NFL Betting: Wild Card Early Lines
NFL Betting: Wild Card Early Lines
The playoffs are up next for 12 NFL teams after the season went down to the final regular season game on Sunday. And no, your eyes aren't deceiving you when you scan the lineup and see teams like Atlanta, Arizona and Miami in the mix while the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears and New England Patriots are out. The Titans, Giants, Steelers and Panthers will now take a week off with much-deserved byes.
It’s all over for 20 of the NFL’s 32 teams. For the remaining dozen, it’s only just begun.
It took every game of the 2008 season to determine which 12 teams would go to the playoffs. The final invitation went out to the 8-8 San Diego Chargers (7-8-1 ATS), who overwhelmed the inferior Denver Broncos 52-21 as 7-point faves on Sunday night to win the AFC West. The division crown gives San Diego a home game at Qualcomm Stadium in the Wild-Card Round against the Indianapolis Colts (12-4 SU, 8-7-1 ATS) on Saturday. In a relatively meaningless game, Colts backup QB Jim Sorgi went 22-for-30 for 178 yards in a 23-0 shutout of the Tennessee second-stringers.
The other Wild-Card game on Saturday features the 11-5 Atlanta Falcons (9-7 ATS) traveling to Glendale to face the NFC West champion Arizona Cardinals (9-7 SU and ATS). The Cards wanted to enter the playoffs on a winning note, and they did just that by playing their starters for most of their 34-21 victory over the Seattle Seahawks (+7). Atlanta fought off the St. Louis Rams 31-27, dropping the cash as a 14-point chalk but securing the No. 5 seed in the NFC.
Sunday’s first Wild-Card matchup is between the Baltimore Ravens (11-5 SU, 12-4 ATS) and the AFC East champion Miami Dolphins (11-5 SU, 8-8 ATS). Baltimore clinched a postseason berth by rolling over the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-7 as a 10½-point home fave. That win eliminated the New York Jets, who lost anyway to the visiting Dolphins (+2½) in a close 24-17 final. Miami’s title win also ended the year for the 11-5 New England Patriots (9-7 ATS), who spanked Buffalo (+5½) 13-0 to no avail.
Last, and perhaps least, the Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1 SU, 10-6 ATS) will head out to the Metrodome to play the Minnesota Vikings (10-6 SU, 6-10 ATS), winners of the NFC North following their hard-fought 20-19 triumph over the Giants (+7). Ryan Longwell hit the game-winning field goal from 50 yards out with five seconds left on the clock; his effort was rendered moot by the 9-7 Chicago Bears (6-8-2 ATS) losing 31-24 to the Texans (-3).
The Eagles game was one for the ages – unless you’re a fan of the Dallas Cowboys. Philadelphia scooped up four fumbles, taking two into the end zone to start the second half, and cruised to a 44-6 victory to knock Dallas (+2½) out of the playoffs. Tony Romo reportedly collapsed in the Cowboys shower after the game, apparently suffering the effects of a rib injury.
At the other end of the bell curve, the Detroit Lions became the only NFL team ever to go 0-16 by losing 31-21 at Green Bay. It wasn’t a total loss for the Lions; they covered as 11-point road dogs to finish the season at 7-9 ATS. Tennessee, Baltimore and the Giants tied for the league lead at 12-4 ATS, while the Jaguars need an oil change at 4-12 ATS. So do the 4-12 Cleveland Browns (6-9-1 ATS), who fired GM Phil Savage after falling 31-0 at Pittsburgh (-11).
This year’s winning trend turned out to be the away favorites, who went 2-1 SU and ATS in Week 17 to cross the finish line at a healthy 44-31-2 ATS (58.7 percent). Denver’s porous defense helped the over go 9-7 to wrap things up at 124-122, not nearly enough to cover the juice.
It just so happens that away favorites are on the menu for what promises to be a very close Wild-Card Round. The Ravens and Eagles each opened as 3-point road favorites; Atlanta is a 2½-point road chalk on the early line. Don’t forget, though, that home dogs went 12-5 ATS in the first three weeks of December before the usual season-finale hijinks
The Wild-Card totals are 50½ for the Falcons-Cardinals, 42½ for the Eagles-Vikings and 37 (already up from 36) for the Ravens-Dolphins. Betting odds on the Chargers-Colts were pending as we went to press.
The playoffs are up next for 12 NFL teams after the season went down to the final regular season game on Sunday. And no, your eyes aren't deceiving you when you scan the lineup and see teams like Atlanta, Arizona and Miami in the mix while the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears and New England Patriots are out. The Titans, Giants, Steelers and Panthers will now take a week off with much-deserved byes.
It’s all over for 20 of the NFL’s 32 teams. For the remaining dozen, it’s only just begun.
It took every game of the 2008 season to determine which 12 teams would go to the playoffs. The final invitation went out to the 8-8 San Diego Chargers (7-8-1 ATS), who overwhelmed the inferior Denver Broncos 52-21 as 7-point faves on Sunday night to win the AFC West. The division crown gives San Diego a home game at Qualcomm Stadium in the Wild-Card Round against the Indianapolis Colts (12-4 SU, 8-7-1 ATS) on Saturday. In a relatively meaningless game, Colts backup QB Jim Sorgi went 22-for-30 for 178 yards in a 23-0 shutout of the Tennessee second-stringers.
The other Wild-Card game on Saturday features the 11-5 Atlanta Falcons (9-7 ATS) traveling to Glendale to face the NFC West champion Arizona Cardinals (9-7 SU and ATS). The Cards wanted to enter the playoffs on a winning note, and they did just that by playing their starters for most of their 34-21 victory over the Seattle Seahawks (+7). Atlanta fought off the St. Louis Rams 31-27, dropping the cash as a 14-point chalk but securing the No. 5 seed in the NFC.
Sunday’s first Wild-Card matchup is between the Baltimore Ravens (11-5 SU, 12-4 ATS) and the AFC East champion Miami Dolphins (11-5 SU, 8-8 ATS). Baltimore clinched a postseason berth by rolling over the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-7 as a 10½-point home fave. That win eliminated the New York Jets, who lost anyway to the visiting Dolphins (+2½) in a close 24-17 final. Miami’s title win also ended the year for the 11-5 New England Patriots (9-7 ATS), who spanked Buffalo (+5½) 13-0 to no avail.
Last, and perhaps least, the Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1 SU, 10-6 ATS) will head out to the Metrodome to play the Minnesota Vikings (10-6 SU, 6-10 ATS), winners of the NFC North following their hard-fought 20-19 triumph over the Giants (+7). Ryan Longwell hit the game-winning field goal from 50 yards out with five seconds left on the clock; his effort was rendered moot by the 9-7 Chicago Bears (6-8-2 ATS) losing 31-24 to the Texans (-3).
The Eagles game was one for the ages – unless you’re a fan of the Dallas Cowboys. Philadelphia scooped up four fumbles, taking two into the end zone to start the second half, and cruised to a 44-6 victory to knock Dallas (+2½) out of the playoffs. Tony Romo reportedly collapsed in the Cowboys shower after the game, apparently suffering the effects of a rib injury.
At the other end of the bell curve, the Detroit Lions became the only NFL team ever to go 0-16 by losing 31-21 at Green Bay. It wasn’t a total loss for the Lions; they covered as 11-point road dogs to finish the season at 7-9 ATS. Tennessee, Baltimore and the Giants tied for the league lead at 12-4 ATS, while the Jaguars need an oil change at 4-12 ATS. So do the 4-12 Cleveland Browns (6-9-1 ATS), who fired GM Phil Savage after falling 31-0 at Pittsburgh (-11).
This year’s winning trend turned out to be the away favorites, who went 2-1 SU and ATS in Week 17 to cross the finish line at a healthy 44-31-2 ATS (58.7 percent). Denver’s porous defense helped the over go 9-7 to wrap things up at 124-122, not nearly enough to cover the juice.
It just so happens that away favorites are on the menu for what promises to be a very close Wild-Card Round. The Ravens and Eagles each opened as 3-point road favorites; Atlanta is a 2½-point road chalk on the early line. Don’t forget, though, that home dogs went 12-5 ATS in the first three weeks of December before the usual season-finale hijinks
The Wild-Card totals are 50½ for the Falcons-Cardinals, 42½ for the Eagles-Vikings and 37 (already up from 36) for the Ravens-Dolphins. Betting odds on the Chargers-Colts were pending as we went to press.
