Tag: NFL odds (Page 8 of 11)

Eagles (9-4) @ Giants (9-4), 1:00PM ET
This game right here, is what the NFL is about. While the participants in the NFC West continue to play, “Who sucks less?” a legitimate grudge match will take place at the New Meadowlands this Sunday. The Eagles seemingly hold an advantage because they weren’t the ones who had to stay in an airport for two days only to have their game moved to an entirely different city on Monday night. But that won’t be an excuse for the Giants. This is the NFC East and these are the Philadelphia Eagles – a team the Giants should be more than familiar with by now. It’s gut-check time for Eli Manning, who leads the league in interceptions with 19. With how good the Giants’ defense and running game has been of late, there are excuses for Eli starting this weekend. He must play better. On the other side, what is Andy Reid doing to ensure that Michael Vick doesn’t take a pounding courtesy of the Giants’ nasty front seven? You know they’ll be coming after him. Buckle your chinstraps – we’ve got a war in the NFC East this Sunday.
CURRENT ODDS: GIANTS –2.5

Jaguars (8-5) @ Colts (7-6), 1:00PM ET
It doesn’t get any easier for the Colts: If they lose this Sunday, they’re out of the playoffs. If they win their remaining three games, they’re in. See? Easy. The Jaguars currently own a one-game lead over the Colts in the AFC South and have already beaten Indy once this season (a wild 31-28 nail biter in Week 4). A win this weekend would mean an unexpected AFC South crown but that won’t be easy. Peyton Manning threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions last week in a win over the Titans. Prior to that game, he had thrown 11 interceptions in a three-game span but by the looks of things last week, he’s starting to figure things out. With the Jaguars’ currently sitting at 28th in the league in passing yards allowed (258.3), you know Manning will go after the Jacksonville secondary early and often. On the other side, can the Colts’ soft defense slow Maurice Jones-Drew?
CURRENT ODDS: COLTS –4.5

Saints (10-3) @ Ravens (9-4), 1:00PM ET
John Harbaugh can’t feel too great about the way the Ravens’ won in Houston on Monday night. His team had a 28-7 lead early in the third quarter and then went into a coma before waking up in overtime. With Drew Brees and a red-hot Saints team coming to town, now isn’t the time for the vaunted Baltimore defense to be giving up scoring drives of 90-plus yards. If Harbaugh can’t figure out where the leaks are coming from, Brees and Sean Payton will pick them apart. The Ravens can ill-afford to suffer another loss in a tight AFC playoff race and if they have any hope of winning the AFC North, then they can’t lose this weekend. The Steelers will likely get a free win against the hapless Jets and Pittsburgh owns a one-game lead and the tiebreaker based on winning percentage in the division. Time to see what Harbaugh’s squad is made of.
CURRENT ODDS: RAVENS –1

Packers (8-5) @ Patriots (11-2), 8:20PM ET
The Packers dug themselves a hole by losing to the Lions last weekend in Detroit and could be without Aaron Rodgers (concussion) this Sunday night in New England. Matt Flynn can’t beat the Patriots on his own and Tom Brady and Co. look like an unstoppable force. The odds are definitely stacked against Green Bay, which is why they need to hope the Bears lose to the Vikings on Monday night. Even if Chicago wins though, the Packers’ playoff hopes would still be alive (however slim). If the Lions can beat the Bucs (one of the teams the Packers are battling with for a Wild Card spot) earlier in the day, maybe it’ll inspire Flynn to turn in the performance of a lifetime. That seems highly unlikely at this point but hey, crazier things have happened.

NFL Week 15 Odds:

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It’s only Wednesday, but it’s never too early to take a look at Sunday’s games in the NFL. Below are five games on the Week 14 schedule where the side or total jump out to me.

Patriots (10-2) @ Bears (9-3), 4:15PM ET
Looking at this game from a public standpoint, it’s hard not to love the Patriots. The point spread is low (-3), the Pats are coming off a 45-3 beat down of the Jets on Monday night and while the Bears are 9-3, a large portion of the public seems to be waiting for them to collapse. That said, there’s always value in taking the home underdog – especially when that home dog has a winning overall record and is 4-2 at home this year. The Pats are also coming off a short week of preparation and even though Chicago is a playoff contender this year, this game could still be viewed as a possible letdown for New England (due to the fact that they’re coming off an emotional MNF win over a division rival and now have to go on the road to play a non-conference foe). If Jay Cutler and the Bears’ O-line was still a mess, I would be hesitant to add this game to my card. But seeing as how Cutler is playing very well and the offensive line has improved greatly over the past month, the Bears look like a sound play to me.
CURRENT ODDS: PATRIOTS –3
THE LEAN: BEARS +3

Giants (8-4) @ Vikings (5-7), 1:00PM ET
Before the last two weeks, it was a dangerous proposition to take the Vikings. Brett Favre has played like crap all year, Brad Childress was pissing players off on a routine basis and their pass rush had been non-existent. But the Vikes are 2-0 under interim head coach Leslie Frazier, who seems more committed to to getting Adrian Peterson involved than Childress was. Favre is still a mess and there’s some question whether or not he will/should start the remaining four games, but he’s still tough to beat at home. The Giants, on the other hand, have a date coming up with the Eagles next week and are highly turnover-prone. I’m thinking they might be caught looking ahead. I don’t like the number where it’s at now (-2.5), but if I can get a field goal or more with the Vikings I would hesitate playing it.
CURRENT ODDS: GIANTS –2.5
THE LEAN: VIKINGS +2.5

Packers (8-4) @ Lions (2-10), 1:00PM ET
I like the Lions for the same reason I like the Vikings: they’re a home dog playing a team with a huge game coming up next week. The Packers can’t afford to overlook any team, but with a trip to New England coming up next Sunday, it would be human nature to look past the lowly Lions. But Detroit has been competitive for most of the season and Drew Stanton gave them a spark last week in a loss to the Bears. If the spread was sitting at anything lower than a touchdown I’d probably pass, but at +7 there’s a lot of value in the Lions.
CURRENT ODDS: PACKERS –7
THE LEAN: LIONS +7

Falcons (10-2) @ Panthers (1-11), 1:00PM ET
I thought for sure we’d see the Falcons fall last week against the Bucs and we almost did. But I don’t have the same feelings about this week. The Panthers have been putrid all season and they’ve struggled at home against divisional foes all year. The Bucs defeated them 20-7 in Week 2 and the Saints crushed them 34-3 in Week 9. The Falcons’ defense gives up a ton of yardage but usually not a lot of points. Either way, Matt Ryan and Co. should roll this week and with another road game coming up next Sunday at Seattle, they won’t overlook Carolina. (Not to mention they’re fighting to retain the top seed in the NFC and first place in the NFC South).
CURRENT ODDS: FALCONS –7
THE LEAN: FALCONS –7

Rams (6-6) @ Saints (9-3), 4:05PM ET
This one has me going back-and-forth but I like the under. The Saints can obviously score and the Rams’ defense just gave up 33 points to the Broncos two weeks ago on the road. Plus, with the way the Bengals drove up and down the field against the Saints last weekend, it would be easy to throw up your hands and take the over. But New Orleans should play better defensively this weekend and the Rams’ defense has been underrated for most of the year. The Saints have also scored 30-plus points in each of their last four games, which is a trend that is hard to keep up. This may be one that I eventually drop from my card, but as of right now the under holds so value.
CURRENT ODDS: SAINTS –9.5 (47)
THE LEAN: UNDER 47

Below is a complete list of odds for Week 14 in the NFL, including Thursday night’s game between the Colts and Titans.

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