Jeremy Maclin Injury Update: Receiver Ruled Out Vs. Giants

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter Philadelphia Eagles Wide Receiver, Jeremy Maclin has been officially ruled out for Sunday night's game against the New York Giants with a shoulder and hamstring injury.

WR Jeremy Maclin (shoulder/hamstring) and QB Michael Vick (ribs) downgraded to out for Sunday night's game vs. Giants.

Maclin was banged up last week in the Eagles crushing defeat to the Arizona Cardinals. The 23 year-old wideout has hauled in 46 balls this season for 612 yards and four touchdowns, including a dominant week two performance against the Falcons with 13 receptions, 171 yards and two touchdowns.

Already without quarterback Michael Vick, the Eagles will have to rely more on DeSean Jackson, who was a late scratch from last week's loss because he missed a team meeting on Saturday. Riley Cooper, Jason Avant and Steve Smith will also need to step up in Maclin's absence. 

-- For more on the Eagles and Jeremy Maclin check out Bleeding Green Nation.

Michael Vick Injury Update: Philadelphia Eagles' QB Ruled Out Vs. Giants With Broken Ribs

Eagles quarterback Michael Vick has officially been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Giants, according to Adam Schefter.

NFL Picks Week 11: NFC East Matchups Could Shape NFC Playoff Picture

It's week 11 of the NFL season and we're finally going to see some interesting divisional matchups with major playoff implications. The NFC East teams are playing one another and while the Eagles and Redskins don't figure to be in the playoff picture, they can have a major influence in who does win that division when they play the Giants and Cowboys respectively this weekend.

Then there's the AFC North. The Bengals have been the quiet surprise of the first half of the season, but they complied their their solid record without having to play the Steelers or Ravens once. That means they get the two best teams in the North four times over the second half. They failed the first test at home to the Steelers, but were at least competitive in that game. This weekend they're on the road against a Ravens team that was upset in Seattle last week and will be looking to take that frustration out on someone.

And then of course, there's the NFC West... They all play each other, but it's largely meaningless as the 49ers could find themselves within a game of clinching it already if they beat the Cardinals this weekend.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns (-1) - Games against two bad teams are always the toughest to forecast because they're so unpredictable. Case in point, in both similar historical games models, which involve 100 games... teams like these two are exactly 50-50. The similar spread model does lean toward Cleveland and taking the home team in these spots is always smart. Pick: Browns

Carolina Panthers at Detroit Lions (-7) - It's too bad Carolina put up such a stinker last week, because this might have been shaping up to be a mildly interesting matchup. But really, Detroit has handled bad teams this season. They've not been great against other contenders, but Carolina certainly isn't that. Pick: Lions

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Green Bay Packers (-14) - This is a big line that is begging you to take the Pack. Don't fall for it. The trends almost all favor Tampa to cover here. Pick: Tampa Bay

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins (-1) -The Bills looked awful last week in Dallas, while the Dolphins have been playing much better. The Bills are on the back end of back to back road games as well. Pick: Miami

Oakland Raiders at Minnesota Vikings (+1) - This is essentially a pick-em, so the rule of thumb is to go with the better team (the Raiders). The trends agree in this case. Teams like Oakland have won in 72% of games with this spread. Pick: Raiders

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins (+7.5) - Given how inconsistent Dallas has been this year, they really don't see like a team that should be favored on the road by more than a TD, especially against a division rival. The trends here heavily favor Washington. Pick: Redskins

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens (-7) - One of the more interesting games on the schedule this week, especially considering how bad Baltimore was last week. That said, it was a tough spot for the Ravens. Coming off a win over a big rival, they go on the road for the second straight week, to the west coast, in Seattle... Everything was against them. The trends are very split on this game, but one does jump out. Baltimore has won 64% of the time in games with a 7 point spread. Pick: Ravens

Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams (-1) - This is sure to be an exciting one... Of course I kid. It will probably be an awful game, but it seems like a good one to pick. Teams like the Rams have covered in nearly 70% of games with similar spreads. Pick: Rams

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers (-9.5) - As long as this line doesn't jump to ten, it's a great play for the 49ers. Teams like them have covered over 60% of the time. Pick: Niners

Tennessee Titans at Atlanta Falcons (-6) - The historical and similar games models aren't real strong here, but they all agree that the Titans cover. Pick: Titans

San Diego Chargers at Chicago Bears (-3.5) - A matchup of two of the least likeable QBs in the NFL makes this a tough game to pick a rooting interest in, but not that tough to bet. Trends are heavily in Chicago's favor. Pick: Bears

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants (-4.5) -  The trends are interestingly split in this game. The similar games model says New York, while the similar historical games model leans toward the Eagles. Pick: Giants

Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots (-14.5) - This is one of those huge lines that should raise your alarm bells. The Pats played well last week, but they're still not a great play as a better than two TD favorite. Pick: KC

Week 11 NFL Predictions And Picks: Can The Jets Handle Tim Tebow?

The NFL continues it's slate of Thursday night games this week, with a surprisingly interesting matchup.

Week 10 NFL Predictions And Picks: A Big Week Of Upsets?

It's not yet Thanksgiving, but there is NFL football on Thursday night anyway. NFL Network begins its Thursday slate of games this week, which means at least for Oakland at San Diego game, you've got to get your bets in early.

Week 9 NFL Predictions And Picks: Beware The Road Favorites

The Eagles opened at 6.5 points favorites over the Bears, but are up to -9.

Week 9 NFL Lines And Odds: Philadelphia Eagles Vs. Chicago Bears

The Philadelphia Eagles (-330) are giving the Chicago Bears (+289) seven points in the spread for this Sunday's (Nov. 6) game in Philly with an over/under of 47.

Week 8 NFL Predictions And Picks: Patriots Vs Steelers, Eagles Vs Cowboys Highlight Week 8

There's been some interesting movement in the lines for a few games this week that may provide clues as to which games could be a value for those making picks. The first is the Colts game, which has moved to -9 after opening at -6.5. Obviously the huge blowout at the hands of the Saints has caused a lot of money to go the Titans way in this one. The other big mover is the Bills vs Redskins game, which opened at -4 and is up -6. ESPN's Dave Tulley actually had an interesting stat/thought regarding that game.

Beware of following that move on the Bills, as the new collective-bargaining rules limit the time teams can meet and practice during their bye weeks. This year, we've seen those teams coming off a bye go just 4-8 straight-up and 4-6-2 ATS so far (granted, a small sample).

Typically teams coming off their bye are great bets, with the Eagles being the best example as Andy Reid has won 12 times 12 tries after the bye. However, as Tulley points out, the new rules under the CBA could certainly prevent these teams from really being able to take advantage of the two full weeks of preparation that they get.

One game that has interestingly not moved is the Ravens vs Cardinals game. That opened at -13 last week and hasn't changed even after the Ravens awful showing on Monday night. 13 points is a big number even at home for the Ravens and that could be a chance to find some value.

Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans (-9) - After giving up 62 the Saints last week, it's no shock that the Colts are big underdogs against the AFC South rival this week. While I'm not sure that I trust Tennessee with a big number like this, the trends are unanimous in their support of the Titans. Teams like the Titans have covered 65% of the time in 40 similar games. Pick: Titans

New Orleans Saints at St. Louis Rams (+13) -The converse of the last pick.... The Saints put up 62 on the worst team in the leauge last week and now get to face the other team with the claim to that title. So it does make sense that this line is huge, it's hard to go against a team this big when they're at home. And actually the trends don't have a lot to say. There's only been 1 recent game where a road team was a 13 point favorite. However in 11 games with similar spreads, teams like the Rams have covered 72% of the time. Pick: Rams

Miami Dolphins at New York Giants (-10) -This is really a gimme game for the Giants, although it somewhat reminds me of when they hosted the Seahawks. They were big favorites there and nearly got blown out. The trends do show the Giants as slight favorites to the cover the spread, but it's close. This is a game to stay away from. Pick: Miami

Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers (-3.5) - A matchup of two first round picks at QB, but at this point Cam Newton has had more games to develop and is playing better than Christian Ponder. Ponder did make some plays last week, but the final numbers were pretty dismal. Now he goes on the road for the first time... Pick: Panthers

Arizona Cardinals at Baltimore Ravens (-13) - I actually really like the Cardinals here. The Ravens were very poor against Jacksonville last week and yet this line hasn't budged. I can see why people view this as a mistmatch, but the similar games model says that teams like the Cards have covered over 80% of the time. Anytime you see a line this big in the NFL, the underdog is a pretty good pick historically. Pick: Cardinals

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans (-9.5) - Both of these teams surprised last week, Jax with how they played defense and Houston with their offensive explosion. I'd like to believe in the Jacksonville D keeping this game close, but Blaine Gabbert and that offense have been so poor that I don't have a lot of confidence in them on the road. Pick: Texans

Washington Redskins at Buffalo Bills (-6) - I think the Redskins are actually getting a lot of respect here only being 6 point dogs to the Bills. Given the way they've played recently, this could be a game where the Bills rack up points... and the trends all agree. Pick: Bills

Detroit Lions at Denver Broncos (+3) - The Lions have lost two straight after their 5-0 start and serious questions are starting to be asked about whether they're for real. But I see their defense against Tim Tebow as a huge mismatch. Pick: Lions

New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers (+3) - This is probably the premier matchup of the week and I have to admit my personal biases made me want to pick the Steelers here... but the fact is that the objective info just doesn't support it. The accuscore simulator ran 10,000 times and the Pats won by an average of 24.3 to 20.5. The 25 and 75 most similar historical games models both favor the Pats. Pick: Patriots

Cleveland Browns at San Francisco 49ers (-9.5) - This is a big line for the 49ers and the trends are very split on this one. This is probably the trickiest game of the week from a betting perspective. Since the trends were split, I ran the simulator and it predicted a 10 point 49er win. So again, it's razor thin. Pick: 49ers

Cincinnati Bengals at Seattle Seahawks (+3) - The Bengals have played well recently, but the Seahawks are usually great team to bet on as home dogs. Actually, teams like the Seahawks have covered 60% of the time in these spots. Pick: Seattle

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles (-3.5) - The Eagles are not a particularly good home team (4-6 over their last 10) but they actually are a very good primetime team. The Eagles won all but one of their primetime games last week (with the loss being that odd Tuesday night postponed game) including three big wins over NFC East opponents under the lights. This is usually the point where I say "but it's hard to trust the Eagles this year" however, this is also usually the point where I say that same thing about the Cowboys.... Pick: Eagles

San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs (+3.5) - Given the way these two teams have played recently, I'm somewhat surprised to see the Chargers as better than 3.5 point favorites on the road. Unfortunately the trends offer almost nothing whatsoever. This stat will amaze you... In 75 similar historical games teams like the Chargers are 36-36-3. So it's a dead push in 75 games! So I went with the simulator and it predicted a 6 point Charger win. Pick: Chargers

Week 8 NFL Picks: Big Lines Highlight Week 8

It's all about the big lines this week in the NFL as we've got six games where a team is a double digit favorite or close. That makes it a very tricky week for bettors picking games, so we'll be extra careful to pick apart the trends for some answers as to what to do with these big lines.

It's really just a bad week of matchups, the second in a row to be honest, but the week is saved by a few marquee contents. New England at Pittsburgh should be a great one, Dallas at Philadelphia in primetime is always fun and San Diego at Kansas City is actually for first place in the NFC West. So here are your week 8 NFL picks against the spread.

Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans (-9) - After giving up 62 the Saints last week, it's no shock that the Colts are big underdogs against the AFC South rival this week. While I'm not sure that I trust Tennessee with a big number like this, the trends are unanimous in their support of the Titans. Teams like the Titans have covered 65% of the time in 40 similar games. Pick: Titans

New Orleans Saints at St. Louis Rams (+13) -The converse of the last pick.... The Saints put up 62 on the worst team in the leauge last week and now get to face the other team with the claim to that title. So it does make sense that this line is huge, it's hard to go against a team this big when they're at home. And actually the trends don't have a lot to say. There's only been 1 recent game where a road team was a 13 point favorite. However in 11 games with similar spreads, teams like the Rams have covered 72% of the time. Pick: Rams

Miami Dolphins at New York Giants (-10) -This is really a gimme game for the Giants, although it somewhat reminds me of when they hosted the Seahawks. They were big favorites there and nearly got blown out. The trends do show the Giants as slight favorites to the cover the spread, but it's close. This is a game to stay away from. Pick: Miami

Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers (-3.5) - A matchup of two first round picks at QB, but at this point Cam Newton has had more games to develop and is playing better than Christian Ponder. Ponder did make some plays last week, but the final numbers were pretty dismal. Now he goes on the road for the first time... Pick: Panthers

Arizona Cardinals at Baltimore Ravens (-13) - I actually really like the Cardinals here. The Ravens were very poor against Jacksonville last week and yet this line hasn't budged. I can see why people view this as a mistmatch, but the similar games model says that teams like the Cards have covered over 80% of the time. Anytime you see a line this big in the NFL, the underdog is a pretty good pick historically. Pick: Cardinals

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans (-9.5) - Both of these teams surprised last week, Jax with how they played defense and Houston with their offensive explosion. I'd like to believe in the Jacksonville D keeping this game close, but Blaine Gabbert and that offense have been so poor that I don't have a lot of confidence in them on the road. Pick: Texans

Washington Redskins at Buffalo Bills (-6) - I think the Redskins are actually getting a lot of respect here only being 6 point dogs to the Bills. Given the way they've played recently, this could be a game where the Bills rack up points... and the trends all agree. Pick: Bills

Detroit Lions at Denver Broncos (+3) - The Lions have lost two straight after their 5-0 start and serious questions are starting to be asked about whether they're for real. But I see their defense against Tim Tebow as a huge mismatch. Pick: Lions

New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers (+3) - This is probably the premier matchup of the week and I have to admit my personal biases made me want to pick the Steelers here... but the fact is that the objective info just doesn't support it. The accuscore simulator ran 10,000 times and the Pats won by an average of 24.3 to 20.5. The 25 and 75 most similar historical games models both favor the Pats. Pick: Patriots

Cleveland Browns at San Francisco 49ers (-9.5) - This is a big line for the 49ers and the trends are very split on this one. This is probably the trickiest game of the week from a betting perspective. Since the trends were split, I ran the simulator and it predicted a 10 point 49er win. So again, it's razor thin. Pick: 49ers

Cincinnati Bengals at Seattle Seahawks (+3) - The Bengals have played well recently, but the Seahawks are usually great team to bet on as home dogs. Actually, teams like the Seahawks have covered 60% of the time in these spots. Pick: Seattle

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles (-3.5) - The Eagles are not a particularly good home team (4-6 over their last 10) but they actually are a very good primetime team. The Eagles won all but one of their primetime games last week (with the loss being that odd Tuesday night postponed game) including three big wins over NFC East opponents under the lights. This is usually the point where I say "but it's hard to trust the Eagles this year" however, this is also usually the point where I say that same thing about the Cowboys.... Pick: Eagles

San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs (+3.5) - Given the way these two teams have played recently, I'm somewhat surprised to see the Chargers as better than 3.5 point favorites on the road. Unfortunately the trends offer almost nothing whatsoever. This stat will amaze you... In 75 similar historical games teams like the Chargers are 36-36-3. So it's a dead push in 75 games! So I went with the simulator and it predicted a 6 point Charger win. Pick: Chargers

Week 7 NFL Predictions And Picks: Jets, Bucs Face Big Tests

This is an interesting week in the NFL in that no game features two teams with winning records. We've got teams like the Texans and Jets who are .500 facing winning teams, but that's as close as we get. It just seems to be one of the quirks of the schedule with teams like the Giants, Patriots, Bills and Bengals all having bye weeks that there's just a shortage of teams with winning records. However, that doesn't mean we don't have some intriguing matchups.

The aformentioned Jets will host the San Diego Chargers in a game with massive playoff implications. The Jets need a win there to get to 4-3 and keep pace with the Bills and Pats in the AFC East. The Chargers meanwhile, will be looking for some respect and could solidify themselves as a real contender in the NFC. Falcons at Lions is a very similar matchup. The Falcons currently sit in third in the NFC South and can ill afford to lose another conference game and fall below .500. The Lions on the other hand want to avoid two straight home losses that would surely start talk that their hot start was maybe just a fluke.

So without further ado, here are our week 7 NFL picks against the spread.

Seattle Seahawks at Cleveland Browns (-3) - This is a very interesting game because the Seahawks have a lot going for them. Last time we saw them, they beat the Giants 36-25 and they're coming off their bye. Typically, that's a good spot for teams. Also, teams like the Seahawks have covered 63% of the time in games like this. Pick: Seattle

Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions (-3.5) - This should be a great game that tells us a lot about each team. The Falcons can finally beat a team with a winning record and the Lions can prove that last week wasn't a sign of regression. Thing is, all the trends favor Atlanta to cover here fairly significantly. Pick: Falcons

Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans (-3) - The trends here really favor the Texans, but they don't account for the circumstances. The Texans are seriously beat up and facing a Titans teams at home coming off their bye. I like the Titans here. Pick: Titans

Denver Broncos at Miami Dolphins (-1) - You know things are bad in Miami when the opposing QB will probably have more fans that the home QB. In fact, the Dolphins will be honoring Tim Tebow, who is making his first start, along with the rest of the national title winning Gator team. I think that fires Miami up and luckily the trends and simulations strongly agree. Pick: Miami

San Diego Chargers at New York Jets (+1) - It's interesting to see the Jets as home dogs here, especially since the Chargers haven't really looked all that impressive despite their decent record. This will probably be a pretty tight game, but I actually really like the Chargers to win and cover here. Pick: San Diego

Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+1) - I can't understand this line at all. Not only are the Bucs a flat out better team than the Bears, but they're at home. They should be three point favorites in this game. This is absolutely the pick of the week. Pick: Bucs

[Note by JasonB, 10/20/11 2:57 PM EDT ] As reader Marcel pointed out, this game is in fact in London. So while the Bucs are technically the "home" team, in reality this is a neutral site game. Having said that, while I'm not as head over heels in love with the Bucs as a result, I still think this is a strong play.

Washington Redskins at Carolina Panthers (-1.5) - The Redskins QB situation makes this one pretty interesting. But according to the trends, it's really not. In similar games with a 1.5 pint spreads, teams like the Panthers have covered a whopping 85.7% of the time. Pick: Panthers

Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders (-3.5) - This suddenly becomes the hardest game of the year to forecast. The Chiefs are coming off a bye and playing a little better and the Raiders were really hitting their stride... Then Jason Campbell gets hurt and Carson Palmer is going to walk in off the street to start for them. Who knows what to expect? Good things, the Raiders run more than any team in the NFL, so it's not a bad place for a new QB to figure it out. Pick: Raiders

Pittsburgh Steelers at Arizona Cardinals (+3.5) - The Cards are coming off a bye and the Steelers were unconvincing in a win over the Jags, which probably explains this relatively low line. But the thing about the Steelers is that their performances from week to week have no correlation to one another. The trends here do favor Arizona, but I like the Stillers. Pick: Pittsburgh

St. Louis Rams at Dallas Cowboys (-13) - Obviously the important thing to know in this game is whether Sam Bradford starts. If AJ Feeley takes that field on Sunday, the Cowboys are going to win and cover, but Bradford could at least keep it close. The trends are heavily in favor of the Rams here. In fact, teams like the Rams have covered a 13 pt spread 75% of the time. Pick: Rams

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings (+9) - It may sound crazy to say this about a 9 point road favorite, but this looks like a value pick. The Packers are humming and they'll be facing Christian Ponder in his first career start. I'd be all over the Pack here. Pick: Green Bay

Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints (-14) - NBC probably thought they had a real winner with this one on the schedule. A matchup of the 2010 Superbowl... only Indy is the worst team in the NFL. Still, this is a huge line and 25 historical games, teams like Indy have covered 68% of the time. Pick: Colts

Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars (+9) - I'm going to go against the trends here, which do favor the Jags to cover at home. I'm just believing in the Ravens here. Pick: Ravens

NFL Picks Week 7: Tight Matchups Highlight Week 7

The early slate of games are all are really tight matchups, but for the later games, the odds are calling for major blowouts.

Week 6 NFL Lines And Odds: Public Betting on Philadelphia Eagles Despite 1-4 Record

Not only are the Philadelphia Eagles 1-4 in the win/loss column, they're also 1-4 against the spread, costing those who have wagered on them early this season a considerable amount of cash. Despite the losses on the field and in the sportsbook piling up, people continue to bet on the Eagles, for at least one more week.

According to an article published by Ben Fawkes of ESPN Insider 76 percent of the money coming in on this week's Eagles-Redskins game is being wagered on the Eagles, despite the first-place Redskins coming off a bye and playing at home.

The line opened at pick 'em, but has moved to Eagles -1.5 at most sportsbooks. So, why do bettors continue to wager on the 1-4 Eagles? Here's a quote from Jay Kornegay of the Las Vegas Hilton from the aforementioned article:

"Even though the general public hasn't supported the Eagles over the last couple of weeks compared to the start of the season, most know they're still a very talented team," Kornegay said. "The Eagles are not getting beat up. They are self-destructing and that can be fixed. On the flip side of it, the Redskins are not perceived as a talented team. They are looked at as an overachiever."

Also from Fawkes' article are three things to keep in mind when wagering on this week's Eagles-Redskins game:

1. Mike Shanahan is 10-5 SU in his career coming off of bye weeks.
2. The Redskins, whether you believe in them or not, have a SB number of plus-4.38, seventh best in the league.
3. According to Football Outsiders, the Eagles have the 31st-ranked rush defense, while the Redskins are second in overall time of possession.

NFL Picks Week 6: Can Desperate Teams Keep Playoff Hopes Alive?

It's week six in the NFL and already we've got teams in desperation mode. In the NFC South, the preseason favorite Falcons have only two wins and have seen the Saints rip off four straight. They desperately need a win to stay alive in the division. In the NFC East, we all know the Eagles struggles at 1-4, but have we noticed that the Redskins are 3-1? They matchup this week in a game where if the Eagles win they can actually keep themselves in the hunt in a mediocre NFC East.

We've also got some huge lines this week, which are always rough to pick. The Pats, Steelers and even Ravens are all big favorites this week. While we expect them all to win... can they cover? Onto our week 6 NFL picks.

Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons (-4) - It's hard to trust Atlanta this year, but they'll be in a bit of a desperate mode this weekend. So that combined with being at home against an inferior opponent should be enough for Atlanta to win and cover. I'm taking them, but be aware that the similar games models favor the Panthers. Pick: Falcons

Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals (-7) -This just looks like a mess of a game. Cincy is the better team, but the trends, the simulator and the historical games models all favor the Colts to cover. Pick: Colts

San Francisco 49ers at Detroit Lions (-4.5) - Who could have predicted this would be the premier matchup of the week? Problem is, the 49ers get way too much respect here. I don't buy them for a second and all the trends agree. The similar games models heavily favor the Lions here. Pick: Detroit

St Louis Rams at Green Bay Packers (-14.5) -These are always scary games when you get more than two TD lines. Of course the Packers will win, but do they take their foot off the gas at some point and let the Rams get a backdoor cover? Also, the trends are hard to trust with these games because they always favor the underdog with a big line like this. This could be a chance to get some value, but it's not a great game to bet. Pick: Rams

Buffalo Bills at New York Giants (-3) - I didn't really have a great feeling either way about this game, so I checked the trends and simulators and they all say to go for the Bills. Pick: Bills

Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers (-12.5) - All that stuff I said about the Rams v Packers game, pretty much applies here. Huge line where the trends favor the underdog, but I really like the Steelers here. I think they give Blaine Gabbert such a nightmare afternoon that they cover. Pick: Steelers

Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins (+1) - For the second week in a row I have no answer for why the Eagles are road favorites against a team with a much better record. It seems that Vegas feels that the country just doesn't buy the Eagles as this bad or the Redskins as this good. My initial gut reaction was to take Washington, but the trends, similar games and simulators pretty much all favor Philly. Although they did last week as well... Pick: Eagles

Cleveland Browns at Oakland Raiders (-5.5) - We want to trust the Raiders don't we? I'd love to see some consistency and have them rip off a few wins in a row here. I see a win and cover at home here. Pick: Raiders

Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens (-9) - This is a line that seems to be trending up this week and for good reason. The Texans are now without both Andre Johnson and Mario Williams, while Baltimore is a home after their bye. That means the trends are all for the Ravens here. Pick: Ravens

Dallas Cowboys at New England Patriots (-7) - Interesting game where the indicators are split. The similar games models all favor Dallas to cover. However, more than one simulator has the Pats covering. This could go either way, but I think Brady picks apart the Dallas secondary. Pick: Patriots

New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+4.5) - I'm actually surprised the line is this low. The Bucs are helped by being at home, but they looked awful last week in San Fran and they face a New Orleans team that is humming right now. Pick: Saints

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears (-3) - I love the Bears in this spot. They've had a rough schedule and played some really tough games on the road so far this year and things haven't gone great. They have to be dying to really lay into a team and the Vikings could be in for a long night. So while I'm taking the Bears to win and cover, I do want to warn that the similar games model actually favors the Vikes uniformly. Pick: Bears

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets (-7) - This is a desperation game for the Jets and they'll be at home on national TV facing Matt Moore at QB. If they can't win big here, they're done. Pick: Jets

NFL Picks Week 5: Big Divisional Matchups Highlight Week 5

Week five of the NFL season brings us some great divisional matchups and some games where preseason contenders are facing must wins in tough spots. The two big highlight games of the week will be the Jets at Pats and the Bears going to Ford Field for Monday Night Football. The Jets and Patriots have staged some really good games in recent years and the undefeated Lions will be looking to have their coming out party on national TV.

In the meantime, we've also got teams like the Eagles and Falcons, who both saw themselves as real contenders in the NFC before the season, is must win situations on the road in Buffalo and at home to Packers. Both are tough spots, but I think only one of those two begins to salvage their season. With that, onto our week 5 NFL picks.

Philadelphia Eagles At Buffalo Bills (+2) - The Bills get no respect here huh? They're 3-1 at home facing a 1-3 team and they're still underdogs. This should be a high scoring affair with two bad defenses and two pretty high powered offenses. My initial reaction was to take the Bills and run, but literally all of the trends and simulators favor an Eagles win and cover here. Pick: Eagles

Kansas City Chiefs at Indianapolis Colts (-1) - Two bad teams, two 2010 division winners that are really being humbled this year for different reasons... Both have played a little better recently as well. This game is basically a pick and I'd just take the home team here. Pick: Colts

Arizona Cardinals At Minnesota Vikings (-2.5) - This the matchup of ex Philadelphia Eagles QBs as Donovan McNabb faces the guy who unseated him after more than a decade as the Eagles starter, Kevin Kolb. Of course, Kolb himself was quickly unseated by Michael Vick... Neither ex Eagles are of to a great start in their new homes. The simulators seems to like the Vikings, but all the similar games models heavily favor the Cardinals.  Pick: Cardinals

Seattle Seahawks at New York Giants (-9.5) - This really comes to down to whether you think the Giants can cover here. They'll win this game, but can they do it by 10? Trends do favor the G-men to cover though. Pick: Giants

Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3) - This is a much trickier game than it seems. The Titans are playing well, Matt Hasselbeck looks good, Chris Johnson seems to be returning to form... and the Steelers are beat up. All the similar games models heavily favor the Titans to cover here. Pick: Titans

New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers (+6.5) - I kind of want to believe in Carolina here because they are playing better and the Saints do have a habit of losing tough road games at times... but all the simulations and trends really do favor New Orleans. Pick: Saints

Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars (-1.5) - Blaine Gabbert faces another fellow rookie this week. This game is really a pickem and not an easy one to forecast. The trends don't say much either. Pick: Bengals

Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans (-6) - The Texans will be without Andre Johnson this week, which will blunt their offensive attack at home. As a result, I like the Raiders to at least cover here. Pick: Raiders

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Francisco 49ers (-2.5) - This is another game where the trends, the historical games models etc don't really have a lot of to say. The Bucs are probably a better team than the 49ers, but Tampa never wins pretty and always plays with fire. I think that's dangerous with a good 49er defense. Pick: 49ers

San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos (+4) - It's hard to have a lot of confidence in the Broncos for anything here. I don't really like the Chargers on the road in this spot, but I do have more confidence in them then Denver. Pick: Chargers

New York Jets at New England Patriots (-9.5) - The Jets really haven't played well recently and this should be one of those spots where they really get crushed in New England. That said, the Jets treat this matchup like the Super Bowl every time they play. So there's no doubt they will be up for this game. That said, in 18 similar games with a spread of 9.5, the Pats have covered over 72% of the time. Pick: Patriots

Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons (+5.5) - Honestly I think this line is low. The Falcons are a big disappointment this year and while they do play better at home, the Packers are firing on all cylinders here and could very well be in the Falcons' heads after crushing them in Atlanta in the postseason last year. Pick: Packers

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions (-5.5) - This is a great NFC North matchup and a real chance for the Lions to show themselves off on national TV. They have really played with fire recently playing poor early, but coming back in the second halves of games... but in this spot I think they come out like gangbusters from the start. Pick: Lions

NFL Picks Week 4: Can The Eagles And Patriots Bounce Back From Upsets?

Last week was all about the big upsets. The Giants went into Philly got a big win, the Jets lost on the road to the Raiders and of course the Patriots were shocked by the Bills. I suppose this early in a very unorthodox year, these types of fluctuation in performance are to be expected. These teams had no offseason, shortened camps, there's record numbers of rookies on teams... So it stands to reason that they'd look good one week but struggle the next. However, after this week we will be one month into the season, so those excuses are burning up quick and it's time for the preseason contenders to start showing some consistency before they become regular season pretenders.

Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears (-6.5) - I like Bears a lot here. They've had a rough schedule to start the year and while Carolina has surprised some with the way they've played, they still only have one win. And while Cam Newton is off to a nice start, going on the road to play on that field in Chicago isn't going to be great for him. Pick: Bears

Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals (+3) - The Bills sport the highest scoring offense in the NFL right now, but could they be in for a letdown after their big win against the Patriots? That's the fear here. Because otherwise, you'd have to say that Buffalo is the better team. For that reason I like the Bills. Pick: Bills

Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns (-1) - The trends favor the Browns quite heavily here. Teams like them have won over 70% of one point spreads and similar spreads over the last 10 years. This is one of those games where it's hard to a get real gut feeling, so I'm going to trust the trends. Pick: Browns

Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys (-1) - Interestingly the similar games with the same spread model heavily favors the Cowboys here. Teams like them have covered better than 70% of the time. That said, you really have to like the matchups for Detroit. Their d-line against the Dallas o-line is a huge mismatch while Calvin Johnson against whoever the Cowboys can find to try and cover him is maybe even bigger. Pick: Lions

Minnesota Vikings at Kansas City Chiefs (+1.5) - Here are two teams that it's hard to trust with anything. The Vikings can't hold a lead and the Chiefs can't get one. Plus, the trends don't give us a lot of help either as the models are split about 50-50 as to who covers. I'll just go gut here and take the Vikes. Pick: Vikings

Washington Redskins at St. Louis Rams (+1.5) - The Rams have been a real mess this year but they are catching the Redskins in the second of back to back road games. I think this really comes down to a bad St Louis offense being really overmatched against a really good Redskins D. Pick: Redskins

San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles (-9) - The Eagles have owned the Niners in recent years both at home and on the road, but this line is high considering their terrible performance against the Giants. This will be the third straight year the two teams play and the Eagles will be starting their 3rd different QB. I think the Eagles offense gets back on track this week and the 49ers won't be able to keep up. Pick: Eagles

New Orleans Saints at Jacksonville Jaguars (+6.5) - We've got Blaine Gabbert in his second ever start against Drew Brees. Frankly, I think that the Saints by less than a TD is a bargain, even on the road. Pick: Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Texans (-3.5) - This is one of those games where the trends actually favor the Steelers to cover, but I really like the Texans. The Steelers are coming off a so-so performance on the road last week and now they're on the road again against a much better team. Pick: Texans

New York Giants at Arizona Cardinals (+1) - Essentially a pick here and the trends don't really tell us much. Although the Giants could be in for a bit of a letdown after their big win last week and combined with a cross country trip this is a tough spot. Larry Fitzgerald could also be in for a big day against a suspect Giants secondary. Pick: Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons at Seattle Seahawks (+4.5) -This is a tough game. It's hard to trust the Falcons at this point, but Seattle is kind of a mess. That said, the Falcons have a lot working against them. A dome team going on the road to a very tough place to play, plus they're on the back end of back to back road games. Pick: Seahawks

Denver Broncos at Green Bay Packers (-12.5) - Big number here and surprisingly, the historically similar matchups heavily favor the Broncos to cover. In fact, teams like the Broncos have covered in over 70% similar games in the last 10 years. Pick: Broncos

New England Patriots at Oakland Raiders (+4) - This will be the second of back to back road games for the Patriots and the Raiders are better than people are giving them credit for. This isn't a high confidence pick, but I see them covering at home here. Pick: Raiders

Miami Dolphins at San Diego Chargers (-7) - Trends favor Miami to cover here, but I actually like the Chargers. They just seem ready to really break out while Miami seems poised to fall apart. Heading across the country seems like just the time to do it. Pick: Chargers

New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens (-3.5) - The trends really favor the Jets here. They've covered in better than 58% of  historically similar games. This really feels like one of those close field goal games, which means the Jets cover. Pick: Jets

Indianapolis Colts at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-10) - I really hate everything about this game. I don't really trust the Bucs to blow someone out, but then again Indy seems to have gotten worse after losing both Gary Bracket and Melvin Bullitt for the year. Plus it appears as though Curtis Painter will be starting for Kerry Collins. Pick: Colts

Week 3 NFL Picks: Big Divisional Matchups Highlight Week 3

Two weeks of the NFL season are in the books and in a lot of ways things are even more confusing. Pittsburgh isn't as bad they looked in week one, but then again Baltimore doesn't appear to be a good as they looked. About the only teams you can trust from a betting standpoint in this early part of the season have been the Patriots and Lions, but for this week's picks, that could change.

New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills (+9) - The Bills are the highest scoring offense in the NFL after two weeks. The Pats are the second highest. So chances are this should be a high scoring affair, but I like the Bills at home to keep up with the Pats. I don't know that they can win this game, but I think they can keep it within 9. Pick: Bills

San Francisco 49ers at Cincinnati Bengals (-3) - Andy Dalton is off to a better than expected start in Cincy and the Bengals aren't as bad as everyone expected as a result. I think they absolutely can beat the Niners by more than a FG at home. Pick: Bengals

Miami Dolphins at Cleveland Browns (-1.5) - The Dolphins were so much better on the road than at home last year and actually so far their offense has looked pretty capable. I like them in an upset here. Pick: Dolphins

Denver Broncos at Tennessee Titans (-6.5) -This line surprised me a bit. I know the Broncos don't inspire confidence, but why would the Titans? Yes they got a nice win over Baltimore last week, but they were still beaten by the Jags in week one. That said, I do like the Titans in this game, but it might be one to steer clear of. Pick: Titans

Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings (+3.5) -The only surprise is here is how the low the line is. The Lions are firing on all cylinders and the Vikings have blown two straight first half leads. Pick: Lions

Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints (-4) -I think the Texans might be getting too much respect here. They have played well, but I can't see them going into the Superdome and keeping this within a TD. Pick: Saints

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles - No line. It's all about whether Michael VIck can play. If so, the Eagles should be healthy favorites.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Carolina Panthers (- 3.5) - The Jags announced that Blaine Gabbert will get his first career start this weekend after the abomination of a performance Luke McCown put on last week against the Jets. Gabbert will face the only QB taken ahead of him in the draft this past year, Cam Newton. I think the Panthers win this easy. Pick: Panthers

New York Jets at Oakland Raiders (+3.5) - It should be interesting to see the Jets on the road this week after two home wins the start the year. This trip out west should tell us a lot about them. The Raiders are a scrappy team and probably better than a lot of people give them credit for, but I'm going to ride the Jets until they show me I should do otherwise. Pick: Jets

Baltimore Ravens at St Louis Rams (+4) - The Ravens had a big letdown last week on the road against the Titans, which probably explains why this line is low. The Rams have been killed by injuries, blown out the first two weeks of the season and just haven't been the team a lot of people expected them to be this season. They do have a brutal schedule to start the year and I think that continues this week. Pick Ravens

Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers (+14.5) - It's amazing how far the Chiefs have fallen. This team won the AFC West last year and now in week three they're more than two TDs underdogs. The Chargers haven't exactly turned in a vintage performance yet this season, but this could be their chance to really show off. Start every Charger on your fantasy team this week... Pick: Chargers

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears (+3.5) - The Bears have had a rough schedule to start the year with three straight 2010 playoff teams. They beat the Falcons soundly at home, but got beat convincingly on the road by the Saints. This week is another real test at home against the Packers, who actually didn't look great on the road against the Panthers last week and lost Nick Collins for the year. This is a tough game to pick, so I'm just going to play it safe. Pick: Packers

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks (+3.5) - I actually love the Cardinals in this game. Seattle is a very tough place to play, but they've been terrible this year and Arizona has at least show that it can score points. Pick: Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-1.5) -The Falcons haven't been terribly impressive over the first two weeks and are better at home than on the road. The Bucs lost their first home game, but came back to win at Minnesota last week. Matt Ryan has been limited in practice after getting beat up on Sunday night... The Bucs have some things going for them here, but the historical trends actually favor the Falcons. Teams like the Falcons have actually won 56-60% of these games based on a few different models. Pick: Falcons

Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts (+9.5) - At this point, why wouldn't the Steelers cover this spread? They covered 15.5 last week and the Colts might even be worse than the Seahawks. Pick: Stillers

Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys - No line. Without word yet on whether Tony Romo will play there's no line on this game.

NFL Picks Week 2: Can Falcons, Cowboys Avoid Dreaded 0-2 Hole?

In the past two seasons, no team has made the playoffs after starting 0-2. However, of the 24 playoff teams of the past two years, 14 (or 58%) have started 1-1. So while it is just one game and it seems crazy to suggest that a team could play itself out of contention already, the trends strongly suggest that they can. So, in a lot of ways, it's desperation time for teams who lost last weekend and generally desperate teams make for pretty good bets.

Our picks for the early games in week one can be found here. Below are the picks against the spread for the 4pm eastern and primetime games.

Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers (+3) - This is really a game of two teams with divergent unlikely scenarios last week. Dallas lost their game as a result of two Tony Romo turnovers last in the game. San Fran put their game away with two Ted Ginn kick returns for TDs. Lighting is not likely to strike twice (four times?) again. Here's the dilemma, my gut tells me that the Cowboys are clearly the better team, but basically all trends and comparable games favor the 49ers. Teams like the Niners have won and covered the spread most of the time and the Cowboys are on the second of back to back road games. I'm going to go against the trends here though. Pick: Cowboys

Cincinnati Bengals at Denver Broncos (-4.5) - This line has trended up this week from 3.5 The Bengals won on a bit of fluke play last week in Cleveland and now they have to travel for their second straight road game to start the season. So the trends are against them. Denver was very sloppy last week against the Raiders, but they did show a lot of fight back at the end. I'm going to go with Denver to cover, but this game really does have 21-17 heartbreaker where you lose by a half point written all over it. Pick: Broncos

Houston Texans at Miami Dolphins (+3) - Miami's offense looked surprisingly competent against the Patriots, but their defense was shockingly incompetent. The Texans on the other hand, did everything well against the Colts. I see another higher scoring affair, but the Dolphins again won't keep pace. Pick: Texans

San Diego Chargers at New England Patriots (-7) - Call this the "Power Rankings Bowl" because the winner will undoubtedly top most of those polls come Tuesday. This line has only crept up a half point, so obviously people are feeling that it's a fair line. I'd love for it to pop up to 7.5, because the Chargers would become a nice play in my mind. That said, they're not bad as is. Over the last five years, road teams that are 7 point underdogs have actually covered the spread 52% of the time. Plus, the Chargers found out this week that TD machine Mike Tolbert's knee showed no damage and he's expected to play this weekend. The trend tells me the Chargers are a slightly better pick, but I just don't trust that team this early in the season. Pick: Patriots (but watch if this line goes up)

Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons (+1) - It's a surprise to see Atlanta, who only lost once at home last year in the regular season, actually be home dogs in this game. The Eagles looked very solid against the Rams and the Falcons were awful against Chicago, but you still wouldn't expect to see a popular Super Bowl pick be a home underdog. There's a few things at work here to pay attention to. For one, the Falcons are a very good home team and they're desperate. However, the Eagles manhandled this Falcons team last season in Philadelphia with Kevin Kolb at quarterback. Michael Vick back on the fast track in that dome with all of his weapons? That's a scary proposition. Plus, teams favored by 1 on the road have covered the spread 57% of the time and won outright 58% of the time. Pick: Eagles

St. Louis Rams at New York Giants (-7) - I've actually seen a few lines on this game. As high as 7 and as low as 5.5 in favor of the Giants. The money seems to be headed New York's direction. Certainly the injuries the Rams sustained play a big part there, but the Giants really didn't look in their opener either and have a ton of injuries to deal with themselves. The Rams won't have Danny Amendola or Steven Jackson, their top two offensive weapons, while the Giants will be without Osi Umenyiora and possibly both Hakeem Nicks and Justin Tuck.

This is the Monday Night game, so we're going to hold off on this pick for another couple days to see some of the injury reports. However, as of now the trends actually favor the Rams here. Teams like the Rams have covered 67% of the time in games historically similar to this one.

Week 2 NFL Picks: Possible Contenders Face Must Wins

Week two of the NFL season is always interesting because we've always got a number of teams that see themselves as contenders who are trying to avoid falling into an 0-2 hole. The odds of a team getting to the playoffs after starting 0-2 are very low and the odds of winning it all become almost nil. So teams like the Steelers, Saints, Falcons and even squads like the Giants and Cowboys will be playing desperate this week to make sure their season isn't sunk before it even starts. We'll be doing things a bit different this week splitting up our picks over two days. Below are our picks for the 1pm E games and here you will find our picks for the late and primetime games.

Oakland Raiders at Buffalo Bills (-4) - This is a tough game because we are all really wondering how real the Bills are. They blew out KC on the road last week and now face a Raiders team coming off a sloppy win of their own in Denver. The trends favor the Bills here though with Oakland playing the second of back to back road games combined with a cross country trip. Pick: Bills

Green Bay Packers at Carolina Panthers (+10) - The Packers get a lot of respect here as double digit road favorites, but I suppose that's to be expected when the best team from 2010 faces the worst. Of course, it's not 2010 anymore and Carolina has Cam Newton at the helm now coming off a very strong debut in Arizona. Unfortunately, the Green Bay defense is not the Cards... I expect Newton to look a lot more like a rookie this week. Pick: Packers

Kansas City Chiefs at Detroit Lions (-9) - It's amazing how quickly things change. KC won the AFC West last year and now they're near double digit road dogs to the Lions. KC looked awful last week at home and lost Eric Berry for the season to boot. Detroit is riding a high and could certainly win by 10 at home. I don't think this game is a great play and if it gets to 10, I'd stay away. Pick: Lions

Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts (+3) - This has gotten out of hand. I know the Colts didn't look good without Manning, but to be home dogs to the Dawgs? Please. Pick Colts ***

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Minnesota Vikings (-3) - Both teams are coming off a loss in week one, but I think only one really believes that they're a potential playoff contender. The Bucs came a game shy of the postseason last year and a loss in week two would all but sink them. I think win outright in Minny. Pick: Bucs

Chicago Bears At New Orleans Saints (-7) - Everyone undervalued the Bears last week (except for me!) and here we find them as big underdogs on the road to New Orleans. The Saints will be playing with desperation trying to avoid an 0-2 start and they're at home so I do admit that there's blowout potential, but the Bears always seem to play tougher in big regular season spots than people expect. I like the Saints by a TD, but if this line creeps up past 7, taking the Bears to cover could be a value play. Pick: Saints

Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Jets (-10) - I'm actually a bit surprised at this line given that the Jags got a surprise win in week one and the Jets really didn't look impressive against the Cowboys. Of course, Josh McCown is just as likely if not moreso to Tony Romo a game away as Tony Romo is... I actually like the Jags to cover here. Pick: Jaguars

Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers (-15.5) - This is a huge line for a team that looked just awful last week. They're certainly due for a bounceback, but this line is just too big to pass up. I like Seattle to cover. Pick: Seahawks ***

Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans (+6.5) - I think this is a good line actually. My first thought was Baltimore by a TD, so at 6.5 this is a nice play. Pick: Ravens ***

Click here for our picks in the late and primetime games.

Week One NFL Picks: NFL Begins In Earnest This Weekend

Week one of the NFL season kicks off tonight when the champs from two season ago travel to Lambeau field to take on last year's champs.