Tag: Bets

Bears’ holder Trenton Gill got an unsportsmanlike penalty for bringing a towel on the field and NFL fans were so confused

You’re not allowed to keep the ball dry???

The Bears’ offense and Justin Fields were already having a rough go of it during the first half against the 49ers (-6.5) on Sunday. With the San Francisco defense starting to tee off, Chicago’s attack managed to convert just two-of-eight third downs with 68 yards of total offense over six possessions.

But the Bears and Fields start to muster up some momentum on a quality possession toward the end of the half. While it didn’t end with a touchdown, it did give kicker Cairo Santos a manageable attempt to get Chicago on the scoreboard. That is before holder Trenton Gill broke an obscure rule right before the penalty. That’s right, he brought a towel onto the field when he shouldn’t have and effectively ended the Bears’ possession without points.

Uh, what?

If this is the first time you’re learning players, especially on special teams, aren’t allowed to use towels on the field, you’re not alone! Evidently, that even surprised Gill, whose job is to make the ball is taken care of for his kicker. I mean, it’s not as if there was a torrential downpour in Chicago the morning of the game or anything.

The NFL’s strange rulebook strikes again.

Joe Burrow’s first pass of the 2022 NFL season was a brutal pick-six against the Steelers

Not a great start to the season for the Bengals!

After a Cinderella run to Super Bowl 56 last year, the Bengals entered this NFL season with incredibly high expectations. With a chilling superstar quarterback at the helm like Joe Burrow, many see the reigning AFC champion as a bona fide heavyweight and a team that could very well make it to the Big Game.

On Sunday against the Steelers (+6.5), their conference title defense couldn’t have gotten to a worse start. Cincinnati was on its first possession of the year as Burrow threw his first pass. A pass that Pittsburgh’s Minkah Fitzpatrick promptly jumped in front of and took to the house the other way for the first turnover and touchdown of the season:

Oh man, that has to be demoralizing. Regardless of the decision or the throw, it certainly isn’t how the Bengals wanted to start their season against a divisional rival.

NFL MVP best bets for 2022: Lamar Jackson’s odds in a contract year are worth your attention

Can Aaron Rodgers make it three in a row? Or will the NFL crown a new king this year?

As the 2022 NFL season nears the kickoff of Week 1, the BetFTW crew is offering up our best outright bets for the new year. Here you’ll find picks and analysis for the top awards handed out at the end of each campaign. Let’s talk about who will be crowned the 2022 MVP.

Aaron Rodgers has captured back-to-back MVP awards heading into his 15th season as the Green Bay Packers’ starting quarterback, but he doesn’t appear on any of the ballots below.

After the departure of top wideout Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders, the BetFTW crew expects the award to find its way to a different recipient this year.

All odds via Tipico Sportsbook.

[tipico]

College football Week 1 Saturday best bets

College football Week 1 Saturday @Tipico best bets

If you’re looking to do some last-minute betting research, you’re in luck! We are diving into our favorite picks against the spread for this Saturday, but if you are looking for more information or to place a bet check out Tipico Sportsbook.

We had a great bounce-back night going 3-1 on Friday and combine that with our previous season total, we are 6-6. We need more wins soon, but I love this slate of games today. To recap last night, TCU, Michigan State, and Duke made us money, and Virginia Tech was horrible. Today I feel great and love these double-digit favorites below:

NFL fans had lots of theories about where Jets WR Denzel Mims will be traded to before start of season

Mims could have plenty to offer a team that needs receivers.

There’s no denying that Jets’ receiver Denzel Mims has a lot of talent. Though, as one of New York’s second-round picks in 2020, the former Baylor standout has failed to live up to the hype thus far in his career. Through two years, the wideout has just 31 catches for 490 yards and zero touchdowns.

With New York seemingly moving onto other weapons for Zach Wilson, Mims is understandably frustrated, recently formally requesting a trade. And after a standout performance (seven catches, 102 yards, one touchdown) against the Giants (+3.5) in the Jets’ preseason finale, Mims seemingly doubled down on his desire to leave New York:

In the post-game, when asked about Mims, Jets head coach Robert Saleh said he’s one of the best receivers on New York’s roster. Oh, an endorsement!

But Saleh also said that Mims would be “here” [New York] unless he’s traded. Uh, not exactly a ringing endorsement for Mims’ future in green and white!

When asked to clarify his trade plea after what might have been his final game in a Jets uniform, Mims was understandably tight-lipped — deferring to conversations between himself and his agent:

We don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes in Jets land. But these are not pictures of a relationship that seems like it’s in a quality place at the moment. If Mims does indeed stay in New York, you have to wonder for how long and whether a trade for the WR materializes with just about two weeks to go before the regular season.

Robert Lewandowski scored a wildly casual backheel goal for Barcelona and soccer fans were in awe

“He makes it look so easy! It’s an art form!”

A dynamic striker, Robert Lewandowski is unquestionably one of the greatest goal scorers soccer’s ever seen. Between stints with various Polish squads, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, the 34-year-old has the 11th-most goals (346) in the sport’s history. And after breaking records and setting new bars of success with Bayern, Lewandowski is out to prove himself worthy in Catalonia with his new squad, Barcelona.

Predictably, that plan is already going quite well.

On Sunday afternoon, Lewandowski and Barcelona had Vallodolid (+1500) on the table in their first game of the La Liga season. They, of course, made quick work in an eventual 4-0 victory. But not before Lewandowski scored an incredible backheel goal that looked a lot easier than it should’ve been for the striker:

I mean, how? Having the audacity to attempt that shot on goal is one thing. But to be so gifted, it’s an accurate shot at the net? I guess that’s why Lewandowski’s a goal-scoring great.

1 ridiculous angle of a Malik Willis sidearm throw shows how electric the Titans rookie can be

What poise from Willis!

It takes a special confidence to complete a sidearm throw in the NFL. Guys like the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes have practically mastered the unconventional release/big play, but it’s not exactly routine. If you’re a quarterback who even attempts a sidearm throw, you better be darn sure your release and accuracy are on point.

Titans rookie signal-caller Malik Willis might have such an exceptional talent, and he showed it against the Cardinals (+3) on Saturday night.

Late in the first half, with Tennessee near the red zone, Willis had a wide-open Treylon Burks streaking across the middle of the field. At first glance, Willis simply dropped off an easy throw that let Burks take off straight into the end zone:

Nice! But we see those throws and catches in the NFL all the time. Nothing too grand.

Wait a minute. Willis had a defender in his face. That meant he had to adjust the trajectory of his pass. He had to throw it around the pass rusher. Look at this ridiculous angle of Willis’ creativity:

Wow. How about the poise to stand in the pocket and make the sidearm toss without missing a beat, too? Depending on how matters progress in Nashville, maybe we see the rookie start in Tennessee sooner rather than later.

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Bears fans were overjoyed with Justin Fields’ ‘dress rehearsal’ performance against the Browns

Fields was BALLING in Chicago’s last exhibition!

All offseason, much of the conversation in Chicago has centered around how little the Bears did to improve the supporting cast around Justin Fields.

Jason Peters thought the offensive line needed to come together, which then summarily looked terrible in spurts in Seattle. Meanwhile, our Christian D’Andrea believes the Bears have the worst receiving corps in pro football. (And he’s probably not wrong.)

But things seemed to look more cohesive for Fields and the Bears against the Browns (-3.5) on Saturday night. Because, for once, the Chicago offense looked kind of competent. Dare anyone say they even looked like a professional attack!

It started with a Fields dime to Ryan Griffin and ballooned from there:

My goodness, what a dart between coverage.

All told, after an early punt, the Fields Bears offense scored touchdowns on three of five first-half possessions. In the final exhibition before an essential season in his development starts, here’s how the second-year quarterback fared in particular. Warning — Your eyes might hurt from sparkling light:

Even in a preseason context where notable Browns like all-world pass rusher Myles Garrett didn’t play, just two incomplete passes and three passing scores in a dress rehearsal is impressive. It’s also a bit surprising coming from the Bears — given that poor supporting cast on paper.

There’s no guarantee that Fields and the Bears will transfer over this production to the real games — especially with other squads’ defenders all playing — but this might have been a promising and eye-opening step forward in Chicago.

Week zero best bets

Week zero @Tipico best bets

College football is back baby and that means it is time to get your bankroll ready and dive into all the good stuff that our good friends at Tipico have to offer. Week zero is here and there is a plethora of totals and sides to choose from.

It is key to remember that football season is a marathon, not a sprint and it is never wise to unload that entire bankroll the first week. We typically talk Big Ten and Buckeye football and we will no doubt have a few Big Ten contests to sprinkle some money on, but there is also a pair of games that are unrelated that are intriguing as well. Let’s dive in!

Big Ten college football odds: Can anyone topple Ohio State and C.J. Stroud?

The Buckeyes are hungry, but there are rival Big Ten heavyweights of note.

For the first time in five years, Ohio State did not win the Big Ten last season. Even with a superstar quarterback in C.J. Stroud and the arguable best receiving corps in college football with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave — a prolific Buckeyes squad fell just short.

They, of course, fell to Michigan and Jim Harbaugh — who captured their first Big Ten title in almost two decades by walloping the Buckeyes in “The Game” last fall. But, even with the departures of Wilson and Olave, the Buckeyes are still a loaded squad in 2022. And you can bet your bottom dollar there’s still a bitter taste in their mouth after losing the conference to their rival.

It just might be Michigan and Ohio State for all the marbles in college football’s “black and blue” conference once again. But can anyone upend the classic rivalry this time around?

Here’s a rundown of the preseason favorites in the Big Ten as Stroud and the Buckeyes try to regain their title belt. All odds and ends are courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook as of Week 0.

[tipico]