Regular Season 2012

Regular season games, predicitons, picks and football game recaps during the 2012 regular season.

Will Dallas Cowboys win against Pittsburgh Steelers in week 15?

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 Cincinnati Bengals make point spread against Philadelphia Eagles in week 15?

Will the Cincinnati Bengals make the point spread against the Philadelphia Eagles in week 15?

Looking ahead to week 15 of the regular season I see that the Thirsday night game is between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Philadephia Eagles. The Bengals, at 7-6 are tied for second place in the AFC North and the Eagles, at 4-9 have had a very rocky year and are in last place in the NFC East.

Philadelphia surprised many people this past week, including the sportsbooks by beating the favorites Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23 to 21. Even though they were down in the 4th quarter, rookie Nick Foles turned in an impressive drive earning a touchdown and the win.

Although I did not see the entire game and only caught parts of it, I had not expected the Eagles to win and really was confident the Bucs would. Foles threw for 381 yards in that game and he might be able to do that against the Buccaneers, last ranked team against the pass, but do not think we will see that in Thursday night’s game.

The Bengals are a much different football team. They currently have the 7th ranked defense and this will prove much more difficult for Foles then what he faced in Tampa. They are 10th against the pass and are number one in sacks, which means Foles will likely face a lot more hurries and have to make quicker decisions. He will also probably have to throw on the run more and may lead to more mistakes.

Obviously there are no guarantees and one must always use a bit of caution when placing a bet on a football game. Looking at the line on this game, as of Monday evening the books and betting shops have favored the Bengals to win by 3 points. That line could move a little between now and game time but I doubt it will be necessary.

Should I bet the Cincinnati Bengals and give up the points against the Philadelphia Eagles?

There are a number of reasons behind this, but I do think the smart money will go there. Now we might see some surprises and Foles might make a few big plays but the Bengals defense will be all over his offensive from the beginning of the game letting him know they are there to make his night difficult.

In fact I would not be surprised if Geno Atkins and Michael Johnson each ended up with a sack or at least an assist in this game. I often bring up incentive and looking at the standings and playoff picture, the Bengals have the drive to win since they are still in the hunt and could conceivable end up in a wild card spot depending on how Pittsburgh does next week.

Cincinnati leads in the tie breaker between them so if the Steelers lose to the Cowboys this week, then the game next week between the Steelers and the Bengals will be the one to decide that spot. Last week I think I might have said that Cincinnati couldn’t do it, but the unexpected Steelers loss to San Diego in week 14 is proof that the season isn’t over until the last game in week 17.

Cincinnati Bengals are hungry to win and I do think they will take this game if they can control the passing of Nick Foles. I do think they will make the point spread but I would be less confident if the line would move much, but at three points they should be fine with a 3 point spread over the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Will Green Bay Packers make point spread against Detroit Lions in week 14?

Will the Green Bay Packers cover the point spread against the Detroit Lions in week 14?

Locked in a batttle for their a wild card spot in the NFC North with the Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Packers meet the Detroit Lions in week 14.

It is obvious that the Packers should end up in the post season, it just hasn’t been determined just where yet. With 4 regular season football games left, both Green Bay and Chicago are at 8 wins and 4 losses and only a half game behind the 49ers in a fight for the first round week off. If the Packers sweep the last four games and San Francisco loses one game, the Packers move ahead and get the bye. They have the edge over the Bears in a tie breaker.

But before we get to the playoffs, the Packers have to get past the Lions, and the following 3 games with Chicago, Tennessee and Minnesota. Ironically, the Bears play the Vikings this week and if they win that game, the NFC battle for the bye week could be decided next week when the Packers play the Bears.

The Sunday night game with the Lions and Packers looks like it will be a good game for a number of reasons. If you look at their league rank in offense and then look at their win loss record the numbers look askew. Green Bay is ranked 16th with an 8-4 record and the Lions are ranked 2nd with a 4-8 record.

The key to the Lions offense is quarterback Matthew Stafford and his number one receiver Calvin Johnson. Johnson has caught 86 passes for over 1400 yards, and Stafford also has 4 other receivers over 300 yards with one of them over 500.

The Detroit Lions just have had trouble winning games. In most of their losses it was just a case of a mistake here or there with a penalty or a fumble and other miscellaneous blown plays. With a 19th ranked defense there were times when an opponents offense would gain an edge that they just couldn’t get back.

What is the spread for the Packers against the Lions?

As of Friday night a number of the sports books have the Packers winning this game by 6.5 points. I personally think they can cover that.

Green Bay won when these two teams met two weeks ago and in that game Aaron Rodgers, quarterback for Green Bay completed 70% for 236 yards. The score in that game was Green Bay 24 to Detroit 20.

Keep in mind that the Packers have only lost 1 of their last 7 football games, to the Giants two weeks ago in week 12. Rodgers is completing 67% of his passes, and although he will miss having wide receiver Jordy Nelson, out with a hamstring injury; Randall Cobb, James Jones and Jermichael Finley as well as others provide Rodgers a lot of choices to throw to.

With the line at 6.5, it a bit more conservative then 2 weeks ago, the books had the line at 9.5 for that game and they won by 4. Overall I see taking the Green Bay Packers winning and covering the spread as a safe bet.

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Will Buffalo Bills make point spread against St Louis Rams in week 14?

Will the Buffalo Bills make the point spread against the St Louis Rams in week 14?

Looking at the teams that are left in the hunt for a wild card spot in the AFC, Bills, Jets, Bengals and Dolphins; the outcome of these four football games are very important. In each of the mentioned cases, they find themselves in must win situations.

By the time we reach this part of the season, it is common for a number of teams to have had injuries. The league, as well as the teams, are doing what they can to reduce injuries and helping to keep players safe; but football is a physical game and players do get hurt.

The Buffalo Bills know this all too well and they too had had their share of players get hurt. The list of Bill’s players that have been hurt is quite extensive. Throughout the year they have lost tackles, line backers, ends, corners, receivers and more.

Even though they have suffered these injured players they have overcome at times and have won just under 50% of their games. There are 4 games left in the season, and if they win the last four they could possibly earn a spot depending on losses by a few other teams. The Rams too have had a few injuries but not near the number Buffalo has.

Does that mean you think the Rams will beat the Bills?

Not so fast. The books have the line on this game with the Bills winning by 3 points. When the bookies pick a team you can be sure they are confident they have a good shot at winning so let’s look at why they picked them.

The Rams offense is only ranked 25th overall with their passing game ranked 22nd. The biggest threat that the Bills need to be concerned about will be their running game. The Rams are ranked 14th on the ground so the Bills defense will need to keep their eye on running backs Steven Jackson and Daryl Richardson. Although Jackson should be considered a threat, he has been battling a foot injury in recent weeks and the fact he missed practice leads me to believe he may not be at 100%.

On the offensive side of the ball the Bills are ranked at 17th overall but that is slightly misleading. Yes, they are ranked 26th in passing, but on the ground they are ranked 4th in the league. They have some very talented running backs such as C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson. In fact Spiller is close to the 1000 yard for the season and could break that mark on Sunday.

I think the Bills will take the win and I do think the Bills can make the 3 point spread. If Spiller has a big game they could easily win by a touchdown or more.

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Will Pittsburgh Steelers make point spread against San Diego Chargers in week 14?

Will the Pittsburgh Steelers make the point spread against the San Diego Chargers in week 14?

The San Diego Chargers with a current record of 4 wins and 8 losses meet the Pittsburgh Steelers at home in Pittsburgh at Heinz Field.

Even though the Chargers hold the #2 spot in the AFC West Division, their hopes of gainging a wild card spot have completely evaporated. In fact they have lost 5 of their last 6 games and I am sure that the confidence has been really battered almost as much as the players themselves.

One of the things that has hurt the Chargers this year is injuries. They have lost a number of key players throughout the season and the most difficult thing it was often from the defensive line. They have seen the loss of line backers Jarret Johnson and Donald Butler, tackles Mike Harris and Jeromey Clary, as well as safety’s Corey Lynch and Darrell Stuckey. Lynch and Johnson both did practice so they will likely see some play this week.

Even though quarterback Phillip Rivers has 65% in reception attempts he just isn’t getting the opportunity to throw enough partly due to his line not being able to protect him long enough to get rid of the ball.

Rivers is likely to throw the ball some on Sunday and we could even see a few receptions and big plays from one of his favorite receivers Malcom Floyd tight end Antonio Gates, but keep in mind this game is with the Steelers.

So are you saying the Chargers don’t have a chance against the Steelers?

No not at all. But what I am saying is that the Pittsburgh Steelers have the #1 ranked defense in the entire league. They did not get there by allowing a lot of big plays on their opponent’s offense, especially by teams having somewhat of a weak season.

They are one tough football team and this is one of the toughest opponents the Chargers will have had to deal with the entire season. It would not surprise me one bit to see the Steelers get at least one if not more fumbles and an interception is certainly not out of the question.

The Steelers defense has done ok with that this year but even more than that, they do a good job of stopping 3rd down conversions. I do think this will be quite evident in this week’s game.

Pittsburgh also has to put some points on the board to win. I caught an article late last night that said that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger did practice yesterday (Wednesday) so there is a possibility he will start against the Cahrgers. Roethlisberger has been out with a sholder injury suffered last month against the Kansas City Cheifs.

A number of reports and articles I have read in recent weeks stated that the Steelers had absolutely no chance of making the playoffs without him. I’m not sure how true that is, but their chances clearly do improve a great deal with him healthy and back in the game.

To be honest I wanted to write this game up a few days ago but held off since many of the books had not published their odds on this game. I am fairly sure they wanted to wait until the reports came in mid week to see if Roethlisberger did in fact make practice and what the propbabilities were that he would be starting the game.

As of Thursday afternoon, the lines starting to show up at the bookies for the Chargers-Steelers game. Mid day US time William Hill had not yet put their line up but Bet Online had the spread at 7 points in favor of the Steelers.

Without their starting quarterback I am not sure how much of a spread would have been acceptable, but with him starting, I think that the Pittsburgh Steelers are a safe bet and that they should have no problem covering a 7 point spread.

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Will New York Giants make spread against New Orleans Saints week 14

Will the New York Giants make the point spread against the New Orleans Saints in week 14?

The New York Giants, leading the NFC East meet the struggling New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon. NY with 7 wins and 5 losses are coming off a loss last week with the Redskins and having lost 2 of their last 3 games after a 6 and 3 start.

New Orleans, at 5 and 7 has had a rocky season so far. The Saints have lost 2 of their last 3 games and after having a 3 and 6 start.

Considering that they are ranked 6th in overall offense and 3rd in passing it is difficult to understand why New Orleans hasn’t won more games. Execution in the red zone is one of their issues. The same thing actually plagues the Giants at times, but they have managed to make enough conversions along with a mix of big plays to win them more games.

And when you look at the stats of Saints quarterback Drew Brees, with 3674 yards and 31 touchdowns you would think their record would be much better than it is. But he has also thrown 16 interceptions. 5 of those interceptions were in last week’s game against the Atlanta Falcons and that was the first time in his career that he had ever thrown 5 in a single game.

There is no doubt that Brees is a good passer. He is in his 12th season and he has passed the 5000 yards per season mark twice, in 2009 and 2011. Although it is actually statistically possible, he will have difficultly doing that this year since he would have to consistently average over 330 yards per game for the next four games.

I look for Brees to add some positive numbers to his total this week and I’m sure he will throw it plenty of times to receivers like Marques Colston and Lance Moore, each with over 800 yards this year. But I also think the Giants defense will come to the party and spoil the fun for Brees on a number of occasions. In addition to the rest of the defensive line for New York, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some big plays by Michael Boley and Chase Blackburn.

You just know the entire Giants defense has been studying the replays from last week’s game, looking at how Atlanta had Brees off his game and making mistakes.

But, is it safe to bet the Giants will beat the point spread against the Saints?

A few weeks ago when it looked like they were settling down and had won 3 games in a row, I would have said no. But just as they were getting on a roll, they lost to San Francisco and then to Atlanta last week so it appears they just can’t stay consistent.

And when you look at the Giants you see a much stronger and more rounded offense. Their passing game is ranked 9th and their running game ranked 15 earning them the 10th position in offense overall. The passing game’s success is due in part to Eli Manning.

When Eli gets the pass protection he needs, he will find an open receiver and get the ball to him, and when he has guys like Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks or Martellus Bennett in the secondary they will drive the ball down the field.

Between the passing talent of Eli Manning with capable receivers, and the rushing capabilities of the likes of Ahmad Bradshaw or Andre Brown and others I think the New York Giants can and will beat the New Orleans Saints and they will make the 5 point spread.

No matter the outcome I think it will be an exciting game and one filled with a lot of play action. We could easily see a combined total of 600 yards or more in the air since each quarterback is more than capable of racking up 300 yards.

However, I am guessing that NY may stay on the conservative side a bit and mix in a healthy dose of rushing plays since that has worked well for them in many cases and then going back to passing plays at other times.

At the time I published this article at close to midnight on Wednesday night the line on this game had the Giants picked to win by 4.5 points at Bet Online as well as at Sportsbetting. William Hill had the spread at 5 points so it looks like a lot of the bookies are pretty close.

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Can New England Patriots make spread against Houston Texans week 14

Will the New England Patriots make the point spread against the Houston Texans in week 14?

For this week’s Offside article I think we have picked one of the best games we could possibly have chosen. It’s almost like the schedule was set up leading to this Monday Night Matchup in week 14 of the regular season.

This game will be exciting for a number of reasons. Both New England and Houston have comfortable leads in their division and they both should end up in the playoff round. In fact Houston has already clinched a wild card spot and the Patriots are certainly looking like they will as well.

Houston’s record is currently 11 wins and 1 loss. The only loss they did suffer was in week 6 against the Green Bay Packers. I honestly think their record is a bit of an exaggeration. Don’t misunderstand what I am trying to say though. Yes they are a good football team, but there were a number of wins this year by the Texans that they really should not have been able to pull off.

They just have had this uncanny ability to make the right play at the right time, and get a turnover, or their opponent would make a bad judgment or mistake and get a penalty that would set them back and have a drive fall apart. This happened over and over throughout the year and they won 11 out of the 12 games they played.

This game really is about who has more points on the scoreboard when the time runs out so the only explanation is that they made the plays that won the games and what a good football team is supposed to do.

But to get to that spot where the Texans have achieved, they have gotten pretty banged up over the course of the season. In fact they have lost a key player in almost every single game this year with injuries, luckily for them some fairly minor, but they have been injury ridden none the less. But some how they have always managed to shuffle players around a little and manage to cover the positions and still make the plays, but I am starting to wonder if this is starting to catch up with them a little.

As an example, last week against the Titans had a foot injury and had to come out and Garrett Graham, a tight end had to come out for a head injury. They started the game short corner back Johnathan Joseph, hurt in week 11 as well as 2 key line backers Brooks Reed and Bradie James hurt in weeks 11 and 12 respectively.

At the time I was researching this article I could not answers as to the status of the above players, but you can understand that a team can only withstand so many injuries before the ability to continue to play at the level they started the year for so long.

I think that the time has come in the season that the Texans will feel the pain from their injuries, and will see their second loss of the year.

So are you saying the New England Patriots will make the spread?

Yes I am. In fact I think that the New England Patriots will beat the spread comfortably this week. Let’s take a quick look at why.

The injuries that Houston has suffered are a factor, many of which were to their defensive line. The only loss they did have this year was against the Packers and in that game Aaron Rodgers threw for over 300 yards and I see no reason why veteran Patriot quarterback Tom Brady shouldn’t have a good game Monday night and throw for 250 to 300 yards or more also.

His reception rate is at just under 65% and he will have plenty of talented receivers to choose from on the field on Monday night. In fact, the games that the Texans have had the most trouble with throughout the year were against teams that had good pass protection, and very mobile, very accurate quarterbacks.

Tom Brady is that kind of quarterback, and the New England Patriots are that kind of football team. I think his offensive line will be there and give him the time he needs to make the plays. And throw in a bit of mixture with some running plays with 1000 yard rusher Stevan Ridley or maybe hand it off to Shane Vereen or Danny Woodhead and the Texans will suddenly be wondering what happened.

I look for Tom Brady to have a good game. He is a well seasoned and intelligent veteran, and he knows how important this game is and I think he is prepared, and I think he will convert it into a win.

I am glad I don’t have to set the line on this game. My emotions tell me one thing and the numbers say something different. But this is football, and it’s not all about the numbers, except the ones on the scoreboard. I am going to pick the Patriots by 5 points.

Now be warned, my pick does not match up with what the sports betting books are picking. At 8:30 pm on Wednesday evening, both William Hill and Bet Online had the Patriots to win by 3.5 points. I just think that is a little too conservative and think they deserve a bit more of an edge than that and will to 5 points.

Some of our readers have mentioned that they do not agree with some of my picks. That is understandable. I would like to encourage you to read the opposing view of this week’s game over at OddsOnBetting. Monday Night Football Week 14: Why the Houston Texans will Cover Against the New England Patriots.

To see the latest odds on these weeks’ games, just see the football betting odds on the left navigation of the site. Then just click on matchups and it will show you the line on the upcoming games. To join a sportsbook and place a bet right now visit Bet Online.

Can Chicago Bears make spread against Minnesota Vikings week 14

Will the Chicago Bears make the point spread against the Minnesota Vikings in week 14?

In an NFC North showdown between two great football teams, the Chicago Bears meet the Minnesota Vikings at the Mall of America Field in Minnesota. Currently the Bears are tied with the Packers for first place in the division and the Vikings are in second.

Many of the NFC Conference teams’ games this week are extremely important to each of them. Currently the Wild Card Round is shaping up to be a huge battle just to get in to the round. Currently the Giants, Bears, Packers and Seahawks have the spots in the NFC but that could change this week depending on the outcome of a few key games.

In addition, there are 4 teams still in the hunt in the NFC. They are the Redskins, Buccaneers, Cowboys and the Vikings. I have already made my picks for the Dallas Cowboys vs Cincinnati Bengals game here and the picks for the Washington Redskins vs Baltimore Ravens game here.

But before the wildcard games, let’s look at the game this week with the Vikings and Bears and determine if the Bears can make the points. That is correct, the bookies have picked the Bears to win this game by 3 points or so. The line has moved a little on a few games from last night until this Wednesday afternoon and they could actually adjust again but I doubt it.

Minnesota comes in to this game at 6 and 6 and although they are still actually in the hunt for a wildcard berth, they have quite a task before them. They can NOT lose, and a number of other NFC teams ahead of them would need to.

They are not giving up at this point and the Bears can expect them to come to the game and at least attempting to bring their “A” game. And for anyone that thinks this will be an easy win for the Bears, think again.

The Vikings offense may be ranked 22nd over all but the Bears are ranked 30th. The main reason that each of them has lower overall rankings in offense is because each of them do not have a huge passing game. The Bears passing game is ranked 31st and the Vikings 32nd, so although we will see some play action and some passing, this football will be played on the ground.

An old school, in your face kind of game on the ground, with the majority of the plays being run by the backs. The Vikings are ranked 3rd on the ground where the Bears are ranked 10th.

And for the Vikings that means we will see Adrian Peterson get the ball a lot. This guy is having a good year and has 1446 yards, which is not reflected in the Vikings record. His overall average is 6.2 yards per carry but last week he ran for 210 yards and averaged 10 yards per carry so he is a serious asset for Minnesota when a first down is needed.

Even though their defenses have fairly close rankings, 13th for the Vikings and 5th for the Bears, Chicago has been pretty effective against the running game. The Bears corner backs Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings as well as line backer Lance Briggs will be watching for Peterson to stop him from getting outside and making the big plays he has done so often this year.

Those are not the only guys have on the line either and Chicago has a great defensive line and we will see a lot of action from a number of them.

Ok I agree the Bears will beat the Vikings, but can they make the spread?

Well let’s look at the logic of that question. These two met just two weeks ago and the Bears won that game with a score of 28 to 10. It was a very physical game and all indications are in place that this week’s game will be no different.

This week we will likely see Jay Cutler handle the ball well and find his receivers, with at least a portion if not high percentage of passes going to Brandon Marshall. Marshall has 91 catches and 1182 yards but the most important stat is that he has 8 touchdowns this year.

And if the Vikings put double coverage on him, Cutler has plenty of other receivers they can go to like Earl Bennett, David Hester, Alshon Jeffery or maybe even drop it off to Matt Forte or others.

I think the Bears have a much more even mixture of ways they can move the ball down field and are not strictly limited to an all running game. They will likely lean toward rushing plays a fair amount, but they are much better suited to change things up more and this gives them the edge over the Vikings.

Yes I do think the Bears will win this game and I also think they will make the point spread. Even if the line would move a little more I would still probably take Chicago, but I would have to study it closely if it was a lot more.

The Vikings are hungry for the win and play a very physical football game like the Bears do but I think the Bears will play a better game on Sunday. They always say there are never any guarantees in NFL Football, but one thing I will say, is that this game is guaranteed to be a good one.

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Will Cincinnati Bengals make point spread against Dallas Cowboys in week 14?

Will the Cincinnati Bengals make the point spread against the Dallas Cowboys in week 14?

Checking the line on this game late on Tuesday evening at both William Hill and Bet Online, two of our recommended sportsbooks here at Football Betting World, I see both books have the Bengals winning the game by 3 points.

On one hand it might be overly conservative and yet that might also be an indication that the game could go either way on as little as a field goal. I will be honest as I am researching this game I realize I haven’t spoken much about the Bengals this year and I haven’t had the opportunity to review any of their games this season.

Yet, the Bengals with a 7 win and 5 loss record, have in recent weeks slid into a tied for second place spot in the AFC North and are well in the hunt for a playoff spot. If they win against the Cowboys, and the Steelers lose against the Chargers on Sunday they would have the second place edge in the division. This would also move them into the 6th seed position in the wild card projections.

For a wildcard spot to be available to Dallas, they need to win Sunday, and they need a loss by the Seahawks and the Giants. That would allow the Cowboys either the 5th and 6th seed spots in the NFC Wild Card round.

The difference on 5th or 6th seed spot is based upon whether the Redskins also win on Sunday. I have already written an article here on whether the Redskins will win the game against the Baltimore Ravens in week 14 on Sunday. Read the article to see why I think Washington will come out on top of that game.

So looking at it from that point of view, there is plenty of incentive for both of them to win, since they both really do have a lot riding on this week’s games.

Obviously a number of other factors will affect the playoffs hopes of the Bengals, Cowboys or many other teams since a number of different scenarios with this week’s games will affect their hopes moving forward as we near the end of the season.

Are the Cincinnati Bengals a sure thing to win against the Dallas Cowboys?

Well I don’t think it would be right to call it a sure thing. And if you are betting on the game, it is never smart to let yourself believe that any bet is a sure thing when you are gambling.

Now what we will do is take a closer look at whether I think that betting on the Cincinnati Bengals is a safe bet, and whether you should take the points and how confident you can be they will make the point spread.

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo has been putting up some impressive numbers but a few of his receivers have been beat up a bit. Although Miles Austin, coming off a hip injury and Kevin Ogletree, returning from a recent concussion saw some play this past week against Philadelphia neither one saw the football much.

That is not the case for Jason Witten, Dez Bryant, Felix Jones as well as a few others. With Romo throwing 67% completions Witten is over 750 yards and Bryant has 978 yards and 8 touchdowns. If the line can give Romo a enough protection and he doesn’t have a bad day throwing picks and getting intercepted then the Cowboys can be a scoring threat to the Bengals.

The two defenses are actually ranked pretty closely. With Dallas defense rated 11th overall and Cincinnati rated 8th, the Bengals are rated 11th against the pass or the run so they are fully prepared. The biggest threat to the Cowboys quarterback is that Cincinnati is ranked number 1 in sacks.

Guys like defensive tackle Geno Atkins, as well as defensive ends Michael Johnson and Carlos Dunlap will be in his face many times throughout the game doing everything they can to keep him off balance. In the end this may prove too much for Romo. In fact I would be really surprised if he didn’t throw at least one interception in Sunday’s game.

The key is how well the Bengal offense will be able to take advantage of their defense getting Romo off the field. Andy Dalton the quarterback for Cincinnati is completing just over 63% of his throws and his favorite receiver A.J. Green is over 1100 yards with 10 touchdowns. I think Dalton will be looking for him as well as tight end Jermaine Gresham a number of times throughout the game. Andrew Hawkins recovering from an ankle injury played last week against San Diego and caught 5 for 47 yards so he could be a factor also.

And just to keep the Cowboys defense guessing a little, I figure they will hand the ball to BenJarvus Green-Ellis. He has 885 yards and is averaging 3.9 yards per carry with 5 touchdowns. With a small bit of a multi pronged attack from the Bengal offense both in the air and a little on the ground, as well as what I think to be a superior defense against a quarterback like Romo, Cincinnati will the game with the Cowboys on Sunday.

With the point spread currently sitting with the Bengals as 3 point favorites I think betting on the Bengals is a good bet. I would probably go 4 points, but not more than that. If Tony Romo would actually have a good game he could conceivably go over 300 yards and make the Bengals job much more difficult.

So if the spread is no more than 4 points take the Bengals to win.

Like I mentioned above, two of our recommended sports books are Bet Online as well as William Hill. Bet Online is the best choice for sports betting for the US Players and William Hill is one of the top Sportsbooks and Casinos in the UK.

Will Washington Redskins make point spread against Baltimore Ravens in week 14?

Will the Washington Redskins make the point spread against the Baltimore Ravens in week 14?

The Redskins come in to this football game after having just won their last four games. And also interesting to note that in 3 of those 4 they won by at least one touchdown.

When you start talking about Washington must always first mention Robert Griffin III. This rookie is having a phenomenal season. He already broke Cam Newton’s rookie record, set last year, of rushing for over 714 yards and he isn’t done yet so he could easily pass 1000 yard if he stays on pace.

If you look back at the last 4 games the Redskins have played, it becomes evident that defenses have been having trouble containing RGIII. Not only is he able to throw with a 67% average completion, he has amazing capabilities to run the ball when a play action play falls apart, and the way he is able to get around corners and turn on the speed and get the yards needed to make the first down.

This will force the Raven defense to keep a close eye on him since he is so explosive coming out of the pocket if he is looking to run for the first down. This always keeps defensive lines guessing a bit of the game since they are not always sure what kind of play he is running.

And he isn’t the only rookie on the Redskins that is a threat. Rookie running back Alfred Morris out of Florida Atlantic is having a huge season also. He is over 1100 yards rushing and although he isn’t on a pace to break the record of 1881 set by Eric Dickerson in 1983, he could comfortably get very close to that record since there are still 4 more games left in the season.

With Morris having an average of 4.8 yards per carry, the explosive running capabilities of Griffin, and his talent passing the ball to receivers like Santana Moss with 29 catches for 416 yards or Josh Morgan and Leonard Hankerson each having 30 or more catches and almost 400 yards each. Then there is Pierre Garcon with 23 catches and 350 yards with 3 touchdowns.

I haven’t mentioned all the possible threats to catch a RG III thrown football such as the tight ends or others, but I think you get the idea that Griffin has so many ways possibilities and the offense has so many plays they can run and keep defenses on their toes that I think they are one of the best football teams in the league.

You sound confident, what is the spread and will they make the points?

Slow down there we haven’t even looked at the Ravens yet. With 9 wins and 3 losses they are in first place in the AFC North division, and tied for second place in the Conference. They didn’t get there by not playing good football.

The Ravens play tough football. Although they do not have a top ranked defense, currently ranked at 25th overall, they are 23rd against the run and 22nd against the pass. Don’t let those numbers fool you. Even with those numbers they make plays that force turnovers and they stop 3rd down conversions at appropriate times to win games.

I think that the Ravens defense will have a very hard time with Griffin, but I think every team that plays the Redskins the rest of this will have trouble keeping him out of the end zone either by land or by air. They will really be looking hard to try and force fumbles and turnovers.

The Ravens also have receivers and tight ends with over 400 yards and in fact Torrey Smith is averaging over 17 yards per catch with 7 touchdowns so they can be an offense threat. The Ravens offense will have to be sure to be successful with their early drives, and knowing the explosiveness that a quarterback like Griffin can be the defense will likely have a very difficult time keeping Robert Griffin 3 from scoring.

As of Tuesday night the point spread on the Washington Redskins against the Baltimore Ravens is the Redskins by 2.5 points. I am a little surprised by this as I would have thought the spread would be higher actually. The entire team has proven they are better than their numbers from the first part of the season make the stats look. I think they can make the 3 points and I would be quite comfortable giving up a few more points.

The odds we mentioned above were current at the time this article was published and were from Bet Online, one of main sponsors here at Football betting World. They carry the odds for just about any sport or props you can think of and they always have the latest football lines.

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