The 2022 NFL schedule is in full swing, with the grueling slate and chilly fall temperatures taking their toll on teams as we size up the Week 7 odds.
If this past Sunday taught us anything, it’s that we need all the help we can when it comes to beating the bookies. A handy tool beyond the advanced metrics and analytics is situational handicapping — AKA spot bets.
We dig into the NFL Week 7 calendar and single out some scintillating spots: Letdowns, look-ahead, and scary schedule spots to consider when capping NFL spreads and totals.
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The winless Chicago Bears visit Sam Howell and the intriguing yet erratic Washington Commanders for Thursday Night Football, providing the first chance to jump into Week 5 NFL odds.
The TNF odds have the Commanders pegged as -5.5 point favorites after pushing the Philadelphia Eagles to overtime in Week 4, but a desperate Chicago team is out to shrug off a miserable start to the season. The Bears’ latest setback was a 28-7 blown lead at home to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
It’s tough to make the case for this being an offensive classic, with Howell and Justin Fields combining for 11 touchdown passes and 10 picks so far this year, but thankfully, the prop market is there to pick up the slack.
Check out my best NFL picks for the Bears vs…
The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers mix it up for the second time in three weeks this Sunday.
The last time these NFC West rivals clashed in the NFL odds, San Francisco feasted on roasted Seahawk (whatever that is) on Thanksgiving Thursday, slamming Seattle 31-13 as a 7-point road favorite.
This time around, the 49ers are at home and laying double digits against a Seahawks side coming off a 10-day break following a thrilling loss at Dallas last Thursday night.
I dissect the Week 14 odds for this divisional dance and give my best NFL picks for Seahawks vs. 49ers on December 9.
Seahawks vs 49ers odds
Seahawks vs 49ers predictions
When breaking down the San Francisco 49ers with blogger …
Two of the NFL’s worst teams from last season will try to get their 2024 campaigns off to a better start as the New England Patriots host the Carolina Panthers in the preseason openers for both squads on Thursday night.
Preseason football games are largely about who plays and who doesn’t rather than overall talent level, and it looks as though one team has intentions of playing more of their key starters than the other in this matchup.
I’ll dig into what we can expect to see in my free Panthers vs. Patriots predictions and NFL picks for August 8.
Panthers vs Patriots prediction
My best betPatriots -6.5 (-110 at Caesars)
My analysis
Lionel Messi scored his 10th hat-trick for Argentina to raise his career total for his country to 112 goals in a 6-0 World Cup qualifying win over Bolivia on Tuesday.
Messi played the entire match before raucous fans at Estadio Monumental who chanted his name after he opened the scoring in the 19th minute. Messi added goals in the 84th and 86th minutes. Only Cristiano Ronaldo, with 133, has scored more international goals in men’s football than Messi.
‘A huge privilege’: Thomas Tuchel confirmed as new England managerRead more
However, the 37-year-old acknowledged his international career is approaching its end when he refused to say whether he would play at the 2026 World Cup.
“I did…
After a successful debut on Football Night in America, Steve Kornacki will return to the NFL playoff Big Board for the remainder of the season for NBC. He won’t be needed for over at the political desk for any recounts or vote tallies. Instead, we’ll get to see the man in khakis tell us how the New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals, and other bubble teams can make the playoffs for four more weeks. He won’t be tallying suburban exit numbers in Atlanta or discussing the importance of Maricopa County. No. He’ll be on TV tonight to talk about another 2020 logjam… the NFL playoff picture. Yes, it’s that time of year again. Late enough in the season to start talking about the playoffs, but early enough for virtually every team to have a path to the postseason. Is there a way fo…
HARRY’S GAME
Back in a previous life, when The Fiver occasionally draped itself in suit and tie in order to take up someone’s valuable desk space in an office far away, we received an almighty rollicking from The Man for rolling up to work straight from a transatlantic holiday in jeans and trainers. It was past midday, which aggravated things further. What we’re saying is: let he or she who has not erred on the back of a soothing summer break cast the first stone. We did at least show up, mind – unlike Harry Kane, who didn’t stop at dressing down on what was supposed to be his first day back at Spurs: he put in a no-show, so everyone else pulled up their chairs as the transfer saga we all knew was coming cranked i…
There were no guarantees when Ange Postecoglou was named as the 21st permanent manager of Celtic in June 2021, and precious little indication that 20 months later he would be lifting his third trophy, with his side nine points clear atop the Scottish Premiership and on the way to consecutive league crowns.
Back then the former Socceroos coach’s resume placed him amongst Asia’s best, with credentials that gave a strong sign he knew his way around a football field, even if he was an outsider who had never coached in Europe. Postecoglou also possessed an unwavering sense of internal belief that his vision and principles would help him succeed in the role.
Celtic’s Kyogo Furuhashi lands double to sink Rangers in League Cup finalRead mor…
How firm is the executive support?
After deciding in the summer not to sack Erik ten Hag and extending his contract to 2026, the Sir Jim Ratcliffe-led football department would appear a touch silly if he were removed six Premier League matches into the season. So, the stance at the club the morning after the 3-0 humiliation by Tottenham at Old Trafford on Sunday was a resolve to remain serene while acknowledging the defeat, and its manner, as anathema to the excellence pursued by Ratcliffe, his chief executive, Omar Berrada, and the sporting director, Dan Ashworth. Ten league outings may seem a more prudent test of Ten Hag and his piloting of the squad but lose at Porto, on Thursday in the Europa Le…
Portugal’s headed home looking happy. The flight back to Lisbon should be filled with post-elimination joy and realizations of long-term progress knowing how they held the former undisputed world champions in check. And that’s all you need to know about how the United States women’s national team performed in its final Group E match, a scoreless draw. It advanced the Americans into the Round of 16 as the runners-up, setting up a likely collision course with Sweden, and with the form both teams have shown as of late, that’ll be the World Cup swan song for the Stars and Stripes. For those who didn’t get up in the middle of the night to watch the game, more zest would’ve been displayed drinking coffee from the couch than the United States showed for most of the game. Most unin…