Betting the Spread Week 5

Before fantasy football, people made money off the NFL by good ol’ fashioned sports betting. Now there’s even newer ways such as daily fantasy and things like that, but the old school way has always been sports betting. There are three main ways to bet in Vegas. One, you could bet the over/under a combined score is determined and you bet money whether or not the two teams will score more or less than the predetermined number. Two, there’s a money line where teams will get either a plus or minus value. The most common form is betting the spread. Depending on who you bet on, they will give you a score. For example, I’ll be using Betonline.ag. In the same game they’re saying Colts -2, this means that if I pick the Colts they have to win by two or more points.

In this article I’m breaking out my wallet full of Monopoly money and I’m betting $100 dollars on each game. Each week I’ll keep track of my record and my winnings. Let’s get to those games and see if I can make a pile of fake money.

Bears @ Chiefs (Chiefs -9)

Bears: In pick em’s I have the Chiefs winning this one, but the beauty of betting the spread is that the Bears could lose this game and I still win (as long as they don’t lose by more than nine). The Chiefs are a good team and I don’t want to take anything away from them, but they don’t exactly blow the doors off people. In their lone win this season, they won by seven.

Seahawks @ Bengals (Bengals -3)

Bengals: It seems like these guys are baiting me into the Seahawks, but I’m not going to bite. The Bengals have won all their games this year by four points or better so far this year. The Seahawks struggled to beat the Lions, and are quite possibly one bad call away from being 1-3. I like the Bengals in this one.

Redskins @ Falcons (Falcons -7)

Falcons: I typically don’t like picking teams favored by more than five, but the Falcons are red hot. They can beat you on the ground or through the air. They will scare you in the first half because they tend to get better after the second quarter, but the Falcons will win this game easily. I see no reason why the Falcons can’t cover the spread here.

Jaguars @ Buccaneers (Buccaneers -2.5)

Jaguars: These guys are giving the Jags zero credit here. This is arguably a toss up. The Jaguars have only lost by double digits to undefeated teams, beat an awful Dolphins team by three and lost in OT to the Colts. If you have to flip a coin to make your pick em pick, take the team they’re considering the dog.

Saints @ Eagles (Eagles -4.5)

Saints: What have the Eagles done to deserve this kind of spread? They have won one game by seven (not at home), and in their only game at home they lost by 10. This is another game that could go either way. I could see the Eagles winning this one, but by nothing more than a field goal.

Browns @ Ravens (Ravens -6.5)

Browns: Another team that doesn’t deserve the spread. As I said earlier, I only like a handful of teams to be favored over five and the Ravens aren’t in that mix. This is also a divisional game, and no matter the record, these games are almost always close. I just don’t feel comfortable needing the Ravens to win by a touchdown.

Rams @ Packers (Packers -9)

Rams: At first glance I took the Packers, but let’s think about this. One team has covered this spread against them this year, the Redskins. That was a fluke. The Rams have also played three teams that made the playoffs last year and has lost by six at the most. The Rams will probably lose, but they have a good enough defense to keep it close.

Bills @ Titans (Bills -2.5)

Bills: This is the same Bills team that gave Andrew Luck problems, I can only imagine what they’ll due to a rookie Marcus Mariota. Tyrod Taylor has been playing really balanced as well. The Bills are probably going to be down to third string at running back, but they only have to win by a field goal and will do just that, if not by more.

Cardinals @ Lions (Cardinals -2.5)

Cardinals: The Cardinals points for this year averages at 37, and their points against is around 18. They’ve had one bad game and look like a playoff team. If you’re new to football, playoff teams rarely have back to back bad games. The Lions will be lucky to lose by less than double digits.

Patriots @ Cowboys (Patriots -8.5)

Patriots: As predicted Tom Brady would be playing with a chip on his shoulder this year and we’ve seen the evidence of that early. The Cowboys have gone through the ringer with injuries this year, and it’s not a good sign when Darren McFadden is your healthiest option at running back. The Cowboys will get Greg Hardy back, but I think the Patriots will be able to score with more ease than the Cowboys. Pats win big in this one.

Broncos @ Raiders (Broncos -4.5)

Broncos: I’m a Raider fan at heart, but I believe in being impartial in writing. Peyton Manning hasn’t lost to the Raiders since 2004, and has covered this spread every time since. The Broncos have had the Raiders number for a while and I don’t see why they can’t win this one in dominating fashion.

49ers @ Giants (Giants -7)

Giants: The Giants are playing good football. They have extra motivation to win this Sunday night game, especially if their divisional foes all lose. The 49ers had one good game, but have been what we expected since. Giants are the only team in their division I think can cover this spread.

Steeler @ Chargers (Chargers -3)

Steelers: The Steelers are feeling the heat that the Bengals are laying on the division. I know the Steelers are without Ben Roethlisberger but they get Martavis Bryant back and they have arguably the best running back in the game. Once again another toss up, and I like dogs in toss up games.