Tag: Seahawks

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.

Seattle Seahawks Set for Crunch Game Against the Rams

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Seattle Seahawks will lock down their division and qualify for the playoffs if they beat the Rams in the first NFL game of week 15. The Seahawks are second favourites for the NFC, behind the Dallas Cowboys, who missed the chance to clinch the NFC East when they lost to the Cowboys last weekend. The Cowboys have already made the playoffs but need to rack up a couple more wins to secure home advantage, and can take a great stride towards that goal by beating Tampa Bay.

LA Rams at Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks were crushed by the Packers as a snowstorm engulfed Green Bay last weekend, leaving them 8-4-1 at the top of the NFC West. But if they beat the Rams in front of their home fans in the early game they will wrap up the division, and they are overwhelming favourites to do so. The best odds you can get are just 1/10 with Sky Bet, but all the action is still going on them. The Rams are on a four-game losing streak and, unlike the Packers, cannot hope to qualify for the playoffs. You get the impression they will now try to keep their record down to secure a better draft pick and the Seahawks, who have everything to play for and are 6-0 at home, will destroy them. Different bookmakers are offering a range of spreads, and the 4/6 Bet365 has on the Seahawks -13 looks good.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys

Dallas’ remarkable 11-game winning run came to an end as they fell to a 10-7 defeat against the Giants. They are already in the playoffs so perhaps they took a foot off the pedal, but that opens the door for the Giants to usurp them in the division. Dallas are now at 11-2 and the Giants are 9-4, so with three games to go, the Cowboys still need more wins on the board if they are to win the division and secure a better deal for themselves heading into the playoffs. Tampa Bay are neck and neck with the Falcons in the NFC South and have it all to play for, so it should make for a cracking game. But the Cowboys are still the best team in the NFC and are second favourites to win the Super Bowl, and they should be able to end Tampa Bay’s five-game winning streak. A lot depends on rookie quarterback Dak Prescott, who has Tony Romo breathing down his neck, and he will be determined to put a quiet game against the Giants – where he threw two interceptions and just 165 yards from 37 attempts – behind him and respond emphatically. The Cowboys are 20/23 with William Hill, Ladbrokes and Bet365 to cover a -7 spread and that also looks good.

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets

Another early game sees Miami travel to New York for a clash between AFC East rivals. The Patriots are running away with the division, but the Dolphins are very much still in the wildcard hunt. At 8-5 they are currently level with the Denver Broncos for the final AFC wildcard playoff spot, so they need a win badly. The Broncos lost their last game, while Miami won, so they will want to keep the momentum going. The Jets are dead and buried and already thinking of next season, so back the Dolphins at 4/5 with Coral to win this.