NFL Handicapping: Biggest Betting Questions Heading into Week 3

by George Monroy - 9/22/2015

Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins

The NFL season is still young, yet with the injuries and surprise wins and losses, there are quite a few pressing questions that bettors and fans alike would love to have answered. Indianapolis, Philadelphia and Seattle are still winless, the NFC East is in shambles, while Arizona and New England might be on a collision course to meet in the Super Bowl. Let's take a closer look at a few of the biggest betting questions that emerged after Week 2 of the NFL season.

Can Washington Be A Good ATS Team? : Just when most bettors were ready to write Washington off and ignore them for the season, the squad managed an impressive victory over a solid St. Louis team that was coming off a win against the defending NFC Champions, Seattle. A sub storyline to this question is whether or not Washington can actually win the NFC East. With Dallas' season in shambles because of injuries (Tony Romo and Dez Bryant are both expected to be out for an extended period of time), and with New York and Philadelphia both being winless, Washington could very well steal the division crown (they are currently +600).

On Sunday, Washington showed an improved defense and dominant running game, with Alfred Morris leading the way. The team is currently ranked first in rushing and third in points allowed in the entire league. Sure, those stats are only through two games, but they are still impressive for a squad that was supposed to be nothing more than an embarrassment. Two games isn't enough to make any sweeping proclamations, but Washington has the look of an excellent ATS team.

Can Bettors Still Trust Peyton Manning? : Denver is undefeated, 2-0 ATS and in firm control of the AFC West, but after Thursday night's matchup against Kansas City, the biggest question on everyone's mind is whether or not Manning has anything left in the tank. The NFL legend looked downright horrible during stretches of the game, struggled to make deep throws or put any "zip" into his short passes. Manning was still able to come up big when his team needed him and led a huge drive late in the fourth quarter, so the sky isn't exactly falling.

However, the first two weeks of the season have shown glimpses of a fading star. And when you are involved in sports betting, it's always better to jump off a trend early than late. Even if Manning still has a few more solid games left in him, now might be the time to stay away from quarterback because when things go bad, they can go bad fast.

Is Green Bay the Runaway Favorite In the NFL? :

A win over Seattle is beginning to lose the prestige that it carried the last couple of seasons. Green Bay's win on Sunday, however, said more about the Packers than it did about Seattle's free-falling stock. Aaron Rodgers may be better than he's ever been, the team's defense can produce key stops, and Eddie Lacy is beginning to look like a star. At the moment, the oddsmakers have Green Bay as substantial favorites to win the conference at +180 to Seattle's +550 after installing both teams as co-favorites heading into the season.

Bovada currently does not have Super Bowl odds up, but Green Bay will almost certainly be sitting at the top with New England when they are updated. Rodgers, however, is the MVP favorite at the site and is probably the best quarterback in the game. The season is too young to make definite predictions as to whether the Packers will actually win the Super Bowl, but at the moment the team is at the top of the heap with the Patriots and an underrated Arizona team.

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Pick:	KANSAS CITY CHIEFS -5.5
Start:	December 15, 2024 @ 1:00 PM
Expert:	Doc's Sports

Analysis:

Free Play from Doc’s Sports. Take #465 Kansas City Chiefs -5.5 over Cleveland Browns (1p.m., Sunday, December 15 CBS) The Chiefs keep winning games and sooner or later one of those wins will come by a comfortable margin. I look for that to be this Sunday against a Browns team that is just playing out the string. Cleveland currently sits at 3- 10 and will enter this game having lost 4 of their last 5 games. Their only win came against Pittsburgh in a snow game on a short week. All 4 of those losses by the Browns have come over the posted number for this game. Kansas City is better on both sides of the football, and I just do not see the Browns offense keeping pace. Do not miss out on Doc’s Sports Weekend card featuring top plays in basketball, football, and hockey. We will feature our World-Famous Nonconference Game of the Year in College Basketball on Saturday. This game has won 13 of the 15 years it has been in existence and it is a must have for any big game hunter. Read More Read Less

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