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NFL Week 17 Betting: San Diego Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders Odds, Prediction, and Pick

Oakland Raiders

This weekend features a few big time NFC West match-ups, and this is just one of them.  The Oakland Raiders get to be at home in a must win situation, where they could potentially be looking at a playoff spot if a few things are to happen for them.  For starters, if the Broncos lose and the Raiders win, then they are in.  They can also make it by the Bengals losing, who are up against the Baltimore Ravens this weekend.  Oakland definitely has their work cut out for them though, as they are up against a San Diego Chargers team who almost made a last season push to get into the playoff hunt themselves.  The Raiders are 8-7 currently, while the Chargers are sitting at 7-8.

The Raiders would love to get into the playoffs this year, especially after making that huge trade for Carson Palmer during the season.  The team has also been without their starting running back Darren McFadden for a long stretch now, and the team is also in the midst of a season in which their owner, Al Davis, passed away.  The Raiders would definitely be an underdog story if they made it into the playoffs, but beating the Chargers won’t be a walk.  The Raiders will need a big game from running back Michael Bush (and McFadden if he plays), and will also need Carson Palmer to avoid turning the ball over.

As far as the Chargers go, they are led by a quarterback in Philip Rivers who will be headed to the Pro Bowl, but struggled with turnovers this season.  He finally seemed to get it going the past few weeks (until last week), and he’ll look to end the season on a strong note with a win over a divisional rival.  The Chargers could also be potentially playing for their head coaches job, unless Norv Turner is already on his way out the door after missing the playoffs once again.

Odds and Sports Betting Line

San Diego Chargers: +3

Oakland Raiders: -3

Free Prediction

It’s tough not to like the Raiders right now.  This team is playing with a chip on their shoulder, and while they haven’t looked great down the home stretch of the season, the Chargers really do have nothing to play for.  You can never underestimate a team coming off of a game in which their season came to an end.  This, mixed with the fact that the Raiders are at home is why I’m taking the Raiders to win it by four.

Prediction:  Oakland Raiders- 28 San Diego Chargers- 24

Free Pick

It seems that quite a few of these home teams who are in must win situations find themselves as small favorites at home (right around a field goal).  This one is just that situation, as the Raiders are three point favorites on their home field.  I think that the Chargers will be pretty un-interested in this game, and that it will be a big help.  Hue Jackson will have his team ready, and they’ll come out and pull out the win.  I also think that they will sneak a cover here too, so I’m picking the Raiders.

Pick:  Oakland Raiders -3

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Week 17 Betting: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants Odds, Prediction, and Pick

Dallas Cowboys

You simply have to love this situation here.  This is what NFL football is all about, and this weekends match-up between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants is going to be one of the best games of the entire weekend.  The Cowboys head on the road, and the winner of this game will take down the NFC East crown.  Both teams are sitting at 8-7 overall, and to break it down for you, the loser of this game gets to watch the playoffs from their couch at home, while the winner gets to head into the big dance as the 4th seed in a tough NFC.  The Cowboys are in a tough spot because they are on the road here, and the Giants are also coming off of a big win against the New York Jets last weekend which put them into this spot.

This is a story of a game between two teams who have been the definition of up and down this year.  Both have had their fair share of bad losses, but both have also had some pretty impressive wins as well.  This game will come down to which team wants it more in the end, because these teams have similar types of squads.  Both teams have strong offenses with a very good quarterback, solid running game, and excellent wide receivers.  Their defenses have been the real problem to this point, as both defenses struggle quite a bit against the pass it seems.  Expect both Tony Romo and Eli Manning to have big games, and we’re looking forward to an exciting game all around.

This one was flexed to Sunday Night Football, so the kickoff will be at 8:20pm.  This one is a tough one for betting purposes, but it’s one that we definitely have a pick on!

Odds and Sports Betting Line

Dallas Cowboys: +2.5

New York Giants: -2.5

Free Prediction

Typically in this situation, I’d lean towards the home squad.  BUT, do you remember that game a few weeks back where the Giants went on the road to Cowboys stadium and pulled off that incredible comeback?  I bet you do, and you can bet that the Dallas Cowboys remember that pretty well themselves.  That’s sitting heavily in their minds, and even more importantly, they are focused on getting to the playoffs.  The combination of those two things sells me on the road team here, and I’m also going with the Cowboys because of how well their quarterback has been playing lately.  Romo is on top of his game, and I expect a solid game out of him.

Prediction:  Dallas Cowboys- 31 New York Giants- 28

Free Pick

I know that the Cowboys are the underdogs here, but that doesn’t scare me away from betting on them.  I will not only be putting down a bet on the Dallas Cowboys to cover the +2.5, but I’ll also put a small bet on them to win the game straight up.  It’s a tough call, but Felix Jones has ran the ball well, and the offense is just clicking (and their last game against the Eagles means nothing to me since they had nothing to play for!).  I’m picking the Dallas Cowboys.

Pick:  Dallas Cowboys +2.5

Side Pick: Dallas Cowboys STRAIGHT +135

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Week 16 NFL Betting: Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills Odds, Prediction, and Pick

Denver Broncos

The Tim Tebow show continues once again.  He’s a popular man in the NFL, and he’s definitely a popular man in terms of my betting thoughts.  It’s not exactly him that I’m loving this week, but it’s simply this game in general that I’m a big fan.  The Denver Broncos head on the road now to take on a Buffalo Bills team who has lost seven straight games, and seems to be headed for an early draft pick.  What’s incredibly shocking about the Bills season to this point is that they are 5-9 overall, but they looked SO good to start the season, and just completely tailed off.  The Bills suffered an even tougher loss than their actual in game losses as they lost running back Fred Jackson for the year.  The remainder of the season will be totally on the shoulders of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and back-up running back CJ Spiller.

Now for the Broncos team.  What exactly are we supposed to say about the Tebow-led squad who simply seems to know how to win.  Sure, they suffered a set back last week against an incredibly strong team in the New England Patriots, but it’s definitely a learning curve right?  The Broncos will get it back together, whether it’s this week or next, and I think that we could be seeing this team in the playoffs this season.  The Broncos are 8-6 overall, and control their own destiny heading into the final two weeks of the season.  John Fox has also been a big part of this teams success in recent weeks, and this week’s game on the road against Buffalo will be a big one for the team.

The game will kick off at 1:00pm EST on December 24th, and will be a nice Christmas Eve day game for all of our NFL fans out there.

Odds and Sports Betting Line

Denver Broncos: -2.5

Buffalo Bills: +2.5

Free Prediction

It’s more than tough to pick the Buffalo Bills during this seven game losing streak that they’re on.  Unfortunately, I don’t think that they’ll snap the losing streak this weekend either, but I don’t think that it’ll go like the typical Tim Tebow game does.  I like the Broncos to jump all over Buffalo and for the team to win in much easier fashion than many people are expecting.  Tebow loves the fourth quarter wins and drama, but don’t expect him to have to deal with the tough comeback in this one.  I like the Broncos to win it by a 10 on the road.

Prediction:  Denver Broncos- 24 Buffalo Bills- 14

Free Pick

While the Bills are only +2.5, it’s not a tough argument to put up that they should be bigger underdogs than that.  They really haven’t shown much potential for a turn around or much life in any of their games in this losing streak.  So in the end, I’ll buy into the Tebow hype this weekend, and I’ll be picking the Denver Broncos to get the win and also cover the -2.5 spread as well.

Pick:  Denver Broncos -2.5

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