The Miami Dolphins certainly won free agency a year ago, but the team is now feeling some pressure after a disappointing .500 season. They enter this year’s draft with some major needs along the offensive line, though their 19th overall selection could make that tricky to fill.
The Broncos had a great season until they ran into a buzzsaw in the form of the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl.
The Detroit Lions experienced another terrible second half and missed the playoffs in an NFC North that was ripe for the taking.
Without a doubt this franchise needs a quarterback. Drafting in the 8 spot they should have a chance to get one of the top prospects at the position but so far it has not been clear in which way they might be leaning.
2014 NFL Draft Handicapping Tips: St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams enter the 2014 season in a familiar spot – with a top three draft pick and with added expectation that they will finally improve after years of disappointment.
Green Bay defied the odds last season and snuck into the playoffs even though QB Aaron Rodgers missed a good chunk of the season.
Chicago had another disappointing season last year. When Aaron Rodgers got hurt they could have burst to the head of the division but again the second half proved to be more treacherous than expected.
Perhaps no team in the NFL has more pressure on it to turn their fortunes around than the New York Giants – a team that stumbled out of the gate last year, eventually improved but still finishing an uber-disappointing 7-9.
The Steelers got off to a dreadful start last season, looking very old in the process. In the second half something clicked as they went 6-2 but they are still lacking in a lot of key areas – they could probably go best available the whole draft and it wouldn’t be a bad strategy.
The Ravens followed up a Super Bowl season by missing the playoffs. There is always a bit of a hangover after you win the title but this seemed more than that.
The Browns are loaded with extra picks this year and to nobody’s surprise they need help in a variety of places.
The Bengals are coming off a AFC North Division championship and are far from starting from scratch. Even though their defense is highly rated – they were 5th in yards allowed – there is a whole to fill up front with the departure of Michael Johnson at defensive end.
CG Technologies in Las Vegas is first to market with NFL win totals. There are still some free agents remaining on the board, but the majority of the big names have found new homes, and it’s safe to beginning looking for value in these numbers.
CG Technologies in Las Vegas is first to market with NFL win totals. There are still some free agents remaining on the board, but the majority of the big names have found new homes, and it’s safe to beginning looking for value in these numbers.
Capperspicks ATS Previews
We are down to the Final Four in the Super Bowl chase and one could argue that it is the best four teams still standing. Many had predicted just this – a Seattle/San Francisco NFC Final and a Broncos/Patriots AFC Final.
Last week we got our first real look at all 32 NFL teams in action and while most of the favorites held true to form straight-up, there were some golden opportunities to cash-in on some bad lines against the spread. That is bound to hold true again this week so here is my two-team NFL parlay for Week 2 based on lines provided by [dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′].
Pointspread: Green Bay -9
Total Line: 49.5
ATS Matchup Stats | NFL Gambling Insight!
Washington is going to have to quickly rebound from a stunning 33-27 loss to Philadelphia this past Monday night as a three-point home favorite. The total in that game went OVER the 51.5-point line. It found itself down by as many as 26 points before rallying to keep the scoring closer than this game really was.
The good news is that Robert Griffin III finished on a strong note after looking extremely rusty in the first half.
Green Bay had a four-point lead with eight minutes to play in its season opener against San Francisco, but it could not hold on in a 34-28 loss as a five-point road underdog. The total in this matchup went OVER a closing line of 47 points.
Aaron Rodgers had no problem moving the ball up and down the field through the air against one of the best defenses in the league, so look for him to have another big day this Sunday as well.
Both of these teams come into this game with a number of question marks on defense, which should translate to quite a few points on the scoreboard.
The total has gone OVER in four of Washington’s last six games and in four of the 49ers’ last five, so I am going with the OVER 49.5 in this game as the front-end of this week’s parlay. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Pointspread: Seattle -2.5
Total Line: 44
ATS Matchup Stats | NFL Gambling Insight!
Everyone wondered if Colin Kaepernick was the real deal after leading San Francisco to the Super Bowl last season and the third-year quarterback answered that question with 412 yards passing and three touchdowns on opening day.
These numbers are impressive but the 49ers are going to have to do a much better job running the ball to win this game after gaining just 90 yards on the ground against Green Bay.
Seattle has already proven it knows how to win ugly and that was clearly the case last week in a 12-7 victory over Carolina as a three-point favorite on the road.
The Seahawks were held to just three points in the first half and did not find the end zone until five minutes into the fourth quarter. The good news is that Seattle’s defense looked to be in mid-season form; holding the Panthers to 253 yards of total offense.
San Francisco is 1-5 against the spread in its last six trips to Seattle, which is one of the toughest places in the league to get a win.
The Seahawks went a perfect 8-0 at home last season and given that the half point on the spread in in their favor, I am going with Seattle covering the 2.5 points as the back-end of this parlay.
