Will the Washington Redskins win the game against the Dallas Cowboys in week 17?

Covering the last week in the regular season for our “Offsides” articles, a co-operative collection of opposing views from Football Betting World and OddsOnBetting, we look at the game between the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys.

As far as the Wildcard Playoff spots are concerned, this is one of the most important games of this week. Both of these teams are in an absolute must win scenario. Washington must win to hold their 4th seed spot, and with the win clinch the Division.

Dallas must win to have any kind of chance to win a spot in the wild card round. For the Cowboys it is a little more complicated. For them to get in they must win Sunday, and the Bears, Vikings and the Seahawks must lose. Not very likely for that to all happen, but it is mathematically possible.

Dallas has had a bit of a strange season, a few times they looked like were getting things together but then something would get kind of quirky and they would suddenly look like they couldn’t win games they should have dominated.

Then in some games they would get behind and come back and win. They come in to this final game at 8 and 6 so they will finish the season with at least a close to 50% record, but if it wasn’t for some of the mistakes they had made earlier in the season they would have a much better record.

Last week’s game against the Saints is a perfect example. At one point mid way through the game they were down by 14 points, but with only 5 minutes left in the game they got it together and turn on the defense a bit and stopped the drives of Drew Brees. Then on offense, Tony Romo was able to convert on some nice plays and they tied the score as the clock wound down and went into overtime.

But true to what has plagued Dallas a lot this year, what was looking like what was going to be a game for Dallas after an exciting come back, a turnover led to the winning drive by the Saints. I mention this to bring up that even though Tony Romo threw for 416 yards; the Cowboys have found ways to lose games in which it appeared they would win.

They can not have that kind of game against the Redskins. This football game is just too important to do so. In fact it’s kind of ironic that this is the late game on Sunday, the very last game of the regular season since it is so important to both of them.

What are the odds on Washington winning against the Cowboys and can they cover?

As of Monday night I checked a few different books and most of them have the Washington Redskins winning this game by 3 points. I recall at least one book had the line at 3.5 so be sure to check the odds when you place a bet.

Let’s take a closer look at whether the Redskins can in fact comfortably cover that spread. First of all, Washington has a fairly strong defense. They are ranked 6th against the pass and have 17 interceptions and 36 sacks against their opponents so they can be an obvious threat to quarterbacks.

Even though Dallas quarterback tony Romo has been throwing for a good amount of yards in games recently, if we look at the games where he was under a lot of pressure from his opponents defenses we see those are the games were he makes the most mistakes. This is due mostly to the fact that although Dallas has done a decent job of acting under pressure when their backs are against a wall as a team, Romo himself does not exactly handle pressure well in the backfield.

I think that Washington will take advantage of this and linebackers like Perry Riley and Ryan Kerrigan will force him to hurry a number of plays and try and raise his potential for making mistakes. Romo has already thrown 16 interceptions this year, and increasing that number will be one of the goals of the Redskin defense.

The tradeoff on that extra pressure is the difficultly in making sure they don’t leave themselves wide open in the secondary, but that is something that Washington has been improving on quite a bit since mid season as is evidenced by their record. They have won the last 6 games and they have already beaten Dallas once this year, 5 weeks ago in week 12.

The Redskins have the 5th ranked offense in the league. They currently hold the number one rank in rushing and that rank comes mainly from the effectiveness of running back Alfred Morris who is over 1400 yards this year. In addition to his running plays, a lot of the rushing credit goes to the mobility of quarterback Robert Griffin III. Often when it appears a play action play is falling apart, he just has an uncanny ability to make things happen and turn what looks like will be a loss into yards gained and very often into a first down.

Yes I do think that the Cowboys heart will be in the right place, but I do not think it will be enough to stop the Redskins from getting the job done and I think Washington will finish the season showing that they truly deserve the Division title and how hard they have worked to get there.

Not only will they cover the 3 point spread, I think they could cover a 6 point spread. I am not sure how I feel about them going all the way or whether they will make it to the final round, but they will be playing in the wild card game in January.

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Will the San Francisco 49ers win the football game against the Seattle Seahawks in week 16?

For this week’s “Offsides” article, the game that Frank Benjamin, my friend over at OddsOnBetting, and I decided to write up is one of the best and most exciting upcoming football games of the week. That matchup is the NFC West showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks.

The 49ers come in to this game with a record of 10 wins 3 losses and 1 tie, and the Seahawks are at 9 and 5 so they are fairly closely matched in terms of records. Looking at their offense rank, the 49ers are ranked 11th overall and 2nd on the ground. The Seahawks are ranked 16th overall and 3rd on the ground. Passing ranks is close also, SF at 26th and Seattle at 27th. Even their defense is a close rank at 2nd for San Francisco and 3rd for the Seahawks.

Seattle has to win this game since they have 4 NFC teams that are only one game out and could easily unseat them from their 5th seed position in the wildcard round. A loss by the Seahawks with a win by 2 of the four teams breathing down their neck could cause them to drop out of the spot and back into the hunt for the last game of the season.

With a win, the Seahawks guarantee a spot in either the 5th or 6th seed spot. This does not mean that San Francisco doesn’t have any incentive to win. They need one more win to take the division title. A win by the 49ers and a loss by Green Bay and they would clinch the first round bye and would guarantee the 1st or 2nd seed spot.

As we get down to the last games of the season the competition has heated up considerably. The schedule this year certainly makes a lot of sense with a number of the division and conference matchups this late in the season making many games in the back stretch being crucial for their playoff positions. This game is very important and we couldn’t have picked a better game to argue.

What do the sportsbooks say about this game, who are they picking and what is the point spread?

That is a good question. I started this article late Monday night, just after watching the Jets lose to the Titans. At the time I started the article Bet Online had the line at San Fracisco as favorites winning by 1 point. A few hours ago they still had the line at even and a few of the other books I check regularly are at even. I will check this line again in the next day or two, and if the line moves I will try and get back in here and update the article at the bottom of the page.

Both of these teams have a bit of momentum coming in to this game. Each of them have won 3 of the last four games they played. With two really great offenses facing off on Sunday, a portion of the burden of gaining control of the game may hinge on how well each opponent’s defenses can stop drives and get their teams’ offenses back on the side of the ball.

The biggest threat on the ground for the Seahawks is running back Marshawn Lynch with 1379 yards this year and 10 touchdowns. On the 49ers side of the ball the threat is Frank Gore. Gore is over 1100 yards and is averaging 4.8 yards per carry, so both offenses have explosive backs that have a number of big plays under their belt for the season.

Neither team is ranked very high in defense against the run so each one of them will have their hands full. The main strength that each of them has shown this year has been their game on the ground.

But after San Francisco won last week against the New England Patriots, quarterback Colin Kaepernick showed that he could help his team to victory even after what appeared to be a successful comeback from behind by the Patriots in the 4th quarter, but Kaepernick led 2 successful drives one ending in a touch down and one in a field goal to win the game as the 4th quarter wound down.

With the continued success of the San Francisco quarterback Kaepernick, I think that overall the 49ers are a much more balanced football team. As we head in to the last 2 weeks of the season and into the playoffs, I think the teams that can show the balanced approach, both in the air and on the ground, as well as at least some strength or big play makers on the defense is what it will take to have a successful playoff run and compete in the post season.

I think this approach will help take San Francisco to victory this week. As far as the 49ers covering the spread, Yes, I do believe they could cover a spread up to 3 points making them a safe bet even if the line moves slightly over the next day or so.

Don’t forget that as the season winds down the action at the books also becomes more intense. You need to pay attention and watch for line moves and place your bets early. Besides the bookies we recommend, such as those listed on our other pages and also in the left navigation, take a look at Bet Online. They service players from most countries all over the world and are a great solution for the US bettor. Great signup bonuses for new players too. Visit Today.

 

 

Be sure to visit our friends over at OddsOnBetting to read the opposing view of this week’s football game. Hearing both sides of the story make you more informed and therefore a more intelligent bettor. Why the Seattle Seahawks will win at Home against the San Francisco 49ers.

Will the Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 15?

The game we chose for this week’s OffSides article with opposing points of view is the Dallas Cowboys versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.

We chose this game for a number of reasons. At 7 and 6 both teams are fairly evenly matched as far as their win loss record. Both football teams are tied for second place within their divisions also. Dallas is tied with the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh is tied with the Minnesota Vikings.

Both teams are still in the hunt for a wild card playoff spot. Both teams are in must win situations for the balance of the season in order to hold on to, or secure any wild card possibilities.

The Steelers currently hold the 6th seed spot for the wild card in the AFC so if they win their last 3 games they stand to hold that spot. A loss of any of one of the last 3 games by Pittsburgh and 3 wins by Cincinnati would advance the Bengals into their spot. The Steelers really need this win.

The competition in the NFC is more interesting and the battle for a wild card berth is hot. With 3 teams at 7 and 6 still in the hunt; Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings, they are only 1 game out for the 4th, 5th and 6th seed spots. Those 3 spots are currently occupied by 3 teams at 8 and 5; NY Giants, Seattle Seahawks and the Chicago Bears.

This pretty much puts all of them in must win scenarios, and since a few of them are in matchups this week and next, their fate rests upon the outcome of the last few regular season games. It is very clear that these slots will not be decided without a fight.

As of Tuesday afternoon the odds on this game are at even and some of the sports books have not given up any point spread for this game at all. As I write this article at Noon on Tuesday the line of this game at Bet Online is at even, and Bet Fred had the Steelers favored to win by 1.5 points.

Who will win this closely matched game between the Steelers and the Cowboys?

I had actually picked the Bengals to beat the Cowboys last week and was surprised to see Dallas win that game with a 4th quarter drive by quarterback Tony Romo that ended with a touchdown and then another drive a few minutes later that gave them their game winning field goal.

Romo showed poise and determination in those drives and ended the day with 268 yards and one touchdown pass. He was sacked 3 times in that game and threw one interception and I think the most important thing that will have to happen in the Steelers game is for Romo to have a game without throwing any picks, similar to their game with Philadelphia where he threw 81% for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns.

This will be a very difficult thing to do. Pittsburgh is the number 1 ranked defense in the league and they are rated number 1 against the pass. Even though they are ranked #1, if you look at their game with the Chargers this past week, you can see their pass rush just couldn’t stop San Diego quarterback Phillip Rivers from making 3 touchdown passes and if the Cowboys offensive line can give Romo the time, he can have the same kind of game this week.

This is an extremely important game to both teams and as we head into the last few weeks of the season, the energy surrounding many of the match ups is growing. This game between these two teams each with their own playoff aspirations couldn’t be more exciting or have higher importance attached to the outcome.

I think the Pittsburgh Steelers will make the Dallas Cowboys work very hard for every yard they get, but I do think they will get those yards. I also think that the 11th ranked defense of Dallas will be effective against the play action of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger an in the end I am picking the Dallas Cowboys to win over the Pittsburgh Steelers by 2 points.

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Be sure to take a few minutes and visit my buddy Frank Benjamin’s website OddsOnBetting and read his side of the story. Why the Pittsburgh Steelers will Cover the Spread against the Dallas Cowboys.

Will the New York Giants make the 1 point spread against Washington Redskins in week 13 football game?

When Frank Benjamin and I picked which football game we would write up in our Offsides article for this week, we wanted to pick a game that were big rivals and we wanted a game that could go either way and would be close. There were a number of games to choose from this week, but of all the games that had a point spread of 2 points or less, the game between the Washington Redskins and the NY Giants looked to be the most exciting.

First and foremost, they are both in the NFC East with the Giants at 7 wins and 4 losses and the Redskins at 6 and 5. NY has their spot in the wild card round and Washington is still in the hunt. Also, these two teams have been NFC rivals for many, many years.

Their games are always very exciting for the fans since the stadiums for each team are easy driving distances from each other so local fans can often get to their opponents stadiums in a few hours drive. Beyond what makes the teams and fans rivals, let’s look closer at what we can expect from the game.

These two met earlier in the year during week 7 and NY won that game 27 to 23. The Giants have won 3 of their last 4 games and the redskins have won 2 of their last 4 games and each one had their bye week at least 2 weeks ago.

I think the biggest difficulty that NY faces is the containment of quarterback Robert Griffin III. So far this year he has rushed for over 600 yards and he has 6 touchdowns under his belt while carrying the football.

If you look at tapes from last weeks games you will see that the NY defense did a great job of applying pressure and penetrating an offensive line and was very effective at reducing the threat of Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay, a great quarterback in his own right.

They will need to be effective like that on Monday night, but their defensive tackles and ends, as well as safety’s, will have to be very aware of Griffin’s ability to come out of the pocket and often find that hole on the outside and pick up the yards on his own. The Carolina Panthers did a great job of controlling him a few weeks ago so I am sure NY watched those tapes with great interest.

Griffin has a pretty accurate arm from inside the pocket also, but besides the rushing capabilities of Griffin, Washington has a pretty decent running game overall. The line will have to keep a close eye on the outside no matter who is carrying the ball, with running backs Alfred Morris and Alfred Morris being the biggest threats to watch.

But can the Giants overcome this and beat the Redskins?

Yes, I do think the Giants will make the spread and win over the Redskins. Here are a few reasons why.

First, I think that with guys like Michael Boley, Chase Blackburn as well as a host of other strong linebackers that react very quickly to their opponent’s changes in the backfield, they will be aware of what RG3 is up to and will handle the situation and keep him and his running backs for making the big plays.

Although the NY defense has got to do their job well and contain the Skins, the offense is where the Giants have been shining very well in many games this year. Quarterback Eli Manning is one of the best passers this year, (of course his brother is racking up some impressive numbers for Denver also) but time and again Eli has shown that he has what it takes to lead his team to victory.

He has some very capable receivers such as Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks and Martellus Bennett, as well as a bunch of others that can step up like Domenik Hixon, Ahmad Bradshaw and more. As long as the offensive line can protect Manning well like they have most of this year so far I think that he will make the plays and find an open man and make the completions.

This will not be an easy win by any stretch of the imagination though. I think they will have a tough time of it from the first kickoff until the very end of the game. But in the end I do think that the New York Giants will win the game over the Washington Redskins and will make the point spread which at dinner time on Thursday is at a 1 point spread.

If you are looking for a great sportsbook to bet on this game, or any other game or sport for that matter, be sure to check out the betting odds at our recommended sportsbook Bet Online.

And if you want to read the other side of the story, check out the opposing view of this game by Frank Benjamin at OddsOnBetting. Can the Washington Redskins Cover Against the NY Giants in week 13?

Will Atlanta Falcons make the point spread against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 12?

This week for our Offsides series, Frank Benjamin and I had decided to do our picks article on the NFC South division leaders the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. These football teams meet on Sunday afternoon November 25, 2012 at 1:00 PM. The game is at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

Looking at what the line is at the online sports books late Friday night I see that Bet Online and Sportsbetting each have this game at no points. Checking at William Hill, the point spread is at 1 point with the Falcons as the favorite.

Atlanta is currently in the lead in the division at 9 wins and 1 loss. They are also the conference leaders. Tampa is at 6 and 4 and in second place the division.

Atlanta already has their spot in the playoffs and Tampa is not out of it just yet either. In fact depending on the outcome of their next few games they are in a position to possibly end up in the division playoff game. This is certainly incentive on the part of the Buccaneers for wanting to win and Atlanta would like to preserve their winning record although a loss on Sunday would not hurt their playoff spot.

Let’s look at the game and some of the possibilities of what could happen. Looking at the Falcons we see a team that has quite a few wins under their belt for the season. Their offense is current ranked 8th in the league but that ranking doesn’t come from their running game, it is due to their air attack.

The Falcons are ranked 4th for passing and that is because of quarterback Matt Ryan and receivers like Roddy White, Julio Jones and Harry Douglas. And let’s not forget that he can go to his tight end Tony Gonzalez or running back Jacquizz Rodgers as well as a handful of others that have gotten free of their defenders and made the catch and sometimes the big play when needed.

This will be the most difficult thing for the Tampa defense to defend against. This means that corners like Danny Gorrer, E.J. Biggers and others will see a good bit of action. Corner back Leonard Johnson is probable for the game Sunday and with Eric Wright out he will be needed so hopefully he is fully recovered. I also look for Michael Bennett to pull his weight and help out both on the line as well as the backfield.

The entire Tampa defense will have to be on alert since the Falcons can really be deadly in the secondary and although they may blitz some; his offensive line has protected him well this year and he is known for having a fast release and getting the ball to his intended receivers.

On the offensive side of the ball the Buccaneers have been holding their own respectively. They have won their last 4 games and I am sure they are determined to score well against Atlanta this week. The Bucs are ranked 11th in offense and 9th on the ground in the league.

Quarterback Josh Freeman is completing a little less than 60% of his pass attempts overall but when it comes to the short pass, up to 10 yards he is at 64%. Although I am sure he will throw the ball some, I think Tampa will also need to access their running game a fair amount.

We will likely see a good bit of play from running backs Doug Martin, LeGarrette Blount and D.J. Ware. Martin is having a good year and in fact he just hit the 1000 yard mark and I see no reason for him not to do well on Sunday.

Will Atlanta make the spread or will Tampa beat the odds?

If the Tampa offense is able to mix it up well and get some effective passing along with their running game which has been getting them yards against their opponents then I do believe that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers do have what it takes to beat the Atlanta Falcons.

I make no secret of the fact that I often like to pick what many will call an underdog, but picking Tampa this week is a little more than that. Tampa is really on a roll, they are hungry for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive and if they can play like they have in the last few games I think they will hand Atlanta their second loss of the year.

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Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday as well as time constraints and family committments, Frank Benjamin at OddsOnBetting will not be providing the opposing viewpoint in this weeks Offsides picks. Be sure to visit us again next week for opposing articles when we cover another game.

Can the Carolina Panthers beat the favorites Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

Welcome to our weekly series of articles we call “Offsides”. This is a collective effort between us here at Football Betting World and Frank Benjamin over at OddsOnBetting. This week we take a look at the game between the Buccaneers and Panthers in week 11.

The sportsbooks have picked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win by one point over the Carolina Panthers. To see the odds, just visit your favorite sportsbook or you can use our handy matchup tool which is located in the odds section in the left nav bar.

With the line at only one point the bookies really think that it will be a close game and that may be true so let’s take a look at why.

For one thing, the Bucs will have to keep an eye on running back Jonathan Stewart, but even more than that, quarterback Cam Newton, when forced out of the pocket has been very effective in rushing for a first down. In fact he has over 350 rushing yards this year.

While he is in the pocket he is also a threat if receivers Steve Smith or Brandon LaFell can get open and, they have to also keep track of tight end Greg Olsen since they are the most likely candidates that Newton will look for. This is what may tend to make it a closer game to predict.

But what the Panthers may not be expecting is that Michael Bennett will be there and be ready to take care of business. And he will not be alone; he will have plenty of help such as Ronde Barber and Mason Foster. These guys aren’t the only ones that the Carolina offense will have to contend with either. I could list more but would likely have to list the entire defensive roster.

Even though the Buc’s quarterback, Josh Freeman, has only been hitting about 56 percent he may be able to improve that number a bit on Sunday against the Panther defense. Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams are ready to step up and make it happen.

I haven’t even mentioned yet that this is not the first time these two teams have met this season. They played in the season opener at the beginning of the season. In that game, even though Cam Newton threw for over 300 yards, he also threw 2 interceptions. Tampa won that game 16 to 10.

Let’s not overlook the playoff hunt either. Tampa Bay is not quite out of it just yet, depending a lot on what happens this week. The amount of drive a team has to win, as well as a number of other factors can affect how much confidence players have before the football game starts.

Now Tampa’s hopes of reaching the playoffs are somewhat slim but it could actually happen in a few different scenarios. For them to accomplish this they will have to contend with Atlanta and that will prove to be difficult. It may be a long shot, but for this game what is important is that the fact that the possibility exists, could be the incentive boost that Tampa needs for Sunday’s football game.

I look for Tampa to do much better this week and for Josh Freeman to have a decent game like he did in the opener. The defense may not be able to count on the Panthers throwing 2 interceptions like in the first game so the Tampa defense will have to get in there and make the big plays and force the turnovers.

So yes, I think that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will meet the point spread, and in fact I think they will beat the spread and more.

For the opposing view on this game, be sure to visit OddsOnBetting to read the article by Frank Benjamin. Will the Carolina Panthers cover the spread against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

Will Chicago Bears prove Sportsbooks right and win over Houston Texans?

As we enter week 10 we are starting to get a glimpse of the possible scenarios in the playoffs, and both the Houston Texans and the Chicago Bears have shown themselves to be teams that will have to be dealt one way or another within their conference.

The Texans have a 7 and 1 record, and they are 7-0 in their conference. But the Bears are also 7-1. They are 4-1 in their conference but they have also had a bit tougher schedule so far this year.

Defensively I believe the Bears will keep just enough pressure on the Texans quarterback Matt Schaub that they will stick with their running game which they mostly do anyway. Shaub will have his hands full dealing with defensive ends Corey Wootton, Julius Peppers and Israel Idonije.

We just may see another big game played by cornerback Charles Tillman. Last week against the Titans he had 4 forced fumbles. Whether he is able to force a fumble or not, he will be there to make the tackles.

The Bears like to play really physical get in your face kind of football. From the very beginning of the game and all night Schaub and the Houston running backs will know that for them to get down field, they will have to go through them, and they are going to make that job as difficult for them as they can.

Running plays on the ground likely to dominate the football game

Both teams like to run the ball so I think we will see that the running game dominates most of the football game and they both have really strong defensive lines. However I honestly believe that the Texans may be in for a surprise from the running game of the Bears too.

They may find it difficult to stop running backs Matt Forte or Armando Allen, and don’t forget about big play maker Michael Bush as well. Any one of them could easily break a tackle or find a hole to get that first down or make the big play with a huge gain.

Are we in for a really good, physical game on Sunday night? Yes. Are the Bears going to come away with another win this week against the Texans? Yes again.

Wednesday night the lines on this game had Chicago as 1 point favorites. I think that might be a little conservative, but I am certainly picking the Bears as my favorite in the late game on Sunday.

Be sure to read this week’s Offside article over at OddsOnBetting here.

To see the odds on this or any other game just take a look at the odds tool in the left navigation, or visit one of our recommended sportsbooks like BetOnline or William Hill.

Will the Seattle Seahawks suprise the sportsbooks and meet the spread over the favored Minnesota Vikings?

Let’s take a closer look at the teams in the upcoming game in this week’s Offsides Challenge.

First let’s will look at the standings. The Vikings are at 5 wins and 3 losses and the Seattle Seahawks are at 4 and 4.

If we look at the stats in the air, the quarterbacks of both teams are hitting in the mid 60 percent range although the passing game is not the most popular choice of either team.

The Viking defense will be wanting to shut down Russell Wilson, but he has shown many times in games this year that he is no stranger to scrambling, not always getting the big yards and although not perfect, he does hold his own in avoiding getting sacked. And his offensive line has been improving on protecting him also.

Even though Seattle’s strongest points are not their passing game, they do have a number of receivers to turn to that are not strangers in the end zone. In fact both Sidney Rice and Golden Tate each have 3 touchdowns this year.

The Vikings defense may try to wrap up Tate and Rice in coverage but they are not the only weapons they have and they can always go to very capable tight ends such as Zach Miller or Anthony McCoy. Again, not the only tools in the arsenal, but the kinds of players that have shown time and again they are ready and able to be there when needed.

The Seahawks have often been moving the ball well on the ground and turning to the run at times when they need a high percentage play and they will likely be going to the run quite a bit. In fact I think we may see a big game from running back Marshawn Lynch and I would not be surprised if he gets at least one touchdown.

And Lynch is not the only tool they have in their running game. We could also see a fair amount of action from Robert Turbin and Leon Washington.

The Seattle offense is very capable of getting points on the board but in order to help make that happen we will need to see a strong defense as well. The Viking offense has improved their running game the last few weeks.

I think they will have their hands full, but I also think they are up to the job. They will have to keep a close eye on Adrian Peterson, running back for the Vikings who is having a decent year, but I think they will be able to keep him from making the big play that many might be expecting.

I think that they will be effective enough against the run that Minnesota may feel they have no choice but to try and go to their passing game and if they do end up doing that I think that we will see the Seattle defense make the big plays and force turnovers.

As of today the sportsbook Bet Online has the Seahawks as a 5 point favorite and William Hill also had the same line Wednesday evening.

I think a lot of the game will be on the ground and I think the Seahawks will make the spread but it may well be a tight game. If you want to see what the latest odds are for this game or any other game this week, just check the football betting matchup tool located on the left navigation or visit one of our recommended sportsbooks such as William Hill (non US players) or Bet Online.

Also, don’t forget to take a look at the other side of the coin and check out this week’s “Offsides” article by Frank Benjamin here.

Denver Broncos are Favorite Picks to win the New Orleans Saints Football Game

The football game we chose for this week’s Offsides challenge is the New Orleans Saints and the Denver Broncos on Sunday October 28th, 2012. This is the game that kicks off at 8:20 pm.

I think we are in for a really great game actually. I think we will see a lot of passing on both sides and I wonder if we won’t see more yards passing in this game then we saw in the game on the 21st when there were over 700 yards in the air between the Saints and the Buccaneers.

I make no secret of the fact that I really enjoy watching a good quarterback work. And with the Denver Broncos we have a great quarterback. Peyton Manning is easily rated among the list of the best quarterbacks in the league. He works very well under pressure and doesn’t panic if he has to throw on the move.

He reads defenses very well and his offensive line has been doing a great job of protecting him and has been slowing down the blitz when their opponents have been trying.

I think Manning will have another really good game and if you look at the last few games has been hitting his receivers and I think he will be less hurried in Sunday’s game then he has so far this year.

And when Manning has wide receivers like Eric Decker, Demaryius Thomas or Brandon Stokley you know the big plays in the air can be made at any time.

Denver defense will make this game interesting

I think where we will see the game get very interesting is when the New England defense is on the field. New England has a number of potential big play makers such as the likes of outside linebacker Von Miller and the defensive ends Elvis Dumervil and Derek Wolfe.

I think they and the rest of their teammates on the defense will apply a lot of pressure to Drew Brees the Saints quarterback. They will have their work cut out for them since Brees is a veteran back in his 12th year and he has been averaging over 7 yards per completed pass.

If you look at some of the Saints past games you will see that if the defense was able to penetrate the line and keep Brees on the move, as well as tight coverage on their receivers they managed to hold them to shorter yards when needed and stop more of their 3rd down conversions. And I think the defense of the Broncos are more than capable and will do just that.

I think the Broncos defense will hit the Saints hard and fast from the beginning of the game and could easily completely take away any early game momentum that Brees will want to try to capitalize on.

Even if they get an early edge on Brees, they can’t let up since he is a veteran with an excellent reputation for not giving up easily. They will have to keep up that pressure at all times and try to keep him guessing and on the run.

And to be honest even if the books weren’t picking the Broncos as a favorite, I would probably be picking them this week anyway.

And don’t forget to read Frank Benjamin’s article over at OddsOnBetting Why the New Orleans Saints Will Cover the Spread as Underdogs (we apologize the NewsBetting site is no longer active)

And if you want to see the latest odds or are ready to place a bet on football be sure to check the lines over at Bet Online. They have the latest lines and allow in game betting and all new players get a welcome bonus. As of Monday night they had the Broncos as a 6 point favorite, but you can check what it is now at the sportsbook or you can use the matchup tool we have in the left navigation.

Don’t count the Ravens out just yet, they Can win against the Texans

What is all this “Are the Ravens done with the loss of Ray Lewis?” or “Is the season over for Baltimore?” Hell NO!

Many Ravens fans and certainly their organization are not happy that he was injured and tore his right triceps in the game against Dallas last Sunday. I read that they had scheduled him for surgery and had actually changed his status to injured reserve so he could actually be back before the end of the season and no matter the outcome of this game, we wish him a speedy recovery.

And yes, the game may be a bit more difficult for them without having Lewis there on the field leading the defense, but do not discount this defense so easily. Don’t forget about Bernard Pollard at strong safety and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe.

And since we mentioned linebackers, Terrell Suggs is suiting up and may see some limited play after being out with an ankle injury. Ramon Harewood is also expected back at tackle.

And if you check out what Frank said at OddsOnBetting, he claims that defense is a very important part of this game and on that I will agree, but what I don’t agree with is his choice of who has the superior defense. I think that the Texans will be unpleasantly surprised by the defense that the Ravens will throw at them Sunday afternoon.

I think we will see from nearly the beginning of the game the pressure they will apply on Houston’s quarterback Matt Schaub will be enough for make him work more on the move, and he really throws better when the pocket does not collapse and has made many more mistakes on the move.

It’s the offense that scores the points in a football game

And when you talk offense, by the numbers, Baltimore’s offense is rated at 7th to the 14th ranked offense of Houston.

Yes they have not yet faced the Texans defense yet this year, but they haven’t exactly been playing flag football so far this year either.

I think the quarterback Joe Flacco has improved his numbers on the move, and I think we will see Ray Rice have one of his best games this season so far against the Texans.

As of tonight while writing this article I see that many of the sportsbooks have the Texans as 6 to 7 point favorites, but I will disagree with that. I honestly think that like a number of other upsets we have seen the past few weeks, I believe that the Texans are about to get upset by the Ravens.

I just checked and one of our recommended sportsbooks, Bet Online has the Texans as a 7 point favorite. You can take them for that if you want, but I still think Baltimore will win this one.

I also encourage you to see the article by Frank Benjamin at OddsOnBetting Why Houston Will Cover the Spread Against the Baltimore Ravens.