Goodbye baseball, hello NFL betting.
OK – the end of the baseball season doesn’t mean we all have to start betting on football. But we sports fans sure will be watching it and some of us will wager on it for office pools, friendly bets and so on. Let’s try a few more Week 9 NFL picks.
NFL betting is passing the halfway point and the decisions are getting tougher as slumping teams surprise and powerhouse teams falter.
Does Week 9 have any surprise NFL picks in store for us? Let’s have a look.
The NFL betting odds for this week’s matchup between NFC North rivals Minnesota and Green Bay has the Packers as a favorite at home, and all eyes will be on Brett Favre, who is making his return to Lambeau Field, but this time as a Viking, which may bring some boos (and more) from Packer fans.
Just like the World Series odds put pressure on the Yankees, the NFL is placing the heat on several teams this week. The Bears, Giants and Vikings all have plenty to prove; we focus on them for our Week 8 NFL picks.
With so many NFL odds and exciting matchups every week, it seems we never run out of games to preview and picks to make. We started you off on Tuesday with three — here are three more.
If World Series betting seems too far away, unpredictable or extreme for you, no problem; let’s stick with ole faithful and make some NFL picks for Week 7.
NFL Week 6 odds are up and, while we have playoff baseball to worry about, there’s still time to make a few picks for Sunday’s gridiron. Let’s try and continue the momentum after we aced last week’s picks.
Even if you prefer NFL betting or mixed martial arts or NASCAR or whatever, it’s tough for any sports fan to deny the appeal of October baseball.
The crisp fall air, the drama of a one-on-one matchup between hitter and pitcher — ahhh, you have to love it.
Time to preview the National League Championship Series, which features a rematch of last year’s NLCS between the Phillies and Dodgers.
We hit NFL week 5 betting with confidence after starting last week in style, steering you right with the Giants, Saints and Dolphins. Let’s try and keep the train rolling with some more fearless forecasting.
Attention sportsbook aficionados, office poolies and pure football fans. We have more NFL week 4 picks up our sleeve for you. Try these on for size.
[Editor's Note: The guys from BetOnline check in with their bi-weekly column previewing the most important events in sports. Today, they take a look at the Twins-Tigers series that will go a long way towards deciding this year's AL Central champion.]
NFL Betting – Week 3 Picks
NFL Week 3 matchups are here already. Hard to believe how quickly the season is going. We’ve already seen a massive upset happen – how about those Bengals over the Packers? – and there could be an even bigger one on the horizon this weekend. Let’s make a few NFL picks.
San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings
Sunday, September 27, 1:00 p.m. ET
NFL betting favorite: Vikings -6.5
Here’s our chance to find out if San Francisco is truly for real. Frank Gore destroyed Seattle’s defense last week, racking up 207 rushing yards, but he faces the formidable Minnesota run defense led by Pat and Kevin Williams this week. If (when?) the Vikes stack the box and bottle up Gore, Shaun Hill will have to do more than caretake from the quarterback position. I’m not so sure he’s up to the task. San Fran’s “D” looks excellent under Mike Singletary but hasn’t faced a tailback anywhere close to Adrian Peterson’s caliber so far. Bet on Minnesota to cover.
Betting services recommend: Vikings -6.5
Washington Redskins at Detroit Lions
Sunday, September 27, 1:00 p.m. ET
NFL betting favorite: Redskins -6
Here’s your big shocker of the week. The Redskins are a superior team, of course, but they’re out of sorts. When you only beat the Rams 9-7 at home and score no touchdowns, how can you be a safe six-point favorite on the road against any team? Washington is struggling to pressure the quarterback, recording just two sacks in two games even after a matchup against Marc Bulger. That means Matt Stafford may have time to unleash some big throws to Calvin Johnson. The Lions can at least beat the spread and have a real shot to win outright.
Betting services recommend: Lions +6
Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks
Sunday, September 27, 4:15 p.m. ET
NFL betting favorite: Bears -1.5
After Matt Hasselbeck went down last week and Frank Gore trucked the Seahawks’ front seven, it’s a bit surprising that the Bears are only 1.5-point favorites. You’d think they’d be more popular choices after beating the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers. Jay Cutler found a groove against the Steelers and Matt Forte is itching to bust out. If Hasselbeck plays, he’ll still likely be ineffective playing through a broken rib. If he doesn’t, the Bears could rout the Seahawks.
Betting services recommend: Bears 1-.5
The TOUR Championship odds signify the end of the FedEx Cup playoffs, and the event at East Lake should be filled with excitement.
Five players hold their fate in their hands and can win the $10 million prize by winning here, so let’s check out their scenarios and the standings after we bring you the particulars for this weekend’s event:
TOUR Championship Preview
Current FedEx Cup Standings:
Tiger Woods (TOUR Championship Odds: +100): The world’s No.1 romped to an eight-stroke win at Cog Hill two weeks ago, but with the reseeding that gives everyone in the field a chance to win, his lead fell to 250 points over Steve Stricker. That’s no matter, though. The last time he was at East Lake, Woods won.
Steve Stricker (TOUR Championship Odds: +1600): Stricker is coming off his worst result of the season, a T-52 at Cog Hill, and he was T-24 here last year. If he is going to overtake Woods, he’ll need the tournament of his life this weekend.
Jim Furyk (TOUR Championship Odds: +1400): Furyk is a steady play for online sports betting players, and he racks up top-10s like it’s going out of style. He was T-3 at East Lake last year, and he finished second to Woods at Cog Hill (albeit a distant second). With six top-10s at East Lake, look for Furyk to be there on Sunday afternoon.
Zach Johnson (TOUR Championship Odds: +2200): Johnson was fifth at Cog Hill, and he certainly likes East Lake: he has the course record there with his 60 in 2007. He has four top-20s in his last five events and he’s improved his score each week in the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Heath Slocum (TOUR Championship Odds: +10000): Slocum is used to being a darkhorse in your handicapping software, because quite frankly, he wasn’t even supposed to be here at this point. He jumped from 124th in the 125-player FedEx field to third with his surprising win at Liberty National in the first event, but has since cooled off with a missed-cut and a T-38. In his last East Lake appearance in 2007, Slocum came in T-17.
Prediction: Padraig Harrington (+1400) should win the event as he has five top-10s in a row, including four in the top-six, but he needs to win and for Woods to finish third or worse, which isn’t the best scenario. Woods to win the FedEx Cup is one of the easiest sports picks of the weekend.
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* – Tiger Woods photo credit: TopNews.in
UFC 103 Preview: The co-main events
While we await the NFL week 2 matchups on Saturday, we can treat ourselves to some exciting UFC action. UFC 103 lacks title fights but its two main events feature big boys who swing for the fences. Forget Mayweather-Marquez; Franklin/Belfort and Cro Cop/Dos Santos will give you more bang for your buck.
CATCHWEIGHT BOUT (195 lbs)
Rich Franklin (25-4) vs Vitor Belfort (18-8)
UFC 103 fight card odds: Franklin -155, Belfort +125
After four years away from the Octagon, power puncher Vitor Belfort makes his highly anticipated return. He broke into the UFC over a decade ago as a teenager, earning the moniker “The Phenom” because of his vicious knockout ability. He rose to prominence and battled legends like Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, though he came out the loser in almost all those fights. The former UFC light heavyweight champ spent the last four years destroying lesser-known fighters and has looked particularly strong since dropping to 185 pounds.
He’ll have a tough opponent in the reliable, entertaining Rich Franklin. The former UFC middleweight champ throws opponents off with his southpaw stance and has true knockout power. His submission defense is outstanding and his great fitness helps him outlast opponents. His only losses are to Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida and Dan Henderson; Franklin is an elite fighter.
Though Belfort’s power makes him intimidating, he hasn’t fought anyone relevant for years. He’ll be rusty against the smart, energetic Franklin. Go with the more battle-ready fighter in your sports picks.
Pick: Rich Franklin
HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (25-6-2) vs Junior Dos Santos (8-1)
UFC 103 fight card odds: Filipovic +110, Dos Santos -140
To longtime fight fans, Mirko Cro Cop is a heavyweight legend, widely considered the best pure striker ever in his weight class. In his heyday, he was known for brutal head-kick knockouts and beat star fighters like Josh Barnett, Mark Coleman and Wanderlei Silva. New UFC fans, however, aren’t impressed with what they’ve seen since Cro Cop joined the UFC. Now 35, he’s just 2-2 in the Octagon and most famous for getting knocked out by a Gabriel Gonzaga kick. After a two-year absence, he’s anxious to prove he can still contend.
I’m betting management of the UFC wants a Cro Cop victory for the sake of the sport, but Junior Dos Santos has something to say about that. The up-and-comer has major knockout power, never having fought into round two. Cro Cop has outstanding takedown defense but Dos Santos has the ground advantage if he gets Cro Cop down thanks to his purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
As is the case with Belfort, we should make Cro Cop earn back our trust. Bet on powerful Dos Santos, who is capable of ending the fight quickly.
Pick: Junior Dos Santos
NFL Week 2 odds will feature a pair of teams that were involved in a couple of thrilling matchups during the first weekend of the season, and there should be a wild affair when Cincinnati heads to Lambeau Field to take on Green Bay.
Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) at Green Bay Packers (1-0)
Bengals vs Packers odds - Packers -9.5
The Bengals were stunned 12-7 by Denver when the Broncos’ Brandon Stokley took a tipped pass and ran 87 yards for a touchdown with 11 seconds left on the clock. Carson Palmer, who hasn’t played in a regular-season game since Week 6 of last year, went 21-of-33 for 247 yards, but he was picked off twice by the Broncos. The defense played very well in shutting down the Broncos, but cornerback Leon Hall will see that tipped pass for the rest of the season.
The Packers picked off Chicago’s Jay Cutler four times in his Bears’ debut to pull out a 21-15 win on Sunday night. This was a typically hard-hitting NFC North affair, and the Packers’ offense struggled to get it going against the Bears, although Aaron Rodgers was 17-of-28 for 184 yards and a touchdown to Greg Jennings, who caught six balls for 106 yards. However, the defense proved that they would be the key to Green Bay’s Super Bowl odds, and they look like they’ve been playing their new 3-4 scheme for years under coordinator Dom Capers.
The Packers are a whopping 9-point favorite at Lambeau Field, where the Bengals haven’t played since 1995. However, they’re only 1-3 in four trips to Green Bay, and last year they were an atrocious 1-7 away from home. The Bengals will have to put aside the disappointment of last week’s gut punch from the Broncos, but heading into Green Bay isn’t the best place to get away from your troubles. The Packers’ defense is swarming and opportunistic, while it looks like Palmer needs a little more time to get back into NFL regular-season shape. Rodgers will play much better than he did in the Chicago game, and this offense could possibly hang a lot of points on a disheartened Cincinnati defense. Go with the Packers in your NFL picks.
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