FOOTBALL NFL ARTICLES

In the last 11 seasons, we have seen two teams finish the year without a single win. The 2008 Detroit Lions and 2017 Cleveland Browns hold the dubious record of being the only teams in NFL history to finish a season 0-16, but they could have company at the end of this season. The gap between the elite teams and the abysmal teams in the league is widening, and there are a few franchises that look set to bottom out this year.... 

Since the first Super Bowl in 1967, undefeated teams have been a rare sight in the NFL. Over the last 53 seasons, just two teams have finished the regular season without a blemish. The 1972 Miami Dolphins went 14-0 in the regular season before squeaking out one-score victories over Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Washington to become the first and only immortal team in the NFL’s modern era.... 

The oldest and fiercest rivalry will kick off the NFL’s 100th season when the Green Bay Packers visit the Chicago Bears in an NFC Central tilt. Chicago made a surprise run at the division title last season and is the favorite to repeat. However, the Bears won’t be sneaking up on anyone this year and the Pack is ready for a return to the postseason after two straight years of inactivity. The health of Aaron Rodgers is key to Green Bay’s success, as is his relationship with new coach Matt LaFleur.... 

NFL Week 1 is finally here, as the Green Bay Packers visit the Chicago Bears on Thursday night on NBC. The goal when we analyze the NFL odds each week will be to see where the money is going and to analyze the biggest early line moves. Week 1 is unique, because the lines have been out for months, so we have to take these Week 1 odds with a grain of salt. We’ll look at all of the games and the line movement, but we’ll be aware that these lines have been out for a long time. ... 

The first two players off the board in the 2018 NFL Draft were Baker Mayfield and Saquon Barkley. The Cleveland Browns seemingly locked up a franchise quarterback by taking Mayfield No. 1, while the New York Giants eschewed conventional wisdom and reaped the rewards by using the No. 2 pick on the electric Barkley.... 

It’s full steam ahead on the Cleveland Browns’ hype train. Even though the Browns haven’t made the playoffs since 2002, most people believe this is the year that the moribund franchise will turn it around. Second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield is the primary reason behind this new-found faith in the Browns, and he is expected to improve on a stellar rookie campaign in 2018. How much will he improve? Let’s take a look at some NFL Player Futures bets and assess.... 

It’s going to be a strange final year in Oakland for the Raiders. The franchise was homeless for a brief period earlier this season as they couldn’t come to an agreement to stay in Oakland, and they flirted with the idea of playing elsewhere. The Raiders looked at moving into different stadiums in the Bay Area and California as a whole, but at the end of the day they decided to play one last year in Oakland. That will likely mean only a nominal home field advantage in the final year before this ... 

This year is a referendum on both Kyle Shanahan and Jimmy Garoppolo. We are now entering the third year of Shanahan’s tenure with the San Francisco 49ers, and the early returns have not been great. While no one can be blamed for Garoppolo suffering a season-ending knee injury last year, the 49ers’ continued struggles in the post-Jim Harbaugh era have led to some muttering about whether either man is the right one for the job. Without significant improvement in 2019, there might be a major shake-... 

Russell Wilson got paid this offseason. After years of Wilson being one of the best values in football due to his rookie contract, the Seattle Seahawks rewarded their star quarterback by making him the highest-paid quarterback in the league in April. Wilson signed a four-year, $140 million deal that included a $65 million signing bonus, ensuring that he will be in the Emerald City for the prime of his career. Of course, such a huge deal means that the Seahawks don’t have the pieces elsewhere tha... 

The Philadelphia Eagles begin the 2019 season as one of the top contenders to win the Super Bowl. The Eagles feature a high-powered offense led by quarterback Carson Wentz and a defense that ranked 11th in the NFL a year ago in fewest yards allowed. The key this season for the Eagles will be keeping Wentz healthy, as they no longer have Nick Foles to bail them out, as Foles is now in Jacksonville. Let’s look at the odds on the Eagles making the playoffs and some things to consider.... 

Is there any team in the NFL that screams mediocrity more than the Tennessee Titans? Three straight 9-7 seasons and one playoff appearance in the last decade don’t inspire much confidence. But, did any team benefit more from the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck? That move likely knocked one team from a postseason berth and if the Titans can come up with another 9-win season or better, their +241 odds to reach the second season are enticing.... 

Through eight weeks of the 2018-19 season, the Washington Redskins stood 6-2 and looked to be the cream of the NFC East crop. Then Alex Smith suffered a nasty season-ending leg injury that could ultimately end his career. The squad nosedived immediately after managing just one win the rest of the way to finish third in the division standings. Case Keenum was brought in during the offseason to help alleviate the obnoxious quarterback play the offense received once Smith went down, and the Skins also selected Dwayne Haskins with the No. 15 pick in the NFL Draft. Unfortunately for whoever resides under center, the wide receiver corps leaves much to be desired. With that, it’s going to be a steep uphill climb for the offense to get much of anything done. Thankfully, Washington looks to be pretty stout on the other side of the ball – especially up front – which will allow it to stick close in a number of games before likely coming up short. Either way, it’s a rebuilding season in D.C. and the Skins odds of going to the playoffs at online sportsbooks reflect just that. ... 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a quarterback at a crossroads, and a new coach who is trying to get the most out of him. Jameis Winston is a former No. 1 overall pick with a lot of talent but he has yet to put it all together in the NFL. Bruce Arians takes over as coach and his vertical offense should give Winston plenty of opportunities to put up big numbers. The Buccaneers need their passing game to excel because there is not a ton of talent on the roster elsewhere. Tampa Bay is a heavy underdog... 

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a very disappointing season a year ago, as they missed the playoffs and failed to win at least 10 games for the first time since 2013. The Steelers head into the 2019 season without Antonio Brown, but they seem to have better chemistry and optimism is high in Pittsburgh that the team will bounce back this season. If the Steelers don’t make the playoffs for the second straight year it could spell the end of the Mike Tomlin era in Pittsburgh. Let’s look at th... 

No team has taken more criticism in the offseason than that of the New York Giants. Dave Gettleman was the butt of numerous jokes after selecting Duke’s Daniel Jones with the sixth pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Many figured the former Duke Blue Devil would be around in the second round! However, the embattled general manager looks to be having the last laugh as good Jones has looked throughout the preseason. That said, the games don’t mean much of anything in exhibition play save for giving players much needed reps and others a chance to make the team. Eli Manning is still likely to be the QB1 once the G-Men lineup against the Cowboys in Week 1. Their odds of going from worst to first in the NFC East ( +2150 ) are much longer than their odds to make the playoffs at top rated sportsbooks. In other words, New York won’t be lacing up its playoff shoes come January! ... 

The New York Jets cleaned house this past offseason and made a number of moves both in free agency and the NFL Draft in hopes of becoming a prominent player in a division that’s been ruled by the New England Patriots since the turn of the century. The Jets have only won the division once during that stretch with the Pats entering 2019-20 having come out on top of the standings each of the last 10 years! To think New York has a realistic shot to dethrone the reigning champs could be foolish, but ... 

The New Orleans Saints are one of only four teams favored to qualify for the playoffs in the NFC at online sportsbooks entering the 2019-20 season. Sean Payton’s squad has the distinguished honor of being the most heavily favored of the four teams ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles who check in at -250. After having their hearts broken by the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams each of the last two seasons, is it really that safe to just assume there’s unfinished business to tend to? As competitive the NFC South looks to be this season with the Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons and even Tampa Bay Buccaneers vastly improved or growing, I don’t foresee it being the stone cold lock oddsmakers are making this wager out to be. ... 

Sean McVay instantly turned the Los Angeles Rams into a contender. The Rams hadn’t posted a winning season since 2003 before he became the team’s head coach prior to the start of the 2017 campaign, but he has showed what a difference the right coach can make. He has helped make Jared Goff into a very good quarterback after he was initially panned as a bust in the making, and the Rams have scored more points than any other team in the NFC for each of the last two seasons.... 

Despite playing in a small stadium with no home field advantage, the Los Angeles Chargers were one of the best teams in the NFL last season. The Chargers turned a lot of heads by finishing 12-4, finishing in the top eight in both scoring offense and scoring defense. If not for a Week 16 loss to Baltimore, the Chargers would have ended up with home field advantage throughout the postseason, which would have made for an interesting spectacle on television. The team is favored to make it back to th... 

Patrick Mahomes took the NFL by storm last season. At the start of the year, people were questioning whether or not the Kansas City Chiefs had made the right move by deciding to start Mahomes and part ways with Alex Smith. By the end of the season, Mahomes silenced any doubters and showed why Andy Reid is an offensive genius, tossing 50 touchdowns on his way to winning the NFL MVP award in his first season as a starter. We’ll see what Mahomes can do for an encore in 2019.... 

The Green Bay Packers are hoping that a new coach will get the team back to the postseason after a couple years of middling results. There was clearly dysfunction between Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers, and the Packers needed to shake things up. Matt LaFleur is a fresh face, but there are concerns coming into this season due to his relative inexperience. LaFleur was only a coordinator for two seasons before being hired as the Packers head coach, and the offense he was in charge of last year was... 

It’s weird even seeing Detroit Lions and playoffs in the same sentence. The Detroit Lions have only made it to the postseason three times in the last two decades. They have not won a playoff game since 1991, and their winning percentage since the AFL-NFL merger is the third worst of any franchise. Detroit might not be making the postseason anytime soon either given the talent on the other three teams in the NFC North.... 

Since Peyton Manning retired at the end of the 2015 season, the Denver Broncos have been trying to find a quarterback. Paxton Lynch, Trevor Siemian, and Case Keenum were all brought in to be the guy, but none of the three players worked out. John Elway went back to the drawing board this offseason, acquiring Joe Flacco from Baltimore and selecting Drew Lock in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Elway is hoping that one of those two can become the quarterback Denver needs to break a three-ye... 

Two years ago, the Minnesota Vikings were one of the best teams in the NFL. They added standout quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency heading into 2018 and expected to be Super Bowl contenders. It never came together, and now people are wondering if the window of contending is closing for this group. It is a huge year for Minnesota, which still has plenty of talented pieces dotting its roster. The current NFL odds are hedging their bets as the Vikings are a slight underdog to make the playoffs... 

The Miami Dolphins have a new coach this year in former Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores, but it is unlikely he finds much success in his debut campaign. The Dolphins lack high-end talent throughout the roster and the current NFL odds have listed them as longshots to make the playoffs in 2019. Miami seems to be in the midst of a rebuild as several of their veterans are reportedly available for trade. It would be a stunner for the Dolphins to be competitive this year....