Back in the preseason, Sunday’s Jets-Eagles game in Philadelphia looked like a possible Super Bowl preview? Now it’s life or death for the Eagles, while New York looks to solidify a wild-card spot in the AFC. Philadelphia opened as a 3-point favorite on Bovada’s NFL football odds.
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Philadelphia (5-8) ended a two-game slide last week with a thorough 26-10 win at Miami. QB Michael Vick returned from an injury absence to throw for 208 yards and a touchdown, and the Eagles totaled nine sacks. LeSean McCoy rushed for only 38 yards, but scored two touchdowns to hike his season total to 17. To repeat as NFC East champs, which is Philly’s only shot at the playoffs, it must win its last three games and the Giants and Cowboys each have to finish no better than 1-2. Philly is just 1-5 at home this year. Overall the Eagles have blown four fourth-quarter leads and they're 2-5 in games decided by seven or fewer points.
The Jets (8-5) currently hold the final wild-card spot in the AFC but will be eliminated from the AFC East race with a loss or New England win over Denver. New York played one of its better games of the season last week, crushing Kansas City 37-10. Mark Sanchez became the first Jets quarterback to throw two touchdown passes and run for two more scores. Shonn Greene had a season-high 129 yards rushing and a score along with three catches for 58 yards. It was the Jets’ third straight win and Sanchez has been a big part of that. He’s thrown seven touchdowns to only one interception over the last three games after throwing 10 interceptions over the team’s first 10 games.
New York, which is just 2-4 on the road this year, is 0-8 all-time against the Eagles, the only team in the NFL the Jets haven't defeated. New York is 9-1 ATS in past 10 as a road dog of 3 points or less. Eagles are 1-8 ATS in past nine at home.
It’s the final road game of the season for the rampaging Green Bay Packers as they look to take one more step to becoming the third team ever to finish unbeaten in the regular season when they visit Kansas City on Sunday, with the Pack opening as 14-point favorites on Bovada’s NFL football odds.
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Green Bay will see a familiar face in QB Kyle Orton, who will make his first start since being claimed by the Chiefs off waivers from Denver. New interim head coach Romeo Crennel, who replaced the fired Todd Haley this week, announced earlier this week that Orton would replace struggling starter Tyler Palko (1-3 in four starts). Orton, who started five games for Denver this year, threw one pass for the Chiefs two weeks ago but injured the index finger on his passing hand and hasn’t been able to go since. K.C. (5-8), which has lost five of six, scored all of two touchdowns in Palko’s four starts.
Orton started for Denver in Week 4 at Green Bay, a 49-23 Broncos loss. Orton completed 22 of 32 passes for 273 yards and he threw three touchdowns passes and three interceptions in the game. He would eventually be pulled the following game and not start again for Denver. Orton will be the first quarterback to start two games against the same opponent for two different teams since Kerry Collins in 1998.
The Packers (13-0) have won 19 straight games dating to Week 16 last year and can become the first defending Super Bowl champion to ever start the following season at 14-0. Green Bay already is 3-0 vs. the AFC West this year, scoring at least 45 points in each. Last week the Packers blasted Oakland 46-16 as Aaron Rodgers threw two more TD passes. He now has 39, which ties the Green Bay single-season record. The Packers, who have tied for the second-most points scored through 13 games in NFL history, did lose top WR Greg Jennings for the rest of the regular season, however.
Green Bay will be looking to become just the sixth NFL team to post a perfect 8-0 road record in a season. Green Bay last visited the Chiefs in 2007, a 33-22 Packers win. The Pack are just 1-5 in past six games as a road favorite of at least 10.5 points. Chiefs are 5-1 ATS in past six as a home dog.
Look for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to start tonight’s game at San Francisco despite having suffered a high-ankle sprain in Pittsburgh’s win last Thursday against Cleveland. The Steelers are 3-point underdogs on Bovada’s NFL football odds.
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The team won’t say it, but you can bet that the fact the Baltimore Ravens’ loss on Sunday night at San Diego had something to do with this. That means the Steelers win the AFC North division title and get a first-round playoff bye if they win their remaining three games. Roethlisberger has a Grade I ankle sprain and didn't practice until Saturday, and even then on a limited basis. But he moved around well enough to convince the coaches and medical staff he is able to play.
The 49ers also have plenty at stake as they are now a half-game behind New Orleans for the No. 2 seed in the NFC after the Saints’ win on Sunday against Minnesota. San Francisco does hold the tiebreaker. That No. 2 seed is vital because obviously it means a first-round bye and avoiding Green Bay until the NFC Championship Game.
Don’t expect many points here as San Francisco ranks No. 1 in the NFL in rush defense and points allowed per game, while the Steelers are No. 1 against the pass and No. 2 in scoring defense. However, the Niners aren’t likely going to have their best defensive player, linebacker Patrick Willis due to a hamstring injury. Pittsburgh is without top linebacker James Harrison due to suspension.
This is only the fourth time in Monday Night Football history two teams face off with 10 victories and winning percentage of at least .750 — and San Francisco has played in all of them, the last coming in 1997.
The Kansas City Chiefs will be coming off their upset win over the Packers on Saturday afternoon when they play host to the division-rival Oakland Raiders in a Week 16 contest on the NFL odds board at Bovada's online sportsbook.
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The Chiefs became the first team this season to put a dent in Green Bay's armour, winning 19-14 at home over the Packers as big underdogs. Kansas City is now 6-8 straight up and 8-6 against the spread on the season.
Kansas City's defense held the Packers scoreless in the first half of that contest, and Aaron Rodgers only managed to throw for 235 yards and one touchdown in a rare off-day.
Kyle Orton went 23 of 31 for 299 yards passing for the Chiefs against Green Bay, with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Kansas City got their major score off a Jackie Battle one-yard rush in the fourth quarter, and Ryan Succop booted four field goals on the day.
The Raiders blew their game against the Lions over the weekend, allowing two late touchdowns to fall 28-27 at home and drop to 7-7 on the season. That prevented Oakland from making up any ground on the Broncos (who also lost) in the AFC West race.
Carson Palmer went an efficient 32 of 40 for 367 yards passing for Oakland in Sunday's loss, with one touchdown strike and no interceptions. Darrius Heyward-Bey had eight catches for 155 yards and a score in the contest.
Kansas City blanked Oakland 28-0 on the road when those teams met for the first time this season back in Week 7, with the Raiders favored by 3.5 points on the NFL lines that day. Palmer and Kyle Boller combined for six interceptions for the Raiders in that defeat.
The Raiders, though, are 3-2 both straight up and against the spread in their past five games against the Chiefs, with the UNDER paying off in four of those five contests.
The Patriots ran their winning streak to six games over the weekend by stomping on Tim Tebow and the Broncos. They'll look to make it seven in a row on Saturday as they host the Dolphins in an NFL betting matchup at Bovada's online sportsbook.
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New England was down 13-7 to the Broncos after the first quarter on Sunday, but they took control from there and ended up with a 41-23 road victory that improved their season mark to 11-3. The Pats are also 8-5-1 against the spread in 2011.
Tom Brady completed 23 of his 34 pass attempts for 320 yards for New England in that contest, connecting on a pair of TD strikes to Aaron Hernandez and Chad Ochocinco; Hernandez had nine catches for 129 yards against the Broncos. Danny Woodhead and BenJarvus Green-Ellis both ran for scores for the Patriots in the win.
The Dolphins started the season 0-7, but they've won five of their past seven games to sit at a more respectable 5-9 (7-7 against the spread).
Miami got past the Bills 30-23 in Buffalo over the weekend, with Reggie Bush rushing for 203 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Matt Moore completed 10 of 20 pass attempts for 217 yards against Buffalo, with two TD strikes and no interceptions.
The Dolphins, though, started out their season with a 38-24 loss at home to New England, falling as a 7.5-point underdog in that OVER result. Brady threw for 517 yards and four touchdowns for New England in that contest, with Wes Welker catching eight balls for 160 yards and two scores.
Overall New England is 7-3 straight up and 5-5 against the spread in its past 10 games against rival Miami, with the OVER paying off in each of the past three meetings.
The Patriots are listed at 17/4 odds to win the Super Bowl in February.
The Cincinnati Bengals only have two wins over their past six games, but they still have a chance to grab an AFC Wild Card berth as they head into a Saturday NFL betting matchup at Bovada's online sportsbook this week at home against the Arizona Cardinals.
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The Bengals are tied with the Jets at 8-6 straight up on the season, but New York would win that tiebreaker for the conference's second Wild Card berth based on their higher winning percentage in common games.
That means Cincinnati needs wins and help over the next two weeks if they're going to get into the playoffs.
In Week 15 the Bengals pulled out a 20-13 win on the road over the Rams despite a sub-par performance from rookie quarterback Andy Dalton – 15 of 26 for 179 passing yards with no touchdowns and one interception.
Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott both rushed for touchdowns for the Bengals in that win, with Mike Nugent booting a pair of field goals on the day. The Bengals' defense held the Rams without a touchdown until the last minute of the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals won their fourth straight game over the weekend, getting back to the .500 mark at 7-7 with a 20-17 home overtime victory against Cleveland. Arizona, though, is way back in 10th in the pecking order for a playoff spot in the NFC.
John Skelton started in place of inactive Kevin Kolb at quarterback for Arizona against the Browns, going 28 of 46 for 313 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Beanie Wells rushed for 51 yards and a score on 15 carries on the day.
The Cardinals are 8-6 against the spread on the season, while the Bengals are 7-5-2 ATS through 14 games. These teams last met back in 2007, with the Cardinals winning 35-27 on the road as a 3-point underdog in an OVER result.
Has the bubble finally burst for Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos? We might find out on Saturday as the Broncos travel to Buffalo to meet the Bills on the NFL betting board at Bovada's online sportsbook.
Get all your football odds for Week 16 today.
The Broncos came up short against the New England Patriots in their Tim vs. Tom matchup on Sunday, falling 41-23 at home to drop to 8-5 straight up (7-6-1 against the spread) on the season.
Tebow went 11 of 22 for 194 yards passing for Denver in that contest, and also ran for 93 yards and two scores on 12 carries. Tebow, though, was sacked four times as well.
Demaryius Thomas caught seven passes for 116 yards for the Broncos in that contest, while Willis McGahee rushed for 70 yards on seven carries. Lance Ball ran for a score for Denver in the first quarter of that loss.
The Broncos, though, still hold down first place in the AFC West standings, with both the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers one game behind them at 7-7 on the season.
Buffalo has squandered a strong start to the season by losing each of its last seven games; the Bills are now 5-9 straight up and 5-8-1 against the spread on the year.
The Bills lost 30-23 at home to the rival Dolphins on Sunday, with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick completing 31 of 47 pass attempts for 316 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. C.J. Spiller rushed for 91 yards and a score on 12 carries in the loss.
Buffalo snapped a five-game losing streak against Denver when the teams last met in December 2008, winning 30-23 on the road as a 6-point underdog. The OVER has paid off in four of the last five meetings between the teams.
For Sunday the Broncos are sitting as 3-point road favorites on the NFL betting board at Bovada's online sportsbook.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will be looking to get more from QB Ben Roethlisberger on Saturday afternoon as they play host to the St. Louis Rams in an NFL betting matchup at Bovada's online sportsbook.
Find our what NFL odds makers are saying about the AFC North at Bovada.
The Steelers wasted a chance to move into first place in the AFC North standings on Monday night, generating little offense in a 20-3 road loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Roethlisberger, questionable to play all week due to an ankle injury, might've been better off on the bench as he went 25 of 44 for 330 yards passing with no touchdowns and three interceptions – good for a QB Rating of just 52.3 for the night.
Jerricho Cotchery had five catches for 93 yards for Pittsburgh in that loss, while Rashard Mendenhall rushed 15 times for 64 yards on the night. Shaun Suisham put up the team's only points with a field goal in the third quarter.
That loss dropped the Steelers to 10-4 straight up (6-8 against the NFL betting odds) on the season, and kept them in a tie with the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the division. Baltimore owns the tiebreaker due to head-to-head results this season.
To overtake the Ravens and avoid ending up as the No. 5 seed in the AFC, then, the Steelers are going to need some wins and some help down the stretch, starting on Saturday when they host the lowly Rams.
St. Louis, at 2-12 straight up and 2-11-1 against the spread, is long out of the playoff chase; the only thing they can claim this year is the right to pick first overall in next year's NFL Draft.
The Rams are coming off a 20-13 home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in which Kellen Clemens, filling in for Sam Bradford, went 25 of 36 for 229 yards passing with one touchdown and no interceptions. Bradford (ankle) could be done for the season.
Check out Bovada's online sportsbook for the opening line and total for all the Week 16 NFL matchups along with updated Super Bowl futures.
It's an understatement that Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson, AKA CJ2K (or CJ1K when looking at his 2011 production), has been inconsistent this year. However, the Titans still need him on offense and it's troubling that an ankle injury kept him out of practice Tuesday.
“I think I should be good enough to go,” said Johnson, injured in the latter stages of the loss to the Colts. “It’s pretty sore. I haven’t ran on it and … yesterday I was limping pretty bad. But I am doing much better.
However, Johnson has said that cutting is an issue, and considering CJ isn't exactly a north/south runner that is a cause for concern.
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Betting Analysis: CJ hasn't been "2k" this year which makes his injury a huge concern coming into a division contest versus the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tennessee is at home and listed as -7.5 underdogs in the Bovada Sportsbook, however, if the offense has to be carried by Matt Hasselbeck, anything can happen. The Titans lost to the lowly Indianapolis Colts just last weekend behind a sorry performance by Hasselbeck and it appears coaches are deadset on starting him again as long as he's not in a wheelchair.
"If Matt is healthy, I wouldn’t see any reason to make a change,” Munchak said on Monday. “We are assuming he’ll be fine. We are 7-7 and we are still in the playoff hunt and he is the quarterback who got us there. And I think that is what you have to go with, a guy who has the experience and a guy who has been in playoff situations.”
A month ago, the Christmas Day matchup between Chicago and Green Bay, the only game on Sunday this week, looked like one of the most anticipated games of the year. Now? It could mean absolutely nothing by the time the teams take the field on Sunday night. The Pack opened as 12-point favorites on Bovada’s NFL football odds.
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Green Bay (13-1) needs just one more win or one San Francisco loss to clinch home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. So if the Niners lose Saturday at Seattle, a distinct possibility, then Green Bay would have little to play for. Although certainly the Packers would like some momentum heading into the playoffs after getting shocked at Kansas City last week to end their hopes of an unbeaten season.
Chicago (7-7) has gone into a free-fall since Jay Cutler broke his thumb, losing four games in a row. Essentially Chicago must win its final two games, have the Lions lose their final two and Seattle lose at least one. So if Detroit beats San Diego at home on Saturday, this game would have no meaning for the Bears other than pride.
Chicago is ending the Caleb Hanie experiment. The QB has been terrible since replacing Cutler. In last week’s 38-14 home loss to Seattle, Hanie threw three more interceptions and had two returned for touchdowns. That gave Hanie nine interceptions in the four games since Cutler fractured his thumb. The Bears' offense has scored just 40 points over the last four games. Josh McCown, who was acquired on Nov. 23, replaced Hanie for the last two drives Sunday and completed just one pass and threw an interception. Since 2007, McCown has attempted just eight passes, completing two. But he’s likely to start. Also starting is third-string RB Kahlil Bell for an injured Matt Forte and Marion Barber.
Green Bay obviously has no QB issues. Aaron Rodgers’ 120.1 passer rating is the second-best in the NFL for a season since 1970. He already has set the franchise record with 40 TD passes and needs 99 passing yards to top Lynn Dickey’s franchise record of 4,458 yards in 1983. Rodgers again will be without injured top wideout Greg Jennings and offensive tackles Bryan Bulaga and Chad Clifton also are out.
No two teams have met on the gridiron more than the Packers and Bears. This will be their 184th meeting. Green Bay beat the Bears 27-17 in Week 3 for the Pack’s third straight win in the series. And back then Chicago had Cutler and star Forte, although the Bears rushed for only 13 yards. Green Bay will be looking to become only the second NFL team to beat another club four times in a calendar year (L.A Raiders over Denver, 1994). The road team has covered in four of the past five meetings in this series.
It’s pretty simple for the 6-8 Philadelphia Eagles: They have to win Saturday at Dallas and then next week at home vs. Washington. Philly also must have the Giants lose on Saturday to the Jets and then beat the Cowboys next week in New York. If all that happens, the Eagles, Giants and Cowboys will each finish 8-8 but Philadelphia will win the NFC East. First things first: Winning Saturday. The Eagles opened as 3-point underdogs on Bovada’s NFL football odds.
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By the time the Eagles take the field for this 4:15 p.m. ET game, they will know the Giants-Jets result. A Giants win would make this meaningless for the Eagles. The Cowboys, meanwhile, could clinch the NFC East with a win and Giants loss. If both Dallas and the G-Men win then the division goes to next week’s winner.
Dallas (8-6) ended a two-game losing streak last Saturday with an easy 31-15 win at Tampa Bay. Tony Romo threw for three scores and ran for another and Felix Jones, starting for the injured DeMarco Murray (out for season), finished with 108 yards on 22 carries -- his second straight 100-yard performance. He has been battling a hamstring injury and hasn’t practiced this week as of this writing but is still expected to play.
The Eagles have won two straight since Michael Vick returned to the lineup. They looked hugely impressive last week in crushing the Jets 45-19. Vick threw for 274 yards and a touchdown, and also ran for a score. But the real star was RB LeSean McCoy. He rushed for 103 yards and three scores and now holds the Eagles records for most total TDs in a season with 20 and most rushing TDs with 17.
The Eagles crushed Dallas 34-7 in Philly back on Oct. 30. McCoy had a career-best 185 yards and two TDs. When McCoy gets more than 20 carries this season, the Eagles are 4-1. When he gets less than 20 carries, they're 2-7.
The Cowboys are just 1-4 ATS in their past five as a favorite. The home team has covered four of the past five in this series.
There are only so many miracles the man upstairs can pull off for Tim Tebow, and it appears he didn’t have time to lend a hand on Christmas Eve.
Tebow had his career-worst game, if that’s possible, throwing four interceptions along with just one touchdown in a 40-14 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills. Along with his four ints Tebow went 13-30 with 185 yards one touchdown and 34 yards rushing off 10 carries. Yeah, it wasn’t pretty.
The game was competitive going into the third quarter, Tebow threw a TD to bring the Broncos within three points. However, the Bills forced Tebow to throw down the stretch and it amounted to two pick sixes and an ugly loss.
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Betting Analysis: Do we think Tebow will end up being a good or great QB in the NFL? Absolutely not. But do we believe he has an innate ability to win games, and keep games close, the perfect formula when betting on an underdog. Unfortunately things get dicey when the Broncos are favored, Tebow has three straight losses against the spread and two of those are as favorites. Tebow is great at exceeding low expectations, we’re not sure if he can live up to things when oddsmakers expect him to cover.
Next week Denver faces Kansas City at home which means the Broncos will likely be favorites. We believe it will be a sign of things to come if Tebow can’t cover as a favorite in this game.
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The New England Patriots head into Week 17 of the season with a dozen wins in the bank; if they can run that number to 13 in their NFL betting matchup against the Buffalo Bills they'll clinch the top seed in the conference heading into the playoffs.
Get all your football odds at Bovada's online sportsbook.
At 12-3 the Patriots have already locked down the AFC East title and a first-round bye in the playoffs, but they could still be caught by either the 11-4 Ravens or the 11-4 Steelers for the top overall slot with the right set of results on Sunday afternoon.
That gives New England something to play for this week as they take on a Bills team that managed to beat them 34-31 in Buffalo back in Week 3 of the season.
Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick went 27 of 40 for 369 yards passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions in that game, which saw the Bills win as 7-point home underdogs. Stevie Johnson had eight catches for 94 yards and a score.
Tom Brady completed 30 of 45 pass attempts for 387 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions in that loss for the Patriots, with Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski having two TD catches apiece on the day.
That win put Buffalo at 3-0 on the season, but they've managed to win just three times since then to sit at 6-9 this year. The Bills, though, are at least coming off a 40-14 win at home over the Broncos in Week 16.
New England ran their winning streak to seven games by topping the Dolphins 27-14 in Week 16, and their loss to Buffalo earlier this year snapped their 15-game winning streak against their Western New York rival.
The Patriots are also 6-3-1 against the NFL odds in their last 10 games against the Bills. For the opening line and total for the Pats/Bills matchup for Sunday afternoon head over to Bovada's online sportsbook.
The Indianapolis Colts finally found a way to win over the last couple of weeks; will that trend continue on Sunday as they close out their season on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars in an NFL betting matchup at Bovada's online sportsbook?
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The Colts dropped 13 games in a row before beating the Titans 27-13 in Week 15, and they followed up that effort by getting past the Texans by a 19-16 score on Thursday.
That puts Indianapolis at 2-13 on the season, and they're one of only two teams left that can earn the top pick in next year's NFL Draft along with the St. Louis Rams; if Indy loses to the Jags on Sunday they'll get that first-overall selection.
Colts QB Dan Orlovsky went 23 of 41 for 244 yards passing for Indianapolis in their win over Houston last week, throwing a late touchdown strike to Reggie Wayne to give his team the victory. Wayne had eight catches for 106 yards in the contest.
Orlovsky has a QB Rating of 84.8 with five TD passes and two interceptions this season.
The Jaguars have lost five of their past six games to sit at 4-11 on the season, which has them well out of the playoff picture in the AFC as well. Jacksonville is coming off a 23-17 loss in Tennessee against the Titans in their last game on Saturday afternoon.
Rookie Blaine Gabbert went 21 of 42 for 198 yards passing for the Jags in that defeat, with no touchdowns and one interception. Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for 103 yards and a score on 24 carries for Jacksonville that day.
Jacksonville beat Indianapolis 17-3 as a 3-point road favorite when those teams met back in Week 10, with Jones-Drew rushing for 114 yards and a TD for the Jags that day. Orlovsky threw for 67 yards in relief of Curtis Painter in that defeat for Indianapolis.
Overall Indianapolis is 6-4 straight up and 4-6 against the NFL betting odds in its last 10 games against Jacksonville, with Peyton Manning involved in most of those contests.
Head over to Bovada's online sportsbook for all the NFL betting lines for the final week of the season.
It's a quarterback league and Drew Brees is the cream of the crop.
Brees has broken Dan Marino's single-season passing record with a 307-yard, four touchdown performance, leading his New Orleans Saints to an easy 45-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Marino's record of 5,084 yards in a season came to an end after 27 years in the 4th quarter as Brees hit Darren Sproles with a nine-yard strike with 2:51 remaining. Brees currently has 5,087 yards with one week remaining in the NFL.
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The Saints also had 463 total yards, giving them more than 6,857 offensive yards for the season, breaking the 2008 club record of 6,571 yards. New Orleans continues to close in on the NFL-record of 7,075 offensive yards in a season set by the 2000 St. Louis Rams. We could have a new "Greatest Show on Turf."
Betting Analysis: Brees and the Saints have been hot but we did not expect this. The Saints have been rolling in the second half of the season, covering seven games in a row and scoring 40-plus in two straight. Brees is on fire with nine touchdowns in his last two games. Will it continue in the usually useless Week 17? Absoiutely. Even though they've captured the NFC South the Saints are still playing for the No. 2 seed as they stay tied with the San Francisco 49ers at 12-3. They'll be playing the Carolina Panthers at home in their finally, expect them to go full force for four quarters.
With a division title in hand the New Orleans Saints will try for one last regular-season win on Sunday afternoon when they play host to the Carolina Panthers in NFL betting action at Bovada's online sportsbook.
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The Saints knocked off the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night to clinch the NFC South division crown, and they enter Week 17 tied with the San Francisco 49ers for the conference's No. 2 seed with a 12-3 record.
To push that total to 13 wins and get a shot at a first-round bye the Saints will have to get past a Panthers team on Sunday that has won four of its last five games to sit at 6-9 on the season. Carolina has also paid off its supporters well at 9-6 against the spread.
And the Panthers are coming off a big offensive outburst in Week 16, beating the Buccaneers 48-16 at home behind a four-touchdown performance (three passing, one rushing) by rookie quarterback Cam Newton.
Newton completed 12 of 17 pass attempts for 171 yards for Carolina that day, with the three touchdown strikes, no interceptions, and 65 rushing yards.
New Orleans' quarterback is no slouch either, though, and Drew Brees led the Saints to a 30-27 comeback win over the Panthers in Carolina back in Week 5. The Panthers managed to cover the posted spread in that contest as 6.5-point home underdogs.
Brees went 32 of 45 for 359 yards passing for New Orleans in that win over Carolina, with two TD strikes and one interception. Newton was good on 16 of 31 pass attempts for 224 yards with two touchdown passes and one interception in the losing cause.
Overall New Orleans is 5-5 straight up but just 2-8 against the spread in its last 10 games against Carolina. The OVER/UNDER went 3-7 in those 10 contests.
Be there for every victory.
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There’s just one game on the schedule on the NFL’s final Sunday of the regular season that features two teams with a playoff or bust situation: the Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants. It’s a do-or-die for the NFC East title and fourth seed in the NFC and because of the enormity was flexed to the Sunday night NBC prime-time game. New York, which would take the division also with a tie, opened as a 3-point favorite on Bovada’s NFL football odds and there will be live betting available.
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The Giants potentially saved their season with last week’s impressive 29-14 win over the Jets despite Eli Manning completing only 33.3 percent of his passes (9-for-27). But one was a 99-yard TD to Victor Cruz, the longest pass play in Giants history (obviously) and only 13th pass of that length in NFL history. Cruz had 164 receiving yards and already has set a Giants’ single season record with 1,358. The Giants played without three key players in DE Osi Umenyiora, WR Mario Manningham and TE Jake Ballard – all three are iffy for Sunday, although Manningham and Umenyiora hope to play.
That Giants win meant that the Cowboys’ game last week with Philly was meaningless and Dallas lost 20-7, its third defeat in the past four games. Cowboys QB Tony Romo left early with a hand injury and there was no need for him to return. Starting RB Felix Jones also left early, with a hamstring injury. Both will start Sunday.
Dallas and New York met in Week 14, a game the Cowboys led 34-22 with a little over 5 minutes left after a 50-yard Romo TD pass to Dez Bryant (Romo’s 4th TD pass of game). But Manning (400 yards passing) led the Giants to two touchdowns (and one 2-point conversion) in the final 3:14 and Jason Pierre-Paul blocked a potential tying Dallas field goal in the final seconds for a 37-34 Giants win. The Cowboys lost star rookie RB DeMarco Murray for the season in that game. The underdog has now covered in the past five meetings of this series.
In a rivalry game where the Miami Dolphins can play spoiler to the New York Jets, the Dolphins will be without rejuvenated running back Reggie Bush in Week 17.
Bush missed his third-straight practices Friday, and therefore has been ruled out of the game.
Bush downplayed the knee soreness and is walking without a limp, but at least one beat writer categorized the injury as a “sprain.”
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With not even the “Suck for Luck” sweepstakes to play for it appears the Dolphins are playing it safe.
Despite missing the final game of the season Bush has nothing to be ashamed of. Once considered a flop in the NFL Bush finished with a career high 1,086 yards on 216 carries in 15 games. It appears Reggie can run in this league after all.
Maybe ridding yourself of a Kardashian isn’t such a bad idea.
Betting Analysis: This puts a giant wrench in the plans of any bettors thinking Dolphins were going to cover the -3 spread at home on Sunday. With Bush getting consistent yardage Miami has been a money maker, covering the spread in eight of its last nine games. Last week they almost dethroned the mighty New England Patriots, jumping out to a 17-0 lead, before Tom Brady went hall-of-fame on them in the second half.
With Bush out rookie runner Daniel Thomas will get the feature role. Thomas has been solid in his rookie year, lacking the explosiveness of Bush in the backfield.
The NFL’s Wild-Card action on Saturday concludes in New Orleans in what should by far be the highest-scoring game of the weekend when the sixth-seeded wild-card Detroit Lions visit NFC South champion New Orleans. The Saints are 11-point favorites with the total at 59 on Bovada’s NFL playoffs odds – New Orleans is the biggest favorite of the weekend and the total is 12 points higher than the next closest game and the highest for a playoff game in NFL history.
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It’s the first trip to the postseason since 1999 for Detroit (10-6), which could have avoided the high-powered Saints (13-3) by upsetting Green Bay in Week 17 – and the Lions almost did, falling 45-41 despite 520 yards passing and five scores from QB Matthew Stafford and 11 catches and 244 yards and a TD from star WR Calvin Johnson. But if Packers backup QB Matt Flynn can throw for six TDs and 480 yards against that Detroit defense, imagine what Drew Brees can do. Since Week 10, the Lions rank near the bottom of the league in several defensive categories.
Brees of course set the NFL record this season for passing yardage in a season and completion percentage in leading the NFL’s No. 1 total, passing and No. 2 scoring offense. The Saints closed the season on an eight-game winning streak, scoring at least 40 in four of those games. The Lions were one of those victims, falling 31-17 at the Superdome – where New Orleans was 8-0, averaging 41.1 points and 492.6 yards -- in Week 13. Brees threw for 342 yards, three scores and no picks, while Stafford threw for 408, one TD and one score. Detroit didn’t have star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in that game but he’s back now. The Saints’ leading rusher that day was rookie RB Mark Ingram with 54 yards and a TD on 16 carries, but he’s out for the playoffs. The Lions are relatively healthy heading into this game.
This will mark the first game in NFL history matching QBs who threw for 5,000 yards in season. Look for plenty of blitzing from New Orleans. Under defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, the Saints blitzed on 51.1 percent of opponents' dropbacks this season, the highest rate of any team in the NFL. In the first meeting, they blitzed Stafford 40.4 percent of the time. On those plays, Stafford completed 10 of 17 passes for 167 yards. He was sacked twice and threw an interception. The Saints held Johnson to six catches for 69 yards, zero touchdowns and he didn’t have a catch go for more than 22 yards.
The Lions are 0-5-1 ATS in past six vs. teams with a winning record. Saints are 7-0 ATS in past seven as a favorite and were 8-0 ATS at home this year.
The NFL playoffs kick off Saturday afternoon in Houston as the Texans play the first postseason game in franchise history, and win or lose there will be history on Saturday at Reliant Stadium: With Houston QB T.J. Yates starting against Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton, it marks the first time two rookie signal-callers have met in a playoff game. Houston is a 3-point favorite with the total at 38.5 on Bovada’s NFL playoff odds.
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Yates, a fifth-round pick out of North Carolina, wasn’t supposed to play this season but took over when Matt Schaub and then Matt Leinart went down. Yates finished 82 of 134 for 949 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in six games. He also lost three fumbles. His best game came Dec. 11 at Cincinnati when he threw for 300 yards and two scores, including a 6-yard TD pass for a 20-19 win to clinch the Texans’ first playoff berth.
However, Yates hasn’t thrown a TD pass since then as Houston dropped three in a row to end the season and fall to the No. 3 seed in the AFC. Yates bruised a shoulder in the season finale but will start. Yates’ top target, Andre Johnson, was limited to seven games this season because of hamstring injuries. He didn’t play in that first Cincinnati game but did return for the season finale. He will be limited to 40-50 snaps in this game.
Dalton, meanwhile, was a second-round pick out of TCU and probably would be the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year if not for Cam Newton. Dalton became the first QB in NFL history not drafted in the first round to make the playoffs and the first to start 16 games. He finished was 300-of-516 for 3,398 yards, 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Dalton was 16-for-128 for 189 yards with a TD and no picks in the first Texans game.
The Bengals, who backed into the playoffs as the No. 6 seed despite losing their season finale, haven’t won a playoff game since beating Houston – the Oilers that is – on Jan. 6, 1991. Cincinnati entered the regular-season finale as the NFL's fifth-best run defense but was gashed by Baltimore. And against Houston, the Bengals allowed 144 yards rushing. Cincinnati failed to hold a nine-point lead in the final six minutes of the first game with the Texans. The Bengals didn’t beat a playoff team during the regular season and only one club that finished with a winning record: Tennessee (9-7).
Cincy is 1-5-2 ATS in its past eight games. Texans are 3-0-1 ATS in past four vs. teams with a winning record. Houston is 4-0 ATS in past four meetings.
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Philadelphia (5-8) ended a two-game slide last week with a thorough 26-10 win at Miami. QB Michael Vick returned from an injury absence to throw for 208 yards and a touchdown, and the Eagles totaled nine sacks. LeSean McCoy rushed for only 38 yards, but scored two touchdowns to hike his season total to 17. To repeat as NFC East champs, which is Philly’s only shot at the playoffs, it must win its last three games and the Giants and Cowboys each have to finish no better than 1-2. Philly is just 1-5 at home this year. Overall the Eagles have blown four fourth-quarter leads and they're 2-5 in games decided by seven or fewer points.
The Jets (8-5) currently hold the final wild-card spot in the AFC but will be eliminated from the AFC East race with a loss or New England win over Denver. New York played one of its better games of the season last week, crushing Kansas City 37-10. Mark Sanchez became the first Jets quarterback to throw two touchdown passes and run for two more scores. Shonn Greene had a season-high 129 yards rushing and a score along with three catches for 58 yards. It was the Jets’ third straight win and Sanchez has been a big part of that. He’s thrown seven touchdowns to only one interception over the last three games after throwing 10 interceptions over the team’s first 10 games.
New York, which is just 2-4 on the road this year, is 0-8 all-time against the Eagles, the only team in the NFL the Jets haven't defeated. New York is 9-1 ATS in past 10 as a road dog of 3 points or less. Eagles are 1-8 ATS in past nine at home.