The online betting world is going crazy with Super Bowl action as football fans all over the world prepare for the big game. But there have been plenty of other NFL headlines being made in the build up to the Super Bowl that are hard to ignore. The New England Patriots and the New York Giants are the talk of the town, but there is plenty of other buzz going on with other teams and players.

As quarterback Peyton Manning monitors the Super Bowl betting odds and how they affect his little brother Eli, questions are being asked about Peyton’s future that are not getting answered. As Colts’ owner Jim Irsay was cleaning house and making wholesale changes to the front office and coaching staff, Peyton Manning just seemed to be left standing there with no answers. The only answer Manning has received is that the Colts are going to draft quarterback Andrew Luck with the first pick overall in the 2012 NFL draft. Peyton Manning says he is prepared to be a mentor to Luck, but he is unsure as to whether he will be the starter or even with the team at that point.

The problem is that the price per head sportsbook experts aren’t even sure if Manning will be able to play next season. One of the main contingencies surrounding the fate of Peyton Manning is whether he has fully recovered from the neck surgery he had in the summer of 2011. The surgery kept him out of the entire 2011 season and he has still not announced how he feels or what the end result will be. In all fairness to the Colts, Indianapolis cannot wait much longer for Manning to determine what he wants to do. Peyton Manning is set to be paid a roster bonus of $18 million in March. That is the deadline the Colts are expected to use to determine if it wants two high-priced quarterbacks on its roster in 2012, or just Andrew Luck.

Raiders Make a Surprise Move at Head Coach

A 5 dimes review of new Oakland Raiders’ general manager Reggie McKenzie shows that his first few days in office were a little confusing. One of the first pieces of information that came from the Raiders after McKenzie was hired was a lukewarm vote of confidence for head coach Hue Jackson. A couple of days later, Jackson was fired. It isn’t that fans did not expect Jackson to be fired. It was just the way it was done that confused people.

The Raiders have hired former Denver Broncos’ defensive coordinator Dennis Allen as its new head coach. One of the reasons that this is such a surprise is that Allen is only 39 years old and is the exact opposite of what a Raiders’ head coach is expected to be. Allen is quiet but confident and rarely has outbursts of emotion on the sidelines. Raiders fans were hoping for someone with a little more history and a little more energy for their new head coach. But experts say that Allen can help reduce the NFL scores that the Raiders gave up last season and could make Oakland a more competitive team.

As the online betting continues for this year’s Super Bowl, there are several NFC teams that are looking to challenge for the spot that the New York Giants earned this year in the Super Bowl. Some teams, such as the Green Bay Packers, we can expect to hear from in 2012 because it is still one of the best teams in the NFL. But there are a few NFC teams that had not made much noise prior to the 2012 season that should be sticking around and making next year even more interesting.

Detroit Lions

The Super Bowl betting enthusiasts wanted to see the Detroit Lions involved in this year’s big game because Detroit had worked so hard to become a playoff contender. But the Lions consistently shot itself in the foot with bad penalties and undisciplined play. The veterans were just as guilty of being out of control as the younger players. Someone needs to explain to Ndamukong Suh that his childish and dangerous actions have consequences that hurt his team. Even the normally calm quarterback Matthew Stafford started to show signs of immaturity in the playoffs. If the Lions can bring it together, then it will be a team to deal with in 2012.

San Francisco 49ers

The price per head sportsbook experts know that head coach Jim Harbaugh will not allow the 49ers to regress going into the 2012 season. Harbaugh’s coaching style is perfect for the team of players that he has in San Francisco. No one likes to point at one play or one player as a reason a game was won or lost, but the 49ers played a solid game in the NFC Championship but were undone by critical mistakes. The 49ers will be back and they will be a contender for many years to come. It is not out of the question to expect this 49ers team to win a couple of Super Bowls before Jim Harbaugh’s tenure as head coach is over.

Carolina Panthers

It is hard to imagine a team that was 6-10 in 2011 turning it around in 2012 to become a playoff contender. But sportsbook reviews of the 2010 San Francisco 49ers showed that it was 6-10 in 2010 before advancing to the 2011 NFC Championship game. The Panthers are not championship material yet, but the turn around in Carolina has already begun. The arrival of rookie quarterback Cam Newton ignited a fire in Carolina that helped the team to improve dramatically. Now the Panthers need to put more players around Newton to continue the team’s evolution.

Seattle Seahawks

Ever preview of a coming NFL season has to have something that seems to make no sense. The NFL scores that the Seahawks posted in 2011 were not impressive and the team was listless. But the mere fact that head coach Pete Carroll somehow got all of the pieces he had to work together so efficiently and finish with a 7-9 record is something of significance. The Seahawks had no passing game to work with and the running game did not start coming to life until late in the season. But people forget that the Seahawks finished with the ninth best defense in the NFL. The Seahawks need to cut its loses on the Tavaris Jackson experiment and draft the quarterback of the future. If the Seahawks can pick up some offensive linemen and a couple of receivers in free agency, then this could be a very interesting football team in 2012.

The Super Bowl betting odds have been jumping all over the map every since the heavy favorites, the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints, were eliminated in the divisional round. Now the price per head sports experts have to alter their perception of which teams are favorites and which ones have less of a chance of making the big dance.

As the odds continue to shift, the teams are spending time getting ready to face off in what should be two very entertaining championship games. In the NFC, the New York Giants travel to San Francisco to face the new and much-improved 49ers. In the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens travel to Foxboro to try and snuff out the fire that is the New England Patriots’ offense. Both of these games present interesting matchups that will make for a fun Championship Sunday.

AFC Championship: Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots (-7 ½)

The price per head sportsbook experts are trying to figure out how head coach Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots keep winning football games despite what should be insurmountable odds. A few seasons ago, Belichick had to go through the season without his starting quarterback Tom Brady who was injured in week one. The Patriots missed the playoffs that season, but still managed an impressive 11-5 record. This season, the Patriots have the worst defense in football but still managed to dominate a very hot Denver Broncos’ offense in the divisional round. Despite having no real deep threat on offense, no running game and a terrible defense, the Patriots continue to win. That should concern the people in Baltimore.

The Ravens’ defense is the core of the team, and that seems to bother Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco. Flacco had the chance to set himself apart from the Baltimore defense in the divisional round, but it was the defense that beat the Houston Texans despite the inability of the offense to move the ball. That chip on Flacco’s shoulder is getting bigger and it may cause him to make bad decisions.

Pick: New England Patriots

NFC Championship: New York Giants @ San Francisco 49ers (-2)

This will be a very good football game. A 5 dimes review of the Giants’ season prior to week 17 shows a team that could not dominate the other team’s offense. Quarterback Eli Manning was protecting the ball better, but the Giants just did not seem to be getting much from the running game. Suddenly, in week 17, everything about the New York Giants came to life and the Giants beat the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in the divisional round. If the Giants can beat the Packers in Lambeau, then there is no telling how far it can go in these playoffs.

The San Francisco 49ers are easily the most improved team in football. They go from posting some terrible NFL scores in 2010 that led to a 6-10 record, to becoming one of the top teams in the NFC in 2011. But this Giants’ defense is much different than the New Orleans defense that San Francisco victimized in the divisional round, and that will be the difference in this game.

Pick: New York Giants

The Super Bowl betting is really picking up the pace now as the teams head towards Divisional Round weekend. The NFC looks strong this year and has a good chance at keeping the Lombardi Trophy in an NFC city after the first weekend in February. Lets take a look at each of the four remaining NFC teams and see what their odds are at winning it all in Super Bowl XLVI.

Green Bay Packers (2 to 1 to win Super Bowl)

The price per head sports experts like the chances that the Green Bay Packers have to repeat as Super Bowl champions. But there are cracks in the armor that the Packers need to protect if it wants to be a back to back champion.

The Packers have a defense that is weak against the run but strong against the pass. That matches up well with a team like the New Orleans Saints, but it could be a problem against a strong running team like the New York Giants. That theory will be put to the test in the divisional round as the Giants travel to Lambeau Field to see if there is a way to beat this Green Bay team on its own turf.

New Orleans Saints (3.85 to 1 to win Super Bowl)

The days of the New Orleans Ain’ts and paper bags over the heads of embarrassed fans are long gone. The Saints are something that the city can be proud of and much of it has to do with the play of quarterback Drew Brees. The sportsbook software not only has Brees breaking the single-season passing record, but Brees also threw for 46 touchdowns while only throwing 14 interceptions. The Saints will only go as far as Brees can take them, and that looks to be pretty far.

The New Orleans defense is extremely unpredictable and unreliable. The Saints can shut down an offense one week and then give up 28 points or more the next week. The best plan for the Saints is to keep Brees and the offense on the field for as long as possible.

San Francisco 49ers (15 to 1 to win Super Bowl)

The betonline odds on this strong 49ers team can seem a little high. But you have to remember that this is still the same team, almost the exact same team, that went 6-10 last year. Head coach Jim Harbaugh’s ability to turn the team around into a 13-3 team in one season is amazing. But it could also be a little too good to be true to many experts and football fans. The 49ers have a strong defense and a consistent offense. But if the 49ers find itself in a shootout with the Saints or Packers, then San Francisco may not be able to compete.

New York Giants (17 to 1 to win Super Bowl)

After what has happened to the Giants the past two years, you would think that New York would just be happy to be in the playoffs. But that is not the case. The NFL scores that the Giants have been putting up in critical games are extremely impressive and this is a very talented football team. If the defense can hold together throughout the playoffs and quarterback Eli Manning can keep avoiding turnovers, then there really is no telling how deep the Giants can go into these playoffs.

NFL Betting Lines Overview
This is one of the more interesting week 17 games for the price per head sports experts to try and figure out. Neither the Detroit Lions nor the Green Bay Packers need to win this game for playoff positioning. Even if the Lions lose this game and the Atlanta Falcons win their week 17 game, the worst that can happen is that the Lions will fall to sixth in the conference. Either way, Detroit makes the playoffs as a wild card when this game is over, win or lose. The Packers have clinched home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs and nothing that happens in this game will change that. To understand this game, you need to understand the dynamics of these two teams.

The Green Bay Packers, especially under the leadership of head coach Mike McCarthy, are not the kind of team to go out and play all second-stringers in Lambeau Field. The Packer faithful won’t allow it. Packers’ fans can expect to see players like James Starks and Aaron Rodgers in the first half of the game. But if the game is out of reach one way or the other, then the starters will come out. The Lions don’t want to get injured in this game, but it also does not want to be rusty in its first playoff appearance since 1999. That means that Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson will start the game. But it is hard to tell if they will finish the game as, once again, that depends on what is going on with the score in the third quarter.

Green Bay Packers
The price per head bookmaking experts know that the players on a football team can get caught up in the moment and want to compete. Mike McCarthy will have a difficult job on his hands. He will need to determine if he wants Clay Mathews pacing the sidelines in the fourth quarter or expending that energy in the game. Packers’ fans can expect to see very little of quarterback Aaron Rodgers in this game past the second quarter. If the Packers want to retain its Super Bowl title, then Rodgers needs to stay healthy. Keeping Aaron Rodgers on the field with Lions’ defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh is probably a really bad idea. Besides, Rodgers will get his chance against the Lions when the two teams meet again in the playoffs. For now, the Packers can call it resting key offensive players, but Green Bay is really just getting people out of the way of Suh.

Detroit Lions
A 5 dimes review of the Lions’ roster shows an incredibly talented but young football team. Some of the Lions’ players are able to control their emotions and others are not. The most difficult part for head coach Jim Schwartz will be convincing his young starters to relax and have a seat in the third quarter. It will be especially difficult if the Lions are beating the Packers and the team wants to keep forcing the issue. Keeping the focus on the bigger prize is always the challenge of coaching young players who very much live in the moment.

The Bottom Line
The NFL schedule makers really created a gem with this one. The last thing that either of these teams wants to do is risk an injury going into the playoffs. But it will be interesting to see if the heat of the battle pushes these two teams to play one of the best week 17 games ever played.

Pick: Green Bay Packers

Online Betting Overview
For the Philadelphia Eagles, it all comes down to this week 16 game against the Dallas Cowboys. At 6-8, the Eagles sit on the very outskirts of the NFC East title race, but it is still part of the equation. Considering all of the teams already in double-digits for wins this season in the NFC, the Eagles know that 8-8 is not going to win a wild card spot. If Philadelphia wants to get into the playoffs, then it will have to win the NFC East. According to the price per head sports experts, the Eagles will need a lot of help beyond just beating the Cowboys in this game to make the playoffs. But the Eagles can help its own cause by winning this important divisional game.

If the Cowboys lose this game to the Eagles, then Philadelphia will have swept the season series against the Cowboys. When the price per head services go to figure out who wins the NFC East and the Cowboys, Giants and Eagles are all sitting at 8-8, the winner would be the Eagles. The Eagles and Cowboys have split their season series, but the Eagles have a much better divisional record than New York does and that is where it would stop for the Giants. The Eagles also need the Giants to go no better than 1-1 in its last two games for Philadelphia to have a shot at the division title. If it sounds confusing to the fans, imagine how it must feel to the players.

Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys are coming off of an impressive 31-15 beating of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 15. All of the starters are healthy for the Cowboys, but number one wide receiver Miles Austin still looks a little rusty after coming off a series of injuries that had him missing a lot of games this year. The only injury of note is running back DeMarco Murray, who is done for the season. A bodog reviews of the Cowboys’ running back situation shows that Dallas made a smart move when it picked up veteran running back Sammy Morris to fill in for Murray. The only question is whether or not Felix Jones will be able to carry the load for the Cowboys as the only featured running back. Jones ran for 108 yards in the week 15 win over the Bucs, so he appears to be ready to pick up the mantle and be the Cowboys’ running game going into the playoffs.

Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles embarrassed the New York Jets by a score of 45-19 in week 15. Not only was the Philadelphia offense clicking on all cylinders, but the defense looked good as well. The Eagles continuously pressured Jets’ quarterback Mark Sanchez until Sanchez made a long list of mistakes that included two key interceptions. Quarterback Michael Vick finally looks healthy and confident. The NFL fans in Philadelphia know that the Eagles need a lot of help to make the playoffs. But there is a new confidence in the City of Brotherly Love that the Eagles can do what it needs to do to have a chance at winning the division. If the other cards fall in place, then the “Dream Team” is back in business.

The Bottom Line
This will be a very good game and it should be a physical affair as well. If DeMarcus Ware can get in the Philadelphia backfield, then he could disrupt the entire game. But with the Philadelphia offense playing like it is, getting to Michael Vick may not be easy.

Pick: Philadelphia Eagles

NFL Betting Lines Overview
The Seattle Seahawks have been lurking on the outer edges of the NFC playoff race for weeks now just waiting for either the Chicago Bears or the Dallas Cowboys to falter. According to the price per head sports experts, only one win separates the Seahawks from contending for the playoff spots currently being held by the Bears and the Cowboys. The Dallas Cowboys have lost two close games in a row while the Seahawks have won two games in a row. All of that is interesting, but it is not nearly as interesting as the situation that the Bears find themselves in.

The Chicago Bears have lost their last three games and have effectively fallen down in the NFC playoff race. The only thing keeping the Bears above water is its 6-3 conference record which is one better than Seattle’s 5-4 conference record. The bookie software does not give a losing record much of a chance of making the playoffs in the NFC this year. Last year, the Seahawks were able to make the playoffs by being the best team in the worst division in football. This season, there will not be any 7-9 division champions. The Bears are falling into some pretty dangerous territory with every game it loses. If the Bears lose this game to the Seahawks, then that could make Chicago’s last two games of the season very important.

Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks were allowed to glide under the radar for most of the season. Seattle was beating weaker teams but struggling against teams over .500. The quarterback situation in Seattle is still in flux as well. Tavaris Jackson was brought over from Minnesota to be the starter, but 13 weeks into the season, Jackson does not give any indication that he is grasping the offense at all. The Seahawks have primarily been living off of the success of running back Marshawn Lynch. But it will take more than a decent running back to beat the Bears.

Chicago Bears
It is difficult to appreciate how valuable quarterback Jay Cutler is to the Chicago offense until he is gone. With Cutler out of the offense and running back Matt Forte slowed by injuries, the Bears cannot score points. A betonline.com review of the week 14 loss to the Broncos shows that backup running back Marion Barber fumbled the game away while backup quarterback Caleb Hanie still struggles to complete passes. In three starts this season, Hanie is 0-3 and has scored a total of 33 points.

The Bottom Line
The Bears’ defense is going to have a field day with the Seattle offense. Tavaris Jackson is as indecisive as a quarterback can be, and Chicago pass rusher Julius Peppers will make Jackson pay for his indecision in the pocket. Linebacker Brian Urlacher and his charges are more than capable of stuffing the Seattle running game. But the Chicago offense is just not capable of scoring points. The NFL schedule has put Seattle in a position to control its own destiny, and a field goal will help Seattle to push its record to 7-7 and challenge for the eighth and final NFC playoff spot.

Pick: Seattle Seahawks

Sports Betting Overview
The price per head bookie experts set the line for this game in double-digit points based primarily on the momentum that the Packers have built up in the first 12 games of the season. At 12-0, the Packers look to be the one team that could top the Miami Dolphins’ undefeated season and go all the way to 19-0. But before the Packers can start popping the Champagne bottles, it has to get past the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders are now in a dogfight with Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos for first place in the AFC West. The Raiders need every bit of help they can get and that includes being the team that ruins the Packers’ winning streak and sends Green Bay to a 12-1 record. But some things have to happen for Oakland before it can start to think it can compete in this game.

If the Oakland Raiders get running back Darren McFadden back in time to play this game, then the Green Bay Packers could be in trouble. While the Packers are 12-0, it is not a convincing undefeated season so far. The Green Bay offense is clicking on all cylinders and is the best offense in all of football. But the Green Bay defense has some holes, and the New York Giants exploited those holes in week 13, according to the price per head services. The Packers could do almost nothing about the Giants’ running game, and that is the way that you beat the Green Bay Packers.

Oakland Raiders
The Raiders need to get in a shootout to win this game. The Oakland defense is good against the run, but the Packers do not use a running game to win. It is all about Aaron Rodgers, and while the Raiders can play the pass, it cannot keep up with Rodgers. That means that quarterback Carson Palmer and the Oakland offense are going to need to go toe-to-toe against the Green Bay defense and put up points. The betonline sports experts know that Oakland can score points, and it looks like McFadden will be a go for this game against the Packers. With a strong running game in place, the Raiders stand a good chance of winning this game.

Green Bay Packers
Last season, the Packers went into the NFL playoffs with a weak defense and no running game. The result was that the Packers wound up winning the Super Bowl. This season, the Packers are going into the playoffs with a weak defense and no running game. The Packers say that they are not thinking about the undefeated season, but every team that has come this close admits that it comes into play. There is a desperation on the Packers’ sideline to improve the defense. That problem could be glaring in this game.

The Bottom Line
This will be a shootout. The Packers’ offense can score against any defense, and the Packers’ defense cannot stop a good running game. In the end, the smart bet in this game is on the Raiders with the points. But this could also be a Raiders’ win without the points as well.

Pick: Oakland Raiders