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**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2016, 06:06 PM

2016 NFL Betting Preview: AFC East

One of the more entertaining divisions in all of the National Football League year after year is the AFC East. The division has been owned by the same team season after season, but the remaining teams do everything they can do dethrone the mighty Patriots.

Let’s take a look at the four teams in the division, with a our 2016 NFL Betting Preview of the AFC East.

New England Patriots

Of course, the deal with the New England Patriots is – what in the world if the National Football League going to do with the Tom Brady deflate gate drama? Of course, this makes a massive difference in how the Patriots fare. If the Patriots lose their quarterback for the first four games of the season, they will certainly fare less than they did last season.

Jimm Garappolo would be the starting quarterback, and he has little to no NFL experience. Dion Lewis is back for the Patriots as their workload running back, and of course you cannot talk about the Patriots without discussion about the toughest tight end in all of the game – Rob Gronkowski.

New York Jets

The New York Jets need a starting quarterback. As of this writing, Ryan Fitzpatrick is still unsigned, and the quarterback for the New York Jets is Geno Smith. If Fitzpatrick comes back, and Brady sits the first four games, then maybe, just maybe, New York has a chance to compete for the divisional title.

Other than that, guys like Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker led the offensive charge. But, as we know – no quarterback play in the NFL = no chance to compete at the top of the league.

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins are waiting for that one season where quarterback Ryan Tannehill looks like a MVP, and leads the team to double digit wins. Adam Gase is the new head coach, and many called him an offensive mastermind for a horrible offense in Chicago.

The Dolphins on the defensive side have a huge contract to Suh, so we will see what happens in South Beach. It does not appear the Dolphins are a playoff team, but honestly, the season comes down to Mr. Tannehill.

Buffalo Bills

Rex Ryan, the head coach of the Buffalo Bills brought his brother Rob in to lead the defense this season. This is a team with all sorts of issues, from their head coach to their quarterback, to who in the world are some of these guys on the roster.

Tyrod Taylor has been okay as a starting quarterback, but put him with questionable offensive linemen, and an average quarterback, and you cannot expect Rex Ryan’s team to find the postseason. Coach Ryan may say all the right things, but in the end, bottom feeders of the division.

Betting on the AFC East

When you are betting on the AFC East, there are a few things you should know. First of all, it’s almost not worth betting on the New England Patriots to win the division. If you bet on them, it’s going to take a ton of money to win anything, and if you lose, you are out a bunch of money.

If you find another team you like; that’s a pretty good bet. To win the Super Bowl – the New England Patriots are by far the favorite; at 15/2 over at Bookmaker. The Patriots are also giving 10 wins as their total, and you can bet over or under. The Buffalo Bills and New York Jets are next.

The Jets are listed at 40/1 to win the Super Bowl at some of our top NFL sportsbooks, while the Buffalo Bills are 45/1. Both of those teams are given the win total of 8. Finally, the Miami Dolphins are 60/1 to win the Super Bowl. If you like the Dolphins win total; they are listed at 7 at BetDSI.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2016, 06:09 PM

Schedule Outlook - AFC East
May 1, 2016

Toughest Opposition - JETS: The Jets went 10-6 last season but didn’t make the playoffs and they will draw a 2nd place schedule this season that is the toughest in the division by the 2015 records, facing teams that went 136-120 last season for the seventh toughest schedule in the league by that measure. The start of the season is particularly difficult facing teams that made the playoffs last season in five of the first six games of the season, a stretch that doesn’t even include either meeting with New England.

Weakest Opposition - DOLPHINS: By a slim margin the Dolphins have the weakest schedule in the division based on the 2015 records but Miami still has six games vs. 2015 playoff teams. With a new coaching staff and potentially some new faces in key positions the Dolphins draw road games vs. Seattle, New England, and Cincinnati in the first month as every team in the East has a pretty tough path in 2016 facing all of the NFC West and AFC North teams.

Toughest Travel - DOLPHINS: Miami always features a heavy travel log with its relative geographical isolation but this season’s slate is particularly brutal in terms of the distance covered. Three trips are over 2,000 miles with three west coast games and the shortest trip of the season is a still nearly 1,000 mile trek to Baltimore. One possible break is that Miami will face road games in San Diego and Los Angeles in succession as they will likely stay on the west coast that week.

Lightest Travel - JETS: Every team in the AFC East has at least two west coast trips but the Jets have four trips of fewer than 500 miles as well. New York will have three sets of back-to-back road games to negate some of the advantage of the shorter travel however and none of the back-to-backs are conveniently tied together to save a return trip home. In two of those sets the Jets have extra time with a Thursday night game on the front end of one set and a Monday night game on the backend of another.

Most Exposure - JETS: The Patriots have five primetime game lined up but the Jets will be regulars on national TV as well with a Thursday night game, two Saturday games, a Sunday night game, and two Monday night games. It has been a four season drought since one of the New York teams made the playoffs and the league is putting the Jets in the spotlight frequently this season as they look to build on last season’s near-miss.

Toughest Quarterback Draw - DOLPHINS: If the Jets re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick the Dolphins will wind up facing 10 games against teams featuring a quarterback that finished in the top 12 of the league’s Total QBR rankings last season. New head coach Adam Gase inherits a team with some talent but as a former offensive coordinator it may be his defense that has the most work to do in the 2016 schedule.

Weakest Quarterback Draw - BILLS: Tyrod Taylor was actually the AFC East quarterback that finished with the best Total QBR in 2015, not Tom Brady and as such the Bills only have four games vs. quarterbacks that ranked in the top 10 of that metric on the schedule. Buffalo will also face four games vs. teams with a new head coach to match the most in the division as hopes for the Bills to break a long playoff drought are reasonable with the schedule ahead.

Best Overall Schedule Draw - PATRIOTS: The numbers might give a slight edge to the Bills but the Patriots have the best schedule in the AFC East for the simple reason that they don’t have to play themselves while the other three teams draw New England twice. The 1st place schedule looks less daunting than usual given that Denver and Houston will have new quarterbacks this season and are question marks to match last season’s success. New England also has extra time before some of the toughest games with the road game at Arizona being in the opening week and a home matchup with Seattle coming off a bye week.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2016, 06:11 PM

Schedule Outlook - AFC South
May 6, 2016

Toughest Opposition - TEXANS: The first-place schedule gives Houston the toughest slate in the AFC South, but they do perhaps catch a break as the matchup with New England comes in Week 3 with Tom Brady currently marked to be on suspension. That game is one of four road games vs. 2015 playoff teams, drawing both Minnesota and Green Bay away from home from the NFC North draw as well as having to go on the road for a matchup with the Super Bowl champion Broncos with Brock Osweiler returning to Denver.

Weakest Opposition - JAGUARS: The Jaguars will only face five games vs. 2015 playoff teams and only two of those games will be on the road with a game at Kansas City as well as the division game at Houston. The Jaguars will face teams that combined to go just 121-135 in 2015 as Jacksonville has to feel good about its chances to show improvement this season. They get the two stronger NFC North teams from 2015 at home while also getting key AFC games with Baltimore, Oakland, and Denver at home.

Toughest Travel - COLTS: The Jaguars are giving up a home game to play in London while the Colts are giving up a road game, but the travel slate actually looks more daunting for Indianapolis. Jacksonville will cover more miles but after trips to San Diego and London in the first four weeks, the Jaguars won’t travel more than 1,000 miles the rest of the season. Indianapolis won’t get the customary bye week after the London game and the Colts also play road games in three of the five games following the overseas trip. The Colts also face two sets of back-to-back road games with a late season duo of Minneapolis and Oakland looking particularly daunting with the Oakland game being a Saturday game for a short week to head to the west coast.

Lightest Travel - TITANS: Tennessee has one of the lightest travel slates in the league as only a trip to San Diego stands out as a grueling trip and ahead of that game the Titans play on a Thursday to allow for a couple of extra days the week they head west. Tennessee plays five games within 510 miles of Nashville and while they do have three sets of back-to-back road games, none of the travel looks particularly difficult. Tennessee has the league’s latest bye week in Week 13 as this team could wear down in November with no break.

Most Exposure - TEXANS: The AFC South is perhaps the least glamorous division in the league, but the 2015 division champion Texans will get four national TV games including two Monday night games. Three of those primetime games are road games as Houston will face two short weeks traveling home after Monday night games vs. AFC West foes. The Week 3 Thursday night will lose some luster if Tom Brady isn’t present, but the storylines will be intriguing for a Week 7 game in Denver.

Lightest Quarterback Draw - TITANS: The Titans will only play two games all season vs. opposing teams led by quarterbacks that finished the 2015 season in the top 10 of Total QBR. Tennessee won’t face either of those games until Week 10 as second year signal-caller Marcus Mariota will have a chance to prove himself without having to go head-to-head with many of the league’s elite quarterbacks. Tennessee allowed over 26 points per game last season, but the Titans might see improvement defensively just based on the schedule.

Toughest 2nd Half Schedule - COLTS: Indianapolis has the benefit of only facing seven true road games, but the Colts pull a difficult closing slate. Indianapolis will face the Steelers and Jets in back-to-back primetime games that could conceivably have playoff implications. That Jets game is a Monday night game that will make it a short week ahead of the critical home meeting with chief division rival Houston. After completing that series which has often decided the division title, the Colts go on the road for back-to-back road games against the Vikings and Raiders with the second of those games being on a Saturday due to Christmas Day being on a Sunday this year. The finale is a home game with the Jaguars, a game that might look tougher by season’s end than it does right now.

Best Overall Schedule Draw - JAGUARS: Jacksonville hasn’t won more than five games in any of the past five seasons but this year’s schedule does appear to present a great opportunity for a breakthrough for the Jaguars to at least become a more respectable team. The Jaguars don’t have an overly daunting road schedule and they also only have one potential cold weather game. Not being slated for more than one primetime game has some advantages with few unusual travel weeks outside of the trip to London, which the team has experience with. The Jaguars play the schedule with the weakest 2015 win percentage and the fewest 2015 playoff teams among the AFC South teams and they will catch some of their division opponents in favorable situations off short weeks or following more prominent games.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2016, 06:14 PM

Schedule Outlook - AFC North
May 11, 2016

Toughest Opposition - RAVENS: The Ravens will draw the toughest opposition in the AFC North with four games vs. the Bengals and Steelers as well as taking on road games vs. the Jets and Patriots. The third place schedule brings Jacksonville and Oakland team to the slate, but both of those squads may be pointing upwards in 2016 after stockpiling young talent in recent years of rebuilding. After the AFC North featured some of the toughest schedules in the league last season, all four schedules fall in the bottom 14 of the ratings this season. Baltimore also has three different sets of back-to-back road games as the Ravens likely have the toughest draw of the group, though it should be a slate that Baltimore can manage to improve on last season’s disappointing 5-11 record.

Weakest Opposition - BENGALS: Cincinnati was the first place team in the AFC North last season, but they are facing the weakest schedule based on the 2015 records in the division, drawing teams that finished just 119-137 last season. The first place draw features games with Denver and Houston, two teams that are both changing quarterbacks this season and the Bengals will play New England in Week 6 in what may be just Tom Brady’s second game. While Cincinnati’s schedule rates narrowly as the weakest among the four AFC North teams, they will make up for it with more difficult travel distances and timing than their peers in the division.

Toughest Travel - BENGALS: Giving up a home game to play in London nearly doubles the travel miles for Cincinnati as that one trip will be longer than the total travel in eight road games for each of the three division rivals of the Bengals. Cincinnati has six trips of over 500 miles on the season and they will be away from home in six of the team’s first nine games while also drawing back-to-back road games twice in the first six weeks.

Lightest Travel - STEELERS: Seven of Pittsburgh’s eight road trips will feature a distance of fewer than 350 miles as only a trip to Miami will require a significant trip as the Steelers have the lightest travel mileage in the league. Pittsburgh does have two sets of back-to-back road games, including facing a Thursday night road game on the second leg of one of those sets, but a well travelling Steelers fan base should have an easy time making it to some of the road games this season.

Most Exposure - STEELERS: The Steelers have four national TV primetime games lined up with two Sunday night games plus they will be involved in one of the two Christmas Day games with the holiday on a Sunday this season. Pittsburgh opens the season with a Monday night game and also will have big Sunday afternoon matchups with the Patriots and Cowboys at home in games that should get strong coverage.

Lightest Quarterback Draw - BENGALS: Cincinnati is only playing three games vs. quarterbacks that finished the 2015 season in the top 10 of the Total QBR rankings while the other teams in the division have five or six such games. Cincinnati will face Ben Roethlisberger twice as well as well as Tyrod Taylor and Tom Brady along with the rest of the division in the AFC East draw, but currently Denver and Houston look a lot shakier at quarterback than returning first place teams usually do. In contrast, the Steelers will have to face Alex Smith and Andrew Luck in the unique second place draw games, certainly more proven signal-callers than Mark Sanchez and Brock Osweiler.

Toughest Quarterback Draw - RAVENS: Baltimore faces six games vs. the 2015 top 10 of the Total QBR rankings. They also will face road games vs. Tony Romo and Tom Brady late in the season, proven quarterbacks that didn’t crack the 2015 top 10. Blake Bortles and Derek Carr are also potentially emerging stars at the quarterback position and those are the two unique matchups that the Ravens will face compared with the rest of the division with those games back-to-back early in the season. Drawing Andy Dalton and Ben Roethlisberger twice each gives the Ravens some tough head-to-head matchups for Joe Flacco as he returns from last season’s injury.

Toughest 1st Half Schedule - BENGALS: The defending AFC North champions will be tested out of the gate with road games in four of the first six games all vs. formidable competition. The only break in that run might be a Week 4 home date with a Miami team in transition, but that game is a Thursday night game on a short week after a huge home game vs. the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos for a less than ideal situation.

Weakest 1st Half Schedule - BROWNS: The Browns are in a major transition themselves with a new coaching staff and presumably a new starting quarterback as they may not be in position to take advantage of a relatively favorable first month slate. The Browns draw four of the first six games on the road, but three of those games will be against teams that are also in transition with a coaching change. Cleveland has the Patriots at home in Week 5 in what could be Tom Brady’s first game of the season hoping to potentially catch the Hall of Famer with some rust. The Browns don’t have a bye until Week 13 and even though the mid-season schedule features more home games it could be a tougher stretch in the schedule with some of the season’s more challenging matchups as a decent start will be critical to avoiding another losing season.

Best Overall Schedule Draw - STEELERS: Pittsburgh drew one of the league’s toughest schedules in 2015 facing nine 2014 playoff teams. That amount is trimmed to just five in 2016 and Pittsburgh has the least travel miles in the league to go along with a schedule that rates 23rd in difficulty based on last season’s records. The Steelers have a central Week 8 bye week and they only have two road games vs. 2015 playoff teams, games that aren’t overly threatening in Washington and the division meeting in Cincinnati. The Steelers also have five games vs. teams with new head coaches this season and anything less than matching last season’s 10-win count should be a disappointment for the Steelers with a favorable schedule draw.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2016, 06:16 PM

Schedule Outlook - AFC West
May 13, 2016

Toughest Opposition - BRONCOS: The 2015 win percentages for the schedules of the four AFC West teams all rate similarly. Technically the Broncos have an easier schedule than the Chargers by one game based on last season’s record, thanks in part to the Chargers facing the Broncos twice. Outside of the division games the Broncos have a tougher draw as the only West team to face the Patriots and Bengals. The Broncos will draw a very difficult home schedule this season as they face four 2015 playoff teams in Denver and they don’t face a losing team from 2015 outside of the division at home.

Weakest Opposition - CHIEFS: By a slim margin the Chiefs have the weakest schedule in the division in 2016.They will only face five 2015 playoff teams although four of those games will be at home. Facing the Jets and Steelers in the second place draw isn’t ideal but a team that won 11 games last season also isn’t hassled with much unusual scheduling, only playing two primetime night games all season while only once playing consecutive road games.

Toughest Travel - RAIDERS: Oakland has one of the highest mileage logs in the league even without a trip overseas to London. Each of the first six road games of the season is at least 1,500 miles away. Oakland will likely opt to stay in Florida in between consecutive games in Jacksonville and Tampa but there will still be taxing travel throughout the schedule. Only the division game in San Diego is fewer than 500 miles away for the Raiders who are not helped by the AFC South and NFC South draws featuring mainly eastern teams as well as the third place draw road game being across the country in Baltimore.

Lightest Travel - CHIEFS: Being one of the most centrally located teams in the league has a big advantage in the AFC West schedule this season. While the Chiefs aren’t exactly close by to any of its division rivals they will only twice play more than 900 miles away this season. The division trip to Oakland is the longest journey of the season while in contrast the trip to Kansas City is the third closest road game on the schedule for the Raiders. Kansas City does have an early week 5 bye but they have a nice balance of home and road games with only one set of back-to-back road games all season.

Most Exposure - BRONCOS: For a Super Bowl champion the Broncos won’t be captured on national TV as often as you might expect with just four scheduled primetime games. One is the opening week Super Bowl rematch and then the Broncos will play primetime national TV games in three of four weeks starting in Week 6. The Raiders actually have three nationally broadcast games on the schedule, one more than a Chiefs team than won 11 games last season.

Lightest Quarterback Draw - CHIEFS: The Chiefs will only face three games vs. teams with a quarterback that ranked in the top 10 of the 2015 total QBR rankings this season as Alex Smith is the only qualifier in the division. Everyone in the division will play against Drew Brees and Cam Newton barring injuries while a game with Pittsburgh is the only unique matchup for the Chiefs against a top flight signal caller. The Chiefs could also catch a break with the game vs. Houston’s new quarterback Brock Osweiler in Week 2 and a still unsettled Jets quarterback situation as the matchup in Week 3 for potentially more favorable spots to catch those quality teams in adjustments.

Toughest Quarterback Draw - BRONCOS: The defending Super Bowl champions will likely open the season with the least regarded quarterback in the division even though veteran Mark Sanchez has had some success in his career and the tandem of Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler didn’t exactly post great numbers despite the success in 2015. The Broncos have a schedule that features five top 10 Total QBR quarterbacks from last season and that doesn’t include games with Andrew Luck, Matt Ryan, or Tom Brady.

Toughest 1st Half Schedule - BRONCOS: Denver won’t have an easy path to get off to a strong start in a new era for the team following last season’s championship. The defense will have tough matchups in the early going with the first three games vs. Carolina, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati. Denver also draws three road games in a four week pan in Weeks 3-6. Early season road games in Tampa and San Diego might also prove more difficult than they look as the game with the Buccaneers is a second straight road game with long travel and the game with San Diego comes on a Thursday night for a very short week.

Weakest 1st Half Schedule - RAIDERS: Oakland will be a popular team predicted for a breakthrough season after showing some promise last year and stockpiling young talent in recent years. The Raiders have the early draw they need to get off to a good start as they don’t face a team that had a winning record last season until Week 6 and only have two such games in the first 10 weeks. Both of those games are the division home games with the Chiefs and Broncos as this is a team that could get off to a fast start. The travel mileage is significant on the schedule however and the Raiders have a very difficult seven-game run following the bye week to close the season.

Best Overall Schedule Draw - CHARGERS: San Diego went 4-12 last season including 0-6 in the division. This is a team that could deserve some attention as a sleeper in 2016 however as the schedule looks promising. The Chargers do have some long travel ahead and more of the difficult games are on the road in 2016 but they draw four games vs. teams with new head coaches and six of the eight home games are vs. losing teams from 2015. The Chargers only have one set of consecutive road games and only one primetime game to face short week scheduling for with that being a home game with Denver. Making a charge to the playoffs might be a stretch but San Diego has a schedule that should allow for improvement in 2016.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2016, 06:18 PM

Schedule Outlook - NFC East
May 1, 2016

Toughest Opposition - REDSKINS: While Philadelphia will actually face seven games vs. 2015 playoff teams compared to just six for Washington the Redskins are the only team in the division that has to face Arizona or Carolina, drawing both of the NFC Championship representatives with the 1st place slate. With the East drawing both the AFC North and the NFC North there are not many easy games ahead for the defending NFC East champions outside of the division.

Weakest Opposition - GIANTS: By win percentage from last season the Giants have the second weakest schedule in the entire league, facing teams that combined to go just 118-138 last season. The Giants also give up a road game to play in London, avoiding a west coast trip to Los Angeles. The downside of the schedule is that four of the six games vs. 2015 playoff teams will come on the road as Ben McAdoo’s first season leading the team might feature a tougher schedule than the numbers suggest.

Toughest Travel - COWBOYS: Even though the Giants and Redskins will make a trip to London this season Dallas has by far the most travel miles in the division. The shortest trip for the Cowboys is around 850 miles north to Minneapolis and Dallas has two back-to-back road game sets in the second half of the season. No team in this division had a winning road record last season and Dallas and New York are both facing four 2015 playoff teams on the road this season.

Lightest Travel - EAGLES: Philadelphia doesn’t have to make a London trip like two of the NFC East squads and the Eagles only have two trips that are more than 700 miles, though they do have to go Seattle, a trip that accounts for nearly half of the season’s travel miles for the team. Philadelphia does have two sets of back-to-back road games in the span of five weeks but the second legs of both sets are short trips to nearby division foes.

Most Exposure - COWBOYS: It is no surprise that this division features the lion’s share of TV games and as usual Dallas will have more than a third of its games on national TV. Surprisingly the Cowboys only have one national night game in the first seven weeks but then will be featured in four nationally broadcast games in a five week span late in the season while being slated for Sunday night games three times. Four of the six national TV games will be home games for the Cowboys but they go on the road following Sunday or Monday night games three times.

Weakest Coaching Draw - COWBOYS: With two teams in the division with new head coaches Dallas will incredibly face seven games vs. teams with new head coaches as they also face the 49ers, Browns, and Buccaneers this season. Dallas may be the favorite to get back on top of the division if they can take advantage of the opportunity with almost half of their games vs. teams that are potentially headed for serious rebuilding seasons.

Toughest Quarterback Draw - EAGLES: An Eagles team potentially poised to start a rookie quarterback will draw a tough crop of opposing quarterbacks on the 2016 slate. Philadelphia has nine games vs. opposing quarterbacks that finished in the top 15 of the 2015 Total QBR rankings and that actually doesn’t include six other games vs. proven veteran quarterbacks Jay Cutler, Tony Romo, Eli Manning, and Joe Flacco.

Toughest 2nd Half Schedule - REDSKINS: Washington could look like a playoff contender in the first half of the season but when they return from London they draw a daunting stretch of games hosting 2015 playoff teams in Minnesota and Green Bay in succession. Following a Sunday night game with the Packers in a playoff rematch the Redskins have a short week to play at Dallas for Thanksgiving. From there Washington has two more road games in Arizona and Philadelphia ahead of a huge Monday night home game with Carolina. The final road game is in Chicago on a Saturday for a short week after the big Monday night test before the season finale with the Giants at home.

Best Overall Schedule Draw - COWBOYS: Dallas does have some tough road games facing the Packers, Steelers, and Vikings but ultimately the team has to feel good about its chances to return to the top of the NFC East. Dallas has a closing schedule that features four losing teams from last season in the final four games including three of those games vs. teams with new head coaches. Despite longer travel than the other division foes there are many winnable road games including games in San Francisco and Cleveland in the first eight games.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2016, 06:21 PM

Schedule Outlook - NFC North
May 9, 2016

Toughest Opposition - VIKINGS: With this division drawing the AFC South and NFC East squads, all four teams have promising schedules. The first place draw for the Vikings delivers a tougher set of games as they are the only team in the division that will have to play the two NFC Championship teams from 2015, Carolina and Arizona. In those two extra games on the schedule, Green Bay draws a still tough pull with Seattle and Atlanta, but Detroit gets New Orleans and Los Angeles while the Bears draw Tampa Bay and San Francisco. Minnesota has a few promising road games, but a pretty impressive group of foes will be visiting Minneapolis for the debut season of U.S. Bank Stadium.

Weakest Opposition - PACKERS: By last season’s win percentage, Green Bay is drawing the weakest schedule in the entire league facing teams that combined to go 117-139 in 2015. Green Bay faces only five games vs. 2015 playoff teams compared with the other three NFC North teams all facing six games vs. last season’s playoff teams. The Packers are the only team in the division that has to play Seattle, but that game is at home and the Packers also get the potentially better two teams from the AFC South at home as well with Houston and Indianapolis heading to Lambeau Field

Toughest Travel - PACKERS: In terms of mileage, the eight road games for the Packers features a very low mileage total and only one trip will surpass 1,000 miles one-way and that is the opening week game in Jacksonville. With that said, Green Bay has a more difficult travel schedule than the mileage suggests with back-to-back road games to open the season plus three straight road games in November. Green Bay will actually play four road games in a five week span in the middle of the season with the last two consecutive road games in that stretch being primetime night games to further disrupt the routine. Green Bay will also face division road games in two of the final three weeks of the season with a short week home date with the Vikings in between those games.

Lightest Travel - BEARS: Chicago plays four of its road games within 350 miles of the Windy City and the Bears only have one trip of over 1,000 miles but that game at Tampa comes following a bye week. The Bears just have one set of back-to-back road games and Chicago will travel the fewest miles in the division. The late season schedule is also favorable with four of the final six games at home.

Weakest Coaching Draw - BEARS: Even though none of the teams in the NFC North changed coaches last offseason, the Bears have five games vs. teams with new head coaches in 2016. Drawing Tampa Bay and San Francisco in the fourth place draw provides Chicago with a few favorable opportunities and incredibly the Bears will play teams with new head coaches in four consecutive games in Weeks 10-13, while also catching an Eagles team in transition in Week 2.

Most Exposure - VIKINGS: The surprise run to the NFC North championship last season has the Vikings in the spotlight in 2016, actually getting more national TV games than the Packers. Minnesota will open its new stadium on Sunday night in Week 2 hosting the Packers and then will also play two Monday night games before a pair of consecutive Thursday games, playing in Detroit for Thanksgiving and then hosting the Cowboys the following week on Thursday night. Minnesota and Green Bay will also face off on Christmas Eve in a game that will likely get a lot of coverage as well if the NFC North race is again tight late in the season.

Least Exposure - LIONS: The Lions are always featured on Thanksgiving and that might be the only time some casual fans get to see Detroit play this season. Detroit will also be involved in the Christmas Sunday game with the Cowboys, but Detroit will not play in any nationally televised Thursday or Monday night games as they are in the regular Sunday afternoon slot up until the Thanksgiving game in late November.

Lightest Quarterback Draw - PACKERS: By not having to go against Aaron Rodgers twice, the Packers certainly have the most favorable draw of opposing quarterbacks in the division. Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins are the only two opposing quarterbacks Green Bay is scheduled to face that finished last season in the league’s top 10 of the Total QBR rankings. Green Bay will still draw some decent competition for Rodgers as they will face Eli Manning, Tony Romo, Jay Cutler, Matt Ryan, and Andrew Luck in five consecutive weeks following the early Week 4 bye week with all of those veterans capable of producing big numbers if healthy.

Toughest Quarterback Draw - LIONS: Detroit has four games vs. the 2015 top 10 in total QBR and most of the toughest matchups at quarterback will be in road games for the Lions with trips to Indianapolis, New Orleans, New York, and Dallas outside of the division. Matthew Stafford will need to play at a high level to match some of the higher caliber quarterbacks ahead on the schedule in 2016 for the Lions.

Best Overall Schedule Draw - BEARS: Green Bay’s schedule rates a bit weaker by the records from last season but given some challenging travel for the Packers, Chicago has to like its chances for an improved season based on the schedule. The Bears have minimal travel and also catch a favorable Week 9 bye week which comes right before the only back-to-back road game set Chicago has this season. Chicago also gets a bit of an extra bye week before that as they play Thursday and Monday games in consecutive weeks for a bonus long week in the middle of the season. Chicago draws a lot of games vs. inexperienced coaching staffs and the Bears will play Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Tennessee, and San Francisco at home for a promising Soldier Field slate for a squad that has struggled at home in recent years. Both meetings with the rival Packers also come in tough spots for Green Bay as the Packers have huge home games with Dallas and Seattle in the games before facing Chicago.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2016, 06:23 PM

Schedule Outlook - NFC South
May 4, 2016

Toughest Opposition - FALCONS: By the win percentage from the previous season, Atlanta has the toughest schedule in the league facing teams that went 142-114. Two games vs. 15-1 Carolina will skew that figure for the three other teams in this division and last season Atlanta had the easiest schedule by the 2014 records to wind up just 8-8 as it is not always a meaningful figure. Atlanta does have seven games vs. 2015 playoff teams and the second place draw makes Atlanta the only South team that has to play the Packers.

Weakest Opposition - PANTHERS: Not playing themselves gives Carolina a huge advantage compared to the other South squads, but given that they already were going to play all the NFC West teams the first place draw of Washington and Minnesota isn’t overly daunting, especially with the Vikings visiting Charlotte. The Panthers only have two road games vs. 2015 playoff teams and the opener with the Broncos looks a little less threatening with the quarterback uncertainty in Denver.

Toughest Travel - PANTHERS: While the Panthers have to feel they have a fairly reasonable draw for a defending conference champion, they will log some serious travel miles with four trips of at least 1,300 miles. Carolina has three games on the west coast and while games in Oakland and Seattle are consecutive to leave the option of saving a flight home, this is a schedule with significant mileage especially for a team in a division with foes that are geographically pretty close together. One break is that the Panthers only have one set of consecutive road games compared to Tampa Bay having two and Atlanta having three.

Lightest Travel - SAINTS: Being further west than the other NFC South teams helps the Saints this season with a bit lighter travel given the AFC West and NFC West draws for the division this season. New Orleans still has some long trips including a game in San Diego that follows a Monday night game as well as a trip to San Francisco and a game at Arizona that is a second straight road game late in the season. The travel is pretty severe for every team in this division as the Saints still have four games more than 1,100 miles away but by a slim margin the Saints have the edge in the division.

Most Exposure - PANTHERS: Not surprisingly, the Panthers will be a showcase team in 2016 coming off a Super Bowl appearance and led by the 2015 MVP. Carolina will open the season with a Super Bowl rematch in Denver while also hosting Monday and Thursday night games and playing on the road late in the season in Sunday night and Monday night games. Carolina will also host Arizona in a regular Sunday afternoon game that will likely be aired in many markets as a rematch of the NFC Championship game.

Toughest Coaching Draw - BUCCANEERS: While the transition to Dirk Koetter taking over in Tampa Bay is less severe as he was last season’s offensive coordinator for the team, the Buccaneers will have just one game vs. a new coaching staff despite seven changes being made across the league. That game is with San Francisco on the road in Week 7. The Saints and Falcons will each have four games vs. teams with new head coaches in 2016.

Toughest Quarterback Draw - FALCONS: The Falcons still feel good about Matt Ryan at quarterback but Atlanta’s defense will face eight games vs. teams led by top 10 Total QBR quarterbacks from last season. In the division, Drew Brees and Cam Newton fit that criteria but Atlanta will also face Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Carson Palmer, and Alex Smith. Derek Carr and Philip Rivers are also on the schedule as it won’t be an easy path for Atlanta to improve its mediocre defensive numbers from the last two seasons.

Toughest 1st Half Schedule - FALCONS: Dan Quinn’s team improved by two wins in his first season and this will be a team that some will peg to get back in the playoff picture in 2016. Atlanta will face a grueling stretch of games in September and October as it won’t be easy for the Falcons to get off to a great start. After opening the season at home, the Falcons are on the road four of the next five weeks. The home game in that run is with the Panthers and the road opponents are Oakland, New Orleans, Denver, and Seattle. The Raiders and Saints look like teams that could challenge for the playoffs in 2016, while Denver and Seattle were obviously two of the league’s very best teams last season as it could be a slow start in Atlanta.

Toughest 2nd Half Schedule - BUCCANEERS: Tampa Bay improved by four wins last season led by Jameis Winston but none of those wins came against winning teams. With a coaching change, the Buccaneers face some tough early season games but the late season schedule looks even more daunting. Four of the final seven games are on the road with the lightest foe in that stretch being a game in San Diego that features long travel. Both games with New Orleans are in the final month as well as games with Kansas City, Seattle, and Dallas and the finale is the home meeting with Carolina as any early season promise could potentially fizzle in December for the Buccaneers.

Best Overall Schedule Draw - SAINTS: If you take away two games vs. Carolina, the other 14 games for the Saints come against teams that combined to go 110-114 last season and getting a third place schedule means drawing the Lions and Giants in the unique games for New Orleans. New Orleans gets Seattle and Denver at home in the West draws and the Saints also have a bye week prior to their home meeting with Carolina. New Orleans only has one set of back-to-back road trips this season and the first leg of that set is a nearby trip to Tampa for a less taxing situation than some of the other teams in the division will have to face. Ultimately not much separated the three teams in the South behind Carolina last season, but the Saints appear to have the best draw of those teams in 2016 and as such may have the best chance to challenge the Panthers.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2016, 06:26 PM

Schedule Outlook - NFC West
May 10, 2016

Toughest Opposition - 49ERS: The West is a loaded division and while the Rams have moved cities, San Francisco is the team in the more major transition with Chip Kelly overhauling the team for the third head coach in three seasons for the 49ers. San Francisco draws the toughest schedule in the entire league based on last season’s records, facing teams that went 142-114. San Francisco faces just six 2015 playoff teams with only two games outside the division, but they also draw three other teams that were 8-8 or better that didn’t quite make the playoffs.

Weakest Opposition - CARDINALS: All of the teams in the NFC West have difficult rated schedules, but Arizona may catch a bit of a break with a first place schedule as Washington and Minnesota don’t look like typical first place squads and the Cardinals will avoid the Packers and Cowboys. The Cardinals have the weakest rated schedule in the division based on the 2015 records and unlike Seattle, the Cardinals will get to host the game with New England and with that being a Week 1 game Tom Brady may not be playing. Seattle does get to host Carolina unlike Arizona, but the Seahawks have late season games at New England and Green Bay in potentially challenging weather while Arizona shouldn’t have to play a cold weather game all season.

Toughest Travel - RAMS: By giving up a home game for a London slot, the Rams will have significant travel this season. Not counting the overseas trip, the Rams have four other games at least 1,600 miles away as giving up the centrally located St. Louis home for the west coast will add a lot of travel miles for the team, particularly with the NFC South and AFC East draw this season. Los Angeles travels at least 300 miles for every road game while only featuring two trips of fewer than 900 miles. The early season travel is particularly difficult with five of the first seven games away from home before the Week 8 bye.

Lightest Travel - CARDINALS: Arizona still has six trips of over 1,200 miles on the schedule as every team in this division will log serious mileage, but the Cardinals don’t have any trips over 2,000 miles compared to every other team in the division having at least four such trips. Arizona does close the season with road games in five of the final seven games for some taxing late season travel, but the Cardinals should be favored in at least three of those road games and the early season schedule looks very favorable before a run of marquee games in October.

Weakest Coaching Draw - RAMS: Despite all the changes for the Rams, the team resisted the urge to make a coaching change and in the new city Los Angeles will draw five games vs. new head coaches this season. The Rams face the Buccaneers and Giants early in the season as well as facing Miami and the 49ers twice as Los Angeles will have some reasonable opportunities and the third place draw might actually be preferable to the fourth place draw that the 49ers have that features the Cowboys and Bears.

Most Exposure - SEAHAWKS: The Seahawks have been in the Super Bowl two of the last three years and Seattle will again be on the short list of contenders in 2016. As such the Seahawks will get significant national coverage, currently slated for three Sunday night games plus Thursday and Monday games on the schedule as well. Seattle won’t play a 2015 playoff team until a Week 7 Sunday night game with the Cardinals and they will have Monday and Sunday night games back-to-back in Weeks 9 and 10, actually featuring a primetime night game five times in the span of nine weeks.

Lightest Quarterback Draw - SEAHAWKS: Seattle has five games vs. the top 10 Total QBR quarterbacks from last season, but early in the season the Seattle defense has to like its matchups with the Dolphins, Rams, 49ers, and Jets in the first four weeks. Things will get tougher in the middle of the season, but ultimately Seattle has to feel pretty good about its draw even with several well qualified veteran quarterbacks on the schedule.

Toughest Quarterback Draw - 49ERS: A San Francisco squad in transition will face a tough crop of opposing quarterbacks, particularly early in the year facing Cam Newton, Russell Wilson, Tony Romo, and Carson Palmer in succession from Weeks 2 to 5. Tyrod Taylor, Drew Brees, Jay Cutler, and Matt Ryan are also on the schedule as the new look 49ers defense will have its work cut out for it.

Best Overall Schedule Draw - CARDINALS: While Arizona’s 2015 season ended disastrously with an ugly NFC Championship performance, the Cardinals have a schedule that should allow the team another opportunity in the playoffs. If Tom Brady’s suspension holds it will provide a big boost with the matchup with New England in Week 1 and Arizona should feel good about its chances for a great start to the season heading into huge games with the Seahawks and Panthers in succession before a centrally located Week 9 bye. The late season schedule is a bit road-heavy, but the matchups are manageable and it would be a big surprise if the Cardinals did not wind up with a strong home record in 2016. Overall, the NFC West has a tough draw with the four NFC South teams and the four AFC East teams looking formidable in addition to significant travel miles across the board as matching the 2015 records won’t be easy for any NFC West team.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2016, 06:28 PM

Back-to-Back Road Games
July 5, 2016

Every NFL team will have to deal with at least one back-to-back set of road games every season. However, not every squad is treated equally by the schedule makers as 75% of the league will play at least two sets of consecutive away contests during the 2016 campaign, while only eight teams have to deal with back-to-back road games only once this season.

Is there an effective way to handicap this scheduling situation by either backing teams in the opening game or fading them on the second leg of consecutive away contests? We’ll take a look back at last season to see if any of these trends are something to keep an eye on for the upcoming season.

The league has cut down on the back-to-back road games from 2015 to 2016. Last season, there were 71 instances of teams having to play away from home in back-to-back weeks, including several times when clubs were scheduled to play three consecutive times on the highway. This season, that number drops to 68, which includes nine times when teams play division opponents in those back-to-back scenarios.

Traveling back to 2015, out of the 71 times in which teams played consecutive road games, 15 of them won each set (21%), while 24 lost back-to-back contests (34%). The teams that fared the best include Arizona, Carolina, Denver, and Seattle, all who won back-to-back away games twice. No surprise that two of them made the Super Bowl (Carolina and Denver), while Seattle and Arizona each were playoff teams. From an ATS perspective, none of the above teams compiled a 2-0 ATS record twice in those two-game sweeps, as the Panthers, Cardinals, and Seahawks all went 2-0 ATS in one set and 1-1 ATS in another set. In spite of not going 2-0 ATS twice, Denver went 3-0-1 ATS total in back-to-back road games, which included a push in an overtime win at Cleveland.

Among the worst teams in this scenario, Baltimore, Cleveland, Jacksonville, and San Diego took the top honors. The Ravens went through a dismal campaign in 2015 which included the loss of quarterback Joe Flacco late in the season. However, Baltimore’s problems began earlier as it dropped a pair of back-to-back sets out west at Denver and Oakland, followed by defeats at San Francisco and Arizona. The only saving grace for the Ravens was the 2-0 ATS mark on the back-end of consecutive road games in the underdog role in close losses to the Cardinals and Dolphins.

The Chargers displayed no success when it came to hitting the road in back-to-back weeks, losing all four times. In September, San Diego traveled east to Cincinnati as a 3 ½-point underdog and lost, 24-19, but were blown out the following week in a 31-14 rout at Minnesota as two-point ‘dogs. The Lightning Bolts dropped a pair of division games in December on the road in back-to-back weeks, but covered each time as a ‘dog at Oakland and Denver.

Jacksonville actually had the rare honor of losing three straight road games in a three-week span, falling to New England, Indianapolis, and Tampa Bay. The Jaguars covered only once in this span as four-point ‘dogs against the Colts, while allowing at least 38 points in the other two defeats. This season, Jacksonville avoided the dreaded run of three consecutive contests on the highway, but the Jags will play four games in a five-week span away from EverBank Field (Week 8-9, Week 11-12).

From an ATS standpoint, teams off an underdog victory on the front-end of a road back-to-back set stumbled to a 5-12 SU and 8-10-1 ATS record the following week in 2015. Underdogs that lost in the first game of consecutive away contests didn’t fare well in the next game on the highway, posting a 9-18 SU and 12-15 ATS mark. However, ‘dogs of 9 ½ points or more in the second straight road game coming off an away loss went 4-1 ATS last season, including Philadelphia’s upset of New England last December.

Is there a tie-in with totals related to teams playing back-to-back road contests? Out of the 71 scenarios in which teams took the highway in consecutive weeks in 2015, the most common total trend was OVER/UNDER 21 times, followed by UNDER/UNDER 16 times. Only 14 times out of 71 did a team cash the OVER in consecutive road games, as Carolina was the only team to do so twice. Out of the 34 instances in which squads cashed the OVER in the first week, the UNDER hit 20 times in the second week last season.

Four of eight playoff teams from last season will play one back-to-back road set in 2016, including the Panthers, Chiefs, Vikings, and Seahawks. Carolina heads to the West Coast in consecutive weeks in late November to battle Oakland and Seattle, while the Seahawks will have back-to-back tough tests at Arizona and New Orleans in Week 7 and 8.

Ten clubs head out of town for three sets of consecutive road games this season, but only one of those teams travel to the same destination in back-to-back weeks. The Ravens drew the Giants and Jets in Week 6 and 7 at Met Life Stadium, but finish up the season at Pittsburgh and Cincinnati the final two weeks. Oakland and Miami each travel cross-country for a back-to-back set, but will remain on that coast for those two games (Raiders battle the Jaguars and Buccaneers in October, while the Dolphins take on the Chargers and Rams in November).

**StarDust Bum** · 07-05-2016, 06:30 PM

Primetime Cheat Sheet
June 22, 2016

The NFL schedule showcases 33 games a season in which teams play on either Monday or Thursday nights, messing with normal routines when these squads are accustomed to playing on Sundays. There are advantages to go against these clubs playing on fewer rest with the case of Mondays, while extra rest for teams taking the field on Thursdays are actually good bets the following week. Let’s take a look at several angles to attack in preparation for the 2016 campaign.

Looking back at the last two seasons of data for Monday and Thursday contests, there were a few things that stuck out. Home favorites on Monday night were horrible, posting a 5-17-1 ATS record since 2014, including a 2-11-1 ATS mark this past season. These chalky home teams actually compiled a 7-7 SU mark, but all three double-digit favorites failed to cover (Week 4 – Seattle vs. Detroit, Week 7 – Arizona vs. Baltimore, Week 10 – Cincinnati vs. Houston). Only three teams were listed as home underdogs on Monday night in 2015, with the Falcons and 49ers winning outright in Week 1, while the Dolphins fell to the Giants in Week 14.

There wasn’t much of an advantage backing teams off a Monday night home game in 2015, as these squads went 8-8 SU and 8-7-1 ATS last season. However, a profitable angle the last two seasons involving Monday night home teams was going against them the following week if they lost on Monday. Teams in this situation have posted a 6-12 SU and 8-10 ATS record since 2014, although this trend went 3-4 SU and 4-3 ATS last season.

Flipping to road teams who were off a Monday night game in 2015, these squads put together a barely profitable 9-8 SU/ATS mark. However, if you backed home underdogs that just played a Monday night road contest, these teams covered in four of five opportunities, including outright victories by Pittsburgh (Week 6 vs. Arizona), Indianapolis (Week 9 vs. Denver), and Houston (Week 11 vs. N.Y. Jets). This season, there are three early opportunities for this situation with Los Angeles (Week 2 vs. Seattle), Philadelphia (Week 3 vs. Pittsburgh), and Atlanta (Week 4 vs. Carolina) all falling into this category.

In 2014, road teams that won on Monday night put together an amazing 0-10 ATS record the following game, while only one of those teams (Philadelphia) actually won straight-up. That number improved last season as these away squads followed up a Monday victory with a 4-4 SU and 6-2 ATS mark, although only one of those teams pulled off back-to-back road wins (Chicago at San Diego on Monday, followed by an upset of St. Louis).

From a totals perspective, the ‘under’ hit in 12 of 17 Monday night games in 2015, including a 4-1 mark to the ‘under’ in games with totals of 49 or higher. The most common side-total combination that cashed last season on Mondays was the Underdog-Under duo, which came through 10 times.

Shifting gears to Thursday, home teams that played on this day of the week compiled a 10-8 SU and 7-10-1 ATS record. That includes New England holding off Pittsburgh in the season opener, 28-21 as both teams were obviously rested, while Detroit and Dallas split their games in Thanksgiving Day action.

One stat that sticks out is how these home squads fared the next week in the role of a road underdog, posting an impressive 7-3 SU and 8-2 ATS record. Among those teams that won as a highway ‘dog include the Giants (Week 4 at Buffalo), Saints (Week 7 at Indianapolis), and Rams (Week 16 at Seattle), all clubs that were receiving at least 5 ½ points.

Listed below are the seven potential situations in 2016 for road underdogs coming off a Thursday night home game.

2016 QUALIFIERS
Week Matchup
5 Cincinnati at Dallas
6 San Francisco at Buffalo
7 San Diego at Atlanta
8 Green Bay at Atlanta
11 Tampa Bay at Kansas City
13 Carolina at Seattle
14 Minnesota at Jacksonville

This season, eight teams will play on Monday night twice (Eagles, Jets, Redskins, Bears, Panthers, Giants, Vikings, and Texans), while no team will be showcased on Monday more than two times. Four squads will appear twice in Thursday action (Giants, Rams, Vikings, and Cowboys), but only New York and Los Angeles will participate in a pair of Thursday night games as Minnesota and Dallas each play one Thursday night contest and take the field on Thanksgiving afternoon.

Listed below is each team’s record in primetime action since 2006 and their record in parentheses from last season. The Cardinals and Broncos each were undefeated under the lights in 2015 as Arizona will appear on primetime in four games this season, including three at University of Phoenix Stadium.

NFC PRIMETIME RECORDS (2006-2015)

Team Games Record (2015) SNF (2015) MNF (2015) TNF (2015)

Arizona 21 11-10 (5-0) 5-2 (3-0) 3-5 (1-0) 3-3 (1-0)

Atlanta 25 10-15 (1-1) 3-2 3-9 4-4

Carolina 20 8-12 (2-0) 2-4 (1-0) 5-3 (1-0) 1-5

Chicago 43 24-19 (1-0) 8-11 13-4 (1-0) 3-4

Dallas 52 29-23 (2-2) 18-16 (1-2) 5-5 (1-0) 6-2

Detroit 12 3-9 (1-3) 0-4 (0-1) 3-4 (1-1) 0-1 (0-1)

Green Bay 40 22-18 (3-3) 12-8 (1-2) 6-8 (1-0) 4-2 (1-1)

Minnesota 28 9-19 (2-2) 4-7 (2-0) 4-8 (0-1) 1-4 (0-1)

New Orleans 38 26-12 (2-1) 11-4 (1-0) 12-5 (0-1) 3-3 (1-0)

New York 49 22-27 (3-3) 11-17 (1-2) 7-7 (1-1) 4-3 (1-0)

Philadelphia 47 24-23 (2-3) 13-13 (1-2) 9-6 (1-1) 2-4

St. Louis 11 2-9 (1-0) 0-1 0-5 2-3 (1-0)

San Francisco 32 18-14 (1-2) 3-7 (0-1) 10-3 (1-0) 5-4 (0-1)

Seattle 24 19-7 (2-2) 7-5 (0-2) 9-0 (1-0) 3-2 (1-0)

Tampa Bay 10 4-6 (0-1) 1-0 2-2 1-4 (0-1)

Washington 31 9-22 (0-2) 4-8 3-10 (0-1) 2-4 (0-1)

AFC PRIMETIME RECORDS (2006-2015)

Team Games Record (2015) SNF (2015) MNF (2015) TNF (2015)

Baltimore 34 19-15 (2-1) 7-5 7-8 (1-1) 5-2 (1-0)

Buffalo 10 2-8 (1-1) 0-1 0-4 (0-1) 2-3 (1-0)

Cincinnati 24 6-18 (1-3) 0-6 (0-1) 3-4 (0-2) 2-5 (1-0)

Cleveland 14 5-9 (0-2) 0-1 2-3 (0-1) 3-5 (0-1)

Denver 42 26-16 (5-0) 13-5 (3-0) 7-8 (1-0) 6-3 (1-0)

Houston 20 6-14 (1-2) 1-4 (0-1) 4-5 (1-0) 1-5 (0-1)

Indianapolis 44 28-16 (1-4) 14-10 (0-2) 5-6 (0-2) 9-0 (1-0)

Jacksonville 15 6-9 (1-0) 0-1 3-4 3-4 (1-0)

Kansas City 15 6-9 (0-1) 0-4 3-2 3-3 (0-1)

Miami 19 5-14 (0-2) 0-2 2-9 (0-1) 3-3 (0-1)

New England 42 30-12 (5-1) 15-8 (3-1) 11-3 (1-0) 4-1 (1-0)

New York 26 11-15 (1-1) 3-3 5-8 (1-0) 3-4 (0-1)

Oakland 14 5-10 (1-0) 0-1 1-6 4-3 (1-0)

Pittsburgh 47 29-18 (1-2) 15-11 (1-1) 9-3 5-4 (0-1)

San Diego 39 22-17 (0-3) 8-7 (0-2) 8-6 6-4 (0-1)

Tennessee 16 7-9 (0-1) 1-2 5-2 1-5 (0-1)

**StarDust Bum** · 07-07-2016, 02:48 AM

2016 NFL Betting Preview: NFC West

Oh, the ever fun NFC West. The NFC West has been pretty solid over the last several seasons, with the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals making trips to the postseason, and even seeing a Seahawks Super Bowl title.

2016 season should be much of the same for the division, with those two teams coming away at the top once again. Here is a 2016 NFL Betting Preview for the NFC West.

Seattle Seahawks

Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks struggled a bit last season, but look for them to come back to their top team in the NFC playing self this season. The Seahawks will be seeking their third trip to the Super Bowl in the past 4 seasons.

The Legion of Boom is back together, by adding Byron Maxwell. If the Seahawks defense stays healthy, yes, they are going to be a ton of contend with. Offensively, we will continue to see if quarterback Russell Wilson can grow, and how will he use Jimmy Graham?

The Seahawks will need help with their running back situation, as Marshawn Lynch is no longer in the picture.

Arizona Cardinals

Bruce Arians is a heck of a head coach, and will have another solid roster in 2016. The Cardinals had a great season until the NFC title game, where they were smoked by the Carolina Panthers. The Cardinals need an every down running back, and will need to keep Carson Palmer from hitting the ground early and often.

If those things can figure a way out, the Cardinals certainly have a chance to repeat last season. Arizona may be testing father time with the use of the 36 year old Carson Palmer at quarterback.

Los Angeles Rams

Whether Jeff Fisher is the head coach in St. Louis or Los Angeles, the one thing remains the same for this franchise. The Rams will likely meddle around .500 for another season.

The Rams have some changes, with Jared Goff likely getting the nod at starting quarterback. The offensive line is a problem for the Rams, and they do not have a top receiver. Those are two big problems for a team with a rookie quarterback.

The big news for the Rams if they will have Todd Gurley for an entire season. Gurley could be the most exciting running back in all of the National Football League.

San Francisco 49ers

If nothing else, we want to see the drama between new head coach Chip Kelly and his starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Will Kaepernick be the starting quarterback for the 49ers all season long? The 49ers do not have a ton of talent, but Kelly will get the most out of this group in his first season.

His system will work for a season or two, as many will have to figure out how to play against it. Look for San Francisco to be better than awful, but no chance they make the postseason in a loaded NFC West.

Betting on the NFC West

When you are ready to bet on the NFC West, the win totals for the teams have been released. You can find the odds at your favorite sportsbook, but here they are:

The Seattle Seahawks are given 10.5 wins for the 2016 season. Next in the NFC West chain of command is the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals are listed at 9.5 wins for the season over at BetDSI.

The Los Angeles Rams, in their first season in their new city are given 8 wins, while San Francisco has a fairly low number next to them. The 49ers are given 5 wins for the season.

The WagerWeb odds to win the 2017 Super Bowl are also out. The Seattle Seahawks are one of the favorites to win it all. Behind the New England Patriots, Seattle is listed at 9/1. NExt, the Arizona Cardinals are 18/1, followed by the Los Angeles Rams at 60/1 and the San Francisco 49ers are 80/1.

There is a look at the NFC West Odds for the 2016 season.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-07-2016, 12:48 PM

2016 NFL Betting Preview: AFC West

The good ole AFC West. Certainly an interesting division that you just never know what will happen. The AFC West sports the defending Super Bowl Champion in the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos will be without their quarterback Peyton Manning this season, so we shall see how they will fare in 2016. Let’s take a look at the 2016 NFL Betting Preview for the AFC West.

Denver Broncos
Obviously the huge news here is the loss of Peyton Manning, and the shunning by Brock Osweiler. Now, Mark Sanchez appears to be the starting quarterback, and he is best known for the “buttfumble”.

Fortunately, for the Broncos, they have a really good defense returning, and the defending was the big key in the Super Bowl title of a season ago. If Sanchez does not work out, Paxton Lynch may get a chance behind center.

Outside of the quarterback situation, another large concern is the offensive line for the Broncos. Two huge question marks, but certainly they will have one of the top defenses in the game.

Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are kicking themselves from a season ago, when they had the chance to knock off the New England Patriots in the divisional round. The big question with Kansas City is much like Denver – can they win a Super Bowl with an average quarterback?

Alex Smith is the head coach, and Andy Reid is the head coach. Once the pressure gets going for Kansas City, it will be interesting to see how they handle it. They have enough returning to make a deep run, but health and quarterback play is what will hamper them.

Oakland Raiders
2016 seems like a season where the Oakland Raiders should finally break out, right? The Raiders are still pretty young, so how will they handle the question. Derek Carr should be in a good spot, as possibly the best quarterback in the division.

Will the distraction of possibly leaving the city be there for the Raiders? The Raiders love their playmakers on the offensive side, and have big hopes for Khalil Mack. If the Oakland Raiders can play defense, they will be solid in 2016!

San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are another team that will have the distraction of playing in a new city at the end of the season. Phillip Rivers is back at quarterback for the Chargers, and Melvin Gordon seems to be the best option to run the football.

San Diego is certainly not out of the question for competing in this division, but fixing their offensive line has to be a priority. San Diego said they would improve their defense over the off-season, which is obviously much needed. The Chargers will be an interesting case study in 2016.

Betting on the AFC West
When you are ready to start making your 2016 NFL Future Bets, there are some interesting odds that you can grab from the AFC West. The WagerWeb odds to win the Super Bowl include the defending champion Denver Broncos at 12/1.

With those odds, the Broncos are the favorite to win the division, and one of the favorites to repeat as champions. Next in the Super Bowl 51 odds include the Kansas City Chiefs at 25/1, followed by the Oakland Raiders at 40/1, and then the San Diego Chargers are given 100/1 odds at Bookmaker.

The win total for 2016, of course starts with the Denver Broncos at 9.5. The Kansas City Chiefs come in next at 9 wins, followed by Oakland with 7.5 and then the San Diego Chargers with 7. Those are the AFC West odds for the 2016 season and Super Bowl 51.

**StarDust Bum** · 07-09-2016, 11:25 PM

2016 NFL Betting Preview: NFC North

The NFC North is one division in the National Football League, where you see a team remain at or near the top pretty much every season. The Green Bay Packers are a team that continues to sit upon the top of this division.

This season appears to be no different, despite the Minnesota Vikings actually sneaking up and grabbing the divisional title a season ago. Let’s take a look at a 2016 NFL Betting Preview for the NFC North:

Minnesota Vikings

Last season, the Minnesota Vikings kind of came out of nowhere to win the division. It’s unlikely this team will sneak up on anyone this season. The biggest issue with Minnesota is their quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater was awful in the postseason loss to the Seahawks.

The defense for Minnesota should be solid again, and Adrian Peterson can still run like the wild. Look for teams to stack the box and make Teddy beat them, which is something he has not consistently done in the past.

Green Bay Packers

If there is one team we could peg into the postseason, it would be the Green Bay Packers. Remember, how close this team was a season ago, and Jordy Nelson did not play a single snap. Eddie Lacy looks to be in better shape to start the season, and of course Aaron Rodgers is the man behind center.

The Packers defense must continue to improve, but if they do, look out. There is a good reason many are picking the Green Bay Packers to win the Super Bowl in 2017.

Detroit Lions

This team could be one of the worst teams in all of the National Football League. Calvin Johnson is gone, which means, who in the world is Matthew Stafford going to depend on throwing the football? Golden Tate is solid, but not a one man wrecking crew.

The Lions were disappointing in the Free Agency market, and still need help on the offensive line. Look for Detroit to struggle to score, and struggle to stop teams from scoring. It could be a long season in blustery, cold Detroit this winter.

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears should be able to avoid the NFC West basement this season. The problem is, Matt Forte is gone, and they are not sure what Jeremy Langford can do. Can Alshon Jeffrey stay healthy and will Jay Cutler stay healthy?

The defense has several new pieces in place, which is certainly something this team needed. Look for Chicago to be much improved from a season ago, but at some point the Bears will pull the trigger on drafting a future franchise quarterback. Until then, no postseason for Chicago.

Betting on the NFC North

When you are starting your National Football League betting, make sure you give a good look at the Bookmaker Super Bowl odds for teams out of the NFC North. The Green Bay Packers, like we said are one of the top favorites to win the Super Bowl.

You can grab the Packers at 11/1 to win the whole thing. The Minnesota Vikings are next, and despite their postseason spot of a season ago, they are still listed at 18/1. The Chicago Bears are next at 50/1, followed by the Detroit Lions, who are not given much of a chance to win the Super Bowl.

The Lions are 80/1 to win the Super Bowl in February. When you are looking at win totals for the 2016 season, the Green Bay Packers are a tough prediction, at 10.5 wins. The Packers could certainly win 11 games, but winning 10 would still be enough to get them into the postseason.

Minnesota is second on the list with 9 wins, followed by the Chicago Bears at 7 and the Detroit Lions listed at 6.5. There is a look at your opportunities to bet on the NFC North at MyBookie.

Announcement

The Bum's 2016 NFL Betting Preview:

The Bum's 2016 NFL Betting Preview:

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