Sports Betting Overview

After the performance the Atlanta Falcons put on in its week five loss to the Green Bay Packers at home, a lot of Atlanta fans have a really bad feeling about this game with the Carolina Panthers. While the Panthers are 1-4 on the season, the Panthers have yet to lose a game by more than seven points. The Panthers’ defense is not the best unit in the NFL, but it is slowly getting better. Carolina’s front seven was able to get pressure on Drew Brees in its week five loss to the New Orleans Saints. But it is difficult for a young and inexperienced defense to beat a quarterback like Drew Brees. The Panthers came close, and that is what has Falcons’ fans scared.

The Atlanta Falcons were supposed to be the cost per head NFC south heir apparent to the New Orleans Saints. The Falcons were developing as a powerful team and the Saints looked like it could not keep pace. As week six rolls around, the Saints sit on top of the NFC South at 4-1 and the Falcons are struggling at 2-3. The Atlanta defense is killing chances that the Falcons would have at winning games. The defense cannot hold down a lead, and that includes the front seven and the secondary. Aaron Rodgers picked the Atlanta defense apart in the second half of Green Bay’s week five win over Atlanta. Cam Newton could do the same thing.

Carolina Panthers

The price per head sports fans in Carolina know that an NFL team cannot be rebuilt in one season. But the team certainly found its new offense quickly enough. The only significant change in the Carolina offense was the addition of rookie quarterback Cam Newton, but that was enough. Newton has electrified the Carolina offense, and he does it with his legs and his arm. Newton could throw for 400 yards in a game or rush for over 100. Whatever he needs to do to win, Cam Newton seems able to do it. In this game, Newton will need to throw the ball deep to win and he has the weapons to get it done.

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons can take comfort in knowing that the Carolina Panthers are giving up 135 rushing yards per game on defense. The Falcons can focus on turning running back Michael Turner lose to open up the Carolina defense for quarterback Matt Ryan and the passing game. But a sportsbook review of the Falcons in the second half of games shows a nasty tendency to relax on the offensive line, and that is getting Matt Ryan hit. The Atlanta defense is incapable of holding on to a lead, so even if the Falcons are leading at halftime there is no guarantee that the team can hold on to the lead. The Panthers’ secondary is improving every week, and it should be able to limit what Matt Ryan can do. If the Falcons fall apart again in the second half, the prolific Carolina offense will be there to take advantage of the opportunity.

The Bottom Line

NFL fans in Carolina are finally excited about the future. Cam Newton represents a team that is headed in the right direction. Now Carolina just needs to improve its defense and keep playing good football. The Falcons cannot collapse in the second half against the Panthers or else this will be a long day for Atlanta.

Pick: Carolina Panthers

Sports Betting Overview

Something is not right in Pittsburgh. Forget the injuries to key players like Rashard Mendenhall and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers are getting beat up on offense and defense. You have to read that twice to let it sink in. The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting physically beaten up by the opposing team’s offensive line. After losing in week four to the Houston Texans, and getting their heads handed to them in the process, the Pittsburgh Steelers are struggling at 2-2. The huge Pittsburgh offensive line was completely man-handled by the Texans’ defensive front seven, and the Pittsburgh defense was dominated by the Houston offensive line. This does not look like the Pittsburgh Steelers’ team we are used to.

The Tennessee Titans have come on as a huge surprise this season. The price per head sports fans in Tennessee were not expecting much from a new head coach and replacement quarterback this season. But veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has proved to be exactly what the Titans needed. Especially when you consider how little running back Chris Johnson has contributed this season. In four games played this season, Johnson only has 199 yards. The Titans need to figure out how to get the ball into the hands of Johnson more often if they want to sustain their current winning ways.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The price per head bookie experts are starting to wonder how this could be the same Pittsburgh Steelers team that went to the Super Bowl last season. The offensive line is getting completely dominated on a regular basis. The lack of protection for Ben Roethlisberger is what allowed the quarterback to get injured against the Texans. Now Ben is walking around with a boot on his foot and that is never a good sign. The Pittsburgh linebackers are being neutralized by every offensive line they play. The Baltimore Ravens were actually more physical on offense than the Steelers were on defense. Now the Steelers are fishing games off the schedule to try and find one where they can re-establish their dominance at the line of scrimmage. This game, unfortunately, will not be one of them.

Tennessee Titans

The story on offense in Tennessee this season has been quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and a corps of very young wide receivers. The one bad break the Titans have had this season was the loss of wide receiver Kenny Britt for the year. But anyone who picks NFL games was surprised at how quickly the Titans were able to adjust to the loss of Britt. Maybe now Tennessee will give the ball to running back Chris Johnson more than 12 to 15 times a game. The only complaint that Titans’ fan have is that the team has one of the best running backs in football and it does not use him. The Titans could be unstoppable if it could figure out how to get Johnson involved in games.

The Bottom Line

When Ben Roethlisberger is injured, the Steelers seem to rally around whoever is at quarterback. When Big Ben was serving his four game suspension at the beginning of last season, the Steelers went 3-1 in his absence. But the offensive and defensive lines are playing so bad for Pittsburgh that the team needs Ben to win. Without Ben, the Steelers are in trouble.

Pick: Tennessee Titans

Online Betting Overview

The Dallas Cowboys look like it has finally started to turn a corner. The Cowboys have gone from a group of underachieving complainers to a solid team of gritty winners. The leadership of quarterback Tony Romo has been firmly established and the toughness of running back Felix Jones will not be questioned any more. The Cowboys looked like battle-tested veterans in its win over the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football, but the Detroit Lions pose an entirely different kind of threat than the Redskins. The Cowboys could be a little over-matched in its week four game against Detroit.

The young Detroit Lions showed that it is developing a winning attitude when the team came back in week three to beat the Minnesota Vikings. The Lions made adjustments at half time on defense and offense that helped to secure a victory on the road and preserve Detroit’s undefeated record. The Lions have not yet come up against the new Rob Ryan Dallas Cowboys’ defense. It is a completely different animal than the Lions are used to from last season. Quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson should be able to find success against a weak Dallas secondary. But what the Cowboys lack in talent they seem able to make up for in determination. That makes this one of the best football betting online games of the week.

Dallas Cowboys

Despite all of the grit that the Cowboys showed against the Redskins, the fact is that major components of the Cowboys’ offense and defense are injured. The price per head Cowboys’ fans could see the pain on Tony Romo’s face every time he threw the ball in week three. But the patchwork Dallas offensive line held up against the Redskins’ rush, and the Redskins have a very good pass rush. Washington got so desperate on defense that it called an all-out blitz late in the game that left Dez Bryant one on one with DeAngelo Hall. Bryant made the catch and rookie kicker Dan Bailey kicked the winning field goal. But the Cowboys will need more than good timing to beat the Detroit defense. They will need power up the middle and good offensive line play and it remains to be seen if the Cowboys’ offensive line can deliver two weeks in a row.

Detroit Lions

This week’s NFL pick relies mostly on the Detroit defense. The Vikings looked beaten by the end of the third quarter in week three and made the fourth quarter a little easier on Detroit. The Cowboys will not quit at any point in the game and the Detroit coaching staff needs to prepare the Lions’ young defense to play for 60 minutes. The Detroit defense can absolutely answer the call, but fans wonder if it will be enough.

The Bottom Line

The betting line on this game is not a bass fishing guess. It is an accurate representation of two very well-matched teams. The Cowboys have a bye week after this game and that may be another dose of determination to help Dallas win another thrilling game.

Pick: Dallas Cowboys

Online Betting Overview

Yes, you are reading that right. The Carolina Panthers are favored to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in week three of the NFL season. When the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Tennessee Titans 16-14 in week one, something just did not look right. The Titans did not play very well at all, but neither did the Jaguars. It was one of those games where the team that made the least mistakes would win. The Titans went on in week two to show that the week one loss was a fluke by beating the Baltimore Ravens. The Jaguars showed that their week one win was a fluke by getting thrashed by the New York Jets 32-3. The problem for Jacksonville is that they have no consistency on either side of the ball, and it shows throughout an entire game.

The Carolina Panthers made the football betting online fans in Carolina nervous when the team started rookie quarterback Cam Newton. But two games and nearly 900 passing yards later, Newton is making the Panthers look like a bunch of football geniuses for starting him. The problem is that the Panthers have absolutely no defense to speak of. The Panthers are giving up almost as many yards per game on defense as the Carolina offense is racking up. Cam Newton and the Carolina offense had a real shot at beating the Green Bay Packers, but the defense could not hold. That will not be as much of a problem for Carolina in this game.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars have averaged 125 yards per game in total offense through the first two games of the season. The only team worse at moving the ball is the Minnesota Vikings. NFL fans in Jacksonville can pretty much sense that the end of the Jack Del Rio era is coming to a close as the head coach cannot get any production out of his offense. Starting quarterback David Garrard was injured in preseason, so the team looked to Luke McCown and not highly-touted rookie Blaine Gabbert to take over at quarterback. So far, nothing has worked. Running back Maurice Jones-Drew is the Jacksonville offense. Once you remove Jones-Drew, you have an offense that cannot score touchdowns and that makes it really easy to defend.

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina defense is ranked 26^th in the league. It is not the worse defense out there, but it is not giving the high-flying Carolina offense a chance to win. This is one of the easier NFL picks of the week because the Carolina defense can beat this Jacksonville offense. The Jacksonville defense is so bad that Cam Newton could very well eclipse his season-high of 422 passing yards in a single game. There is no doubt that Newton will be over 1,000 yards passing only three games into his rookie year. Carolina has its offense, now it just needs to work on defense.

The Bottom Line

By the time this one is over, Maurice Jones-Drew will wish he was bass fishing instead of playing in this game. The Panthers’ defense will crowd the line and stop the Jacksonville offense and the Carolina offense will have another huge day.

Pick: Carolina Panthers

Online Betting Overview

The New England Patriots showed two very different aspects to their team in the season opener against the Miami Dolphins. Tom Brady and the offense looked ready for the season. Rookie offensive tackle Nick Solder held his own against a very good Miami pass rush and Brady was as efficient as always. The running game was on track and Chad Ochocinco did not cause any disruptions on the sidelines. The defense struggled a little, but that looked like it was due to some new elements. Defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth is still trying to fit in to the New England defensive scheme, and the young New England secondary is still developing.

The Dolphins wasted no time in showcasing its new offense and got the football betting online crowd worked up when Miami marched down the field to score the first touchdown of the game. But the Pats’ defense held up after that. The Chargers had similar issues in their opener against the Vikings. After Minnesota returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, the Chargers intercepted the ball from quarterback Donovan McNabb and ran it in to the endzone. The Chargers’ offense looked good against an aggressive Minnesota defense, and the San Diego defense was extremely aggressive and effective.

New England Patriots

The sportsbook promo football fans in New England heard a lot of familiar names involved with the Patriots’ offense in the season opener. Brady, Gronkowski, Whitehead and Welker were all factors in the Patriots’ win. The defense looked like it was still trying to figure things out. It did not take the Patriots long to shut down the Miami running game and a lot of NFL fans were surprised to see that the Dolphins have completely abandoned the wildcat offense. But the Patriots are ready for any surprises that the Chargers may bring. The San Diego defense is aggressive at the line, just like Miami’s. But San Diego brings more speed, and that may cause problems for the New England offensive line. The San Diego offense will give the young Patriots’ defensive secondary all kinds of problems in this game, and that could be the difference.

San Diego Chargers

This game is one of the more difficult NFL picks for the week. The Chargers will rely heavily on its defense to put pressure on Tom Brady. But Brady is an expert at reading defenses and getting his receivers into the right places. Veterans like Bob Sanders can help to try and confuse Brady, but the Chargers offense will have to rely on pressure up front to stop the New England offense. The San Diego offense just needs to keep doing what it is doing to be successful. Throw the ball deep and then run it to keep the defense on its heels. It worked against the Vikings, and the Chargers hope it works against the Patriots.

The Bottom Line

The last thing San Diego needed to see was the opening kickoff of the season taken back as a special teams touchdown against the Chargers. You don’t need to start fishing games out of last season’s schedule to know that special teams killed the Chargers last year. Luckily for San Diego, the Patriots prefer to win games at the line of scrimmage.

Pick: New England Patriots

Online Betting Overview

The moment that Detroit Lions fans have been waiting for is finally here. The Lions get a chance to debut a team that is actually picked to win games and make a playoff run this year. One of the things that should be concerning Lions fans is the nasty streak on display from Ndamukong Suh during the preseason. Teams want their defensive super stars to have a sense of aggression, but Suh’s activities regularly resulted in costly penalties to the Lions in the preseason. If the Lions can find a way to focus that anger on the opposing offensive line in a constructive way, then Suh could be the next great NFL pass rusher. Other than that and the fact that highly anticipated rookie defensive lineman Nick Fairley is still sidelined with a fractured foot, the Lions have a lot to look forward to this weekend.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a young football team that is also getting the football betting online crowd excited about the start of the season. Tampa quarterback Josh Freeman could be the best kept secret in the NFL, and his backup Josh Johnson could be the second best kept secret in the NFL. The Bucs made some changes on defense to try and address a weak rush defense and suspect defensive secondary. If Tampa can get a little better production out of its defense, especially late in the season, then the Buccaneers could also be looking at competing for a playoff spot this year. Optimistic Tampa head coach Raheem Morris has already dubbed his team the best in the NFC. That may not be something the Bucs can live up to, but it is a goal for Tampa to shoot for.

Detroit Lions

The Lions generate excitement on offense and defense. With quarterback Matthew Stafford ready to go and wide receiver Calvin Johnson anxious to make a statement this year, the only sportsbook promo question on offense is at running back. Jahvid Best is back on the field and is expected to be the work horse for the season. But Best missed parts of the preseason with an injury. He also missed much of the end of last season with an injury. The concern is that Best is not durable enough to be a three-down full-time NFL running back. The Lions and its fans will find out what Best, and the rest of the Lions offense, can do as the season moves along.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

One of the quieter NFL picks in this year’s draft was defensive end Adrian Clayborn. The Buccaneers needed to address its pass rush and run defense issues, and the team believes it did so with the pick of Clayborn. As a rookie, Clayborn will start on the defensive line for the Buccaneers. If he can raise the play of the rest of the Tampa defense, then this could be a very good year for the Buccaneers.

The Bottom Line

This should be a great football game. If you have bass fishing plans when this game is on television, you need to cancel them. These are two young and aggressive teams looking to make a name for themselves in the NFC. Both teams have a year’s worth of experience playing together. The difference here comes down to quarterback and defense. The Lions excel in both of those areas.

Pick: Detroit Lions

Online Betting Overview

The New York Giants were unsure of what kind of defense it would have given the injuries that the team has suffered. But when the Giants faced off against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football, the answer was pretty clear. The Giants have a defense that can put pressure on the quarterback, stop the run and defend the pass. With the starters playing the first half of the game, the Giants gave up only one touchdown and limited quarterback Mark Sanchez to 64 yards passing. But it was on the offensive side of the ball where the Giants had familiar problems.

The NFL betting lines on the New England Patriots will still put the Patriots as AFC favorites, but there may be problems in New England. A theory that has been put forward is that the Patriots are holding back because it is just preseason. That would make sense if it wasn’t for the fact that future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady is getting pummeled in the pocket. The New England offensive line cannot sustain blocks and the defensive secondary cannot cover deep. These are the same problems that cost the Patriots a playoff loss against the Jets last season. Things do not look any better in New England, and it is doubtful that head coach Bill Belichick is holding back at the expense of his star quarterback.

New York Giants

Eli Manning is one of the highest paid sportsbook promo quarterbacks in the NFL. Each year he produces numbers that seem to justify his pay, but he also gives the ball away more than most quarterbacks and that is a problem. Manning threw for 200 yards in the first half against the Jets last week, but he also threw two drive-stopping interceptions. Even though Eli Manning is a Super Bowl champion, he needs to protect the ball better if the Giants are to have any chance of making the playoffs this season.

New England Patriots

The Patriots are still one of the top NFL betting picks for this season, but the team does not seem to have improved over last year. Head coach Bill Belichick has been looking at a lot of rookie prospects in the defensive secondary and that could account for the bad defensive play in the last two preseason games. But the New England offensive line has been a revolving door the past two games and Tom Brady is taking a beating because of it. Brady will not make it through the entire season if the Patriots cannot find some way to protect him. Belichick will have to see what pieces of the puzzle he has on his roster and put together an offensive line that will keep Brady healthy.

The Bottom Line

Tom Brady and many of the New England and New York starters will not play very long in this game, and that is a good thing for New England. But the offensive line starters and backups will be in and out of the game until Belichick finds a combination he likes. Belichick is fishing for those players that can sustain blocks in the passing game and open up holes in the running game. The Patriots have talent all over the roster, but in the most important positions of the game, the offensive line, the Patriots are still looking for answers.

Pick: New York Giants

Online Betting Overview

Some NFL fans think that any game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Falcons this season could be a Super Bowl preview. But the Falcons are having some unexpected problems in this preseason that will make this preseason week three contest very interesting. It could be that some players are still getting used to each other, but the Atlanta offense is having problems putting points on the board. That would not be so bad in preseason if it wasn’t for the fact that it is the first-string offense that seems to be having the issue. It looks like the combination of wide receivers Roddy White and rookie Julio Jones is actually being performed by third year wide receiver Harry Douglas and Julio Jones. Roddy White has been limited in action and has been limited in productivity. On the plus side, once White gets up to full speed, the Falcons have three wide receivers that will be legitimate deep threats.

The NFL betting lines on the Pittsburgh Steelers are changing as preseason goes on. The defense looked rusty in the first preseason game, but in preseason week two against the Eagles, the Steelers’ defense looked solid. The fast linebackers and hard-hitting defensive linemen for Pittsburgh looked ready for the regular season. Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger looked sharp in preseason week two, and he and his receivers looked to all be on the same page. The Steelers made an interesting transformation from preseason week one to preseason week two. In this game, we will get to see how Pittsburgh handles the developing passing game of the Atlanta Falcons.

Atlanta Falcons

Regardless as to how his receivers have looked, Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan has looked spectacular this preseason. He is reading defenses well and finding open receivers. The sportsbook promo line of Ryan is that he can be mobile when he needs to be. It looks like the Falcons are opening up the Matt Ryan running game just a little more to add yet another offensive weapon. The Atlanta defensive secondary is still trying to find itself as the defense still shows the tendency to put the offense in a position where it has to win the game in the closing minutes. The inability to close out a game is what cost the Falcons in the playoffs last year, and they are trying to find the personnel that will put an end to that problem.

Pittsburgh Steelers

There is no doubt that the Pittsburgh Steelers offense looks much more efficient when Ben Roethlisberger is playing. Roethlisberger still likes to make up the plays as he goes along, but his passing in this preseason has been sharp. The Pittsburgh defense needed one game to find its feet, but it now looks like a potent unit. The one betonline.com issue that the defense is still addressing is a weak defensive secondary. If the Steelers cannot get pressure on Matt Ryan, then he may pick the Pittsburgh secondary apart.

The Bottom Line

The Steelers look like playoff contenders again this season and the Falcons are looking like they may be ready to challenge for the NFC championship. This preseason week three game will be a battle for the first half, and it will be a very important game in the development of the Atlanta offense.

Pick: Atlanta Falcons