Ala Hann Sport picks

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Betting Overview:

The defending Super Bowl champs are rolling and getting themselves ready for the playoffs. Anyone that was betting against the New Orleans Saints with their preseason NFL predictions is starting to see a new Saints team lately. The Saints seem to have turned a corner after that embarrassing loss to the Cleveland Browns a few weeks ago. Since that game, the NFL betting community has noticed a definite change in the NFL scores coming from the Saints and the Saints offense looks as potent as ever.

The Cincinnati Bengals were done when they let the Buffalo Bills come back by more than 20 points down in the second half a couple of weeks ago. It took a few weeks, but wide receivers Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco are finally speaking out publicly against quarterback Carson Palmer and the offensive play of the Bengals. Of course, to the dynamic duo, everyone else is playing poorly but them. However, in this case, they may have a point. Running back Cedric Benson has been a non-factor all season and quarterback Carson Palmer has been unable to come through in the clutch in any of the team’s important games this year.

Offense:

The Saints offense always has revolved around quarterback Drew Brees. For most of the season, even when Reggie Bush was healthy early on in the campaign, the Saints have not had a running game to speak of. But Bush was only in the line up for only three games before he was injured. New starting running back Chris Ivory is adequate, but he does not offer nearly the offensive punch that Bush and Pierre Thomas offered last year. With both Bush and Thomas hampered by injuries all season, the Saints offense has just not been the same.

Carson Palmer has to rate as one of the biggest disappointments of the 2010 season. He has two premier receivers in Chad Ochocino and Terrell Owens, yet Palmer consistently finds ways to get intercepted or throw critical incompletions. Running back Cedric Benson is only averaging 3.6 yards per carry, and he is not getting the ball nearly enough to make the running game a factor. The Bengals offensive line is weak and the tight ends are not contributing either.

Defense:

The Saints are so well-known for their offense that people sometimes forget that New Orleans has a good defense as well. The Saints defense is ranked seventh overall and third against the pass. They will be able to put pressure on Carson Palmer and get him to make those mistakes he has become so well-known for. That puts the game in the hands of Cedric Benson for the Bengals, and that is a bad thing for Cincinnati.

The Cincinnati defense folded like a cheap tent against the Buffalo Bills a couple of weeks ago. Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick completely dismantled the linebackers and the secondary. By the fourth quarter, Buffalo running back Fred Jackson could go pretty much wherever he wanted. The Saints will not wait until the second half to take apart this Cincinnati defense.

The Bottom Line:

The Saints are steam rolling into the playoffs and the Bengals are whimpering towards the end of the season. This one should not even be close.

Pick: New Orleans Saints

When NFL betting players think of current rivalries in the league, Indianapolis-New England has to come to mind, and the two AFC powers will clash once again, this time in Foxborough. Both are coming off wins over AFC North opponents, and a victory this week would be a statement to the rest of the conference.

Colts Patriots Betting – Sunday, November 21^st, 4:15 PM ET

For a change, the Colts’ (6-3) offense didn’t have to do much as the defense took over in a 23-17 win over Cincinnati to remain unbeaten at home. The Colts forced five turnovers, returning one for a touchdown, but football betting players still don’t know which defense is going to show up for Indy from week to week. Peyton Manning was 20-of-36 for 185 yards, and the Colts’ offense seemed perfectly content to let the Bengals beat themselves. You can look for them to come out strong on the road in New England, however.

You know one of those games where you can tell early on that a team is going to win? It was like that for the Patriots (7-2), who went into Pittsburgh and rolled the Steelers 39-26 in a game that wasn’t even that close. Tom Brady was 30-of-43 for 350 yards and three games, and he also ran one in for a score that he ended with an emphatic spike of the ball. The Patriots, and Brady in particular, always get up to play in Pittsburgh, but you have to wonder if that took everything out of them. Back-to-back games against the likes of Pittsburgh and Indianapolis is nothing to sneeze at.

Even those who check out NBA scores will be tuning into this game, in which the Patriots are a 3.5-point favorite at home. The two have split their last 10 meetings SU, and the Patriots hold a slight 5-4-1 edge ATS. Also, half of the games have gone over the posted total, so there isn’t much between these two at all. The last four meetings have come in Indianapolis, but the Patriots are only 3-2 SU in Indy’s last five trips to New England. We’re picking the Colts for the “upset” on the grounds that the Patriots had a massive game last week, and they could have a little bit of a letdown this week, whether they want to or not. Meanwhile, it was almost like the Indy offense had the week off, and we know that the New England defense can be sketchy, especially the secondary, and that plays right into the Colts’ hands. Indy’s defense isn’t that great, either, but they’ll be buoyed by a big performance last weekend.  Place a sports bet on Indy on Sunday.

Betting Overview:

The Green Bay Packers are becoming that monster you cannot kill to the rest of the NFL. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was injured along with receiver Donald Driver but both kept playing and the NFL scores kept going in favor of the Packers. NFL sack leader Clay Matthews and what seemed like half the Green Bay defense was injured early in the season, but the team kept living up to the NFL predictions. It is getting more and more difficult for NFL betting experts to bet against the Packers in any situation.

The Minnesota Vikings are a source for more drama than the primetime mid-week line-up on any of the major television networks. Brett Favre breaks two bones in his foot and is declared doubtful to start. On game day, Brett Favre goes trotting on to the field. This week it was reported that Favre will need an MRI on his sore shoulder. But both the head coach Brad Childress and Favre deny that any MRI is scheduled and that Favre’s shoulder is not that bad. The team cannot stand their head coach, and the head coach seems to not be too fond of his team either.

Offense:

Through all of the drama the Vikings still have to play football. It is becoming more and more apparent that future hall of fame quarterback Favre is an offensive liability rather than an asset for Minnesota. Favre has 10 touchdown passes this season but he also has an incredible 16 interceptions. At this pace Favre could throw almost 30 interceptions. Hall of fame or not, there is no team that can win with a quarterback that is playing like that. Running back Adrian Peterson is up to 908 rushing yards for the season, but every time Peterson takes the offense one step forward Favre brings them two steps backwards.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is having another all-pro season throwing for 2,300 yards, 15 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions so far this season. He has been playing through an ankle and rib injury most of the season, but he continues to be efficient. The only thing that the Packers are lacking is an effective running game. Featured running back Brandon Jackson only has 460 rushing yards and three touchdowns this season. If the Pack could get more from their running game, they could start to pull away in the NFC North standing.

Defense:

The Packers possess the single best pass defense in the NFL. Statistically the Packers’ pass defense is ranked 11^th, but with Clay Matthews terrorizing quarterbacks on a regular basis the fear factor with the Packers is much higher. Green Bay is still having problems in their secondary and they are prone to giving up the big play in the air. It will be interesting to see if the Packers pass rush can get to Favre before he throws the ball downfield.

The Vikings defense suddenly came to life four weeks ago and now it is ranked seventh overall in the NFL. Minnesota is ranked ninth against the pass and the run, but they still tend to give up points at inopportune moments. The Vikings are also frustrated on occasion when they take a bad penalty on defense.

The Bottom Line:

This should be a classic game but it probably will not be. The Packers are just too strong for the Vikings. This game hinges on Favre. If he is sharp then this game could be close, if he is off then it will be a blowout.

Northbet.com Pick: Green Bay Packers

NFL betting players are watching the improvement of a young Detroit team that is going to be a factor in the next couple of years, maybe not in 2010, but they could challenge for the playoffs with a few breaks. They’ll welcome the New York Jets to town on Sunday, and while they many not win, they’re going to push the AFC favorites to the limit.

Jets Lions Betting – Sunday, November 7th, 1:00 PM ET

The Jets (5-2) came out of their bye week and fell flat on their faces in a 9-0 loss at home to Green Bay, and the offense was the culprit with three turnovers. Two of those came off picks by Mark Sanchez, who was 16-of-38 for 256 yards, but he was also hurt by a number of dropped passes by his receivers and the USC product needs all the help he can get. The Jets’ defense held up their end of the bargain with a stellar performance to hold the Packers down, stopping them on 12 of 14 third-down chances, but the offense couldn’t seal the deal.

The Lions (2-5) dropped 23 points in the fourth quarter of a 37-25 win over Washington, and the return of Matt Stafford was a big key. Stafford was 26-of-45 for 212 yards, a pick and four touchdowns, three of them to Calvin Johnson, who had nine catches for 101 yards. Ndamokung Suh, one of the most exciting NFL picks to come out on the defensive side of the field in a long time, had two of the Lions’ seven sacks, then recovered a fumble and took it back to the house to put the final nail in Washington’s coffin.

Online football betting odds have the Jets as a 4-point favorite on the road, and this is their first trip to the Motor City since 2002. In five trips to Detroit, the Jets are 3-2 SU and 2-3 ATS, and their offense has a lot of work to do to make up for last week. Braylon Edwards has always had problems holding onto the ball, but the rest of the Jets seemed to have followed suit, and their offense isn’t good enough in the first place for that. They could look to run the ball more with LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene, but Suh and a much-improved defensive line will make life tough. The Lions still have problems closing out games, and they won last week because of a imploding Washington team, which is why they won’t win this game. But we’re willing to bet that they’ll take the Jets to the last possession of the game.

Online sports betting pick: Detroit +4

Betting Overview:

The Miami Dolphins (4-3) just refuse to be left out of the AFC playoff picture. Each time it looks like the Dolphins may fall closer to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East basement, they pull out a win to put themselves back in contention. Many of the week eight NFL predictions had the Cincinnati Bengals beating the Dolphins. When the game was over, the Dolphins had pulled themselves to within two games of AFC East leading New England.

Trying to predict NFL scores with the Baltimore Ravens is getting difficult. It can be assumed that the Ravens defense will hold the score down even though the Bills were able to put up 34 points on Baltimore. But the Ravens offense, led by quarterback Joe Flacco, has been inconsistent and unpredictable this season.

Offense:

The Miami Dolphins are much more stable on offense than the Baltimore Ravens. When the Dolphins play a standard offensive set they have Chad Henne at quarterback, Brandon Marshall as the feature receiver and Ronnie Brown as the feature running back. Every once in a while the Dolphins will also put running back Ricky Williams on the field to change things up. In the wildcat, the Dolphins can be unpredictable and difficult for a less mobile defense to handle.

The offensive problems for the Ravens all center around Flacco. With receivers such as Anquan Bolding and Derrick Mason running routes, and running back Ray Rice picking up yards, the Ravens offense should be a powerhouse. Flacco is having a respectable season throwing for 1,651 yards and 10 touchdowns so far, but he has a habit of being indecisive that causes him to take sacks he should not be taking. He has lost two fumbles this season, and that can be attributed to his slow reaction time.

Defense:

With Ed Reed flying around in the Baltimore secondary the Ravens are a much better defensive team than they were without him. The Ravens have shown a weakness against the run this season that has led to giving up the long ball on occasion as well. With the talent the Ravens have on defense, there is no reason to think that they cannot handle the wildcat that the Dolphins love to run.

People seem to forget that the Dolphins have the eighth ranked defense in the NFL. They are strong against the pass, and they are strong against the run. The Miami secondary has shown that it can keep pace with any passing game in the league. It is that kind of an aggressive secondary that causes Joe Flacco problems, and it could be the deciding factor in the game.

The Bottom Line:

As we march towards the middle of the season, the Baltimore Ravens are desperately trying to establish themselves as the Super Bowl favorite everyone was calling them in the pre-season. Linebacker Ray Lewis won’t be playing forever, and he would like one more championship before he is done.

The Dolphins have an identity on offense but they are still looking for respect on defense. Stopping the Ravens offense can go a long way to establishing the respect that the Miami defense is looking for.

Pick: Baltimore Ravens

The sports betting experts finally get to find out which team is for real. Are the Jacksonville Jaguars real contenders in the AFC South, or are the Kansas City Chiefs really going to challenge for the AFC West title. The Chiefs and the Jaguars both lost their week six games, but it is how they lost them that has made the Chiefs a 10 point favorite in this game.

The NFL betting surrounding the Chiefs has created excitement in Kansas City. The team is in first place in the AFC West, but they are the only team in the division with a winning record. The NFL predictions in the preseason had the Broncos winning the division, but the Broncos have been hit by injuries and bad coaching decisions that have created a 2-4 record.

It is the weakness of the rest of the division that keeps the Chiefs going. Kansas City knows that a 10-win season probably means a division title and a trip to the playoffs this season. The few key changes the Chiefs made in the off-season, adding running back Thomas Jones and having wide receiver Chris Chambers in place for the beginning of the season, seems to have helped the offense.

The Kansas City defense has been extremely effective against the run this season. The defensive unit is ranked fifth in the league only allowing an average of 91 yards per game. However, against the pass the Chiefs are 27^th allowing an average of 249 yards a game.

Unfortunately for the Jaguars, the Chiefs defense matches up perfectly with the Jacksonville offense. The Jaguars have a potent running game that is ranked sixth in the league racking up an average of 135 yards per game. A large portion of the NFL scores the Jaguars are putting up are thanks to running back Maurice Jones-Drew. The Jacksonville passing game is terrible. The Jaguars are 26^th in the league in passing only averaging 166 yards per game.

The key to beating the Jaguars is to shut down Maurice Jones-Drew and putting the game in the hands of quarterback David Garrard. When the Jaguars are forced to pass, they have a difficult time winning. Jacksonville is allowing an average of 28 points per game which makes them 31^st in the league in points allowed. So far this season, the Chiefs have been very good at exploiting weak defenses.

This game will come down to a battle of the Chiefs’ running game versus the run defense of the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the Jaguars unable to stop Thomas Smith, the rest of the field will be opened up to Matt Cassel and his wide receivers. This is how the Chiefs have been winning this Northbet season; they have been following the running game. There is nothing to indicate that they will stop doing that against the Jaguars. Thomas Jones could very well have 100 yards by the half, and that would make the Jaguars powerless to stop the Chiefs from winning the game.

Pick: Kansas City Chiefs 27-10

Maybe Tiki Barber was right when he said that New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin has lost respect in the locker room. People betting online that the New York Giants would be Super Bowl contenders this season are still hanging on to that hope week after week. The NFL betting on the Giants can get a bit difficult when they show absolutely no offensive or defensive identity to speak of.

As expected, the Giants have a formidable pass rush that is ranked second in the league only allowing 140 pass yards per game. But the Giants rank 22^nd in the league at points surrendered per game with 22. If you look at the NFL scores the Giants have put up this season, it shows that the Giants are finding ways to lose to teams that they have a chance at beating. The Giants have lost to the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans this season with the biggest blow-out loss coming at the hands of the Colts. The Colts are a throwing team with a marginal rushing game. The mystery surrounding the Giants deepens.

The NFL predictions surrounding the Houston Texans in the preseason seem to be coming true. The Texans are the class of the AFC South and look to unseat Peyton Manning and company as the default AFC South divisional champions this season. The Texans are a strong team on offense. They have the best rushing game in the league and their passing attack is ranked eighth. The only problem for the Texans coming into this game is that all-pro wide receiver Andre Johnson may not play, and if he does play he will not be 100 percent.

The Giants know how to get to the quarterback, but they do not know how to stop the running back at the line of scrimmage. In this Northbet game against Houston, the Giants defense will either have to stiffen against the run or risk another blow-out defeat at the hands of an AFC South team.

Houston running back Arian Foster has already rushed for 537 yards this season and that is only in four games. He is on a pace to rush for over 2,100 yards and score 16 touchdowns. In short, Arian Foster will be the Giants worst nightmare when these two teams kick off for week five.

If Eli Manning and the Giants had an answer to the Texans high-powered scoring attack, then that may take some pressure off of the New York defense. But with all-pro running back Brandon Jacobs in Tom Coughlin’s doghouse and not on the field, the Giants are having problems scoring points. The Giants offense is only averaging 18 points a game and, even with the league’s highest paid quarterback under center, New York just cannot afford to get into a shoot-out with a team like Houston. But because of their inability to stop the run, the Giants may find themselves in a scoring battle that they are ill-equipped to win.

Pick: Houston Texans 45-17

Sports betting can be a risk if you spend your entire time betting on teams like the Seattle Seahawks. You can feel it in the nearly autumn air. It is that sense in the NFL football betting world that, at some point, the Seattle Seahawks have to fall back to Earth and lose some football games.

The Seahawks are coasting along in first place in the NFC West. They have a 2-1 record, they have scored 72 points in three games and only allowed 57 points. They are undefeated at home and their nine offensive touchdowns is second in the league. But football betting enthusiasts cannot shake that feeling that the Seahawks are living on borrowed time and it will all come crashing down.

The St. Louis Rams are not doing too badly under their new rookie quarterback Sam Bradford. The Rams are 1-2 this season and have a positive point differential with 57 points scored and 49 points given up. They are playing excellent defense compared to last season, and their special teams are much improved as well. If Bradford and the offense can figure out how to put 20 or more points on the board each game consistently, the Rams could be in business.

That is the dynamic of this game. On the one hand you have the team that no one expected to be winning in the Seahawks, and on the other hand you have the team with the first overall draft pick that needs to start showing results. The Seahawks are walking on eggshells while the promise of the new St. Louis Rams seems to be potentially real.

The Seahawks have give up just as many points this season as the Rams have scored. While that is a wild coincidence, it is also significant. The NFL pick for this game would have to go to the team that is used to playing conservative offense over the team that has been playing run and gun all season long. The Rams defense can shut down the Seahawks offense, and the Rams offense could rack up big time of possession numbers against the Seahawks defense. If Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and the offense is not on the field, it cannot score.

Bradford is developing quickly. He has been lucky to have an elite running back like Steven Jackson to help take some of the pressure off of him. Jackson came up injured in the Rams week three victory over the Washington Redskins. If you ask Jackson, he will say he can play. The doctors and coaches will make that decision later in the week.

The entire St. Louis offense looked good against the Washington Redskins. The Redskins have been having problems on both sides of the ball this season, but any time a team can beat a Mike Shanahan coached team with Donovan McNabb at quarterback then that is an accomplishment. It is an accomplishment that the Rams will build off of and use to defeat the Seahawks in week four.

Pick: St. Louis Rams 34-27

Many Cincinnati Bengals fans were betting that the arrival of Terrell Owens would be that thing the team needed to become a real Super Bowl contender. While T.O. has certainly helped the Bengals offense, the team is not the powerhouse that the NFL betting world thought it would be.

The Bengals opened the season against the New England Patriots and displayed a long list of defensive weaknesses. In week two some questionable officiating helped the Bengals offense to run up just enough point to beat a struggling quarterback Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens offense. The NFL scores generated by the Bengals have shown that the Bengals know how to exploit a weak opposing offense, but a decent offense seems to be able to really run up points on the Bengals.

The Panthers are seeing the Jimmy Clausen era at quarterback being rushed in thanks to injuries to season starter Matt Moore. Moore suffered a concussion in week one, but he is ready to go and will not be starting. Instead, Carolina head coach John Fox has decided to start the rookie Clausen.

The Panthers have been having quarterback problems for years. The team has a decent offensive line, a respectable running game and a wide receiving corps led by Steve Smith. But for the last few years former starting quarterback Jake Delhomme has been abysmal. It would not be difficult to see something better in Clausen than what the team was used to when Delhomme was quarterback. Matt Moore seemed to have problems making the decision to throw the ball downfield. Clausen does not seem to have that problem.

The big challenge for the Bengals is the unknown factor of Clausen. He has never started an NFL game, he has never set the tempo for an NFL game and he has never been the quarterback a team prepares for all week long. The sportsbook reviews of Clausen playing for Notre Dame may help to understand his tendencies in given situations, but the Bengals know that watching college game film is not going to help them get ready for Clausen’s first NFL start.

The Panthers defense has already given up 51 points this season in only two games. The Cincinnati offense may be struggling a bit, but the Carolina defense does not pose the same threat that New England and Baltimore did. The Cincinnati offense should be able to put up a lot of points on a relatively weak Carolina defense. The Cincinnati defense can handle a pocket-passer like Clausen, but the kid can be mobile when he needs to and that is when the Bengals get in trouble.

The Bengals received a lot of official assistance in beating the Ravens. Cincinnati should not need any help in defeating the Jimmy Clausen-led Carolina Panthers. This game will be interesting to watch to see how Clausen reacts to starting an NFL game and what kind of future the kid may have.

Pick: Cincinnati Bengals 35-17

The betting world rejoices as the NFL regular season is ready to open. After a week of only having NCAA football betting available, NFL fans are ready to start with the NFL betting immediately.

The preseason was interesting, and we got a chance to see what the top teams in the NFC have to offer. Considering the season they had last year, the Minnesota Vikings do not appear to be impressing anyone that makes the NFL football betting lines. There is a big reason why the New Orleans Saints are four and a half point favorites in this game. Just like Brett Favre, the Minnesota Vikings are not what they used to be.

The Vikings only have one functioning starting wide receiver in Bernard Berrian. Receivers Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice are both sidelined with health issues. Harvin announced that he no longer gets the migraine headaches that kept him out of the preseason, but he missed the preseason conditioning and timing drills. Quarterback Brett Favre is still complaining about his ankle and the distractions being caused by Favre’s apparent lack of respect for his head coach are becoming evident.

The Saints, on the other hand, are pretty much the same team that won the Super Bowl last season. They still possess the single most potent offense in the NFL, and when their defense is healthy they can stand toe-to-toe with any NFL team. A hobbled Brett Favre will make a tempting target for Saints pass rushers like Will Smith and Jimmy Wilkerson. If the Saints can get into the Minnesota backfield on a consistent basis then this will be a short game for the Vikings.

Running back Adrian Peterson had an uneventful preseason, but as long as Favre is limping around and the receivers are out, Peterson is the Minnesota offense. The problem is that head coach Brad Childress has almost no say in the offense when Favre is on the field, and Favre is not a fan of a prominent running game.

Saints running back Reggie Bush started to show some unexpected power in the preseason, and that adds yet another angle to the Saints offense that defensive coordinators will have to watch for. If the Vikings have any weakness on defense it is up the middle at linebacker. That is probably where the Saints running game will go.

The Saints have been working on refining all aspects of their game this preseason and that includes special teams. Kicker Garrett Hartley won the job in camp and, after not playing much in 2009 it looks like he will be the only kicker on the Saints roster this season. Anyone that watched Super Bowl XLIV knows how much special teams means to the Saints. It won them the Super Bowl.

After all the drama created by Brett Favre and the Vikings this summer the simple fact is that the Vikings offense is a shell of what it was last year. Favre has worked with less and won, but that was many years ago when he was younger and healthier.

Pick: New Orleans Saints 27-20