Week 15 NFL Betting: Cincinnati Bengals vs. St. Louis Rams Odds, Prediction, and Pick
The Cincinnati Bengals are in a serious must-win situation here on the road. Fortunately, they are matched up against a team in the St. Louis Rams who are now 2-11 and have lost four games in a row. Before the season, the Rams had hopes of being able to take down the NFC West, but they were completely done in by the San Francisco 49ers, who have ran away with the division. The Bengals are currently sitting at 7-6 overall, and are on the fringe of making a wild card spot. They are one game back of the New York Jets for the 6th seed in the NFC, and the team will need to get back to their winning ways if they want to make it into the playoffs this season, after losing two games in a row currently.
The main reason why the Rams are 2-11 is partially due to Sam Bradford’s injuries, but also due to the fact that the team just hasn’t been able to get it together at any point during the year. Steven Jackson has been the lone bright spot, but he can’t win games alone, and the addition of Brandon Lloyd at wide out hasn’t helped them out. Now, when you look at the Bengals, the team has been led by two rookies in quarterback Andy Dalton, and wide receiver AJ Green. Cedric Benson has also played a huge role in the offense, but their defense will be the real thing to watch down the stretch of the 2011-2012 NFL season.
This game will kick off at 4:05pm EST, and will be played in St. Louis. This is definitely one of our favorite picks of the week though, as the Bengals are looking to stay in contention on the road.
Odds and Sports Betting Line
Cincinnati Bengals: -6.5
St. Louis Rams: +6.5
Free Prediction
It’s tough not to like the Cincinnati Bengals here. The team is in a situation where they have to win this game if they want to remain as a serious playoff contender, and the team they are playing hasn’t shown much of a pulse to this point. I think that the Bengals win this one in a pretty impressive fashion, and shut down the Rams offense who hasn’t shown much of anything this year. I’m going with Cincinnati to win by two touchdowns and remain in hot pursuit of the New York Jets for that final playoff spot.
Prediction: Cincinnati Bengals- 28 St. Louis Rams- 14
Free Pick
I love getting this line before it hits -7, as the Bengals are definitely a much better team than the St. Louis Rams. The real factor though is that the Bengals have to win this game! Only one of the Rams two wins this season has come at home, so that doesn’t give me any reason to think that they’ll rise up at home and play better than they have all year. I think that the Bengals not only get the win, but also cover the spread of -6.5 I’m picking Cincinnati on Sunday.
Pick: Cincinnati Bengals -6.5
NFL Week 15 Betting: Carolina Panthers vs. Houston Texans Odds, Prediction, and Pick
This is an interesting match-up that we have here between two teams who are definitely on the rise. While the Carolina Panthers are only 4-9 overall, they’ve had a large number of very close losses and are definitely one of the scarier teams in the NFL, who can pull off an upset any week. Now they are up against a Houston Texans team who is 10-3 overall, and has rallied through all types of injuries, including losing two quarterbacks in Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart, their top wide out in Andre Johnson, and one of the best defensive ends out there in Mario Williams. The Texans have already locked up their division, and are now simply looking to hold one of the top two spots in the AFC when the season comes to an end. They are being led by rookie quarterback TJ Yates, who is rivaling the quarterback on the other team, Cam Newton, as a serious play maker.
The Panthers on the other hand are an electrifying offense, who can really go off at any time it seems like. Cam Newton is definitely a front runner to be the Rookie of the Year, and having a nice finish to the season would help his cause quite a bit. The Panthers will rely heavily on Newton in this game, while the Texans will rely on their running game with Arian Foster and Ben Tate.
This game will kick off at 1:00pm EST, and has the potential to be one of the games of the week that no one is really talking about! On top of that, we love our betting pick here as well!
Odds and Sports Betting Line
Carolina Panthers: +6.5
Houston Texans: -6.5
Free Prediction
It’s tough to bet against this Texans team right now who has overcome so much adversity to this point in the season. The Texans 10 win season is no fluke, and I think that they’ll definitely get the job done at home against this injured and below average Panthers defense. The Panthers will keep it close though, and I definitely don’t think that the Texans will be able to pull off a blowout with the large number of injuries on their roster. I’m going with the Panthers to win by a field goal.
Prediction: Houston Texans- 24 Carolina Panthers- 21
Free Pick
If we can get this one at +7 it’d be perfect, but I still like the Panthers to keep this game close. The Texans don’t have the same high powered offense as they did to start the year, but I think that the team is talented enough to win quite a few games. The Panthers offense can put some points on the board, but their real issue is their defense. This makes an interesting match-up, and I think that this game could open a few eyes about both teams heading into the final games of the season. In the end though, I’ll take the Texans to win, but I’m picking the Carolina Panthers to cover the spread of +6.5 on Sunday.
Pick: Carolina Panthers: +6.5
NFL Week 14 Betting: Buffalo Bills vs. San Diego Chargers Odds, Prediction, and Pick
We’re now in the home stretch of the 2011 NFL season, and this week we have a game that is crucial for both teams involved. The Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers are both teams who are 5-7 overall, but the real story is how both teams’ seasons have gone. The Bills have currently lost five games in a row after having an incredibly strong start to the year. The Chargers on the other hand finally got back to their winning ways last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars after losing six games in a row. Obviously, both of these teams are on the outside of the playoff picture right now, but they both still have a shot. The final AFC Wild Card spot holds the Cincinnati Bengals who are 7-5, and while both teams would need a lot of help, the Chargers still have a shot to win their division with two teams in the Broncos and Raiders at the top with 7-5 records.
Obviously what we are getting at here is that whichever team loses this game is pretty much eliminated from any type of playoff talk barring some sort of miracle. The Chargers are at home here, and will need quarterback Philip Rivers to play like he did last week, instead of how he did in the six weeks before that. As far as the Bills go, they’ll need running back CJ Spiller to fill in the shoes of Fred Jackson, since he is out for the year due to injury. Which team will get the job done and potentially keep their whole season alive heading into the final three games of the season?
This game will kick off at 4:15pm EST on Sunday, and should be one of the most intriguing match-ups of the week. Regardless, it will definitely be a great NFL betting match-up!
Odds and Sports Betting Line
Buffalo Bills: +7
San Diego Chargers: -7
Free Prediction
Many people are assuming that the Chargers have finally turned it around after last weeks win against the Jaguars. While the Jags aren’t a great time right now, the Chargers finally looked solid, and while they may have turned it around; it may be too little, too late. The Bills have lost five in a row, but they are a better team overall than the Jags are in my opinion. I think that the Chargers will get the job done in the end though, and the real difference will be the fact that they are at home. It’ll be a close one throughout, but the Bills won’t be able to pull off the comeback in the 4th. I’ll go with the Chargers to win it by 4 here.
Prediction: San Diego Chargers- 28 Buffalo Bills- 24
Free Pick
The line of -7 for the Chargers is a bit high, especially since they are fresh off of a six game losing streak. The Bills haven’t looked great, but I think they’ll keep this game close. So in the end, I’ll be picking the Buffalo Bills to cover the spread of +7, even though I do think that the Chargers will pull out the win in the end.
Pick: Buffalo Bills +7