The NFL playoffs have officially begun and perhaps the one playoff game that everyone figured would be a blowout might have drastically changed as the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints have suffered some major losses at the running back positions.

Obviously, the New Orleans Saints are not a running football team and haven’t been since the emergence of perennial Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees, but every offense needs at least the threat of a running game to make an offense fire on all cylinders. Continue Reading…

During this NFL regular season, the Philadelphia Eagles took a chance on the rehabilitated Michael Vick as their starting quarterback after seeing Kevin Kolb go down with a concussion against the Green Bay Packers.

Even though most people thought Vick would still be a decent starting quarterback for the Eagles, no one saw the former Pro Bowler turning into arguably the best player in the league and such a short amount of time. Not only has the former inmate gotten his quickness back on the ground, but perhaps the most impressive part of his game these days is his accuracy and efficiency through the air. Continue Reading…

San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos Sun. Jan. 2^nd 2010 4:15pm EST

Arguably two of the most disappointing teams in the NFL this season have to be the Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers. Not only did this two AFC West division rivals have high hopes for this season, but neither one of them will come into this game with anything on the line.

Despite being one of the best teams statistically on both sides of the football this season, the San Diego Chargers just could not stay healthy and as a result were unable to get back into the playoffs. Along with their woes on the injury front, quarterback Philip Rivers was having an MVP caliber season under center as he was playing arguably the best football of his career so far in San Diego.

The Denver Broncos on the other hand have been awful from start to finish as they haven’t played well on either side of the football this season. At times, the Broncos offense had looked promising with quarterback Kyle Orton striking up some chemistry with wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, but the combination wasn’t good enough to lead this team to victory consistently.

Fortunately for Denver, they finally decided to get their rookie quarterback Tim Tebow under center for the final three games and so far the results have been much better than expected. Even though people have doubted this kid ever since the Broncos drafted him in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft, Tebow has kept his head up and played brilliantly as of late.

With 300+ passing yards, two total touchdowns (one rushing, one passing) and just one interception in the thrilling win over the Houston Texans last week, the former Heisman trophy winner has really started to pay off and officially become the future of this struggling NFL franchise.

In Week 17, Tebow will get his third consecutive start and even though the Chargers will almost certainly be favored to win this game, I believe the Broncos will pull off another upset with the young kid under center.

Odds and lines for this matchup by leading sports betting sites:

Bookmaker Sportsbook:
Spread: San Diego Chargers -3 & Denver Broncos +3
Moneyline: San Diego Chargers -175 & Denver Broncos +155
Over/Under: San Diego Chargers 110 over & Denver Broncos 110 under (47.5)

BetDSI Sportsbook:
Spread: San Diego Chargers -3 & Denver Broncos +3
Moneyline: San Diego Chargers -175 & Denver Broncos +155
Over/Under: San Diego Chargers 110 over & Denver Broncos 110 under (47.5)

New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons Mon. Dec. 27^th 2010 8:30pm EST

The NFC South division has been amongst the most competitive in the NFL this season and has come down to just one game to decide the division title. This Monday night, the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints will take on the division-leading Atlanta Falcons in what will almost certainly be the game of the week and possibly the game of the year. Continue Reading…

Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns Sun. Dec. 26^th 2010 1pm EST

The Baltimore Ravens are without a doubt one of the best teams in the league this season as they have finally been able to compliment their lockdown defense with a potent offense, but despite playing extremely well throughout the entire regular season, the Ravens are still sitting behind the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North division.

With a win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 16, the Baltimore Ravens will greatly improve their chances of contending for the AFC North division title and getting back into the playoffs, but they may have their work cut out for them this weekend as they will be taking on one of the best young running backs in the league in Peyton Hillis.

The Browns best threat against the tough defense of the Ravens is without a doubt the hardnosed running of Hillis, but he is listed questionable right now with an undisclosed injury. Even though questionable is never a good playing status to get from arguably your best player, the team is confident he will be on the field this Sunday.

As of right now, the Baltimore Ravens are the favorites to come out on top in this matchup, but only by a small margin as they have been just a -3 point edge.

With that being said, the Browns aren’t being underestimated this week as they have beaten some of the best teams in the league this season like the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints and the New England Patriots, but I am not sure if they can contend with the Baltimore Ravens who are still in the running for the AFC North division title and will be fighting for their playoff lives .

Odds and lines for this matchup by leading online sportsbooks:

BetUS Sportsbook:
Spread: Baltimore Ravens -3 & Cleveland Browns +3
Moneyline: Baltimore Ravens -200 & Cleveland Browns +170
Over/Under: Baltimore Ravens 110 over & Cleveland Browns 110 under (39.5)

DSI Diamond Sportsbook:
Spread: Baltimore Ravens -3 & Cleveland Browns +3
Moneyline: Baltimore Ravens -200 & Cleveland Browns +170
Over/Under: Baltimore Ravens 110 over & Cleveland Browns 110 under (39.5)

New York Jets @ Chicago Bears Sun. Dec. 26^th 2010 1pm EST

The New York Jets and the Chicago Bears have arguably two of the best defenses in the league this season, but heading into Week 16’s showdown between these two great defenses, only the Bears have been able to punch their ticket into the playoffs while the Jets fate is still to be determined. Continue Reading…

San Francisco 49ers @ St. Louis Rams Sun. Dec. 26^th 2010 1pm EST

The NFC West division is without a doubt the new worst division in the NFL as the first (St. Louis Rams) and second place (Seattle Seahawks) teams have identical losing records at 6-8, but the division is the worst in the league, the division winner will still make the playoffs.

Coming into Week 16, the St. Louis Rams and number one overall pick Sam Bradford are leading the way in the division, but they will need to win their next two games in order to hold off the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers from reaching the top spot in the NFC West. Continue Reading…

Green Bay Packers @ New England Patriots Sun. Dec. 19^th 2010 8:20pm EST

Earlier in the NFL regular season, this matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the New England patriots would have been a possible preview of the Super Bowl, but heading into week 15 it is looking more like another easy win for the red hot Patriots. Continue Reading…

Kansas City Chiefs @ St. Louis Rams Sun. Dec. 19^th 2010 1pm EST

The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off their worst loss of the season to the division rival San Diego Chargers where they were shutout 31-0, but they will have an opportunity to get back on track in Week 15 as they will take on another division leader in rookie Sam Bradford’s St. Louis Rams.

Even though the Kansas City Chiefs are still feeling the painful sting of getting destroyed by Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers last week, the AFC West’s 1^st place team should have their starting quarterback Matt Cassel back under center this Sunday when they head to St. Louis to take on a surprisingly good Rams squad. Continue Reading…

Usually the AFC South division is dominated by four-time NFL MVP quarterback Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, but this season it seems like things might be changing within the division. The Jacksonville Jaguars have really been able to come on strong as of late while flying under the radar as the division leader for most of the year. Continue Reading…