Will the Sportsbooks’ Favorites Houston Texans cover the spread against the Tennessee Titans in week 13?

This rivalry between two AFC South teams is very much a must win by both teams. Tennessee has a current record of 4 wins and 7 losses and a win today could keep their playoff hopes alive. Houston at 10 and 1 leads the AFC South division, so a win today for them solidifies their position in the division as well as the conference and playoff spot.

The bookies have picked the Texans to win this game by up to 7 points. I noticed that Bet Online had them at 6.5 points last night and had moved it to 7 points today just hours before the game.

The Texans are having a great season and the Titans have struggled with mistakes and just generally need some improvement both in the backfield as well as the secondary. Tennessee has suffered a few injuries to line backers and this could be a portion of their defense issues.

I honestly think the way that Houston is playing that Tennessee just is not strong enough to beat them. Yes they have plenty of incentive, and may even make a few big plays throughout the game, but it just will not be enough.

Quarterback Matt Schaub is completing 64% of his passes and his favorite receivers Kevin Walter and Andre Johnson as well as tight end Owen Daniels will be there today and will be making catches. The Titans defense will be there and try and stop some of those plays, but they just will not be effective enough against Houston’s 3rd ranked offense.

Don’t forget about their running game either. I look for running back Arian Foster to have another big day also. In fact he is alread over 1000 yards for the year and he could comfortably gain over 100 yards in today’s football game.

My thought os the point spread? Yes I do think that Houston will cover the spread, and in fact I would feel comfortable giving up a bit more than the 7 points.

Visit Bet Online to place your bets on this game and others.

UK Punters might want to visit William Hill.

Are the Baltimore Ravens a sure bet to win the game with the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 13?

I think if you look at the numbers the answer to that question is fairly simple, but this is football and the Steelers are planning to do what they can to win the game no matter how many fans or critics state otherwise. These two teams met in Pittsburgh just two weeks ago and the Ravens won that game 13 to 10.

This is a big rivalry and a big game. They are both in the AFC North division and the Steelers would like nothing more than to take home a division win against their biggest rival and competition in the division.

With quarterback Ben Roethlisberger still out for injury to his right shoulder, they will have to look at Charlie Batch to take his place as the starting quarterback. It’s no secret that the Steelers do not have a top ranked offense, but if you look at Batch’s numbers from last week he threw 20 for 34 for 58%.

His biggest problem last week was he lacked a bit of consistency and was unable to complete any touchdown passes. If he can improve that slightly they could do better on the offense.

Where Pittsburgh really shines is their defense. They are ranked number one in defense and in their game two weeks ago they did a fair job of getting the ball back in to then quarterback Byron Leftwich, but Leftwich was sacked 3 times and did not do well converting on 3rd downs. With Batch as quarterback it may have different results.

I look for the Ravens to get a few surprises coming from the Steelers defense. I like a lot of the Steelers players on the defense but if I had to pick a few players the most likely to have a big game and make some big plays would be Larry Foote and Keenan Lewis. Clark has 19 assists this year and has forced two fumbles, one of them in the game two weeks against the Ravens.

Are you saying you think the Steelers will beat the Ravens?

No, I wish i could pick the Steelers since they are the underdog, but I just can’t. Unless Batch can be consistent from the very beginning of the game and get that first drive or two down the field well to gain some momentum then they will face quite a battle.

If you look at their game 2 weeks ago it was a hard fought game and was decided by a field goal at the end of the game. The kind of rivalry this game is I am sure that the Steelers will make the Ravens fight for every yard on Sunday.

But I honestly think that Baltimore will gain more yards then they did in their previous meeting. If their line can protect him a littler better and give him more time I think Flacco will do a better job of finding the right receivers and making the completions.

And even though the Ravens do not have the #1 offense, in fact their offense is ranked at 16 and their passing is ranked 11 they are still have one of the best records this year. They make the plays when they need to and they make the big plays at times throughout the game that can turn things around for them and they are winning games.

Yes I do think the Ravens will win on Sunday and although the line is at 9.5 I think that they have the juice and momentum to make that spread. I know to some that 9 and a half points seems kind of pushing it and you could take the points if you have the faith in Batch and the Steelers defense, I just think the way the Ravens are rolling they are ready to beat the Steelers for the second time in two weeks.

Visit Bet Online to place your bets on this game and others.

UK Punters might want to visit William Hill.

A brief look at why the New England Patriots will cover the spread against the Miami Dolphins in week 13

In one of the early games on Sunday afternoon this week is the game between the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots. It is actually an important game for both teams, but it is make or brake time for the Dolphins.

They are in the hunt for a spot in the wild card, but they can not make any mistakes. The Dolphins are at 5 wins and 6 losses which puts them one behind the Bengals going in to this week. Looking at the schedule of the games left we see that Miami plays the Patriots Sunday, they play San Francisco next week, than back home for Jacksonville, on to Buffalo the following week, then New England again in the last week of regular season.

They have a much better chance of picking up the wins from the Jaguars and the Bills than they will with NE and SF. Let’s take a brief look at why the point spread is at 9 points in favor of New England to win.

Miami’s only saving grace in this game I think could possibly come from their running game. Miam has a pair of nice running backs with Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas. We all know that stranger things have happened in games and a team will upset a game because of a player or two will have really big games.

I am not predicting that will happen, but if it were to occur, these two would likely have the biggest hand in that happening. Do I think that is much of a possibility? No.

What is the likelihood of the Patriots making the points?

That is very high and here is why. Just look at their offense. They are ranked #1 in the league right now. Their passing game is ranked 4th and they are ranked 6th in their running game.

Quarterback Tom Brady is having an exceptional year. He has thrown for over 3000 yards and is hitting his receivers over 65% of the time.

Any conversation about the best quarterbacks in the league would have Tom Brady’s name broght up within the conversation. And when you speak about the talent that he has, you can not forget to mention the talent of his receivers.

He has so many weapons to get the receptions at his disposal. Just to name a few he has wide receivers Wes Walker and Brandon Lloyd. Welker has 961 yards and Lloyd has 561 and each one of them have 3 touchdowns. And if your wonder who else is among his favorite men in the secondary, you must mention tight end Rob Gronkowski. He has 748 yards this year and 10 touchdowns and a likely candidate in Sunday’s game to add to that total.

And these 3 are only scratching the surface of receivers that he can drop the ball off to. And don’t forget their running game. They have so many different packages that they can put together using guys like Stevan Ridley, Danny Woodhead, Brandon Bolden, Shane Vereen and others. Ridley himself has over 900 yards and is averaging about 4.6 yards per carry.

Like I said earlier, the odds on this game have the Patriots winning by 9 points. I think you must take New England and give up the points and I would not take Miami even if the points would be a bit higher. I honestly think the Patriots could conceivably win this game by two touchdowns so I don’t think that making 9 will be much of a problem.

I have a few different books I recommend you set up an account for betting on football or any other betting needs. For US Players check out the odds at Bet Online or Sportsbetting and for the non US residents or the UK players check out William Hill.

Will the Denver Broncos cover the spread against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers week 13?

On Sunday afternoon the AFC West Division leader Denver Broncos, with 8 wins and 3 losses meet the NFC South second place Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa is currently at 6 and 5, and need a win Sunday in their race to try and qualify for a wild card spot in the playoffs.

Based upon a number of factors including the remaining schedule that Tampa has the rest of the season, they are thought to be one of the favorites vying for the spot. Even with a loss on Sunday Tampa actually has a really good shot at making the playoffs since time and circumstance, as well as their schedules, may work against such teams as Dallas, Washington and a few others. A lot is at stake in a number of divisions this week.

However, let’s concentrate on Sunday’s game since they must first face a formidable opponent in the Denver Broncos. If you look at the line, the odds makers have the Broncos as 8 point favorites to win over the Buccaneers. With an 8 point spread you can be sure the sports bookies are confident which team they think will come out on top.

When I am looking at which football teams I want to bet on, I try and look deeper than just the numbers. I look at it logically and try not to let my emotions sway my judgment too much, although being human, sometimes you just can’t help it and emotions will sometimes affect your wagering decisions.

Do I honestly think the Broncos will win on Sunday? Yes I do, and short of Denver making huge mistakes in the first half or Tampa pulling out a few really big plays that give them points early in the game, I think we will see Denver in the lead by the end of the first half.

And even if they do not have a comfortable first half lead, the Broncos have had many games this year when they were down by considerable points at half time and they turned the game around in their favor in the second half, but I feel that may not be necessary in this game.

But will the Broncos be able to cover the point spread against the Buccaneers?

Let’s look a little closer to see what may happen and how it could affect scoring in this game. On Tampa’s offense you have a great young quarterback in Josh Freeman in his fourth year.

Throwing at 57% this year, his numbers have been presentable as far as receptions, but when he does throw an interception, it seems like it couldn’t be at a worse possible time. But then any quarterback will tell you it’s never a good time when they throw an interception.

And going up against the Broncos, Freeman will be facing a defense ranked 4th in the league. He can be sure that they will be applying a lot of pressure and try to get him on the move early in the game. They will keep heavy coverage on his receivers Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams as well as tight end Dallas Clark as well.

The Denver defense will likely make their offensive line wake up and pay attention early in the game and I wouldn’t be surprised if they even manage to get a sack on Freeman even on their first possession. With line backers like Von Miller with 14 sacks for the year or defensive ends like Elvis Dumervil with 8 and 18 assists they will be doing everything they can to force Freeman into making mistakes and hurrying up his throws.

Tampa does have a bit of a running game, but I think that the defensive line is ready to shut down their running game. Don’t forget that we could easily see a big play or two by Kevin Vickerson, Derek Wolfe, Rahim Moore or so many others.

You can not even mention a game with the Denver Broncos without talking about their offense. At he forefront of that offense is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, Peyton Manning. Watching this man play football, especially when he is having a good day is a lot of fun.

It would not surprise one bit to see him throw for 300 yards or more on Sunday. In addition to his talent as a passer, he is extremely intelligent and reads a defense better than just about any quarterback in the game. He can run a great no huddle or hurry up offense and has shown he can take advantage of that ability and keep defenses guessing or calling an audible at the line of scrimmage.

Even though most of the sports betting shops we checked with, both on line as well as the brick and mortar sportsbooks, have the spread on this football game at 8 points; I think the Denver Broncos should have no trouble covering the spread against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

If you need a sportsbook to take your bet on this or any other football game and would like to take advantage of a great first deposit bonus as a new player I encourage you to check out the great offers at our recommended bookies such as Bet Online or Sportsbetting. They both have nice offers for new players and up to minute odds on almost all sports.

Will the Green Bay Packers make the 9.5 point spread against Minnesota Vikings in week 13 football game?

I am a fan of the Packers and enjoy watching quarterback Aaron Rodgers do his job, and even more so when he is having a good game. But a spread of 9.5 points might be just a little over confident so let’s look closer at the football game matchup.

The Vikings meet the Packers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Both teams are in the NFC North. Green Bay has a record of 7 wins and 4 losses and Minnesota is at 6 and 5 and they are in 2nd and 3rd place respectively in the division.

If Green bay wins, and the Bears, which lead the division lose; Green Bay would be tied with Chicago for first place in the NFC North. If the Vikings win, they would tie the Packers for second place. So you can see there is a good bit riding on this game for both of them.

Green bay has a record at home this year of 4 wins and 1 loss and that was the season opener with San Francisco. Rodgers threw for over 300 yards in the game and there is no reason why he won’t rack up that many or more in Sunday’s game.

Like last week, the Packers star line backer Clay Matthews is not expected to play this week. He is out due to a hamstring injury. I think he was missed last week in the game against the Giants and he will be missed again on Sunday.

Can the Packers win without Matthews? Yes, of course they can. Without his exceptional talent helping make big plays and getting or assisting with sacks, the defense’s job is a little more difficult and he is such a great inspiration to the line, but I do think they are capable without him.

After the loss last week to the Giants I am sure they have taken a closer look at where they could make some improvements on defense this week. A few of the shortcomings they saw last week was the inability of the line to stop the run in a number of plays. And since the Vikings have a very strong running game they hopefully will have made some adjustments and will be effective against the ground game.

But can the Vikings stop the Packers from making the spread?

Maybe. Gee that’s a heck of an answer when you are trying to decide which football team to bet on isn’t it? We have only scratched the surface so let’s take a quick look closer to help decide the answer.

Like I started this article, I am a fan of Green Bay. I have liked watching them play since the Brett Farve. Farve is one of the all time greats and threw for over 10,000 yards in his career, but let’s get back on track.

The Minnesota Vikings are a great football team too. They play a very aggressive, very physical, in your face ground game. There rushing offense is ranked 3rd in the league so they will surely be taking the ball on the ground, to the Giant defense from early on in the game.

Running back Adrian Peterson and the talent he has of finding the opening, or breaking a tackle and exploding a short gain into and explosive run and making big plays is incredible. I think we will see Minnesota give the ball to Peterson a lot as well throw in their normal mixture of some play action passing and screens for short yards, maybe get to receiver Percy Harvin, or dump it off to tight end Kyle Rudolph or others.

They have managed to do that well this year, just not as effectively as they have liked in some of the games that did not go their way this season.

If the Minnesota Vikings brings their A game on Sunday afternoon, then they have a great shot at actually winning this game. But I also think that if Green Bay brings their A game, and the defense can contain Adrian Peterson, then they will win. With the spread at 9.5 I think I would say yes, they can meet that spread, but I am not sure I would give up more points than that.

Sure, Aaron Rodgers could have a Great Game and throw 4, 5 maybe even 6 touchdown passes, but when you are placing a bet on the game you need to look at things closer and decide how confident you feel about putting your money where your mouth is.

Since I am a big fan of Green Bay, I can easily say that I hope Rodgers does just what I said above and throws for over 400 yards. He is a great quarterback and I like watching him work.

And for the money I think the smart bet is on the green Bay Packers they will make the spread.

We invite you to explore the rest of our site. You can get the latest odds on football games as well as any other sports by following the football odds link in the left or by clicking here. Just select mathchups under whatever the desired sport is.

For visiting a sportsbook today, take a look at Bet Online.

For non-US punters, William Hill gets one of our top recommendations.