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Preseason Week 3 Best Bets
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Wednesday, 25 August 2010 06:19
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 With the NFL season right around the corner, many fans betting on NFL preseason action are looking for the best wagers. Unlike the MLB and NHL preseason’s which feel like actual mini seasons, the NFL preseason is only four games long. As a result, starters, secondary and practice squad members share duty over the first two preseason games to get a feel for who can make the team and who will be cut. By week three, coaches trim their rosters down considerably and fans wondering what their team will look like come opening day are given a pretty clear idea.
When betting NFL preseason action, it is almost a given that the starters will play the brunt of the game. As this is the case, fans betting on the home underdog or road favorite, should expect the point spread to be almost identical to that of a regular season game. For instance, later this week when the Cincinnati Bengals play the Buffalo Bills in a preseason week three matchup, fans can expect to take the Bengals as a seven point favorite. During the upcoming Bengals and Bills game, fans should expect to see the starters play at least 75 percent of the action. However, handicappers should be aware, that the majority of secondary players, who will make an appearance in the game, are within the final cuts at training camp. Meaning to say, players who get cut in the Bengals Bills game which is your best bet for good action may end up on a different team. Conversely, one game that many fans looking to make an easy dollar should wager upon is the New England Patriots vs. St. Louis Rams game on Thursday. Earlier this week, the betting line was at six and a half points. However, it has since risen to eight points at most sportsbooks. |
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 High-flying offensive attacks and a betting defense that will bend but not break were the keys to the two teams that reached the Super Bowl in 2010, with the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts both piling up the statistics en route to Miami for the big game. Both teams were led by MVP-caliber quarterbacks, and completed by solid offensive pieces on the line, receiver, and running back positions. This year should be no different in the NFL, as the top offensive teams in the game will continue to dominate in a time where the game simply favors the side that has the ball in their hand. It is unlikely that the Saints and Colts will meet again, if for no other reason than the amount of time it has been since the same teams faced one another in consecutive Super Bowls, but there is no reason to think that one can't be back, and both should be locks to win their division.
A couple of teams that appear destined to challenge the Colts in the AFC playoffs will be the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets, who have both improved from the teams that made it to the AFC Final Four a year ago, as well as long time nemesis' Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, and Phillip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers. The Saints will be in tough to repeat against teams likes the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals, while every team in the NFC East has a legitimate shot of making a run. Based on performance and additions/subtractions made in the offseason however, the NFL betting picks to make this year's Super Bowl project Rex Ryan's New York Jets taking on Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. |
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Can Manning Add A Fifth MVP?
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Tuesday, 20 July 2010 17:48
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 With the 2010-2011 season right around the corner, the online sports betting predictions are already being made about where teams will finish, how players will perform, and which players will put up the best numbers at each position. Can quarterback Peyton Manning lead his Indianapolis Colts back to the top of the AFC South, and possibly win a fifth MVP-title? Does Green Bay Packers' cornerback Charles Woodson still have enough legs in him to show the Defensive Player of the Year award form he did in 2010? Every year predictions are made and some come true, while others aren't even close. What will this NFL betting season bring us?
The top contenders to challenge Manning for betting MVP status are Drew Brees and Tom Brady, who once again will have to have MVP-caliber seasons if their teams are going to get back in to the playoffs. Ed Reed and Ray Lewis are gearing up for a run in what could be their final seasons, and could chase Woodson for the award for top defensive star. 2010 Coach of the Year award-winner Marvin Lewis got his Cincinnati Bengals in to the postseason a year ago, but will be hard pressed to top the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers to get back in, making it wide open for anyone from Rex Ryan of the New York Jets or Mike McCarthy of the Packers to take that award. As for the rookies, wide receiver Dez Bryant will have Tony Romo throwing to him in a wide open Dallas Cowboys offense, and should have a chip on his shoulder after the way he was treated by some teams. On defense, Brandon Spikes should step right in at middle linebacker for the Patriots, and under the tutelage of head coach Bill Belichick could excel. |
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 While the AFC has been dominated by a handful of different teams over the past decade, parity has reigned supreme in the NFC where it seems as though every year a new team is appointed the sports betting favorite, only to be knocked off by an underdog squad that finds a way to win. Last year it was the New Orleans Saints, the year before it was the Arizona Cardinals, the one before that the New York Giants. Which team will it be this year that makes the biggest splash? The Giants, Saints, and Cardinals all look poised to make a run for their division titles in 2010, with New York's chances shaping up as the most difficult given that they will have to compete with the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and Philadelphia Eagles. The case can be made that all four teams should compete for the top spot in the NFC East, just the same as a case can be made why all four will not. The Cowboys however look to have the most complete team, and should be the division favorite.
The Saints will face pressure from the Atlanta Falcons in the improbable AFC South, where a new team emerges every year from the basement to take over control. It is unlikely that trend will continue this year however, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers both building. The Minnesota Vikings will have to deal with a much-improved division, but should have quarterback Brett Favre back to guide them to the top spot again, while the Cardinals should be able to hold off both the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers for a third straight year. With the Vikings, Cowboys, Saints, and Cardinals all securing top spots, the final two bet on NFL wild card spots will be decided by the Falcons, Packers, and remainder of the NFC East. |
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NFL betting