David Schwab is a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog. While not cheering for his beloved Philadelphia Eagles David can be found working on his blog at www.eaglesinc.com. David wants to hear from you so please comment below.
Chalk one up for the odds makers as last week was pretty even right across the board. Seven teams getting points covered the spread with two teams; Kansas City and Denver losing but covering and five teams; Houston, Carolina, Tampa Bay, N.Y. Jets, and Chicago winning outright.
For the second week in a row the total bet was split right down the middle. Eight games stayed under the total and eight games went over. There were a few teams that basically took their game over on their own. San Diego put up 42 points on Tennessee, Carolina scored 41 against the N.Y. Giants, and Green Bay racked up 48 points against Seattle.
The playoff picture in the NFC is almost in place. New Orleans, Minnesota, and Arizona have clinched their division, Philadelphia has clinched a berth, and Dallas, Green Bay, and New York will fight it out for the final two spots. The AFC, on the other hand is a whole different story. Indianapolis and San Diego have clinched their division, while New England and Cincinnati are one win away from clinching theirs.
The underdogs got the best of it last week as nine teams getting points covered the spread. Four teams; Detroit, Miami, Cincinnati, and St.Louis all lost but covered the points and five teams; Dallas, Cleveland, Atlanta, Carolina, and Oakland all won outright.
After four straight weeks of the under bet dominating the totals line, balance has finally returned. There was a perfect split this week with eight games staying under their total and eight going over, just the way the odds makers like to draw it up.
With 14 weeks of games in the books a few pieces of the post season puzzle are in place and a few more will probably be in place after this week. Indianapolis, New Orleans, and Minnesota are in. San Diego, Cincinnati, Arizona, Philadelphia, and Green Bay can punch their ticket with a win and some help.
For the second week in a row there was an even split between the favorites and the underdogs as eight teams getting points covered with six teams; Cleveland, Miami, Buffalo, San Diego, Philadelphia, and San Francisco winning outright. Home teams were evenly split as well with eight winning outright and eight winning ATS.
Make it four weeks in a row and counting for the under bet. In week fourteen 11 games stayed under the total, four games went over, and there was one push; Denver@ Indianapolis with a total of 44. Scoring continues to drop as there were only three games that combined for 50 points or more while five games combined for 30 points or less.
Indianapolis is 12-0 and on the verge of locking up home field throughout the playoffs in the AFC. New Orleans survived a scare but held on the beat Washington to move to 12-0, clinching the NFC South and is in prime position to secure home field throughout as well. With four weeks to go, everything else concerning the post season is still undecided.
There was an even split between favorites and underdogs last week as eight teams getting points covered the spread. Of the eight, four teams; Oakland, Arizona, N.Y. Giants, and Miami won their games outright. Home teams had the slight edge with nine teams winning outright and ten teams winning against the spread.
For the third week in a row the under bet was the solid play. 11 of 16 games stayed under the total this week which means that in the past 48 games 32 or 67% have stayed under. Ten of the games actual point totals were six or less points from their total line making this an extremely hard bet to figure out this week.
After 12 weeks of football, 11-0 Indianapolis is the first team to officially clinch their division and in the case of 11-0 New Orleans and 10-1 Minnesota it is just a matter of time. Every other division is still up for grabs with some races being much closer than others. New England, Cincinnati, and Arizona all have a two game lead, while San Diego and Dallas each lead by one.
After three straight weeks of the underdogs dominating the picks, last week the favorites rose to the occasion. Only four teams getting points covered the spread and only one team, Buffalo won outright. It was a great week to be home for the holiday as 13 home teams won straight up, with eight covering the spread. For the second week in a row the under was the best play as 11 games stayed under their total, while only five went over.
With Monday night’s New England@ New Orleans game staying under by ½ a point, on a total line of a whopping 55 ½ the under bet was a solid play in week twelve. Eleven games stayed under the total and only five games went over. Defense rose to the occasion as six teams were held to 10 points or less including the N.Y. Giants, Jaguars, and Bears.
With the Thanksgiving Holiday comes the traditional Thursday games, but more importantly it marks the official start of the push towards the playoffs. Teams such as New Orleans, Minnesota, and Indianapolis have basically secured a spot and are now jockeying for the #1 seed. Teams such as New England, Cincinnati, and Arizona are currently in control of their division and fighting to stay on top.
The underdogs ruled the day for the third week in a row as ten teams covered the spread with four teams; Miami, Kansas City, Oakland, and Tennessee winning outright. Give credit to two AFC West teams; the Raiders and the Chiefs for pulling off the most improbable upsets. The home team fared well straight up with ten teams winning outright, but ATS only four homers got it done.
