Tag: Spreads

NFL Week 7 Betting First Impressions: Undefeated ATS, Falcons have a favorable line in Cincy

An early betting preview of the upcoming action in the NFL.

If you’re coming here looking for picks, that’s not what this is. We’ll get to those later in the week.

This right here is an early betting preview of the upcoming action in the NFL, with a first impression of each game and betting line, with a few trends and hints sprinkled in. Sometimes, bettors can overthink things and talk themselves out of making the right pick. So these are just baseline thoughts before we take a deeper dive into the numbers later in the week.

Spreads and over/under numbers are from BetMGM and likely to change after this is published.

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Saints fan rooting interests, Week 15: Know who to pull for in each game

New Orleans Saints fans can kick back and relax on Sunday, but they have plenty of rooting interests during the NFL’s Week 15 schedule.

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New Orleans Saints fans have a nice, easygoing Sunday of football ahead of them, because their team won’t play until Monday night. So that game with the Indianapolis Colts is out of sight and out of mind.

But who should Saints fans root for in every other game on the NFL’s Week 15 schedule? To find out, we surveyed each matchup and made our take as to who deserves your support. All odds are sourced from BetMGM.

Around the NFC South

Indianapolis Colts (6-7) at New Orleans Saints (10-3). Saints by 9.5. Obviously pull for the Saints here, as they look to bounce back from last week’s loss.

Atlanta Falcons (4-9) at San Francisco 49ers (11-2). 49ers by 10.5. Don’t think of this as rooting for a Falcons win so much as hoping for a 49ers loss. If San Francisco trips up, the Saints get right back into the hunt for the first playoff seed.

Seattle Seahawks (10-3) at Carolina Panthers (5-8). Seahawks by 5.5. A Seahawks win helps keep the Los Angeles Rams out of the playoffs, which would be hilarious after their implosion in last year’s Super Bowl. Root for that.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7) at Detroit Lions (3-9-1). Buccaneers by 3.5. Tampa Bay is eliminated from playoffs contention, so this is a great game for them to keep stacking wins and worsen their draft positioning. It would also help ensure they’re stuck with Jameis Winston.

Painting the NFC Playoff Picture

Minnesota Vikings (9-4) at Los Angeles Chargers (5-8). Vikings by 1.5. A Vikings win keeps them in the playoffs, and helps deny the Rams a spot, which we’ve established would be entertaining. Root for that.

Los Angeles Rams (8-5) at Dallas Cowboys (6-7). Rams by 1.5. It’s understandable if you’ve sworn off every rooting for the Cowboys, but hear us out: there’s a scenario where they win today (pushing the Rams further down in the hunt for the playoffs) but lose the rest of their games, and end up hosting the wild-card Vikings or Seahawks in the playoffs despite having a losing record. That’s objectively funny, so pull for the Cowboys.

Chicago Bears (7-6) at Green Bay Packers (10-3). Packers by 4.5. Any Packers losses down the stretch help the Saints’ chances of getting a top-two playoff seed and the bye week that comes with it. A late-season win at Lambeau Field would help Mitchell Trubisky’s staying power, which is good for every other NFC team. Root for the Bears.

Philadelphia Eagles (6-7) at Washington Redskins (3-10). Eagles by 5.5. The Eagles are not a good football team, so it would be great if the Saints draw them at some point in the playoffs. They have just as good a shot at winning the NFC East as the spiraling Cowboys. Root for them to take that race down to the wire.

Leftovers and Lagniappe

Houston Texans (8-5) at Tennessee Titans (8-5). Titans by 2.5. The Titans are the Saints’ next opponent, so this game is definitely worth watching (call it advanced scouting). The winner of this game could take an insurmountable lead on the AFC South, and more Deshaun Watson is better for football. Root for a Texans upset and playoffs push.

Miami Dolphins (3-10) at New York Giants (2-11). Giants by 3.5. It’s been quite a year for former Saints linebacker Vince Biegel, who was traded to the Dolphins before the season and converted to his college position of a hand-in-the-dirt pass rusher. He’s ranked third on the Dolphins defense in sacks (2) but leads the team in quarterback hits (11), so root for him to get a win on Sunday.

Cleveland Browns (6-7) at Arizona Cardinals (3-9-1). Browns by 2.5. The Browns don’t have much to hang their hats on, but a win over Arizona would be fun for ex-LSU Tigers like Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, and Greedy Williams. Root for them to beat the Cardinals.

Buffalo Bills (9-4) at Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5). Steelers by 1.5. The Steelers are closing in on a playoff berth and the first-round exit they’re destined for. At least the Bills are fun to watch. If you tune into “Sunday Night Football,” root for the Bills as slight underdogs.

Denver Broncos (5-8) at Kansas City Chiefs (9-4). Chiefs by 9.5.  The Saints have to play both of these teams next year, but there’s not much to be done for the playoff-bound Chiefs. Root for the Broncos to win and hurt their draft positioning.

Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9) at Oakland Raiders (6-7). Raiders by 6.5. This is the final Raiders game to be played in Oakland, and the choice is clear: root for the silver and black to send their home fans out with a memorable victory.

New England Patriots (10-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-12). Patriots by 9.5. Never root for the Patriots, especially in the wake of Spygate 2: Spy Harder. A Bengals upset would be the funniest sports moment of the year.

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