The Eagles took a beating in Week 12 and the Texans dished one out-literally. Houston wide receiver Andre Johnson was ejected in the fourth quarter of the team’s shutout win over Tennessee after the eighth-year veteran found himself in a full-fledged fist-fight with the Titans’ Cortland Finnegan.Johnson was asked to leave the game and could face further disciplinary action from the NFL, but at least the Texans won. The same can’t be said for Michael Vick and the Eagles, who lost a surprising contest to upstart Chicago on Sunday to fall behind the Bears in the NFL standings.

Philadelphia will attempt to regain their confidence and keep their playoff hopes alive when they host the Texans on Thursday at Lincoln Financial Field.

Vick-perhaps the biggest individual success story of the NFL season-struggled against Chicago’s defence, at least by the lofty standards he has set for himself this year. The Eagles’ quarterback threw for 333 yards and a pair of scores, but also recorded his first interception in four years. The Bears did an excellent job clogging up receiving routes, and quarterback Jay Cutler had one of the best games of his career to take advantage of Vick’s mediocre performance.

The Eagles were without the services of cornerbacks Asante Samuel and Ellis Hobbs against the Bears, and hope that Samuel will be able to return against the Texans. Hobbs is out for the season-and possibly for good-after suffering a serious neck injury in Week 11.

The Texans come into Thursday’s matchup on the heels of their first home shutout in franchise history. Although the brawl between Johnson and Finnegan was the most memorable aspect of the game, there were some positive signs for a Houston team that has struggled with the second half of their NFL schedule. Arian Foster-the league leader in rushing yards with 1147-ran for 143 yards on Sunday while adding 75 receiving yards; his highest total of the season. Foster continues to impress in his second year as a pro, and could present matchup problems for the Eagles with his size and ability to break through to the secondary.

Philadelphia is no stranger to running the ball, though: the Eagles are third in the league in rushing yards per game, and eighth overall in passing.Vick’s ability to throw or run the football could present major problems for a Houston team that is dead last in passing yards allowed. The Texans’painfully bad pass defence has played a significant role in a 1-4 record since their bye, and Philadelphia is guaranteed to attack through the air early and often.

While Houston’s victory over the Titans was statistically impressive, it also came against a team dealing with serious turmoil off the field in the wake of Vince Young’s banishment. Likewise, the Eagles’ loss to Chicago should not be overstated: Philadelphia was missing a key defensive piece, and Vick’s interception was more an anomaly than a trend. The Eagles should handle the Texans in a high-scoring affair this Thursday.

The NFL’s top two passing teams will battle for aerial supremacy on Sunday in Indianapolis, when Peyton Manning’s Colts play host to Philip Rivers and the resurgent San Diego Chargers. The Chargers are in the midst of a three-game winning streak after starting out the season just 2-5, and are hoping

to continue the trend against a Colts team that has been rendered inconsistent and unpredictable thanks to a plethora of early-season injuries.

San Diego looked like it was close to collapse early on in the season, as the team dealt with drama in the locker room and poor chemistry on the playing field. The Chargers slipped in the NFL standings before picking up wins in weeks eight and nine. The Chargers collected win number five over Denver last week in prime time, and have a realistic shot at challenging the struggling Colts on Sunday.

The Colts have struggled with their NFL schedule coming out of Bye Week, picking up wins against Houston and Cincinnati, but losing close contests to the red-hot Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots.

In Indy’s most recent loss to the Patriots, Manning made a series of uncharacteristically poor decisions down the stretch, tossing a pick with less than a minute to go with his team down three and within field-goal range. The superstar quarterback finished the game with four scores, but his three interceptions suggest that the Colts’ offence is not clicking as smoothly as planned. Against the Chargers, Manning will need to be extra careful with his passing-San Diego is first in the league in limiting their opponents’ passing yards, allowing just 184 yards per game.

Interestingly enough, the Chargers are also the best passing team in the NFL, averaging just over 306 yards per game in the air. Rivers has been statistically spectacular this season with 23 touchdowns and 3,177 passing yards, and is a frontrunner for league MVP honors-a case that will be significantly strengthened if the Chargers continue to post winning football scores. Rivers has been highly efficient as well, with only nine interceptions so far. However, Indianapolis has typically looked to shut down the air against good passing teams, leaving them vulnerable to the ground attack.

San Diego running back Mike Tolbert took advantage of the absence of Ryan Mathews on Monday night to run for over 100 yards and a touchdown against the

Broncos. Look for Tolbert to again rack up big minutes against a Colts defence that ranks dead last in the league at stopping the run.

Indianapolis running back Joseph Addai is still sidelined by injury, so the Colts will have little choice but to rely on Manning’s creativity and arm to generate their offence. Manning is always liable to put together a Hall of Fame performance, but judging by the way the Colts struggled to connect with one another in the loss to New England, San Diego may have the edge. If the Chargers can win against the Colts, it would be huge for their place in the division standings and their march towards a playoff berth.

While NCAA football betting players will be busy with the first part of “Rivalry Week”, even they will have to turn their heads to the NFL, where there are five games worth laying a wager on.

Patriots Lions Betting – Thursday, 12:30 PM ET

The Lions are 7-point underdogs at home, but the Patriots can be taken down after emotional wins over Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. The Lions are young and aren’t as bad as their record indicates.

NFL Picks: Detroit +7

Saints Cowboys Betting – Thursday, 4:15 PM ET

The Saints are 3.5-point favorites on the road, and even though the Cowboys are playing much better under Jason Garrett, the Saints are starting to roll.

NFL Picks: Saints -3.5

Packers Falcons Betting – Sunday, 1:00 PM ET

The Falcons are 2.5-point favorites at home, where Matt Ryan is 18-1 as the Atlanta starter, but they’re up against a tough Green Bay defense, and the Atlanta defense has to contend with Aaron Rodgers.

NFL Picks: Green Bay +2.5

Eagles Bears Betting – Sunday, 4:15 PM ET

The Eagles are 3-point favorites on the road, and while the Bears won’t let Michael Vick and company run wild, Chicago’s offense may not be able to do much against the Philly defense.

NFL Picks: Philadelphia -3

Chargers Colts Betting – Sunday, 8:20 PM ET

The Chargers are 3-point underdogs at Indianapolis, and the Colts will be hungry after giving away a win in New England last week. It’ll be a high-scoring game, so check out the posted total in your sports book.

NFL Picks: Colts -3

At the beginning of the 2010-11 NFL season, any discussion over the best quarterbacks in the league included the names Peyton Manning and Drew Brees.The Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback is an undisputed future Hall of Famer, while his counterpart on the New Orleans Saints has the freshest Super Bowl bragging rights. However, 11 weeks into the season, two other quarterbacks have stolen the spotlight: Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, and Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Pats and the Eagles are a combined 13-5 in the NFL standings, and the two quarterbacks have been playing out of their minds in recent weeks, which brings about a new debate: who’s better, Brady or Vick?

The Case for Brady: In terms of legacy, it’s not much of a contest: Brady’s overall career has been far more successful than Vick’s, as he’s the proud owner of three Super Bowl rings (Vick has none) and put together one of the most impressive single seasons in football history in 2007, when he recorded 50 touchdowns and over 4,800 passing yards. His off-field image has also been relatively spotless, in stark contrast to Vick, who was released from federal prison in 2009 after serving 23 months for his role in a dog fighting operation.

On the gridiron, Brady is the quintessential team leader, reading opposing defences well and directing the offence accordingly. Brady possesses a monster throwing arm, which allows him to send his receivers deep for long completions. With his picture-perfect throwing form and follow through, Brady sets up his teammates to score like few others in football history.

Perhaps Brady’s most admirable quality, though, is his amazing ability to adapt on the fly. While he can appear relaxed and quiet at times during the regular season, Brady always turns his energy levels up a couple notches for big games. New England has had great success in the postseason during

Brady’s tenure, and much of that can be attributed to a quarterback who thrives under pressure.

The Case for Vick: Vick opposes the “quarterback stereotype” as much as Brady fits it. The Virginia native brought a new dimension to the most important position in football when he was drafted out of Virginia Tech to the Atlanta Falcons in 2001. Vick’s footwork is highly unorthodox yet incredibly effective, as he uses his great lateral quickness to move around in the pocket until he sees an opening, or put his head down and run the football himself.

Accuracy is an element of the game Vick struggled with early in his career, but has completed a solid 62.7 percent of his passes this season. He has also become a better on-field presence later as of late, and like Brady, is a master of improvisation and creating plays out of nothing.

On Monday, Vick put together one of the most impressive single games in history, as he threw for more than 300 yards and ran for more than 50, en route to six total touchdowns and the highest Eagles’ football score of the season.

Decision: Vick has been the flashier, more exciting player this season, but Brady’s team is still ahead in the standings and is a favorite to make it to the Super Bowl. Brady’s consistency and career accomplishments place him ahead of Vick as the better current quarterback.

There are some solid NFL betting lines to check out in Week 11, and with each passing week, the games get bigger, which means they should be fun to watch.

Lions Cowboys Betting – Sunday, 1:00 PM ET

Yes, it’s a pair of 2-7 teams, but this has the makings of a wildly entertaining game with defenses that can sometimes be a bit loose. The Cowboys are looking to build off their win over the Giants, while the Lions have lost all but one game by a touchdown or less. The Cowboys are feeling it, though, and we’ll gladly take Jon Kitna over Shaun Hill.

NFL Predictions: Cowboys -6

Vikings Packers Betting – Sunday, 1:00 PM ET

It’s Brett Favre against the Packers for what we think will be the last time, but we’re not laying NFL betting odds on that. The Packers are fresh off a bye week, and that could spell trouble for a Minnesota offensive line that has struggled to protect Favre.

NFL Predictions: Packers -3

Colts Patriots Betting – Sunday, 4:15 PM ET

The Patriots are coming off a huge road win in Pittsburgh, but do they have anything left in the tank for the Colts, who have won five of the last six in this AFC rivalry? This could be a shootout to end all shootouts.

NFL Predictions: Colts +3.5

Giants Eagles Betting – Sunday, 8:20 PM ET

The top teams in the NFC East clash in Philadelphia, and the Eagles are looking to follow up a Michael Vick-led destruction of Washington on the road. The Giants were beaten soundly by Dallas at home, and they’re out to prove they’re still a top option on sports wagering sites.

NFL Predictions: Eagles -3

The lead in the NFC East standings will be on the line when the New York Giants visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night. New York, after powering through several substandard teams, dropped a home game to the lowly Dallas Cowboys last week while the Eagles spanked the fourth division team, Washington, on Monday night. Momentum may be in the favour of Philly, whose offense seems unstoppable, but nothing is certain in battles for control of the conference’s “Beast” division.

The priority for Coach Tom Coughlin’s Giants will be to contain Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, who has been the league’s best offensive player through 10 weeks. Good luck. Vick went off for 5 total scores in the first half of Monday’s revenge game against the Redskins and has been equally capable slinging the ball from the pocket as he has been tucking it and bursting for big runs. If any team is capable of troubling Vick it is these Giants, with their talented defensive line. Ends Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora are two of the NFL’s best at pressuring the quarterback and they have the athleticism to chase after or seal the edges against Vick. Still, the Giants have no linebacker who can come close to spying Vick effectively and their secondary will be tested by the quarterback’s arm and the Eagles’ speedy receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. Philadelphia will spread the field and throw early to set up the run, so the Giants’ third ranked rush defense will have little impact on the Eagles’ game plan. The keys for the Giants will be to apply pressure on Vick with a four man rush and to have their safeties, Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant, stay behind the Eagles’ deep threats.

On offense New York will try to get their smash-mouth running game going against an Eagles defense that is undersized and built to defend a lead. Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott’s unit is effective at blitzing and coverage but has been proven to soft against a power running game. If the Giants can establish running back Ahmad Bradshaw, they can keep quarterback Eli Manning out of dangerous situations where he might be forced into turnovers by the Eagles’ opportunistic defense. Defensive end Trent Cole will be in Manning’s face all day long and if Eli makes the mistake of throwing the ball up under pressure, he might find himself watching Asante Samuel or rookie Dmitri Patterson, the Eagles’ talented corners, trot into his end zone for a score. The Eagles will throw the whole bag of strikingly confusing blitz packages at Manning and his best solution is to hand the ball to Bradshaw to punish the middle of the defense.

This is one of the league’s best rivalries and Sunday’s edition is sure to be hard fought in the Philadelphia cold. The Eagles will be the best team the Giants have faced all season long and Vick is the most challenging player to prepare for. If the Giants can run the ball effectively then they might be able to keep up. Otherwise, Philadelphia will leave New York in their dust as they put up another high score and take over first place in the standings.

The siblings with big bellies and even bigger mouths will meet Sunday in Cleveland, battling for the bragging rights that come with being the top defensive strategist in the family. The aggressive defenses of Rob and Rex Ryan will be on display at Browns stadium and while the brothers will surely have fun competing, Colt McCoy and Mark Sanchez will not be as pleased. Rex’s Jets barely escaped Detroit with an overtime win last week, while Rob’s Browns defense confused Tom Brady and the Patriots in a decisive win. Browns Head Coach Eric Mangini hopes that Ryan will come up with another inventive plan to halt the Jets’ offense and that his rookie quarterback Colt McCoy can continue his brilliance.

The Browns have become the NFL’s giant-killers in the past two weeks, slaying Super Bowl champ New Orleans and the revered Patriots. In both games the Browns defense was pitted against a premier quarterback in Drew Brees and Tom Brady respectively. Rob Ryan received a Gatorade shower after he outwitted Brees and Saints’ offensive-minded coach Sean Payton. Ryan sent the dogs after Brees and forced the All-pro into four interceptions, two of which led to scores. Ryan’s defense, like his brother’s, is a rugged 3-4 system with big bodies clogging the line, blitzing linebackers and playmakers in the secondary. While the Browns defense may lack the star power of the Jets’ unit, it makes up for it in relentless effort, a byproduct of having a ruthless pirate as its coordinator. Lockdown cornerbacks Eric Wright, Sheldon Brown and rookie Joe Haden give Rob the same freedom Rex has (with Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie) to blitz at will. The Browns have managed to hold two good offenses to low scores, so Sanchez and the Jets will have their troubles moving the ball.

From Rex’s perspective, his team faces a relatively untested quarterback, or rather, fresh blood. Colt McCoy has been impressive in managing the Browns’ offense in their two recent wins but the Jets present a different challenge defensively. Mangini will certainly protect his quarterback by handing the ball to running back Peyton Hillis, who has surprisingly emerged as a potent number one rushing option. Hillis ran for 184 yards last week and helped balance the McCoy-led attack. McCoy may not be a premier passer yet, but his confidence and athletic ability make him a capable starter for the Browns and have Cleveland fans excited about his potential to turn around the franchise. Nonetheless, McCoy is still a rookie and Rex will attempt to confuse him with a myriad of blitzes and coverage schemes.

A rivalry between brothers will be the headline of this game but the offensive lines of these two teams should not be lost in the shuffle. Both the Jets and Browns have bruising running games powered by the big guys up front. New York is led by center Nick Mangold and guard Brandon Moore, while the Browns’ best lineman is tackle Joe Thomas. Both teams will attempt to control possession and keep their quarterbacks away from trouble. Expect a low-scoring, hard-fought game with a few big hits worthy of the Ryans’ approval. If the Jets do manage to leave the field victorious, they will have proven to better than their rivals the New England Patriots on the field and in the AFC East standings.

NFL betting players are always looking for an edge when it comes to their odds, and underdogs are a good way to win against the spread. Here are the top five underdogs so far this year.

Kansas City- Heading into Week 10, the Chiefs are 4-1 ATS as an underdog, due to a young team that is responding to good coaching. There may not be many more chances to take the Chiefs as underdogs, so do so when you can.

Baltimore- The Ravens are 2-0-1 as an underdog, but they’re dangerous because they’re a team that plays with a chip on their shoulder all the time. Give them an “us against the world” mentality, and you’re going to be in trouble.

Washington- The Redskins are doing their best to be a poor team, but there is too much talent to say they’re terrible. Washington is a resounding 5-1-1 as an underdog, and with their defense, you’re not likely to see them get blown out.

Detroit- The Lions are 5-1 as an underdog because of their last few seasons where they were laughingstocks. Their draft picks are starting to pan out, and you watch: the Lions could end up in the playoffs next year, so get in on the action while you can.

St. Louis- Everything about the Lions can be said about the Rams, who are 5-2 as an underdog. Sam Bradford is playing well above his status as a rookie, No.1 pick or not, but their improved defense is the reason why NFL betting players should lay an online sports bet on the Rams.

NFL football betting players are gearing up for the second half of the season, so with no delay, let’s get into the top four games in Week 9 NFL football betting action.

Buccaneers Falcons Betting – Sunday, 1:00 PM ET

The Falcons are favored by 8.5 points in this NFC South showdown, but the Bucs have given them some problems at the Georgia Dome in the past, and they got a lot of confidence after their coach said they were the best team in the NFC.

Dolphins Ravens Betting – Sunday, 1:00 PM ET

The Ravens are 5-point favorites against the Dolphins, who are going against their third consecutive AFC North opponent. Miami has made it tough for Baltimore to cover the spread at home against them, so this should be a good one.

Colts Eagles Betting – Sunday, 4:15 PM ET

The Eagles are 3-point favorites at home in this matchup of two distinctly different quarterbacks: Peyton Manning has kept Indianapolis going in the face of injuries, while Michael Vick’s running ability poses a big set of problems for the Colts’ defense.

Chiefs Raiders Betting – Sunday, 4:15 PM ET

The Raiders are 2.5-point favorites against the Chiefs in this AFC West rivalry, and Oakland has put together two brilliant performances on both sides of the ball. The young Chiefs have been one of the big surprises of the NFL season, and a win over a divisional rival may be the thing that makes betting players have some faith in them.

1. Dallas Cowboys

• Never before has an NFL team underachieved like the 2010-11 Cowboys, but at the same time-has any team ever been as unapologetically arrogant heading into a new season? Dallas talked itself up all throughout the offseason despite the team’s coaching staff admitting that training camp and the preseason did not go as well as planned. Now, owner Jerry Jones is left with a billion-dollar establishment and one of the worst teams in football. Whenever Dallas has looked like it’s about to turn everything around, the team has self-combusted and waved the white flag. The popular sentiment at the moment is to fire head coach Wade Philips, but Jones has candidly stated that no replacement can fix the ongoing disaster. Not exactly what fans want to hear from their team’s owner. Dallas obviously has all the pieces to compete for a place among the league’s elite, but the culture has to change in a huge way between now and the start of next season.

2. Kansas City Chiefs

• As much as Dallas was predicted to succeed this year, Kansas City was expected to fail. After a miserable 4-12 season in 2009-10, many though that the Chiefs would once again struggle on the defensive end and allow opponents to run up the score against them. While KC has still had trouble stopping other teams from controlling the air-the Chiefs are ranked 23^rd in opponents’ passing yards-the Chiefs have allowed less than 100 rushing yards per game. On the offensive end, Kansas City has been sensational. Quarterback Matt Cassel has five games with no interceptions thrown, but it has been the Chiefs’ rushing game that has their opponents at a loss. The running back tandem of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones has been largely unstoppable, leading the Chiefs to the best running offence in the NFL and a place in the top third of the NFL standings.

3. Minnesota Vikings

• Expecting Brett Favre to put together a repeat of last season’s awesome performance-excluding the last play of the Vikings’ postseason-was probably unrealistic, but no one predicted Minnesota to be as bad as they are right now. The Vikings are 2-5, and Favre has been nothing short of awful as the

  team continues to play itself out of a postseason berth. A glance at the football scores doesn’t really do justice to some of the Vikings’ inspired outings this year, but losses are losses. The acquisition of Randy Moss last month injected some hope into a dying team, but the latter failed to make a significant impact in his two games with the team before being placed on waivers, in part for disrespecting the caterers at a post-practice team meal. Nothing has gone right this season for Minnesota, and now Favre is injured again. There is a silver lining to this latest setback, though: the team might start giving their other pivots a chance, thus giving fans a glimpse of what life will soon be like without Brett Favre.