NFL Top 3 "Over/Under" Picks for Week 9

I have been red-hot on my top three total line picks in the NFL the past three weeks with a highly profitable 7-2 record. This past Sunday I went a perfect 3-0 on the strength of the Cowboys' collapse against Detroit. The best thing about that loss was it kept the NFC East title race extremely tight despite the fact that three of the four teams have a losing record.

One of those teams is our beloved Birds who have managed to score a grand total of 10 points in its last two games with seven of them coming on a Giants' turnover. The only bright spot has been the play on defense. After allowing 26 points or more in four of their first six games, the Eagles held Dallas to 17 points and forced New York to kick five field goals in last Sunday's 15-7 loss. I do see Philadelphia coming away with a win this week partially because it is playing Oakland but mainly because it is playing on the road. The better play in this game is the UNDER on the total line as both teams will continue to struggle to put points on the board.

The following is a link to my top three picks on the total line for this Sunday's NFL games as part of my ongoing series for Doc's Sports.

NFL Totals Betting: Week 9 Over and Under Predictions

NFC East Week 8 Preview and "Pick of the Week"

The NFC East reached some level of respectability this past week now that the team in first place actually has a winning record. Unfortunately it is the Cowboys after the Eagles pulled another no-show at the Linc in the 17-3 loss. This latest setback extended the Birds' losing streak at home to a ridiculous nine games. This home field disadvantage will be tested again this Sunday against the Giants.

I have no real feel for that matchup given the inconsistent, up-and-down nature of both of these teams. The normally reliable Philly offense completely crashed and burned in the Dallas game with Nick Foles at the helm. Michael Vick may be back in the lineup, but I do not have a ton of confidence that he will fare much better. This is especially true if his recent hamstring injury is going to confine Vick to throwing the ball strictly out of the pocket. Philadelphia's defense turned in a tremendous performance last week by holding Tony Romo and Co. in check for most of that game, but it remains anyone's guess what we will get from this group this Sunday.

In the other two NFC East games on the slate, Dallas will have to prove it belongs at the top of heap in the division with a tough road game against Detroit and it is time for Washington to take its beating at the hands of Denver. The Broncos will be going for the season sweep after hammering both New York and Philadelphia and squeezing by the Cowboys in a shootout.

The following is a link to my preview and pick for all of Sunday's NFC East games as part of my ongoing series for Doc's Sports.

NFC East Weekly NFL Betting Picks: Week 8

NFL Top 3 "Over/Under" Picks for Week 8

I am happy to report that after a second straight week of cashing-in on two of my three total line picks, my year-to-date winning percentage is now a respectable 62 percent. That is not too bad considering that even the best sports handicappers in the country hover around 70 percent at best and as anyone who follows this blog on a regular basis knows; I am no sports handicapper!

I decided to stay away from last week's Cowboys vs. Eagles game and I am glad I did. I thought this was going to be a high scoring shootout from the opening kickoff that would easily go OVER an already inflated 56-point line. That just goes to show you that on any given Sunday in the NFL anything is possible. I was actually more disappointed in Nick Foles' performance than the final score. I have always been a huge Michael Vick fan, but he continues to be injury prone and at age 33 he is nearing the tail-end of his career. Foles showed signs of seizing the starting job from Vick after leading the team to victories over the Giants and Tampa Bay, but he took a major step backwards last week against Dallas. I am not saying that Vick would have done much better since the Cowboys appeared to have Chip Kelly's playbook on their sidelines, but he would have kept this game close and winnable with Philly's defense stepping up to keep Tony Romo and Co. in check.

I am staying completely away from this Sunday's game against the Giants as it is anyone's guess what happens in that matchup. I am going back to Dallas for one of my total line picks this week as there is no way this high-flying offense stays grounded for two weeks in a row. The fact that it is playing Detroit is just an added bonus as both these teams have had little problem finding the end zone this year.

The following is a link to all of my "Over/Under" picks for Week 8 in the NFL as part of my ongoing series for Doc's Sports.

NFL Totals Betting: Week 8 Over and Under Predictions

NFC East Week 7 Preview and "Pick of the Week"

I have been nailing it with my NFC East picks through the first six weeks of the regular season with a highly profitable record of 5-1. Last week I had Dallas over Washington and the Cowboys easily covered the 5.5-point spread. Turning to this week's NFC East slate of games, I stayed away from the Dallas vs. Philadelphia game as this one is too close to call. Both teams have the ability to light up the scoreboard on offense, but neither has been able to slow their opponents down on the opposite side of the ball.

Both Dallas (2nd) and Philadelphia (4th) are ranked in the top five of the league in scoring and both are bringing up the rear on defense in total yards allowed. The Cowboys are giving-up an average of 413.2 yards a contest which is ranked 31st followed by the Eagles' 420.2 yards allowed which is ranked dead last. I did think about a play on the OVER in this game with the current line set at 56. I still think that these two will combine for over 60 points this Sunday, but there was another game that I liked better. For the fourth time this season I am using the Giants' game as my NFC East 'Pick of the Week". I went against New York the first two weeks of the season and cashed-in, but they did cost me my only loss of the season when I picked the 0-6 G-Men to win in Week 3.

The following is a link to my complete preview and pick for Week 7 in the NFC East as part of my ongoing series for Doc's Sports.

NFC East Weekly NFL Betting Picks: Week 7

NFL Top 3 "Over/Under" Picks for Week 7

After posting a dismal 0-3 record in Week 5 on my NFL total line picks, I bounced back with a 2-1 record last week that has me a profitable 11-7 on the year. I was tempted to use this Sunday's Cowboys vs. Eagles clash as one of my picks for this week with a play on the OVER despite the fact that the current line is set at 56, but I found three other matchups that I liked better.

This Sunday's showdown at the Linc features two of the highest scoring teams in the league, who also happen to have a defense that has really struggled to keep its' opponents out of the end zone. To me this all adds up to an outright offensive assault that lights-up the scoreboard all day long.

The following is a link to the top three picks on the total line that I did come up with for Week 7 in the NFL as part of an ongoing series for Doc's Sports.

NFL Totals Betting: Week 7 Over and Under Predictions

NFL Top 3 "Over/Under" Picks for Week 6

It has been feast or famine over the past two weeks for my NFL total line picks with a perfect 3-0 record in Week 4 followed by three picks on the wrong side of the total in last week's games. I had the Eagles vs. Giants game staying UNDER which is a mistake I will not make twice until either of these team's defense decides to show up for a game. The good news from last Sunday's much needed victory is that it appears that Nick Foles is more than capable running Chip Kelly's high-octane offense after turning-in a solid half of football in relief of Michael Vick.

I completely stayed away from this week's game against Tampa Bay, as I have no idea what to expect from either of these teams. The Buccaneers have yet to win in their first four games, but they still have a defense that is playing rather well. The Eagles should be able to do a better job this week on defense against rookie quarterback Mike Glennon, but that is never a given with this squad. If I had to make a pick I would take Philadelphia on the road minus the one-point spread, but everyone knows I am a homer so what else would you expect me to say.

Getting back to my top 3 "over/under" picks for Week 6 in the NFL, the following is a link to this week's piece on Doc's Sports as part of my ongoing series.

NFL Totals Betting: Week 6 Over and Under Predictions

NFC East Week 6 Preview and "Pick of the Week"

The much maligned NFC East will have two prime time matchups this week starting with the winless Giants on the road against Chicago on NFL Network's Thursday Night Football. It is hard to argue against all the football experts out there calling this division the worst in the NFL. The numbers speak for themselves with a combined 5-14 record through the first five weeks of the season. Making and even stronger case for this claim is that three of the five wins came against teams within the division itself.

The Eagles accounted for two of them with book-end victories against Washington and New York wrapped around an ugly three-game stretch of football against the AFC West. This run has been good enough to tie Dallas for the lead in the East at 2-3. This week Philadelphia stays on the road to face winless Tampa Bay. This is going to be a much tougher trip than expected when you take a closer look at just how well the Buccaneers have played this season on defense. This unit is ranked ninth in the NFL against the run and eighth in points allowed. The big question for the Eagles is whether or not Michael Vick will be healthy enough to play after tweaking his hamstring against New York. If Nick Foles does get the start in his place, look for head coach Chip Kelly to ramp-up the passing game like he did in the second half against the Giants with Foles at the helm.

The following is a link my weekly NFC East preview and top pick as part of an ongoing series for Doc's Sports.

NFC East Weekly NFL Betting Picks: Week 6

NFC East Week 5 Preview and "Pick of the Week"

This Sunday's showdown between the Eagles and the Giants at MetLife Stadium has to be considered a 'must win' game for both teams considering that through the first four weeks of the season they have combined for just one win. The Birds got everyone all fired up with their rout of Washington on opening day, but those feelings quickly dissolved with three straight losses to teams from the AFC West. New York could have won its opener against the Cowboys if it did not turn the ball over six times. Since then things have gone from bad to worse with three more losses by a combined 80 points.

The big question for this Sunday's game is just how bad are both these teams? I would have to say from the early results that the Giants are in much deeper trouble than Philly given that their problems run straight across the board and in almost every phase of the game. I have not given up on Chip Kelly's up-tempo offense just yet because we have already seen it work when it is properly executed. The Eagles' defense has obviously raised some serious concerns, but you have to remember that this is a whole new scheme with quite a few new faces in the starting lineup. I have to believe that it is still a work in progress that hopefully gets better with time.

I did not make an official 'pick' for this matchup, but I did use it as one of my top plays on the total line this week. I am envisioning a sloppy game with mistakes and misques by both teams that keep the final score close and low.

The following is a link to my complete preview and 'pick of the week' for this week's games in the NFC East as part of my ongoing series for Doc's Sports.

NFC East Weekly NFL Betting Picks: Week 5

NFL Top 3 "Over/Under" Picks for Week 5

As a die hard Eagles' fan I am not too thrilled with last week's slaughter at the hands of the Broncos; however I have to take a moment to pat myself on the back for the correct call on the outcome. I knew that Peyton Manning would have a field day against Philly's secondary and I also knew that Denver's defense would give up enough points to take the total way OVER the 57.5-point line. What I did not expect was how lopsided the final score would actually be. I guess we have to take solace in the fact that the Birds did keep things competitive until halftime.

Moving on to this Sunday's games, I am looking for another big week with my "over/under" picks after going a perfect 3-0 in Week 4. That bit of genius took my overall record to 9-3 on the year, which is the best start I have ever had since I began making these weekly 'total line' picks back in 2009.

I decided to use the Eagles/Giants game in this week's picks after some strong trends for a low scoring game led me in that direction. Both teams are giving-up a ton of points this season, but they are also turning the ball over in bunches which often times will actually work to keep the scoring down. The following is a link to my weekly article for Doc's Sports covering all three of this week's picks.

NFL Totals Betting: Week 5 Over and Under Predictions