver and Jets, New York). Let’s take a look at some of this week’s more intriguing matchups:

Note: SpreadWeekly offers free live odds, 24/7, from three major offshore sportsbooks for every NFL game, all season long. Just view the right-hand side of the home page or click the NFL Spread tab at the top of the page.

Indianapolis Colts -10.5 vs. Seattle Seahawks

Indy looked awfully vulnerable against Miami a couple weeks back and, if you were like me, you made a note to jump all over any half decent team whenever you saw an inflated line. So, here we are, Colts as double-digit favorites against Seattle. Go with the ‘hawks and their hideous uniforms, right? Um, no. Seattle is banged up like nobody’s business this week. Hassellbeck and Walter Jones are out, and practically the entire Seattle secondary is either playing hurt or out. Not exactly what you want heading into Indy against Payton and a Colts team that looks like it might have found its mojo.

Prediction: Colts 28 – Seahwaks 10

New England Patriots -2 vs. Baltimore Ravens

While Favre vs. Green Bay is getting all the hype, this is quietly one heck of an early-season matchup. Baltimore found an offense. Not the best news for the rest of the league. Meanwhile, it suddenly seems like ages ago that the Patriots were three touchdown favorites against playoff-caliber teams. Yet, Tom Brady is starting to get comfortable in the pocket and New England still has some weapons on offense, despite the injury to Wes Welker, who is listed as questionable this week. Their defense, however, is not looking as solid. Jerrod Mayo remains out with a knee injury and Vince Wilfork is listed as questionable. With the Ravens running on all cylinders and the Patriots seemingly primed to get run over, this one might look to many like a classic trap game. Maybe my mind is just too simple, but I’m going with what I see on paper. Especially if I’m getting two points.

Prediction: Baltimore 24 – New England 17

Buffalo Bills -2.5 at Miami Dolphins

Is it just me, or is this one of the most interesting matchups of two solidly mediocre teams we’ve seen in a long, long time? The Bills looked pretty darn impressive in their opening day loss against the Patriots, then blew out a lousy Tampa team at home, only to fall apart offensively against the Saints last week. Meanwhile, Miami did just about everything other than win the game against the Colts a couple weeks back, but, now, all of sudden are without their quarterback and, at 0-3, look like they might be on the brink of a major tank job. Still, the Dolphins do have a solid defense and the Wildcat continues to be effective. And – I guarantee you more than one Dolphins player is thinking “if we’re ever gonna get a win, this is the week.” On the injury front, Buffalo comes is considerably more banged up than the Miami. Safety Bryan Scott (ankle) and Cornerback Terrence McGee (ankle) are both listed as questionable and Safety Donte Whitner (thumb) is doubtful, meaning this could be the perfect game for Chad Henne to get comfortable as the Dolphins starting QB.

Prediction: Miami 17 – Buffalo 14

Dallas Cowboys -3 at Denver Broncos

This line is all about beliefs. Do you believe the Broncos are as good as their 3-0 record and the Cowboys are as average as they have looked in their first three games? If so, you’re not gonna get value like this every day, so jump all over that Broncos moneyline. Or, do you believe the Broncos record is a fluke aided by one crazy play and three not-so-juggernautish opponents and that the Cowboys are finally starting to wake up and play to their talent level? If you believe that then if there was ever a week to risk your entire bank roll on one game, this is it. Personally, I just don’t see Kyle Orton leading the Broncos to a winning record. The Broncos don’t have the Bears’ defense. They need to score points to win. And call me crazy, but I think the Cowboys are secretly pretty happy to be playing on the road this week. I can only imagine how annoying Jerry Jones must have been these past few weeks. You know he was getting in all the players’ ears about the importance of playing well in front of those huge crowds at that ridiculous new stadium. Now, they can go on the road and just focus on playing football. DeMarcus Ware has been a no-show so far, but that’s going to change this week. The Broncos o-line has been mediocre and is primed to get manhandled by Ware and Jay Ratliff.

Prediction: Dallas 35 – Denver 13

NFL Point Spread Week 1

The NFL season will begin this week and we have the week 1 NFL point spread for offshore sportsbooks. The NFL odds below are from bookmaker but you will find that most online sportsbooks will have the same or very similar lines.

Point Spread for Thursday, September 10, 2009

Teams                   Spread      Over/Under   Moneyline
Tennessee  Titan s-   +6-110         o35-110          +240

vs.

Pittsburgh  Steelers –     -6-110      u35-110             -290

Point Spread for Sunday, September 13, 2009

10am (PST) NFL Football Games

Teams                Spread    Over/Under   Moneyline
Miami Dolphins –      +4-110     o43½-110     +180

vs.

Atlanta Falcons          -4-110     u43½-110     -210

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Dallas Cowboys –               -6-110     o39-110     -290

vs.

Tampa Bay  Buccaneers-    +6-110     u39-110     +240

————————————————————————————-

Minnesota Vikings –      -4-110     o40-110     -210

vs.

Cleveland Browns          +4-110     u40-110     +180

————————————————————————————-

New York Jets-                +5½-110     o43½-110     +205

vs.

Houston Texans-             -5½-110     u43½-110     -245

————————————————————————————-

Detroit Lions-                       +13-110     o49-110     +650

vs.

New Orleans Saints-           -13-110     u49-110     -900

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Denver Broncos-                +4-110     o43½-110     +180

vs.

Cincinnati Bengals-             -4-110     u43½-110     -210

————————————————————————————-

Jacksonville Jaguars-         +7-110     o44-110     +265

vs.

Indianapolis Colts-                -7-110     u44-110     -315

————————————————————————————-

Kansas City Chiefs-               +13-110     o36-110     +625

vs.

Baltimore Ravens-                -13-110     u36-110     -825

1pm (PST) NFL Football Games

St. Louis Rams-                    +8½-110     o41½-110     +325

vs.

Seattle Seahawks-                -8½-110     u41½-110     -385

————————————————————————————-

Chicago Bears-                      +3½-110     o46½-110     +170

vs.

Green Bay-                                -3½-110     u46½-110     -200

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San Fransico Giants-              +6-110     o46½-110     +235

vs.

Arizona Cardinals-                 -6-110     u46½-110     -275

————————————————————————————-

Washington Redskins-          +6½-110     o37-110     +250

vs.

New York Giants-                  -6½-110     u37-110     -300

Point Spread for Monday, September 14, 2009

4pm (PST) NFL Football Games

Buffalo Bills-                               +10½-110     o47½-110     +555

vs.

New England Patriots-             -10½-110     u47½-110     -705

7:15 pm (PST) NFL Football Games

San Diego Chargers-                  -9½-110     o43-110     -450

vs.

Oakland Raiders-                        +9½-110     u43-110     +370

2009 NFL Futures Odds

Ahhhh…the sweet stench of the sportsbook. Must mean Fall is around the corner and with it the start of another NFL season. We even have Week #1 lines. But, really, that’s just our Methadone. Just a little taste to keep us from violent withdrawals (read: betting on horseracing onilne…don’t tell me you haven’t been there). The only real NFL fix we can get our hands on between now and Labor Day are Futures. Futures are the most honest bet in sports. You really think your team has a shot? Ok, how much are you willing to drop on them winning it all? You might hate your archrival, but do you hate them enough not to bet on them to take the division when you know they will?

So, let’s see what the bookmakers think of your team’s chances in 2009

2009 NFL Futures Odds Highlights

• Tom Brady’s return has the Patriots out front at 4/1 to win the Super Bowl
• Only the Lions can make 100/1 seem like poor value
• The defending champion Steelers are expected to challenge for the title again at 10-1
• The runner-up Cardinals not-so-much at 30/1
• Bookmakers are predicting Jay Cutler’s arrival in Chicago will give the Bears a shot in the arm as they are 12/1 to win it all

To Win the Super Bowl

Top 5

Patriots – 4/1

Chargers – 10/1

Steelers – 10/1

Eagles – 12/1

Bears – 12/1

Bottom 5

Raiders – 100/1

Lions – 100/1

Buccaneers – 100/1

Rams – 100/1

Chiefs – 75/1

To Win the NFC West

Cardinals – 7/5

Seahawks – 8/5

49ers – 13/5

Rams – 10/1

To Win the NFC East

Giants – 8/5

Eagles – 9/5

Cowboys – 11/4

Redskins – 5/1

To Win the NFC South

Saints – 8/5

Falcons – 2/1

Panthers – 9/4

Buccaneers – 6/1

To Win the NFC North

Vikings – 8/5

Bears – 8/5

Packers – 2/1

Lions – 12/1

To Win the AFC West

Chargers – 2/9

Broncos – 6/1

Raiders – 8/1

Chiefs – 9/1

To Win the AFC East

Patriots – 1/6

Bills – 8/1

Jets – 8/1

Dolphins – 10/1

To Win the AFC South

Colts – 7/5

Jaguars – 9/4

Titans – 7/2

Texans – 7/2

To Win the AFC North

Steelers – 2/5

Ravens – 3/1

Bengals – 6/1

Browns – 14/1

2009 NFL MVP

Tom Brady – 4/1

Peyton Manning – 4/1

Adrian Peterson – 7/1

Drew Brees – 8/1

Donovan McNabb – 10/1

Superbowl XLIII Prop Bets

Superbowl XLIII will be played on Sunday (2/1) and everyone is making their preparations on where they will watch, eat and finally what to bet on. The great thing about the superbowl is there are tons of different bets you can place since offshore sportsbooks count on this as their heaviest betting day of the year and want to make sure there are plenty of bets. Over the past week they have been releasing all the different prop bets that you can make on the 2009 superbowl.

If you are having a superbowl party download our free Superbowl XLIII Prop Bet Sheet.  You can use it for online betting or as a party game using the sheet with points assigned for each correct bet.

Superbowl XLIII Spread

Arizona Cardinals (7)  vs Pittsburgh Steelers (-7)

Kickoff is on 6:20 p.m. EST

Funny Prop Bets for Superbowl XLIII – Degenerate’s Bread and Butter

• 1st coaches challenge
• first timeout
• first play

Superbowl XLIII Trivia -

How much does a superbowl XLIII commercial cost? – $3 million

What channel will be airing the superbowl? – NBC

Halftime entertainment for the 2009 Superbowl? – Bruce Springsteen

Where to bet Online for Superbowl XLIII – Best Superbowl Sportsbook

Looking for a sportsbook to place a bet? Check out the SpreadWeekly recommended superbowl sportsbook picks:

Bet Jamacia

Bodog Sportsbook

Bookmaker

NFL AFC/NFC Championship Games – Matchups, Spreads, Predictions

The best weekend of the NFL season is here. Sure the Super Bowl is the perfect excuse to drink yourself into a comma by halftime and drop $500 on the coin-toss prop bet, but the Conference Championship games offer Super Bowl-like drama with half the hype and no guests to entertain. This year’s matchups offer up a little something for everyone. In the AFC, it’s all about nasty, lock-up-the-kids defense with the Baltimore Ravens visiting Pittsburgh to battle the Steelers. Over in the NFC, it’s the offenses that will featured as Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and the surprising Arizona Cardinals host Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals

Game Time: Sunday, January 18 at 3:00pm EST

Spread: Philadelphia -4, O/U: 47

Weather: N/A (Dome)

Preview:

Even after shutting down the #2 rushing team in the NFL and then going into Carolina and blowing out the Panthers 33-13 as 10-point dogs, the oddsmakers still don’t believe in the Cardinals. Arizona came back home to find themselves entering Sunday’s game as a 4-point underdog to the Eagles. It seems the Cardinals just can’t shake the perception they built up during the regular season as a mediocre-at-best team that only got into the playoffs because they were in a weak division. What the public is forgetting is that Arizona basically had the division won in Week 10. Now, that doesn’t mean they couldn’t or shouldn’t have performed better towards the end of the season, but it’s got to be hard to muster up playoff-like intesity when you look down the standings and see the Forty Niners, Rams and Seattle. The funny thing is, the Eagles were 5-5-1 and playing as bad or worse than the Cardinals at around the same point in the year, but now, all of a sudden, they have become the feel good, Cinderella story. East Coast media bias anyone? But I digress. This game will be determined by Arizona’s ability to pick up Jim Johnson’s blitz schemes and give Warner enough protection to find his two star receivers – Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin (who is listed as questionable after missing last week’s game, but you have to think he’s going to play in this one) and the Eagles getting Brian Westbrook going against a suddenly stout Arizona defense. Judging by the over/under (47),it looks like the oddsmakers think both of those things will happen and each team will get into the endzone at least a few times. So it could very well be a matter of who has the ball last. Who would you want at quarterback with two minutes left and a trip to the Super Bowl at stake – McNabb or Warner? I say give me the guy that’s been there twice and has two freakish receivers at his disposal. I’m sorry but Jason Avant just doesn’t scare me.

Prediction: Arizona 28, Philadelphia 24

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

Game Time: Sunday, January 18 at 6:30pm EST

Spread: Pittsburgh -6, O/U: 34

Weather: Snow showers, high 29 degrees

Preview:

Let me put it this way, if I don’t see Ray Lewis physically remove one of Santonio Holmes’ limbs, I’ll consider the game a letdown. This is one of those rare games that could actually live up to all the hype. Bitter, cold weather, bad blood, plenty of trash talk and, oh, did I mention the winner instantly becomes the favorite to win the Super Bowl? Despite what looks, at least on paper, to be a tight defensive battle all the way down to the final seconds, the Steelers are currently 6-point favorites.  Clearly, the oddsmakers aren’t liking the chances of Ravens’ rookie quarterback Joe Flacco going into Pittsburgh and performing well. They could be right, but Baltimore isn’t shy about taking its share of three-and-outs and leaning on Lewis, Ed Reed and the rest of the defense, so don’t expect to see Flacco throw more than 15-20 passes, unless the game gets out of hand early. The Steelers offensive line will have to play better than it has for most of the year if they want Ben Roethlesberger to be able to recognize his children. Although, if Willie Parker can play half as well as he did against the Chargers, Big Ben might not have to take too many hits.

Prediction: Pittsburgh 19, Baltimore 10

NFL Playoffs – Divisional Round: Matchups, Predictions, Spreads

Week two of the NFL Playoffs features some compelling matchups and even more interesting betting lines. The Tennessee Titans dominated the regular season (13-3 overall, 12-4 ATS), but were never really taken seriously as the best team in the league. Now they have to play host to a nasty and red-hot Baltimore Ravens team that could care less about playing another road playoff game. If the Titans win and cover the spread (-3 at the time of this post), it would validate their regular season performance and all of a sudden make them the favorite coming out of the AFC, but a loss would give credence to all those who said they weren’t as good as their record. The other AFC matchup sees the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting a San Diego Chargers team that squeaked into the playoffs (8-8 overall, 7-8-1 ATS), but then last week beat a Colts team that had won nine straight and was the sexy pick to go all the way. With momentum in San Diego’s favor after pulling off two must wins, and Darren Sproles making everyone forget about LT, many bettors may be tempted to jump on the relatively large spread (Pittsburgh -6 at the time of this post) or even take the Chargers outright.

The NFC matchups don’t seem to be quite as strong, at least not on paper. ESPN will do its best to hype the Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants game, but we’ve already seen them play each other twice this season. Nevertheless, this should be a pretty decent game. Can the Giants find a way to subdue the Eagles’ blitz schemes, something they were unable to do in their late-season regular season matchup? Which Donovan McNabb will show up? The quarterback who has led the Eagles on another late season surge, or the lethargic, turnover-prone McNabb who got benched against the Ravens? Even the spread (Giants -4 at the time of this post) is intriguing. Just high enough to strongly consider the Eagles covering on the road, but just low enough to think you’re getting a great value on the Giants at home. In the other Divisional Round NFC game, the Carolina Panthers host the suddenly not so atrocious Arizona Cardinals. A great Carolina defense against a high-powered Arizona offense. Too bad nobody’s going to watch this one. No, we’ll watch because it’s the NFL playoffs. But this game is completely overshadowed by the other three and is getting absolutely no press. What should be getting some headlines, however, is the spread. Carolina is currently a 10 point home favorite. That’s an awfully big number for a playoff game, especially against a team that showed that it at least might consider running the ball, and, more importantly, could actually stop the run. The Panthers are very similar to the Falcons – everything is setup by that dominate running game. If Arizona can do what it did last week and get the Panthers out of their comfort zone, bettors with the stomach to take them outright at +340 could be in for a very nice payday. Then again, Jake Delhomme is no rookie.

Now let’s take a closer look at each of these NFL Divisional Round matchups.

Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans

Game Time: Saturday, January 10 @ 4:30 pm EST

Spread: Tennessee -3, O/U: 34.5

Weather: Mostly Sunny, 52 degrees, light wind from south.

Preview:

Ed Reed. I’m tempted to just leave it at that, but apparently Google likes content, so I’ll add some filler. But seriously, did you notice anybody else on the field in last week’s Ravens/Dolphins game? I’m sure Ray Lewis and the other Ravens’ defensive standouts played great. After all, they totally overwhelmed and dominated Chad Pennington and the Dolphins, but Reed was by far the most visible and impactful player in the game. If he can come close to matching that performance this week against Kerry Collins, the Titans are done. Collins goes into this game with some bad memories against the Ravens as Baltimore dominated Collins and the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV. There is some good news for the Titans. Tennessee has already beaten the Ravens once this year(13-10 (Ten -1) on 10/05 at Baltimore),  so they should feel relatively confident, especially with this game at their home field. More importantly, they get Albert Haynesworth back. It’s rare that a defensive tackle is the most important player on a playoff team, but that’s definitely the case with the Titans. They are a completely different team without him in the lineup. As well as Joe Flacco has played, he’s still a rookie and if the Titans can stuff the run and make Flacco try to beat them, they could very well cover the three-point spread and reserve a spot in the conference championship game.

Prediction: Baltimore 17, Tennessee 14

Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers

Game Time: Saturday, January 10 @ 8:15 pm EST

Spread: Carolina -10, O/U: 48.5

Weather: Sunny, 50 degrees, light wind

Preview:

It might not have the subplots of the Chargers vs. Steelers, the high-profile of the Eagles vs. Giants or the throwback, smashmouth allure of the Ravens vs. Titans, but don’t sleep on this one. Carolina (12-4 overall, 9-6-1 ATS) was the #2 seed in the NFC for a reason. They have two dynamic running backs (does anyone outside of Carolina even know or care that Deangelo Williams was the best RB in the league this year?), a veteran QB and a premier playmaker at wide receiver. And their defense isn’t too shabby either, although their overall numbers this year weren’t as impressive as they have been in the past. After seeing the YouTube video of Chris Berman losing it off camera and going off about the power of Canadian painkillers, it wasn’t all that shocking to see him go off on a tirade after the Cardinals’ less-than-stellar performance against the Vikings and Patriots. But still, it’s not easy to get Berman out of his jolly mood, especially when he knows the cameras are rolling, so you know Arizona must have been playing really bad. And they were. But the playoffs are a whole new season, as has been evidenced so many times, including just last year. The Cardinals were a completely different team last week against a strong Atlanta squad. They dusted off Edgerrin James, they completely shutdown Michael Turner and they were able to keep Kurt Warner upright for the entire 60 minutes. But the oddsmakers aren’t buying the transformation. Carolina is laying a hefty 10 points this week (although the early square action is heavy on Arizona, so we could see significant line movement between now and kickoff).

Prediction: Arizona 21, Carolina 35

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants

Game Time: Sunday, January 11 @ 1:00 pm EST

Spread: Giants -4, O/U: 40

Weather: Light snow, 37 degrees, light wind

Preview:

These NFC East rivals split their two games in the regular season, with both teams winning on the road. The Giants won on 11/9 36-31 (NY +3) and the Eagles won the game following Plaxico-Gate  20-14 on 12/7 (Phi +6.5). If you believe in momentum then the Eagles seem like they have a pretty good shot. They ended the regular season on a tear, winning four out of their last five, including a complete undressing of the Cowboys in a do-or-die game for both teams, and they brought that dominance into Minnesota where they took Tarvaris Jackson to school and contained Adrian Peterson. On the other hand, the Giants had last week off for a reason. They were clearly the best team in the NFC this year, and arguably the best team in the entire NFL. Not to mention they are the defending champions. The loss of Burress definitely hurts as he was a great option in the redzone and someone who always commanded the defense’s attention. The key for the Giants will be protecting Eli Manning. The Eagles ate him up in their December matchup, and the Giants have no chance if that happens again this week.

Prediction: Eagles 20, Giants 28

San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers

Game Time: Sunday, January 11 @ 4:45 pm EST

Spread: Steelers -6, O/U: 38

Weather: Snow showers, 35 degrees, wind at 11mph from WSW

Preview:

These two teams played once in the regular season in a game that featured the now infamous Troy Polamalu last second touchdown that wasn’t (this has got to be one of the top 5 last second plays that meant everything to bettors while having no effective on the actual outcome of the game). But what was also significant about that Steelers 11-10 win (San Diego +4.5) on Nov 16 is that it really doesn’t provide many clues about what to expect this week. It was a sloppy game from the opening kickoff to that bizarre final play and it you just can’t expect to see those types of performances in the second round of the playoffs. This matchup is very similar in context to the Eagles/Giants game. One team struggled through the regular season, got hot late, won their wild-card game and is now carryin a ton of momentum with them into this week. The other played great in the regular season, thereby earning a bye and as a result losing the hype and expectations that come with a win in the playoffs. But who’s to say the Steelers (or Giants for that matter) don’t have any momentum of their own. Confidence is a form of momentum, and Pittsburgh has no reason not to feel confident at this point. And it’s foolish to underestimate the power of an extra week’s rest during an NFL season, especially when it comes in Week 18. Oh and did I mention the Steelers happen to be really, really good? They are very much like the Colts of 2006 – a great team that usually gets plenty of publicity, but went through the entire regular season under the radar because all they did was win – no drama, no streaks, no controversy.

Prediction: Chargers 17, Steelers 24

NFL Playoffs Odds – Wild Card Round Spread

The NFL playoffs start tomorrow with the wild card round. All the NFL games this weekend have the away teams favored which is very rare for playoff games. Though, the odds for the games are close with 3.5 points the widest margin.

If you are looking to place a bet try Bookmaker.com.

NFL Football Spread

NFL Playoff Games on Saturday:

Atlanta Falcons (even) at Arizona Cardinals (even)

• Weather:  61° F, Light Wind (SSW at 7 mph)

Indianapolis Colts (-1) at San Diego Chargers (1)

• Weather: 56° F, Light Wind (SW at 6mph)

NFL Playoff Games on Sunday:

Baltimore Ravens (-3.5) at Miami Dolphins (3.5)

• Weather: 78° F, Medium Wind (ESE at 12mph)

Philadelphia Eagles (-3) at Minnesota Vikings (3)

• Indoor

View the complete NFL playoff spread with line history.

The NFL Playoff teams with bye’s are:  Titans, Steelrs, Giants and Panthers

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.

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