Sports Betting Overview
Every time the sports headlines come out for the day, the Houston Texans lose another half-point to the Baltimore Ravens. It has been nothing but bad news for the AFC South leaders as key players continue to nurse injuries. This is supposed to be the year that the Texans break through, win the division and make the playoffs. But Houston is getting some stiff competition from the Tennessee Titans, and the Texans are running out of key players to lose to long-term injuries. The Texans were unable to stand up to an emotional Oakland Raiders team at home in week five, and now Houston has to travel to Baltimore to try and combat a healthy and determine Ravens team. The Texans need to stop reading the sports headlines if they want to finish the season in one piece.

The cost per head fans in Baltimore were expecting a battle from the Pittsburgh Steelers all season long for the AFC North title. Baltimore made things a lot easier on themselves by beating the Steelers in week one to set up a very important game with Pittsburgh in week nine. But Baltimore did not count on the entire AFC North being competitive this season. None of the four AFC North teams have a losing record, and three AFC North teams have three wins. The Ravens had a bye week last week and watched as the Steelers and Bengals moved up to 3-2. If the Ravens lose to the Texans, then it will be a three-way tie at the top of the division with the Cleveland Browns going to Oakland to try and become 3-2 themselves.

Houston Texans
Price per head sports fans in Houston could not believe their bad luck when it was announced that quarterback Matt Schaub has a sore shoulder and did not practice on Wednesday of this week. The Texans insist that Schaub will play and that holding him out of practice was a precaution. But the mounting injuries to the Texans make this NFL pick easier. Defensive star Mario Williams is out for quite a while with a muscle tear and wide receiver Andre Johnson is gone with a nagging hamstring injury that the Texans are not taking any chances with. The Texans will have to lean back on its running game that features running backs Arian Foster and Ben Tate. But the Ravens can attack a one-dimensional offense and shut it down. The Texans will have to come up with a clever game plan to win this one.

Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens have been in the NFL playoff hunt for years, but playoff success has eluded Baltimore ever since its Super Bowl win in 2000. With the exception of an AFC championship game berth in 2008, the Ravens have not been past the first round in a decade. This year could be a very different year for Baltimore as it finally has all of the important elements it needs to be successful. But the Ravens will have to keep winning if it wants to take the AFC North title as the AFC North could be the most competitive division in football.

The Bottom Line
The Ravens have everything it needs to take advantage of the key injuries to the Texans. Unfortunately for Houston, the loss of Williams and Johnson does put the Texans at a severe disadvantage that the Ravens will exploit all day long.

Pick: Baltimore Ravens

Your fishing video of the trip you took this summer won’t be able to hold a candle to Sunday’s excitement as the NFL cranks up the heat after Thursday’s opener in Green Bay featuring the Packers and New Orleans, the last two teams to win the Super Bowl. Here is a look at the top three games on Sunday.

Falcons Bears Odds – Sunday, 1:00 PM ET

The Falcons are favored by a field goal if you’re doing some football betting online, and these two have aspirations of reaching the Super Bowl. The Bears fell to Green Bay in the NFC title game last season, while the Falcons were routed by the Packers as well, and a big win this week could set the tone for the season.

Sports Betting Pick: Atlanta -3

Colts Texans Odds – Sunday, 1:00 PM ET

No player means more to his team than Peyton Manning does to the Colts, and when news leaked that he was going to miss the first game of his career, Indy went from a slight road favorite to a 9-point favorite. Essentially, if the Texans can’t take advantage of this situation, they’re never going to win the AFC South. Watch the spread, though; Indy could be inspired, especially defensively.

Sports Betting Pick: Indianapolis +9

Cowboys Jets Odds – Sunday, 8:20 PM ET

In a primetime showdown of Ryan brothers (Rex is the Jets’ head coach, Rob is the defensive coordinator in Dallas), the Jets are 4.5-point favorites, and this is a matchup of the Cowboys’ explosive offense against New York’s lockdown defense. This should be an intriguing matchup for online sports betting players.

Sports Betting Pick: New York Jets -4.5

As a group, the top four picks of the 2010 NFL Draft put together a pretty impressive rookie campaign.

Sam Bradford looked like a future Pro Bowler at quarterback for the Rams, tossing 18 football scores.Ndamakong Suh was simply one of the best defensive players in football, being named to the All-Pro team and terrorizing backfields all season for the Lions. Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy wasn’t in Suh’s league, but improved all season-long before sitting out the last three games with a bicep. Redskins rookie left tackle had to face the league’s best pass-rushers all year long and experienced some growing pains, but flashed definite potential to become a rock protecting the quarterback’s blindside.

The top four from last month’s draft might not have an immediate All-Pro like Suh among them, but at least three of the four look poised to have definite impacts in their first year in the pros.

1^st Overall: Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers

Newton is without a doubt the biggest question mark amongst the top draftees of 2011, despite accounting for 51 scores in his Heisman-winning season at Auburn.

He’s a big, athletic signal-caller with a good arm, but there are serious concerns about his accuracy and football intelligence. He played in a simplified offence in his one year as a starter, so his ability to translate his game to the pro level is in doubt.

With former second-round pick Jimmy Clausen on the roster, Newton probably won’t start immediately, but look for the Panthers to struggle out of the gate and turn to Newton sooner rather than later. Thanks to the ‘Cats strong running game, he won’t have to everything, which could mask some of his flaws.

Expect some flashes of brilliance in between plenty of turnovers and looks of frustration from Carolina teammates, coaches, and fans.

2^nd Overall: Von Miller, OLB, Denver Broncos

Miller is an elite pass-rusher off of the edge with great speed and flexibility to turn the corner against big tackles. He’s a nice fit in the Broncos’ new 3-4 alignment, which should free him up to attack quarterbacks from a stand-up position on first and second down, while lining up on the end of the defensive line in nickel formations.

With Elvis Dumervil, a similarly-undersized speed rusher on the other end of the Broncos’ D, Miller should have plenty of opportunities against single blockers, and should rack up plenty of sacks and hurries while making a strong case for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

3^rd Overall: Marcell Dareus, DT, Buffalo Bills

Dareus’s size and versatility should help improve the Bills’ worst-ranked rush defence, as he’ll likely line up as a defensive end in their base 3-4 set, next to powerful nose tackle Kyle Williams. While 3-4 ends are typically expected to just eat up space and blockers, Dareus should also bring a bit of a pass rush as a bonus.

Because of the type of defence the Bills play, he won’t have the highlights and numbers of a guy like Miller, but will immediately make everyone around him better.

4^th Overall: A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Green plays the wideout position like a veteran, running crisp, fluid routes and exhibiting remarkable body control. He’s not the fastest straight-line runner at the position, but more than makes up for it with his size, big hands, and explosive leaping ability.

Unlike many rookie receivers, who enter the league too raw to separate from pro-level defensive backs, Green is polished enough to be a star in his first season. Presuming the Bengals quarterback situation isn’t a total mess – and it might be – he could approach 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The NFL combine rolls on, and it is curious to see who is raising their value in the sports betting world with their performance in the combine.

Quarterback Sam Bradford of Oklahoma had a rough 2009 season. He hurt his shoulder early in the season, and then hurt it again when he tried to come back. He did not get a chance to play in a bowl game, and he had to miss the Senior Bowl as well. Bradford’s abilities were never called into question. The buzz is that this kid is the real deal at quarterback. The questions were about his durability and whether or not he could avoid long-term injury in the NFL.

Bradford needs to impress at the combine. He is scheduled to work out towards the end. Scouts want to see all of the tools that has made Bradford a tempting prospect, and they want to see if he has the stamina to get in the weight room and add the bulk he will need to survive the NFL.

Another quarterback that needed to impress at the combine is Tim Tebow. After a terrible showing at the Senior Bowl, Tebow needed to be hitting on all cylinders at the combine to raise his value in the draft. While Tebow is not breaking any combine records, he is turning in consistently high numbers in everything he is doing. In some cases his speed numbers are better than the running backs and receivers in the draft. That is not too surprising considering that Tebow’s strength is his ability to run. But Tebow is not showing too well in the upper body exercises, and it is his inability to throw an accurate long ball that will keep Tebow out of the top 15 picks and maybe even drop him to the second round.

The NFL odds were stacked against the Saints, but they put the final touches on a season that was exactly what the city of New Orleans needed. Now that the season is over, we can all focus on how the league will look when they kick the ball off in 2010.

If you are hearing rumblings of Reggie Bush leaving New Orleans you do not need to get your hearing checked. Bush wants a contract extension and he may need to leave the Big Easy to get what he wants. The emergence of Pierre Thomas puts the Saints in a position of power in this negotiation. What adds to the Saints good fortune is the possibility that LaDanian Tomlinson may be looking for a new contract as well, and San Diego is probably not going to offer it to him. L.T. to the French Quarter? It just may happen.

Derek Anderson of the Browns is also ready to test the free agency waters this offseason as well. The only question that surrounds Anderson is whether his dismal performance in Cleveland as the starting QB was due to him or his supporting cast. Brady Quinn laid an egg in Cleveland as well, and while Quinn is not the most accurate passer in the world he is still a good QB. Until Cleveland fixes their offensive line problems, they will continue to be a QB wasteland.

So Tim Tebow is now on the clock. The Heisman Trophy winner looked like a first rounder for sure just 12 months ago, but after a lackluster performance in the 2010 Senior Bowl many GMs had knocked Tebow way down on their prospect list. The question that comes up now is whether Tebow will even go in the first round or if waiting that extra year to enter the NFL draft has cost him millions of dollars in upfront money.

Betting management players will have their eye on the total of 56.5 points for Sunday’s super Bowl betting matchup between Indianapolis and New Orleans, because these two offenses are the best in the NFL.

Indy is paced by Peyton Manning, who may be a robot, he’s so efficient and prepares so well for the opposition. He has had arguably the best season of his storied career because his ground game, led (a term that is used loosely) by Joseph Addai, has been shut down all season, putting more pressure on Manning’s shoulders. Manning has a strong group of receivers, led by Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, but Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon definitely stepped up in the AFC championship game against the Jets. It’s insane to think of how the Colts would be with a decent running game

The Saints have one with Pierre Thomas, and occasionally Reggie Bush, who is a force in the open field as a receiver as well. But the bread and butter of the Saints’ offense is Drew Brees and the passing game, which tore up the league this year. Brees finished second to Manning in the MVP race, and he also has a solid group of receivers in Devery Henderson, Marques Colston and Lance Moore, all of whom can stretch the defense with deep plays. This will open up the middle of the field for Jeremy Shockey, but the tight end has battled injuries over the second half of the season. The Saints are much better when Shockey is in the lineup, and we’re willing to bet you won’t be able to keep him off the field on Sunday.

Super Bowl betting is always huge when it comes to the NFL Championship Game but the props are really where there is money to be made. Here are three worth betting:

Total Number Of Field Goals Missed: Over 1 +380

The over under for this category is just one, which means on you only need one miss to tie. Garrett Hartley, the Saints field goal kicker, has only 25 field goals in his NFL career. You can bet that he’ll be nervous. Expect him to miss one on his own to get you the tie and maybe even two. If Matt Stover contributes, you can cash in +380 on this over.

What Will Happen On the First Challenge: Overturned -115

In the Super Bowl, we have two smart head coaches that rarely challenge unless they need to. Knowing this, a good play would be to bet that the first challenge will overturn a play.

The magnitude of this event cannot be understated and if either coach plans to challenge, it’s because he is getting definitive evidence from upstairs to do so.

Total Number Of TD Passes By Colts QB’s: Over 2.5 +110

Seriously? In a shootout?

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is going to light up the Saints secondary and considering how poor their running game is, they may not even bother with it. The Colts will score four or five touchdowns in this game with three coming through the air.

The Super Bowl XLIV odds are a big showdown between two excellent offenses. We all know about the Indianapolis Colts explosive offense and the New Orleans Saints had the No. 1 unit in the NFL. Furthermore, we all know about Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. Here is a position-by-position breakdown of the offenses minus the quarterback comparison, which is a wash.

Running Backs

While the quarterback matchup is basically even, the Saints have the edge in the backfield. Talent-wise, Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas are probably only slightly better than Joseph Addai and Donald Brown, but the edge clearly goes to the Saints in productivity.

They just find a way to have offensive balance while the Colts don’t.

Offensive Line

Both teams have similar offensive lines in caliber and both teams have Pro Bowlers in their front five but when you boil it down, numbers speak the loudest.

The Colts offense allowed only 13 sacks on the year and three of them came when the backups were in and Curtis Painter was playing quarterback in the last two weeks.

By the numbers, the Colts have the edge here.

Receivers

This is another area where the race is tight but the Colts have the slight edge when you do the math and they again leave with the edge.

Reggie Wayne is a better receiver than Marques Colston, Pierre Garcon is more rounded than Robert Meachem while Austin Collie and Devery Henderson are probably about even but offer different skills.

Meanwhile, Dallas Clark is a Pro Bowl tight end while Jeremy Shockey is battling a knee injury.

When you add it up, the Colts have the better pound-for-pound unit and the better pound-for-pound offense.

Those waiting for the Super Bowl line will first have to get through the conference championships, and they’ve probably been following the Brett Favre story throughout the year. Favre came back to win a Super Bowl in Minnesota, but they’re facing a team of destiny in the New Orleans Saints, who will make their first appearance in the big game.

Vikings vs Saints odds – Sunday, 6:40 PM ET

The Saints stumbled down the stretch, but came back hard in a 45-14 thumping of Arizona at home, and they recovered some of the swagger they had lost. The Vikings destroyed Dallas 34-3 at home, but it’ll be a different story at the Superdome as Minnesota has lost their last three games on the road. In particular, the quarterback matchup will be one to watch as Drew Brees was a force at the Superdome this season, while Favre struggled on the road after beating such teams as Cleveland, Detroit and St. Louis. Their only decent road win was in Green Bay, and you can bet that emotion carried Favre through that game. Expect a big play or two from New Orleans safety Darren Sharper, who played with Favre for eight seasons in Green Bay, and another two against him in Minnesota. Take these betting tips and go with the Saints.

Step away from the racebook this weekendl; there are a ton of great matchups on the NFL Week 4 odds.

The biggest will be the Monday Nighter where Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings will take on Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Yes, that’s right – Favre will be starting for the Vikings and not the Packers.

Favre has already been trash talking this week, calling Aaron Rodgers a liar. People making their NFL picks should know that firing up Favre is never a good plan.

The Packers offensive line is brutal and that’s going to be the difference. Look for Jared Allen to go wild and pressure Rodgers all day as the Vikings get the win.