Category: NFL

Super Bowl Favourites New England Face Huge Spread in Playoffs

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Just eight teams remain in the NFL playoffs and they are a mere two games away from reaching the Super Bowl, so it’s all getting excruciatingly tense Stateside. First up is an intriguing showdown between the Seahawks and the Falcons, before Super Bowl favourites the Patriots start their postseason campaign against the Texans.

Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons

Seattle made short work of the Lions in the Wildcard Round, routing them 26-6 in front of their home fans, but they face a much sterner test now. The Falcons finished the regular season with four wins in a row to go 11-5 and steal second seed spot ahead of the Seahawks, who ended up 10-5-1 after losing two of their final four regular season games. That means Atlanta have home field advantage, which could prove crucial here. These two teams met earlier in the season and it was a nail-biter as the Seahawks ran out 26-24 winners in Seattle in October. It is a source of great contention for the Falcons due to a pass interference call the referee missed when they were on a fourth down play late in the fourth. You would think that win would give the Seahawks confidence, but it is worth bearing in mind two things: on that day they had home field advantage and they had Earl Thomas. In Divisional Round they will have neither.

Thomas was a beast for the Seahawks this season. The Seattle safety limited Tom Brady and Drew Brees to just one touchdown pass combined over two games. The Seahawks defence only gave up seven touchdown passes in the 11 games he was on the field (albeit three of them were against Atlanta in that 26-24 win). Since his injury, they have lost three of seven and have not looked at all as solid. They are 3-4-1 on the road compared to 8-1 at home and it is hard to imagine them travelling all the way to Atlanta and getting the win. The best odds you can get on Atlanta are at around the 4/9 mark with Sky Bet, so for more value, back Atlanta -3.5 at 3/4 with Bet365.

Houston Texans at New England Patriots

The Pats have been devastating this season, qualifying for the playoffs with the best record in the league at 14-2. The Texans, less so. They limped into the playoffs as fourth seed on 9-7 with the same record as the Titans but qualified as they had a better record against comparative teams. They benefited from a lucky draw in the Wildcard round as they hosted an Oakland Raiders team deprived of their star quarterback and his understudy due to an injury crisis, and went through. They are the weakest team left in the playoffs and this is expected to be a complete mismatch.

The Pats are 7/4 favourites to win the Super Bowl, while the Texans are rank outsiders at 66/1. The bookmakers have completely given up on Houston: the Texans are a massive 10/1 to win this with Boylesports, while the Pats are as low as 1/20 but best priced at 1/12 with Bet Victor. There is no value there, but the point spread is the largest in 18 years of playoff games, as Vegas has made Houston 16-point underdogs. The teams met earlier in the season on Week 3, when New England won 27-0 with a third string quarterback. This time Brady will be in the team and the Texans will be crushed. New England have covered some massive spreads in recent weeks and they can get the job done here, so the evens Paddy Power is offering on the Patriots -15.5 looks a good bet.

NFL playoffs: Steelers and Texans favourites in AFC Wildcard Round

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

NFL fans have been treated to an exciting regular season full of twists and turns, but we are now moving into the business end of the season: the playoffs. We start with the Wildcard Round, which sees the two division winners with the lowest win records in each conference take on the two best runners-up. In the AFC the Houston Texans host the injury-hit Oakland Raiders in the first game, while the in-form Pittsburgh Steelers have home advantage against the Miami Dolphins.

Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans

It was all going so well for Oakland as they qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2002. But then they were rocked by the injury to star quarterback Derek Carr, who suffered a broken fibula and was ruled out indefinitely, and the odds on them winning the Super Bowl plummeted accordingly. In their last regular season game, Carr’s replacement Matt McGroin was hit by a shoulder injury, and they finished with rookie Connor Cook as QB. It cost them as they slumped to a 24-6 defeat against the Broncos, who were on a long losing streak and already eliminated. That caused them to slip from first to second in the AFC West as the Kansas City Chiefs won to leapfrog them at the death, so they go into the Wildcard Round after slipping from number two seed to number five and have to face the Texans, who finished 9-7 to win the AFC South and claim the number four seed despite having a worse record than the Raiders.

Without Carr, nobody is giving the Raiders much of a chance. They beat the Texans in week 11, but the teams are looking very different now. The Texans are 1.55 with Boyle Sport and that looks a good price, considering how depleted the Raiders are. The Texans’ quarterback situation is a bit uncertain too, as Tom Savage left Sunday’s game with a knock and Brock Osweiler came back in, so you might want to see who the starting quarterbacks are before placing your bet, but the Texans should cover a -3.5 spread at 10/11 with Bet365 if Cook starts. If they can’t beat a third string rookie quarterback, Houston fans will go ballistic.

Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are on a sensational seven-game winning streak and have been made third-favourites for the Super Bowl at 17/2 with Paddy Power. Despite that they only finished as third seed in the AFC and have to get through the Wildcard Round against the sixth-seeded team, the Dolphins, who finished 10-6 in the AFC East. The Steelers are on a roll and should be far too strong for Miami, who were crushed 35-14 by the New England Patriots in their last game. The Miami defence was run ragged and the offence was constantly under pressure, so the fans will not be full of optimism ahead of the trip to Pittsburgh.

Having said that, the Dolphins did beat the Steelers 30-15 in week 6, but a lot has changed since then and the Steelers have looked outstanding in their seven-match winning run. That is borne out in the odds, with the Dolphins huge outsiders at 7/2 with the likes of William Hill and Bet365, and Pittsburgh as low as 1/5 but best priced at 4/17 with 888 Sport and Unibet. The Steelers should win this one comfortably and that looks a good one for any accumulator bets. Injuries are looking good for the Steelers as Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell will play a postseason game together for the first time, while Miami’s defence is banged up and quarterback Ryan Tannehill – who put the Steelers to the sword in week 6 – is also injured. The spread on the Steelers is -9.5, a huge favouritism, and while they may not quite cover that they should win this one fairly comfortably.

Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions set for tense finale

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Week 17 promises to be a nail-biting one for thousands of NFL fans as there are four teams vying for the final two playoff berths in the NFC. It is win or bust for the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions as their game will decide who wins the NFC North, while the Washington Redskins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also in with a chance of earning a wildcard spot in the playoffs.

New York Giants at Washington Redskins

The NFC East looks to be the best division in the league right now, with the Cowboys leading the way on 13-2 and the Giants second with a 10-5 record. Both have already qualified for the playoffs, but a third team from the division could also go through if Washington secure the final wildcard spot. That would mean three of the six teams going to the playoffs have come from the same division, and it is looking pretty likely.

The Redskins host New York knowing that the Giants have nothing to play for. They are locked in for the fifth seed spot, so they will more than likely rest key players to avoid the risk of sustaining any injuries ahead of the playoffs. The Redskins have it all to play for and come into the match fresh from a 41-21 thrashing of the Chicago Bears. They should be able to beat the Giants, but about the best price you can get is 3/10 at Paddy Power. It looks good for any accumulators you are considering, but it does not represent great value. The spread is pretty tough on the Redskins as they are -8 and they will struggle to cover that. You would expect them to win but not by a huge margin, so the 20/23 on the New York Giants +8 looks a good bet, as the Redskins are likely to win this by only three or four points.

Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions

The biggest fixture in week 17 has been saved for last as the Packers travel to Detroit for the crunch game. Both teams are 9-6 and are tied at the top of NFC North and the winner takes it all. Things are not looking good for the Lions. They have led the division for most of the season, but have lost their last two games and seen the Packers catch up with them right at the death. Last week’s 42-21 drubbing at the hands of the Cowboys, who had already qualified for the playoffs and had nothing to play for, will have caused a great deal of consternation among their fans.

By contrast, the Packers are flying, having embarked on a five-game winning streak, the best in the conference. That run has included victories over excellent teams such as the Seahawks and Texans, both of whom have made the playoffs, and they should be able to topple Detroit. In that five-game winning streak, their average margin of victory has been 13 points, so they look good to cover a -3.5 spread at 19/20 with Bet365 when they travel to Detroit. Aaron Rodgers has been absolutely sensational during their winning run with 11 passing touchdowns – four of them against the Vikings last week – and zero interceptions. A creaking Detroit defence will struggle to contain him and we could see a repeat of the game earlier in the season when Green Bay beat them by seven points. If you think it will be closer than that, Bet365 has 4/6 on the Packers at -2 or 4/7 on them simply winning outright.

Patriots and Raiders battling it out for AFC top spot

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The final chapter in the regular NFL season begins on New Year’s Day and fans can look forward to an action-packed schedule full of intrigue. In the AFC the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders are locked in a fierce battle to emerge as number one seed and enjoy the home-field advantage that comes with it. If New England beat the Miami Dolphins, they will clinch that valuable status, but it will be easier said than done. The Raiders travel to the Denver Broncos, knowing they could end up as number one seed or fall to number five, so that is another crucial game.

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins

The Pats are on a six-game winning streak and have the best record in the league, leading the bookmakers to install them as favourites for the Super Bowl. William Hill has the best price, 15/8, with the Cowboys back on 4/1. New England is huge favourites to win the AFC, odds-on with all bookmakers, with 8/11 about the best price you can find with the likes of Bet365, William Hill and Ladbrokes. But the path to the Super Bowl will be made a lot easier for them if they earn top seed spot. Last season they blew number one spot with back-to-back losses in their last two games, against the Jets and Dolphins. The result was a tricky playoff schedule that saw them crash out to eventual Super Bowl champions the Denver Broncos.

They will be desperate to not make the same mistake this season and they know that a win over the Dolphins in their final game will clinch it. The Dolphins laboured badly against the Buffalo Bills in their last game but won it in overtime to secure a playoff berth. They are currently sixth seeds and will face the most difficult schedule, but if they win and the Chiefs lose, they move up to fifth and will avoid the Steelers in the playoffs, securing an easier tie against the Texans. They will be well up for this game, and it should prove to be a thriller. Many expect it to be close, but Dolphins’ quarterback Matt Moore is likely to struggle against the Pats’ outstanding defence, and New England can cover a -7 spread at 8/13 with Sky Bet after easily covering a record spread against the Jets last week.

Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos

The Raiders are in the postseason for the first time since 2002 and went 12-3 with a 33-25 win over the Colts in week 16, but it came at a huge cost. Derek Carr’s broken fibula is a brutal blow for Oakland fans, who have waited so long for a return to the playoffs and rightly had Super Bowl dreams with Carr leading the charge. Now they have to make do with fourth-year pro Matt McGloin as his replacement and the odds on them winning the Super Bowl went out sharply. They are now as long as 28/1 to win it with Ladbrokes and nobody is giving them much of a chance. But a win at the already eliminated Broncos, whose Super Bowl defence went out with a whimper with a 33-10 defeat in Kansas City, would give McGloin confidence, and it is essential for the Raiders to get the win as the Chiefs are still in with a great chance of pipping them to the AFC West. William Hill has 4/5 on them covering a -3 spread and that looks a good bet as the Broncos are on a three-game losing streak and playing poorly.

New England Patriots can cover largest point spread in history

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

With just two games to go, it is still all to play for in the AFC as just two of the six playoff places are currently filled, so there is plenty to look forward to in week 16. The Steelers and the Ravens are fighting it out in the AFC North, while the Texans and the Titans are neck and neck in the AFC South. The Patriots have run away with the AFC East, but the Dolphins are in with a great shout of earning a wildcard. The Oakland Raiders have qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2002 after beating the Chargers last weekend, but they are still not guaranteed to win their division as the Chiefs are still breathing down their necks. It promises to be another spectacular weekend, full of twists and turns as these teams go for broke.

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills

Miami is 9-5 and hoping for a wildcard spot, but face a tough challenge when they travel to Buffalo, who are 7-7 and have only the slimmest chance of making the playoffs. Still, the Bills are better at rushing, point scoring and red zone performance than the Dolphins and are likely to derail their wildcard bid this weekend. They are odds-on favourites to win this but you can get evens with Sky Bet on them covering a -3.5 spread.

New York Jets at New England Patriots

The Pats are on a five-game winning streak, have the best record in the league and have been installed as 11/5 favourites to win the Super Bowl with 888 Sport. They host a Jets team that is down and out, with a 4-10 record leaving them bottom of the division. It should prove a complete mismatch, and as such, the best price you can get on the Patriots is 1/14 with Ladbrokes. Bookmakers are offering the largest point spread in history on the Pats, -16.5, and you can get 10/11 on that with Bet365, William Hill and various others. They have been outscoring the Jets by nine points on average this season, so there is a gap to make up, but their offence and defence are on fire at the moment, and the Jets are expected to roll over, so that actually looks a good bet.

Indianapolis Colts at Oakland Raiders

The Raiders are going to the playoffs, but they still need to keep winning to ensure a favourable schedule. The Colts are 7-7 and have a tiny chance of making it, but the Raiders should crush those hopes in front of their jubilant home fans. Back the Raiders to cover a -3.5 spread at 10/11 with William Hill, Bet Victor and Bet365.

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs

This is a huge game for both teams. The Chiefs have a chance of beating Oakland as division winners so will be going all out while reigning Super Bowl champions the Broncos will be out of the playoff picture if they lose. The Chiefs have been the better team this season, however, and should cover a -3.5 spread at evens with Bet365.

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers can clinch the NFC North by beating Baltimore in the big Christmas Day game. The Steelers have been better at passing and rushing than the Ravens over the course of the season and come into this match on a five-game winning streak that has seen them emerge as dark horses for the conference. They should make it six in a row here, and the 10/11 Boylesports has on them covering a -4.5 spread looks good.

NFC Conference: Giants and Packers look like good outside bets

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The race to reach the playoffs is heating up, with just two games to play and several spots still up for grabs. In the NFC, the Cowboys and the Seahawks have already made it through, while the Giants look good for a wildcard spot. The second wildcard spot will either come from the NFC North or NFC South, divisions in which it looks set to go down to the wire. The Lions, Packers, Falcons and Buccaneers are now essentially fighting it out for the final three NFC playoff places, although the Vikings and Redskins also have an outside chance. There are several exciting games to look forward to and plenty of good value for punters in week 16.

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles

The early game next weekend sees the Giants travel to Philadelphia, and they will be buoyed by a two-game winning streak built on a truly formidable defence. They have gone 27 drives without yielding a single touchdown, including an entire game against the Dallas Cowboys, who are second favourites to win the Super Bowl. They were superb in beating the Lions 17-6 last weekend and Odell Beckham Jr looked unplayable at times, capping a great performance with a one-handed touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia has lost five in a row and threw it away against the Ravens last weekend by going for a two-point conversion right at the death, a plan that failed. They are done for the season and should have no chance against the Giants, who should cover a -3 spread, with Paddy Power offering a generous 21/20 on this.

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers

The Packers are the form team of the conference at the moment, on a four-game winning streak that has taken them to within a game of the Lions at the top of the NFC North. The Lions were tamed by the Giants last time out to leave them 9-5, while the Vikings have gone from 4-6 to 8-6 to leave them looking good either to win the division or claim a wildcard spot. The Vikings are third in the division at 7-7 and have a slim chance of making the postseason, but the Packers can put an end to that by beating them here, and home advantage should help them prevail. Green Bay are on fire at the moment and are just 2/7 to win this with Sky Bet, so for more value back them to cover a -7 spread, with Paddy Power again offering the best price, 21/20.

NFC outrights

The Dallas Cowboys are deservedly favourites to win the conference (they are second favourites to win the Super Bowl after the New England Patriots) at 6/4 with William Hill and Coral as they have the best record in the NFC and will enjoy a bye to the Divisional Round, where they will have home advantage. But the NFC is not as clear cut as the AFC, where the Patriots are head and shoulders above the rest and expected to walk it. The Giants have the second-best record in the conference, but it is their misfortune to be in the same division as the Cowboys, so they look destined for a wildcard spot and will have to do it the hard way. But their recent back to back wins over the Cowboys and the Lions will give them confidence and they look a great bet at 12/1 with William Hill. The Seahawks, 5/2 with Coral, are in with a shout, as are the Falcons (9/1 with William Hill), but the Packers have hit form at just the right time and look a really good outside bet at 9/1 with Coral and Paddy Power. You could spread your stake between the Giants and Packers and be in with a great chance of making a profit.