Saturday, September 28, 2013

NFC East Week 4 Preview and "Pick of the Week"

The NFC East is rapidly becoming one of the weakest divisions in the NFL with an overall record of just 3-9 through the first three weeks of the season. New York and Washington are still looking for their first win of the year and the Eagles have reverted to their old ways with back-to-back losses to San Diego and Kansas City.

In one of the more unique scheduling twists in the NFL, all four teams will face an AFC West opponent on the road this Sunday afternoon. The Giants square off against the Chiefs in a 1 p.m. start and the Eagles, Redskins and Cowboys all have late afternoon tilts out west. Philadelphia has the unenviable task of facing the best overall team in the AFC with a trip to Mile High to play Denver. It has been listed as a 12-point underdog for this matchup and will struggle to keep things that close.

Over the years Peyton Manning has had a field day playing the Birds in his days as the Colts' quarterback. With arguably the best receiving corps in the league, he should have no problem lighting-up the scoreboard this time around as well against an Eagles' pass defense that is ranked 29th in the league. My only hope for this game is that Chip Kelly's offense resembles the one that sliced and diced the Redskins on opening day and not that one that gift wrapped the game last week against Andy Reid's Chiefs with five turnovers. I think both teams are going to light it up this Sunday afternoon so much so that I have made this game my NFC East "Pick of the Week" with a play on the OVER 57 on the total line.

The following is a link to my complete preview of Week 4 in the NFC East as part of an ongoing series for Doc's Sports. I am 2-1 on my weekly pick in the division this season after going against the Giants in the first two weeks before getting suckered in on taking them against Carolina last week. I am more than confident that this week's pick will get me back to my winning ways.

NFC East Weekly NFL Betting Picks: Week 4

Thursday, September 26, 2013

NFL Top 3 "Over/Under Picks for Week 4

The total stayed UNDER in nine of 16 games last week as points were a bit harder to come by for quite a few teams including the Eagles. They only managed to score 16 points against Andy Reid's Kansas City Chiefs in a rather ugly 26-16 loss.

The Birds racked-up 33 points against Washington in their season opener and 30 points in a losing cause against San Diego. Less points may be directly proportional to more turnovers considering that they turned the ball over five times against the Chiefs after committing just two turnovers in their first two games. This has been the Eagles' Achilles' Heal the past two seasons so lets hope that last Thursday night's game was just an aberration and not the start of another season long trend.

Getting back to scoring points, Philly faces the highest scoring team in the NFL this Sunday with a defense that is ranked 26th in the league in points allowed. To make matters worse, Denver quarterback Peyton Manning's first three games puts the future 'Hall of Famer' on pace to shatter almost every single-season passing record on the books. The only thing standing in his way of another monster day in front of the home-town crowd at Mile High is a Philadelphia secondary that is ranked 29th against the pass. There is no way that the Eagles can win this game and it is highly doubtful they will even cover the 12-point spread on the road. That being said, I am looking for a much better effort from Chip Kelly's high-octane offense that easily takes this game OVER the current 57-point total line. I am so confident that both of these teams will light-up the scoreboard to the tune of 60+ combined points that I made it one of my top three "Over/Under" picks for Week 4.

The following is a link to all three of my picks as part of my weekly series for Doc's Sports. Be sure to check back this upcoming Saturday for my complete preview of all the games in the NFC East this week.

NFL Totals Betting: Week 4 Over and Under Predictions

Saturday, September 21, 2013

NFC East Week 3 Preview and "Pick of the Week"

The Eagles started Week 3 of the NFL regular season with an ugly 26-16 loss to Kansas City this past Thursday night. They are now 1-2 on the year after such an encouraging start against Washington in their season opener. Turnovers were the Birds undoing in their last game, but a reoccurring theme the past two weeks has been a defense that cannot get off the field when it needs to the most. Fumbles and interceptions will never win you too many games in this league, but Philly's defense had the Chiefs pinned down at their own five yard line in a 3-and 15 situation and proceeded to let Andy Reid's new team drive right down the field for the game clinching field goal.

It does not get any easier for the Eagles from here with a date with the best team in the NFL on the slate next Sunday. After the road game against Denver they have both the Giants and the Cowboys lurking on the schedule the following two weeks in what will suddenly be must-win games after a projected start of 1-3.

The following is a link to my preview of all the games in the NFC East in Week 3 along with my 'pick of the week' as part of an ongoing series for Doc's Sports. I am off to a 2-0 start after going against New York the first two weeks, but I am hoping to ride the Giants this Sunday to keep my unbeaten streak alive.

NFC East Weekly NFL Betting Picks: Week 3

Thursday, September 19, 2013

NFL Top "Over/Under" Picks for Week 3

The Eagles have been a dream team this season when it comes to wagering on the OVER on total line with an offense that can almost score at will complementing a defense that loves to give points up in bunches. Even when Philadelphia had a 33-7 lead over Washington on opening day, this defense tried to make things interesting but giving-up three late touchdowns to take the final score way OVER the 51.5-point closing line.

In a shootout against San Diego, the offense made the mistake of scoring too fast and too soon. The result was another Chargers' march downfield to set-up the game winning field goal with just seconds left on the clock. This Thursday night the Eagles welcome former head coach Andy Reid and his 2-0 Kansas City Chiefs to the Linc in what should be an intriguing matchup. New head coach Chip Kelly will get a chance to run his high-octane offense against a Chiefs' defense that is currently ranked third in the NFL. I do not have a formal pick for this game, but I would keep riding the OVER on the Birds with the total set at 49.5 points as both teams should be able to put up some points in this one.

The following is a link to my top three picks on the total line for Week 3 in the NFL as originally posted on Doc's Sports. After a clean sweep last week I am now 5-1 on the year and feeling really good about this Sunday's plays.

NFL Totals Betting: Week 3 Over and Under Predictions

Saturday, September 14, 2013

NFC East Week 2 Preview & "Pick of the Week"

If everything goes according to plan this Sunday in terms of favorites winning and underdogs losing, the Eagles will have carved-out an early lead in the NFC East through the first two weeks of the season. They are listed as 7.5-point favorites for Sunday's home opener at the Linc against San Diego, while Dallas, Washington and New York are all underdogs in their Week 2 matchups.

The Cowboys have a good shot at knocking-off Andy Reid's Chiefs, but I cannot see the Redskins getting past Green Bay on the road and the Giants have a tall task on hands taking down Denver in Manning Bowl III. The one thing I have learned about the NFL over these many years is that once you starting thinking that things are going to go one way, they go in a completely different direction, so the main goal for Sunday is Philadelphia to take care of its business and get the win over the Chargers.

I like the Birds' chances in this matchup, but giving 7.5 points to any NFL team in just the second week of the season is always a risky proposition. Philly should be able to put points on the board behind Chip Kelly's high-octane offense, but I will need to see another dominating performance on the other side of the ball before I start believing my eyes. Do not get me wrong, watching the likes of Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson light-up the scoreboard with big plays is exciting stuff, but if the Eagles are going to be a legitimate factor in the NFC East title race it will be behind a defense that can put pressure on the quarterback, make solid tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage and create turnovers. For the first time in a long time all three of these factors were present in an Eagles' defense that almost brought tears to my eyes in last Monday night's win.

The following is a link to my complete preview and 'pick of the week' for all the Week 2 games in the NFC East as originally posted on Doc's Sports.


NFC East Weekly NFL Betting Picks: Week 2

Thursday, September 12, 2013

NFL Top "Over/Under" Picks for Week 2

The Oddsmakers nailed the total line on opening day in the NFL with eight games going OVER and eight staying UNDER the closing lines. I managed to squeeze-out a 2-1 record on my top plays on the strength of Chip Kelly's offensive masterpiece on Monday night.

I was actually expecting big things from the Birds on the offensive side of the ball against the Redskins, but I had my doubts about their defense after a less than stellar performance in the preseason. Like I mentioned last week, nothing is won or lost in Week 1, but it is always encouraging to jump out of the gate with a win, especially as a road underdog against a division opponent.

I will post my complete preview and “pick of the week” for Week 2 in the NFC East on Saturday, but for now here is a link to my top picks on the total line for this week’s NFL games as part of my ongoing series for Doc’s Sports.

NFL Top "Over/Under" Picks for Week 2

Saturday, September 7, 2013

NFC East Pick of the Week

As part of a new weekly series for Doc's Sports I will be previewing every game in the NFC East with a detailed look at my pick of the week. The new NFL season kicks things off with a bang in the division with a Sunday night clash between the Giants and the Cowboys followed by the Eagles' season opener against Washington on Monday night.

Nothing is won or lost in Week 1 of the season, but the winners in the NFC East this week will have an immediate edge in the title race considering just how competitive this division is shaping up to be. New York is a slight favorite heading into the season but Dallas and Washington are a very close second and third. The Birds are predicted to once again bring up the rear, but that is mainly because of last year's epic collapse. When you look at the projected win totals for all four teams (New York-9, Dallas and Washington-8, Philadelphia-7) the difference between finishing first or last should come down to the final few weeks of the season.

Getting back to the NFL season openers, the following is a link to my complete preview and pick for the NFC East in an article that was posted on Doc's Sports earlier this week.

NFC East Weekly NFL Betting Picks: Week 1

Thursday, September 5, 2013

NFL Top "Over/Under" Picks for Week 1

For the past two NFL seasons I have been making weekly predictions for my top three matchups on the total line for Doc's Sports. While you would have not gotten rich following my picks you would not have lost money either with back-to-back winning records for each season.

Starting this week I am putting my winning record on the line in an effort to extend the streak to a third-straight year. To review all my picks for Week 1 in the NFL just click onto the link below to go an article that was posted on Doc's Sports earlier this week. Just as a bit of a preview, one of my top picks in on Monday night's Eagles game against Washington.

NFL Totals Betting: Week 1 Over and Under Predictions