FOOTBALL NFL ARTICLES

One by one, the pieces of the Jacksonville Jaguars fantastic defense that took on the moniker of #Sacksonville have been stripped away from the roster. Jalen Ramsey was traded to the Los Angeles Rams last season. Calais Campbell was shipped off to Baltimore this past offseason. The Jags other corner back, A.J. Bouye, was sent to Denver. While Yannick Ngakoue was franchised by the Jaguars, he doesn’t want to be in Jacksonville so there’s a high probability he won’t be donning a Jaguars jersey onc... 

The Indianapolis Colts were forced to endure one of the nastiest gut punches the league ever witnessed when Andrew Luck shockingly announced his retirement at the tail end of the preseason. The timing couldn’t have been worse. The team was forced to scramble in hopes of finding an immediate answer. While Indy got out to a solid start in winning five of its first seven games and going 4-2-1 ATS in those matchups, things took a major turn for the worse with the team logging just a pair of wins and three pointspread covers over its final nine games. Though the team’s season win total odds opened a half-game lower than they were a season ago, only two teams have shorter odds to win the AFC and linemakers have them installed +120 chalk to secure AFC South bragging rights. GM Chris Ballard did a fine job improving the roster this past offseason, and season win total bettors took notice ultimately forcing those booking the bets to bump the impost up to 9.5. ... 

Last NFL bettors got a look at the Houston Texans, they went on to blow a 24-0 second-quarter lead and fell to the Kansas City Chiefs by a 51-31 final score; they couldn’t even cover the closing 10-point spread! That comeback win against the Buffalo Bills in overtime the previous week no doubt played a role; that and Patrick Mahomes going HAM. Regardless, it was another successful campaign for the franchise. Though it amounted to another early exit in the second season, the Texans still went on to win the AFC South for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Upper management decided to give all the keys to Bill O’Brien who is now the head coach and GM of the franchise regardless of the fact that he hasn’t led the team passed the Division Round throughout his time in Houston. With a major head-scratching move made this past offseason, linemakers at online sportsbooks expect the Texans to take a step back in 2020-21 with their season win total checking in at 7.5 after closing 8 just a short season ago. Both the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans also sport shorter returns on the odds to win the division. ... 

Had Jameis Winston not thrown an interception on seemingly every one of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ opening drives last season, Bruce Arians might’ve led the Bucs to a winning record and possible playoff berth in his return to the sidelines. Be that as it may, Winston threw an alarming 30 picks last season. Because of it, Tampa Bay was saddled with a 7-9 SU record but lost the tiebreaker to the Atlanta Falcons to finish third in the NFC South. In that respect, things are likely to be much different by the bay this season with the GOAT – Tom Brady – inking a two-year deal to run the offense. No. 12 threw a total of eight interceptions last season, and has amassed a grand total of 29 over his last four seasons. With a rich of spoils at his disposal and a likely major improvement in turnover differential, many predict the Buccaneers to be a major player in 2020-21 and beyond; including linemakers at top rated sportsbooks! ... 

Who would’ve ever thought the wild 48-46 home defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 14 would’ve proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back? Because of it, the New Orleans Saints missed out on a first round bye even though it sported an identical 13-3 record as the Green Bay Packers. So instead of taking a week off to lick its wounds and prepare itself mentally and physically for a Super Bowl run, it was forced to take on a physical Minnesota Vikings squad instead. And for the second ... 

There’s way too much talent on the Carolina Panthers roster to believe an improvement from last year’s campaign isn’t in the offing entering the 2020-21 NFL betting season. Ron Rivera proved to be good enough to hold onto his job throughout his nine-year stay in Carolina, but the franchise never truly did much of anything under his watch. Yes, the Panthers did go on to represent the NFC in Super Bowl 50 but more or less got manhandled in a 24-10 defeat to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. O... 

If we’ve learned anything over the years it’s that you shouldn’t bet against Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks. The team was ripe for regression last year and all they did was win 11 games, easily exceeding their projected total of 8.5 to nearly claim the NFC West title only to lose out by less than a yard to the Niners. The Seahawks transformed from a once mighty defensi... 

It was a banner year for the San Francisco 49ers winning 13 games, taking the top seed in the NFC and advancing to the Super Bowl. However, a frustrating loss to the Chiefs is what motivates them to be among the best in the NFL in 2020. They probably won’t win 13 games this season with a first-place schedule and a tough NFC West slate of games. There wasn’t a lot of turnover on the roster and as long as Jimmy Garoppolo stays healthy the Niners are a good bet to win at least 11 games and cash the over on their projected win total. ... 

What did the Atlanta Falcons do to the football gods to deserve the schedule bestowed upon them entering the 2020-21 regular season? This is a team that went 7-9 SU a season ago. After granting season win total odds bettors that hit the over with a pair of ticket cashes in two of the prior three seasons, Dan Quinn and his staff once again succumbed to linemakers after failing to surpass their 9.5-game win total. Be that as it may, the front office and coaching staff were granted a reprieve due to closing the season out strong in winning six of their final eight games both SU and ATS. Even so, oddsmakers at online sportsbooks expect this franchise to more or less remain stuck in the mud with this year’s win total clocking in at 7.5-games for a second straight season. If you’re into that sort of thing, the Falcons boast what’s considered to be the toughest strength of schedule of any team when utilizing stats compiled from last season. ... 

Just two years removed from a 13-win season and a trip to the Super Bowl the Los Angeles Rams have fallen off the radar. They stumbled to a disappointing 9-7 record last season, failing to reach their projected win total of 10.5. Salary cap restrictions and the lack of a first-round draft pick left this offseason as one of the worst in the NFL. Oddsmakers adjusted lowering their w... 

The Arizona Cardinals are not going to win the NFC West this season. It’s been an uphill climb since reaching the NFC Championship in 2015. The Cards haven’t had a winning season or qualified for the playoffs. Their five wins last year were two bette... 

The Minnesota Vikings handed Kirk Cousins a boat load of money to get them to the Super Bowl. It hasn’t happened yet, but there’s still time. After a disappointing first season, Cousins led the team to 10 victories and a playoff berth last year. There was plenty of turnover on the roster, especially on defense, and the Vikings parted ways with stud receiver Stefon Diggs. The Vikings averaged 9.5 wins in Mike Zimmer’s first six seasons and their total for the 2020 campaign surfac... 

Coming off a 13-win season, NFC North title and with first-ballot Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers still throwing darts, the Green Bay Packers are a cinch to reach double-digit victories again, right? While they should be celebrating and building off the success enjoyed by first-year head coach Matt LaFleur, the Pack instead made some puzzling personnel decisions. After getting annihilated by the Niners in the NFC Championship and in need of a second receiving threat, Green Bay tabbe... 

The Detroit Lions won nine games in each of Jim Caldwell’s last two seasons. The club elected to go a different direction following the 2017 campaign hiring former Patriots’ assistant Matt Patricia. They’ve won a total of nine games in his two years after winning just three times a season ago. What’s in store for the Lions this season? Part of the problem was not having a reliable backup quarterback when Matthew Stafford went down. Detroit lost eight straight without Stafford an... 

What a difference a season makes. The Chicago Bears went from being a team on the rise following 12 wins and a NFC North title two years, to an afterthought after an 8-8 campaign in 2019. Oddsmakers have the Bears pegged as an average team in 2020 with their win total split right down the middle. Heck, if the Bears can get some sort of offense they could challenge for a division title. They were among the worst in the NFL last season in total yards and points per game, a big reason why they traded for former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. ... 

With a former Heisman Trophy winning running back paired with a rookie wide receiver that made waves in his first go round at the NFL level, the Tennessee Titans mustered just enough offense to punch their ticket and make some noise in the playoffs a season ago. From there, they went on to upset the New England Patriots in Foxboro and then shocked the Baltimore Ravens as decided underdogs in M&T Bank Stadium before running out of gas in the fourth quarter of the AFC title game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Mike Vrabel has coached this team to 9-7 records in each of his two seasons in Nashville. In fact, the Titz have won nine regular season games in four straight seasons. With that, does it really come as a surprise that linemakers at online sportsbooks have the team’s 2020-21 season win total odds lined at 9? ... 

John Elway was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Too bad he can’t find the right guy to take over his team. The Denver Broncos are working on another starter since Peyton Manning retired. Veterans Trevor Siemian, Case Keenum and Joe Flacco didn’t work out, so why not turn to second-year player Drew Lock? That’s what the Broncos are doing as they look to end a four year playoff drought. The Broncos won seven games last season and they can top that number if Lock is the key to the offense. ... 

As the Los Angeles Chargers prepare to move into their multi-billion dollar stadium, they’ll do it without the guy who helped paved the way to get there. For the first time since the final game of the 2005 season, the Bolts will have someone other than Philip Rivers starting at quarterback. It’s the end of one era and the beginning of another for the Bolts. After winning just five games last season, the win total of eight might seem high, especially for a club breaking in a new QB. The Bolts had chances to be much better, but going 2-9 in games decided by seven points or less was crippling. It shows they aren’t far off. ... 

Taking their ball and moving to Las Vegas buys the Raiders some time. They have a new stadium, a new town, and new expectations. But with only one winning season and one playoff appearance since their 2002 Super Bowl campaign, it’s the same old Raiders. Seven wins last year was their highest total in three seasons and matched their second-highest total over the last eight. Times have been tough for the Silver and Black and the third year of Jon Gruden’s second go-round with the ... 

Avoiding the Super Bowl hangover will be the biggest problem for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020. Heavy favorites to win the AFC West for a fifth straight season, the Chiefs won 12 games in three of the last four years while averaging 11.5 victories. And guess what, their win total surfaced at 11.5, tied for the highest in the league. They’ll have to reach 12 again to make winners of over bettors. There is a good chance they get there. The Chiefs return nearly all their starters from a season ago and the division, while improved, didn’t have a second team finish above .500. ... 

Those that hit the Dolphins under their season win total of 4.5 had to feel great about their chances of cashing the ticket heading into Week 17 of last season with Miami set to invade Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots were installed gargantuan 17.5-point favorites and needed to win to lock up a first round bye in the playoffs. On top of all that, the Fins hadn’t won in Foxboro since the 2008 season; a span of 10 straight losses of which only two saw them cover the closing NFL o...