Sports Betting Articles
2007 NFL Predictions & Season Preview
By James Boyd
The odds are up and ready for futures bettors to take a crack at who they think will win each NFL division, the 2008 NFC Championship, the 2008 AFC Championship, and Super Bowl XLII. Dave Price of Priceless Picks is here to help you cash in some of these bets with his 2007 NFL Predictions article.
In the NFC East, Bodog oddsmakers see this division as a dead heat listing the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles as the favorites at 7/4 odds. In the NFC North, the Chicago Bears are the frontrunners by a landslide at 1/3 odds and in the NFC South the books have given the nod to the New Orleans Saints at 3/2 odds in what figures to be the tightest division in football. The NFC West looks to be up for grabs but the Seattle Seahawks are 4/5 favorite.
In the American Football Conference, we have the Patriots by a landslide at 1/6 odds in the East, the Colts at 1/3 odds in the South, and the Chargers at 2/3 in the West. The AFC North is being chalked up as a two-team race between the Baltimore Ravens at 7/4 odds and the Cincinnati Bengals at 8/5. As you can see by these lines, oddsmakers are generally anticipating the same teams to roll into the playoffs in 2007-08 and for the most part, they will be right.
The Bears and the Patriots are the locks of their respective conferences. The other three NFC divisions are up for grabs. The Colts should emerge once again in the weak South, and the Chargers in the West, but the North is wide open.
Although this is not a value bet, we really can’t bet against the Chicago Bears to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl once again in 2008. The old saying goes “defense wins championships” and it should earn them an NFC title this season. Honestly, the offense should be better. The Thomas Jones trade shouldn’t be detrimental to the Bears’ solid ground game with the emergence of Cedric Benson. The other aspect of the game that separates the Bears from the rest of the pack is their ability to excel on special teams. Robbie Gould and Devin Hester are among the best specialists in the NFL and Adrian Peterson (not the rookie from Oklahoma) is among the best special teams tacklers I’ve seen. He will also likely get some carries behind Benson in the backfield. You can take the Bears at 4/1 odds to win the 2008 NFC Championship.
In the AFC, I have to go with the New England Patriots. You guys who have backed the Colts the past two seasons to some nice paydays might have a problem with this, but it’s brutally tough to repeat and the addition of Randy Moss to the Patriots line up gives them the star receiver they’ve never had. I know, Indy’s defense shined in the playoffs, but I still see some holes that need filled. Through and through the Patriots have a better defense and a more balanced offense which can beat you more ways.
Some of you might also be saying what about the Chargers? They do have the best football player in the league right now in LaDainian Tomlinson, but when teams made Phillip Rivers try to beat them through the air in the postseason, he couldn’t get the job done. This is still a young team that is not quite ready to take things to that next level. The oddsmakers have made the Pats 6/5 favorites to win the 2008 AFC title, that’s nearly even money. If they are that confident, we should be too. There’s not much return on this bet, but the Pats are the surest possibility when it comes to cashing it in.
If you want to win more of your bets this season then pick up a package of NFL Picks from Dave Price.
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