NFL Wagering Trends
By Big Al McMordie
It may be hot in July, but just think how hot it is in NFL training camps, not to mention the preseason, which is just around the corner. There are hundreds of things that sports handicappers put together for football season. Scheduling and revenge spots, coaching changes, matchups, offensive and defensive upgrades, betting angles are just a few things that handicappers and oddsmakers spend the summer analyzing in preparation for the upcoming season. It is a constant battle to find edges between the oddsmakers and professional bettors. To get you started, here are a few spread trends to mull over on NFL teams for the upcoming 2009 season.
Seahawks: Seattle is 24-10 SU, 21-13 ATS at home the last four-plus years.
Steelers: Pittsburgh is 27-15 SU, 24-18 ATS on the road the last five years. Pittsburgh is also 23-16 under the total its last 39 road games.
Ravens: Baltimore is 33-6 SU/25-12-2 ATS as a home favorite since 2003. The Ravens are 6-10 SU, 7-9 ATS their last 17 on the road, but 55-22 SU, 44-28-3 ATS at home since their Super Bowl season of 2000.
Browns: Cleveland is 30-15-2 under the total the last three years.
Bengals: Cincy is 11-27-1 SU, 17-21-1 ATS the last 39 as an underdog.
Colts: Indy is 35-8 SU, 21-20 ATS at home the last five years.
Jaguars: The Jags are 39-27 over the total the last four years. Jacksonville is also 20-17-2 ATS their last 39 home games.
Chargers: San Diego is 24-18 SU, 26-14-2 ATS on the road the last five seasons.
Raiders: "Just win, baby," hasn ' t worked on the road as Oakland is 9-30 SU/17-22 ATS on the road last five years.
Broncos: If you can ' t stand the heat.The Broncos are 15-21-1 SU, 15-22 ATS the last 37 games as an underdog.
Vikings: Playing indoors on artificial turf presents a challenge for Minnesota when they have to travel and, many times, play on grass. On the road since 1999, Minnesota is 30-54 straight up and 32-49-3 against the spread. Last two seasons: 6-10 SU/6-8-2 ATS on the road.
Eagles: Philadelphia is an incredible 40-25-1 SU, 41-25 ATS on the road the last eight years.
Giants: The Giants are 9-3 ATS the last 12 games as an underdog (2-1 SU/ATS last season).
Bears: Chicago may have a defensive reputation, but the fact is the Bears are 28-18-1 over the total the last three seasons.
Lions: Detroit is 4-27 SU, 14-17 ATS its last 31 road games.
Saints: The Saints are 19-21 SU, 17-23 ATS at home the last four seasons.
Panthers: Jon Fox and the Panthers bark loudly as a dog! Carolina is 26-14 ATS its last 40 games as an underdog.
Jets: When the going gets tough, the Jets get going. The Jets are 34-17 SU, 26-23-2 ATS as a favorite, 19-43 SU, 28-32-2 ATS their last 62 as a dog.
Patriots: New England has the toughest home field edge in the NFL at 58-13 SU, 40-29-2 ATS their last 71 home games.