Among Fab Five Matchups: Niners May Need Help From Above Against Saints
By Charles Jay
With so many teams in a bye week, it’s a big challenge to find an appropriate Fab Five group of match ups in the NFL betting lineup this week, but as BetAnySports customers are well aware, the way playoff qualification is set up, not many teams are out of the hunt yet. So theoretically a lot of these contests can have playoff implications. Check out our NFL Betting Preview below. Let’s start with one that should get a lot of interest in the early time slot.
San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints, 1 PM ET
- BetAnySports NFL betting odds: Saints -6, Total 48.5
Here the Saints are riding a streak of 20 straight victories at the Superdome with Sean Payton on the sidelines, and what is more extraordinary than that is the fact that they have covered 18 of those games! Jimmy Graham was kind of ineffective for a bit, but it looks like he’s dealing with a shoulder injury, with seven catches in last week’s game against Carolina, which by the way, had to give the Saints a real boost, as it broke a road losing streak. San Francisco disappointed a lot of people with their 13-10 home loss to the St. Louis Rams last week. Forget for a moment about the fumble at the goal line with two seconds remaining; they’re offensive line has not protected at all, yielding 14 sacks over the last two games.
Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Jets, 1 PM ET
- BetAnySports NFL betting odds: Steelers -4, Total 45.5
This matchup, in the minds of many, may not be so “fabulous,” but Ben Roethlisberger has been just that over the last two games, with 12 touchdown passes, setting a league record. He has one of the most electrifying performers in the game catching passes for him in Antonio Brown, who has snagged 71 so far. This offense appears to be operating on all cylinders, while the Jets, laboring with a 1-8 record, have been sputtering. But Michael Vick showed at least some signs of life, as he found new acquisition Percy Harvin for 129 yards last week against Kansas City. The Jets can’t defend in the secondary, and that is reflected in the fact that they have only one interception on the season.
Miami Dolphins at Detroit Lions, 1 PM ET
- BetAnySports NFL betting odds: Lions -2.5, Total 43.5
Well, here’s an interesting one, because even though there has been, by all accounts, some internal strife around the Dolphins, this team sent a message that it is a genuine playoff contender with that 37-0 rout of San Diego last week. Their defense deserves a lot of credit, as it has yielded just 27 points over the last three games. Miami finds itself on a 4-0-1 ATS run over the last five games, and Ryan Tannehill, who admittedly is still a work in progress, has actually averaged 45 rushing yards over those five starts. Detroit has gotten the job done with defense as well; they are actually the top-ranked stop unit statistically in the league, allowing just 290 yards per game. And they are getting healthier on offense, as the likes of Calvin Johnson, Reggie Bush and Eric Ebron were able to rest up during the bye week.
New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks, 4:25 PM ET
- BetAnySports NFL betting odds: Seahawks -9, Total 44.5
Yes, we know that the Giants were overwhelmed a bit against the Indianapolis Colts this past Monday night, and now they have to make that cross-country trip to an environment that is about as hostile as exists in the league. It certainly doesn’t help Eli Manning that he doesn’t have Victor Cruz available, but we are very curious as to how far Odell Beckham can go. This guy is fast and athletic, and he could offer a legitimate challenge to cornerback Richard Sherman. There has been something missing with Seattle; maybe it’s all the internal problems we keep reading about, including the ridiculous notion that some players believe quarterback Russell Wilson isn’t “black enough.” The Seahawks are not making money for their football betting backers, going just 3-5 against the pointspread this year. Will they once again make it closer than it should be?
St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 PM ET
- BetAnySports NFL betting odds: Cardinals -6.5, Total 43
Why are we featuring another 3-5 team in a “fabulous” matchup? Well, one reason, as mentioned, is that we have a shortage of such things this week. But it’s also interesting that St. Louis has now beaten the two teams generally considered to be the cream of the crop in the NFC West… well, at least until this season. Arizona is cruising along with a 7-1 straight-up record, and making a great case for Bruce Arians as coach of the year. They don’t seem to do anything better than anyone else, but it’s their overall product that has really worked for them. The Rams are playing their third straight road game, which doesn’t happen often in the NFL, but this is a team that has beaten Seattle and San Francisco in recent weeks, and now looks like it is starting to put pressure on the quarterback (eight sacks last week). So it could be more interesting than it looks on paper.
You can bet all of these Fab Five matchups, along with the rest of the NFL betting schedule, at BetAnySports, we get reduced juice on all of your wagers, which is a huge bonus, along with dynamic lines and live in-game wagering. What are you waiting for?