Rabotnicki vs Liverpool Live Thursday’s Europa League Betting

This Thursday sees the introduction of some giants of the European game into the qualifying stages of the Europa League. Will they cruise through or will we see some major upsets?

BetRepublic.com previews three games featuring the big sides here.

Rabotnicki vs Liverpool Soccer Betting Tips :

A new chapter in the life of Liverpool football club gets underway this Thursday evening in Skopje, Macedonia as new manager Roy Hodgson and his men look to defeat the side that finished 2nd in the Macedonian league last season.BetRepublic.com make Liverpool the 1/5 favourites to claim victory in this first leg tie with Rabotni and #269;ki are available at 8/1 and the draw can be backed at 9/2.

49ers Offers Huge Deal $50M to LB Patick Willis for 5-year Contract

The San Francisco 49ers signed linebacker Patrick Willis to a long-term contract extension on Tuesday.
Willis was the 11th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft and has proven to be one of the elite linebackers in the game in just three seasons in the league.
The 49ers gave him a five-year, $50 million extension according to FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer.
His current contract runs through 2011 at which point the new deal will kick in, keeping him in San Francisco through 2016.
The 6-foot-1, 240 pound Willis has started in 48 consecutive contests and led the team in tackles and been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons.

Carling Cup Final

There is a wide range of exciting sporting events taking place this weekend all around Europe and we’ll be previewing the best of the action here.

Carling Cup Final:

The biggest game of the weekend comes from Wembley Stadium as Aston Villa and Manchester United go head-to-head for the chance to claim the first domestic cup of the season. This is the eighth time that these two sides have made it to the final of the League Cup, with Villa having won the trophy five times compared to Manchester United’s three times. However, Manchester United are the reigning champions after beating the 2008 champions Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 in a penalty shootout.

Super Bowl XLIV – Best of the No. 1's

Super Bowl XLIV – Best of the No. 1’s

By BetRepublic

Super Bowl props for Indianapolis (-5.5) and New Orleans are the hottest ticket in town this week and online sportsbooks are expanding the selection every day. Bettors are now being tempted with player props, team vs. team comparisons and soon there will even be matchup props against the other sporting events going on game day.

In our live sports betting TV show every day at www.BetRepublic.com, we talked about the recent news of Dwight Freeney’s injury. While it has had no impact so far on the line of 5.5 to 6 points, the Over-Under of 56.5 – already the highest Super Bowl total bookmakers have ever released – continues to rise. The number oddsmakers originally set was 55 and as we discussed on our show, we expect it could go as high as 57.5 by kickoff.

When two offenses like this hook-up it’s easy to see why people are expecting a high scoring affair. New Orleans led the NFL in scoring this season with 510 points and in two playoff victories we have seen the final score hit 59 points both times. The Colts, meanwhile, were on the verge of a perfect season before Coach Jim Caldwell sat his starters in Week 16 and even the best defensive units have had no answer for Peyton Manning’s attack.

This game marks the first Super Bowl since 1994 (Dallas vs. Buffalo) where the two No. 1 seeds from their respective Conferences met in the final and we’ve broken down the matchups in each department to see which side has the upper hand.

When the Colts have the ball

Look for Manning to go after his top two targets, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, before checking down to youngsters Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie. New Orleans’ pass rush was weakened when DE Charles Grant went down but when Will Smith gets in Manning’s face it will serve as a major distraction. The ball-hawking Saints secondary is always a threat to make plays in the back field.

RB Joseph Addai will get his share of touches and still has the ability to break a play wide open. The New York Jets learned all too well what happens when a team neglects the run against Indy so the Saints will have to give some respect.

When the Saints have the ball

Drew Brees heads up a deep scoring threat matched by a solid running game that combines speed, quickness and power. Running backs Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush carried the ball 21 times for 69 yards vs. a massive Viking D-line wall and will no doubt find success against the average Colts front seven.

Indy was stable against a vanilla Jets passing game but are going to be challenged keeping pace with the speedy trio of Marques Colston, Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem. Freeney’s injury, listed as a severe ankle sprain, also gives a serious blow to the Colts pass rush and a lot of bettors that were on the fence for making Super Bowl picks are waiting to hear more about his status. It’s been reported that Freeney may be forced to miss the game completely although HC Caldwell is optimistic, saying Freeney is a warrior that heels faster than most.

Special Teams

Bush gets a lot of press for his threat as a punt return man but yard-for-yard, kickoff returns between Indy’s Chad Simpson and Saints Courtney Roby are fairly equal and both scored just one TD during the regular season. Saints K Garrett is young and has a booming leg while Matt Stover – yes, the same one that kicked for the old Cleveland Browns – has more experience.

Intangibles

Indianapolis was nearly perfect all year but in the second half of the season has not seen the calibre of competition that this Saints offense consistently brings to the table. New Orleans will not give the ball away via turnover but also can’t expect the kind of fortune they had against the Vikings.

Check your online sportsbook for updates on prop selection and line moves.

Be sure to visit BetRepublic for our Super Bowl coverage on out live TV show, our blogs, and member picks.

AFC Championship Preview: Jets vs. Colts

Coach Rex Ryan and his Jets team will always have doubters. The ones that expected New York to go into Cincinnati and lose and the same group that were laying up to nine points on San Diego being the final stop on New York’s playoff tour.

This week Indianapolis welcomes New York in the AFC Conference Final and although some of the doubt has been erased following back-to-back playoff wins, the challenge that awaits at Lucas Oil Stadium is arguably the toughest hurdle in all of football.

Let’s break this game down and look at the pick we suggest. You can see more analysis on this game and the Vikings at Saints at www.BetRepublic.com both by watching their innovative online sports betting TV shows and on their posting boards.

Online sportsbooks have the Colts set as 7.5-point favourites with an Over/Under of 39. Books reported early action on Indianapolis when the game went up on the board, but the betting has levelled off the last couple of days. The Over/Under is a different story, as bettors liked the Under right from the opening number, bringing it down from 41 to 39.

Peyton Manning leads one of the league’s most elite offenses and for this road-weary defense it will be a step up in class. In a 20-3 win vs. Baltimore in the division finals Manning used his usual play-makers, Reggie Wayne (8-63, 1 TD) and Dallas Clark (7-59, 0 TD), for key third down situations that kept the chains moving. But it is also the supporting cast, the other five targets that Manning spread 15 passes to, that make this unit hard to defend.

Indy’s offense scored 27-plus points in the four games that preceded the controversial Week 16 loss to New York that will forever live in infamy with the Colts faithful. There hasn’t been any real evidence so far this season that an opponent can come into this building and stop the home side (again, when the starters are all in the game) from putting up some points.

New York’s D is based on a shutdown, Pro Bowl corner (Revis) that can all but eliminate his opponent’s top WR. The rest of the secondary has above-average coverage skills and the front seven can blitz with the best of them. It helped New York lead in nearly every defensive category during the regular season, but 15 out of 16 times the Jets weren’t playing this offense and in the one game where they did face Indy, it was vs. the Junior-V edition in the second half.

Jets rookie QB Mark Sanchez is going to be expected to do his part running the offense but the majority of the time that just means handing the ball to any one of his talented backs and stepping out of the way. The Indianapolis run defense gets a bad rap for not being able to defend the run but it’s actually a bit of myth. Just ask the explosive Baltimore Ravens RB trio that managed 78 yards last week on 16 carries. So far New York has rushed for 171 yard (CIN) and 169 yards (SD) but the Colts will be gameplanning for this and do have more run-stopping ability than they are given credit for.

The Colts secondary had a facelift this season and helped by the speed-rush of DEs Freeney and Mathis will be able to limit New York through the air. If the Colts can keep the run-game on a short leash and prevent big gains that are becoming common place in this year’s playoffs, it is going to result in stalled drives and a lot of time spent on the field by New York’s defensive unit. Eventually this could lead to holes in the coverage and gaps on the line that Manning and the offense will take full advantage of.

Oddsmakers, much to the chagrin of HC Ryan, opened with a line of Colts -7 and that was quickly bet up a half-point to the current line. We recommend buying that line back to the TD and going with the superior offense to finish the job at home that it started in Week 16.

BetRepublic.com Pick: Take the Colts

Visit BetRepublic.com for more picks and analysis.

New Super Bowl Odds

New Super Bowl Odds

Wild Card upsets have created a shakeup on the NFL future odds scene, as one of the big favourites from the pre-season, and a popular choice heading into the playoffs, the Patriots were eliminated. Also exiting stage right were the Cincinnati Bengals, the Philadelphia Eagles and in the wildest of the Wild Card games, the Green Bay Packers lost in overtime.

BetRepublic.com previewed all the first round matchups with picks from Sonny Palermo, Greg Dempson and Jarvis Simes, all expert NFL handicappers.

NFL Future Odds:

Teams ranked in the top 4 when oddsmakers drew up the original lines had the week off as they all earned a first round bye, but performances from Dallas and Arizona have caused second thoughts for some bettors about how the playoff picture could turn out.

Dallas Cowboys

In the case of the Dallas Cowboys, despite a great December that buried the late-season curse that had haunted Jerry Jones’ team since Tony Romo took over at QB, there were still doubts. A 13-year playoff losing streak will do that to a team.

But a second-straight win over the Eagles that was even more convincing than the first (in Week 17) has demanded a respectable line of just three points at Minnesota this Sunday and chiselled the odds for Dallas to win the Super Bowl from 8-to-1 down to 10-3 (+650). And as the book taketh, he also must giveth back, and the Minnesota Vikings price has gained 100 points to (+700).

It may seem of minor significance to some, but any bettor that has followed the NFL since September may point out that this could be the first sign of doubt involving Brett Favre’s new team since the ex-Packer UN-UN-retired during training camp. To say it is extremely rare to find a situation where the road dog is paying back less than the home favorite is an understatement of epic proportions.

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona’s record breaking overtime win against Green Bay is responsible for another big reduction at the bookmaker as the Cards went from 18-to-1 down to 12-to-1. No one is doubting that New Orleans (-7) will put up points in their playoff game against the Cardinals Saturday; but now bettors think the Cards have a shot at matching them blow for blow.

Baltimore Ravens

The prize for biggest statement game belongs to the Baltimore Ravens (16-to-1) who could be found listed as high as 28-to-1 just one week ago today. LB Ray Lewis and his merry band of defenders deserve full credit for this correction and while it would be a difficult task to take down the league’s MVP on home turf, the domination Baltimore showed over Tom Brady at Foxboro on Sunday proves that it is by no means impossible.

Here is the complete list of Super Bowl odds being offered at sportsbooks online:

Indianapolis Colts - 5/2
San Diego Chargers - 10/3
New Orleans Saints - 4/1
Dallas Cowboys - 13/2
Minnesota Vikings - 7/1
Arizona Cardinals - 12/1
Baltimore Ravens - 16/1
New York Jets - 18/1

Check www.BetRepublic.com for commentary on all this weekend’s games, plus best bets and future bets.

Enjoy the games.

BetRepublic.com NFL Playoff Preview

The first round of the playoffs is set, the odds have been posted (all the home teams are favoured, as you might expect) and the Colts, Chargers, Vikings and Saints are all sitting at home watching to see who they face next week.

NY Jets at Cincinnati
Line: Bengals -2.5
Over/Under: 34

Following a Week 17 scrimmage that would best be forgotten, the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals square off this Saturday at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.

Online sportsbooks currently have the Bengals favoured by 2.5 points. BetRepublic covered this game extensively in their sports betting TV show on Thursday and their Football Blitz show which will be live on Friday.

While it’s been only three years since the Jets appeared in the post-season and four for Cincinnati, the Bengals are still taking some getting used to. Cinci was demolished 37-0 last week in New York, looking more like the team whose previous appearance before 2005 was in 1990. The question is whether they will be able to jump start the attack that stunned everyone this year by sweeping the AFC North and winning the division.

Cincinnati’s offensive weaknesses are ripe for HC Ryan’s defense to exploit and although they finished ninth with 29 QB sacks allowed, the Bengals protection in the pocket will need to be stellar. RB Benson will return after sitting out last week and while his overall numbers were good, they waned as the year progressed.

Benson’s best games were in Wk’s 2, 5, 7, 9, 13 and 16. Baltimore (twice) and Chicago possessed run defenses at the time that ranked top 5 in the league. Since Week 10, though, the only opponents Benson could get untracked against were Detroit and Kansas City, who rank 25th and 31st against the run respectively.

New York’s CB Revis is the best in the game right now and short of the odd bomb, Cincinnati had trouble with anything beyond intermediate routes. Failure to move the chains will translate into long shifts for the Bengal defenders and in cool conditions they will wear down.

Sending rookie QB Sanchez into a hostile environment is asking a lot but O-Co Schottenheimer is aware of his strengths and New York’s attack will be based on the ground game. Cincinnati was without two of their four starting linemen (Domata Peko and Robert Geathers) last week and one of their backups (Pat Sims) went out early in this game. Peko and Geathers should return for this rematch and it looks to us as if this will be a low scoring affair.
BetRepublic.com Pick: Take the "Under" 34

Philadelphia at Dallas
Line: Cowboys -4
Over/Under: 45
In the second of three Week 17 rematches, online sportsbooks posted this line last Sunday night and it hasn’t moved since. Line movement has been non-existent as the Cowboys, a perennial best bet to fade down the stretch, are demanding that the rest of the league takes notice.

Dallas has shown consistent improvement on both sides of the ball throughout the year; fighting through injuries to the three-deep RB corps and bolstered by the emergence of WR Miles. On defense the edge rush from the Cowboys has been relentless and Philadelphia will need to be creative and work quickly to avoid sacks. QB McNabb was hauled down seven times this year against the Cowboys, including four in the 24-0 loss last Sunday.

Philadelphia was forced to turn to its bench this year and found success with RB McCoy, allowing RB Westbrook time to recover from a concussion. Both will be ready for this game but Dallas is fourth against the run and comes into the game with a defensive front seven at 100-percent. Dallas is also sixth at time of possession while the Eagles rank 28th and that promises to be a factor if the Cowboys get out in front and turn to their relentless ground game.

The Cowboys have not won a playoff game since 1996 and are in a prime position to do so right now. The way these teams match up, we lean on the home side to cover the spread.
BetRepublic.com Pick: Take the Cowboys

Check out BetRepublic for the innovative live sports betting TV show and get all their NFL playoff picks and analysis.

The Hypocrisy of Roger Goodell

By Sonny Palermo

Contrary to what our judicial system says, there are just some things you don’t need a trial, judge and jury for. Like that show, “The Jersey Shore” for example. I only needed to watch two minutes worth before coming to the obvious conclusion that every one of those f’ers should be taken out back and shot. While I’m not calling for a similar penalty for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, I’d say he deserves at least a kick in the nuts for his rank hypocrisy.

I’m talking about his statement last week, when he said the NFL Rules Committee will be looking into a way to address the “Colts Situation” as it is being referred to. Last week, in their game against the Jets, Indianapolis chose to sit many of their starters rather than risk injuries that might hurt their chance to win the Super Bowl. It is a common tactic, but the Colts game is at the forefront for two reasons:

1 – Nobody believes the NY Jets could beat the Colts with Peyton Manning and the starters in for the whole game (and they were, in fact, losing when Manning was taken out.)

2 – It supposedly gave a free ticket to the playoffs to the Jets, while costing other teams - like the Houston Texans and the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers - a post season berth.

I have no truck with number one – the Manning-led Colts would destroy the Jets.

As for number two, it is, well...number two. The Steelers aren’t in the playoffs because they lost the heart and soul of their defense, Troy Polamalu – and because without him they lost to the Raiders, Bears, Browns and Chiefs – all teams that finished with losing records. Same thing for the Texans – they missed the post season because their normally reliable place kicker missed key field goals in at least three different games, and because they lost to the Jets, at home in Houston, in week one. Tough to blame those circumstances on Colt’s coach Jim Caldwell.

But here is the true hypocrisy of the league. They say it’s not fair to the fans to purchase tickets to a week 17 game that the teams themselves treat like a preseason exhibition game. To the average fan, that statement slides by as passable, but season ticket holders must be screaming in anger. A few years ago the league made it possible for teams to include pre-season tickets as part of the season ticket package, meaning if fans wanted season tickets they were forced to buy tickets for all four pre-season games also.

Pretty bad, right? Here’s something even more telling – the sports betting aspect of the situation. The league foolishly mentioned that it will consider requiring teams to publicly announce which players will play, and which will sit.

Why would the public need to know who will play and who will not?

Regardless of NFL lip service about maintaining the game’s integrity, the answer lies, ironically, in their lack of integrity. The only people who care about who plays and who doesn’t, other than opposing coaches, are sports books, sports bettors and fantasy league participants. But, that reason cannot be mentioned, in line with the league’s long-standing “see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil” policy when it comes to the true driving force behind their incredible revenue – betting. So, for diversion, Goodell claims to be acting in the best interest of the game and its fans.

For the good of the league, Roger, really, is that what you’re going to try and sell us?

In October, the House Judiciary Committee held meetings on the increasing evidence of football-related cases of brain injury.

Goodell couldn’t be bothered to attend. One Congresswoman compared the NFL’s stance on links between playing football and conditions such as dementia and Alzheimers to the tobacco companies denial of links between smoking and lung diseases.

This latest intrusion into the game has nothing to do with the best interest of the fans or the league. Fact is, without betting there is no league, there are no fans. The popularity the sport enjoys would cease to exist, and with it – the billions of dollars the league makes.

It’s been rumored that Roger Goodell will be stepping down after next season. Based on his penchant for hypocrisy, I’d say a long and successful career in politics awaits him…

Sonny Palermo is a writer and on-air TV personality at BetRepublic You can read more of his articles and watch his TV programming at the site.

BetRepublic.com NFL Power Rankings (Week 17)

BetRepublic NFL Power Rankings (Week 17)

Going out with a bang seems like a New York Giants kind of thing to do but while playing their final home game in Giants Stadium, someone must have misread the script.

New York’s 32-point loss to Carolina on Sunday was the second biggest blowout in a team’s final home game at its stadium since 1970! Only the 1995 St. Louis Rams, who lost to San Francisco by 34 points before closing the doors to Busch Stadium for the last time, have lost by a bigger margin.

Adding insult to injury, the Giants were also eliminated from the playoff hunt this weekend and to make matters even worse, the men in blue took a two-point drop in the weekly BetRepublic.com Power Rankings chart.

Here is the latest edition; note the shakeup in the Top 5!

BetRepublic Week 17 NFL Power Rankings

1. Indianapolis Colts – Manning takes a seat, Curtis ‘paints’ an ugly picture as backup and the Colts fall to 14-1 SU. Good for Jim Caldwell! The pressure’s gone and now he can do whatever he wants with his lineup in Buffalo and not worry about dealing with all this hullaballoo during bye week.

2. Philadelphia Eagles – Ask anyone in the NFC which team nobody wants to face in first round of playoffs and the answer is unanimous. Eagles are hot!

3. San Diego Chargers – Chargers are starting to make it look easy, clinching first round bye with win in Tennessee.

4. New England Patriots – There is never any question of this team’s potency on home turf and by securing the AFC East the Pats have guaranteed one game at Foxboro.

5. New Orleans Saints – Back-to-back losses ratchet the Saints down a bit. What happened to that new found run defense?

6. Minnesota Vikings – If nothing more, Favre has added a fourth quarter threat this team hasn’t known in years. The Vikes are never out with him under center.

7. Green Bay Packers – Who doesn’t want to see a rematch between No. 4 and the Pack in the post-season?

8. Cincinnati Bengals – We’re going to cut Ocho and the Cinqo’s a little slack because they won but that was Kansas City’s defense that Cinci was having trouble moving against.

9. Arizona Cardinals – Back-to-back home games to finish the season are next best thing to a bye week for QB Warner and the Cards.

10. Dallas Cowboys – We’ve seen Tony Romo grow to a new level in the past two weeks and somehow, a trip to Mexico in January doesn’t seem like it’s in the plans for the new Romo.

11. Denver Broncos – Flirting dangerously close to a playoff miss but with Kansas City coming to Mile High this week, Broncos should live to fight another day.

12. Pittsburgh Steelers – Finding a way to win but Week 17 trip to Miami will likely be only visit to Dolphin Stadium for reigning champs.

13. Baltimore Ravens – Shot themselves in the foot so many times in fourth quarter at Pittsburgh the gun run out of bullets.

14. Houston Texans – Its déjà vu all over again as team tries one more time to find out what it feels like to be a winner.

15. Miami Dolphins – Not so potent now that everyone has caught onto the wildcat.

16. Carolina Panthers – Give HC Fox credit for one thing; he’s the only guy in charge of a sub-.500 team that has not been called for one “C’mon Man” all year in the Monday Night Football pregame show.

17. Tennessee Titans – Santa was none too kind to the Titans on Christmas but the New Year is looking bright. (Titans are in Seattle this week)

18. New York Giants – Figuring this team out in the off-season is going to take the best team of specialist’s money can buy. Where to start?

19. New York Jets – The `83 NYJ are 3rd on the list, losing by 27 to PGH in final home game at Shea. I think NYJ play final game at home next weekend and although it’s not really their stadium, they will be coming off big win over IND. How will the guys respond?

20. Atlanta Falcons – Owner Arthur Blank has declared that new ‘Super Bowl’ goal for his team is finishing above .500 for second straight year. Talk about making best of a bad situation.

21. Jacksonville Jaguars – Wrong time at the wrong place is all you can say about that trip to Boston in Week 16. What happened to the team that almost beat the Colts straight-up?

22. San Francisco 49ers – Keep an eye on this team for plays at the half. Great half-time adjustments by Singletary can give this team second-half value.

23. Chicago Bears – Fans wonder where Jay Cutler’s game management has been hiding all season; Cutler wonders where his pass protection suddenly came from (15 weeks too late). Lovie Smith wonders whether an upset would be enough to save his job.

24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Bucs were the only ones in the house that didn’t think that Saints field goal attempt was good! Congrats on possibly biggest upset of the year.

25. Washington Redskins – Trip to San Diego on-deck for the Skins and Jim Zorn is already checking the market for retirement homes.

26. Cleveland Browns –HC Mangini is like an evil super hero that’s discovered a new power and can’t resist the urge to use it for his advantage. New found RB Harrison was fed the ball 39 times in win against Raiders.

27. Seattle Seahawks – Losing seventh road game of the season could not have possibly looked any worse than that performance in Green Bay.

28. Oakland Raiders – This is the point where we have to start looking really hard for positives. Did you know Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 61-yard field goal against the Browns on Sunday?

29. Kansas City Chiefs – Three wins, one of them at home and one against the division. As far as rebuilding year’s go, the Chiefs pretty well nailed it.

30. Buffalo Bills – Not even the fans in Buffalo noticed Brian Brohm’s awful performance at Atlanta.

31. St. Louis Rams – Divisional games continue to be a thorn in the side of Steve Spagnuolo and as he searches for first-ever home win the 49ers are all that stands in his way.

32. Detroit Lions – Drew Stanton finally gets a chance and blows it. Daunte Culpepper should just retire.

You can read more power rankings and get NFL picks at BetRepublic

Watch Monday Night Football Minnesota Vikings Vs Chicago Bears Live

By Jarvis Simes

Watch Minnesota Vikings Vs Chicago Bears Live Stream Online free

Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings are back in the primetime spotlight once again this week, traveling to Chicago to face the Bears on Monday Night Football.

Playing on the road hasn’t been a strong spot for the Vikings when it comes to covering the spread and last week’s 26-7 loss at Carolina was the latest in a current 1-3 ATS slump. Online sportsbooks have this line pegged as Minnesota -7, with an Over/Under number of 41.

We talked about this game in our sports betting live chat Sunday morning at www.BetRepublic.com, looking at the different factors that will play a role in handicapping the matchup. We will also have a full breakdown of the game on our live streaming sports betting TV show at BetRepublic.com on Monday.

When the Bears’ season went south long ago the team was reduced to the role of spoiler, but they haven’t really excelled in that department either, posting an 0-7 ATS record since Week 8. Offensive point production for Chicago has reduced in each game for three consecutive weeks, culminating with last week’s disappointing 31-7 loss at Baltimore.

First-year QB Jay Cutler, acquired in a trade from the Denver Broncos, is being held accountable for some of the team’s offensive futility and rightfully so. With five more interceptions in the final two games of the season Cutler would surpass Favre’s decade-high mark for picks in a season. Cutler has tossed the ball at the wrong team 25 times this season and the record is 29, set in 2005 when Favre was with the Packers.

Minnesota is tied at 26th for lowest number of interceptions with the Detroit Lions, but no one in the Windy City is putting it past Cutler to find another new way to look bad. Especially considering that Minny leads the NFL in sacks with 43.

The Bears will have to look to the ground game against a Viking defense that ranks 4th in the league. If Chicago tries to rely too heavily on the pass early, Minnesota’s pass rush could overwhelm an offensive line that has endured a rash of injuries the past three months. RB Matt Forte is the go-to guy and although Forte hasn’t broken the 100-yard plateau since Week 4 (against the Lions), his yards-per-carry has been on the rise for three-straight weeks.

Following Chicago’s latest loss to the Vikings, 36-10 in Week 12, the Bears rebounded with a winning effort at home against the St. Louis Rams. Online sportsbooks had odds set for that game at Chicago -9.5 and their 17-9 win was not enough for a cover, but it will take another bounce back effort this week against a Vikings team that was provided with an added incentive after Tampa Bay’s shocking overtime defeat of the New Orleans Saints.

With a second consecutive loss the Saints are now vulnerable to a Viking invasion that could create a turnover for home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Minnesota would have to win out and the Saints would have to lose for a third straight time next week when they face the Carolina Panthers but for the Vikings it is all about starting with a win against an old rival in Chicago.

Monday Night Football weather: Bad weather that was originally forecasted to last into Monday at Soldier Field is starting to break up and rain or snow will not be a factor but the temperature at kickoff will be in the low 20’s, not exactly the kind of thing a dome team like the Vikes is accustomed to dealing with.

This will be the first cold-weather game Minnesota has played since Week 17 of the 2007 season when they lost 22-19 straight up as a three-point underdog at Denver. Playing in frigid conditions from late-November or December you have to look back as far as 1999 to find Minnesota’s latest straight-up win, 34-17 against the New York Giants.

Since then Minnesota is 0-11 SU and 5-6 ATS, covering the spread just once since 2002. For Over/Under bettors that like to take a look at totals, the Vikings have produced 3 overs, 6 unders and had 2 pushes in these 11 late-season outdoor affairs.

This could be an opportunity to bet on the dog.

Enjoy the game.

BetRepublic.com NFL Power Rankings Week 15 Picks

Not wanting to overreact, when the Pittsburgh Steelers lost straight-up to Cleveland last Thursday our power ranking minds immediately started pondering how much weight the upset should have on overall ratings. The Steelers were No. 9 on last week’s chart but that loss was not the kind of football we’ve come to expect over the past few years from this team.

It must be a similar situation for an online sportsbook when writing a line after such a surprising lack of effort from an inherently good team. Do you make them a big dog the next week or bank on public support for the team that was upset to dust off and come back strong?

If the rankings were based on the past month Big Ben would probably be positioned somewhere down near the Ryan Fitzpatrick’s and Josh Freeman’s of the league. But the BetRepublic.com ratings our based on full season performance so the damage isn’t quite that severe yet but still, Mike Tomlin’s squad needed to be penalized.

Pittsburgh fan - if it’s any consolation, Denver and Dallas have joined Pittsburgh in the group of let-downs but that probably doesn’t help much, does it? No, we didn’t think so.

BetRepublic Week 15 NFL Power Rankings

1. New Orleans Saints – Win establishes new franchise record for victories in a season (13) but Saints are becoming bad-beat specialists for Over/Under bettors. Fake field goal on 4th-and-7 from the 15?

2. Indianapolis Colts – Colts defense is quietly becoming difference that could keep this team perfect regardless of who is calling signals under center in fourth quarter.

3. Minnesota Vikings – Jasper Brinkley is linebacker who took place of EJ Henderson as Vikes extend streak of not allowing 100-plus rushers to 35 games.

4. Philadelphia Eagles – This is really shaping up like a Week 17 replay of last season when Eagles crushed Cowboys 44-6. Philly gets back-to-back home chances to make Dallas outcome moot.

5. New England Patriots – Notice how drama in Foxboro is starting to get more attention than the actual football.

6. San Diego Chargers – It was nice of Norv to let anyone in Denver think they ever had a chance of winning this division.

7. Cincinnati Bengals – Run game is there and Chris Henry is gone but Cinci needs to get its deep passing game working or it’s going to be a one-and-done.

8. Arizona Cardinals – Notice how the top eight teams are all made up of division leaders? Arizona still saving its best games for last few weeks.

9. Green Bay Packers – This is youngest overall team in the NFL for third time in last four years. It’s been a contributing factor towards high number of penalties but at this point in the season it is becoming inexcusable.

10. Baltimore Ravens – It may have only been the Lions but there is no questioning what butters the bread for that Ravens offense. Run-game has crept to eighth-best in the league.

11. Pittsburgh Steelers – Early lines indicate that bookmakers still have faith. Maybe the extra days of prep are what Steelers need; after all, their last win was at Denver following bye week.

12. Denver Broncos – Handicapping Broncos is fairly simple: They lose to every team with a shot at making the playoffs and beat up on the bad teams. Hello Oakland!

13. Dallas Cowboys – Romo and Phillips both look ready to move on but you’ve got to love that big screen TV!

14. Miami Dolphins – First thing you need to know: Fish are 14th against the run giving up 106 yards per game. Second thing: Titan run-game has not been stopped at home since Week 5.

15. Houston Texans – QB Schaub throws for 365 yards doing just enough to keep Texans on pace for shot at .500. Maybe the next step is to not include Gary Kubiak in gameplan.

16. New York Giants – Quite a finale for Eagles’ last ever visit. Hope last one out turned off the lights.

17. Tennessee Titans – Vince Young’s hamstring didn’t look good so Titans already thin playoff hopes may now be clinging to the arm of Kerry Collins.

18. Jacksonville Jaguars – Loss to Miami wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicates. Jags are the imposter of the AFC playoff picture and won’t be there for long.

19. Atlanta Falcons – Given the injuries Atlanta’s 6-7 record is pretty respectable. Team is 8-5 ATS, too, and could be a good cover team each of next three weeks.

20. Washington Redskins – We don’t want to be an “I told you so,” but did you see our Fantasy Football tip of the week run in Oakland? RB Quinton Ganther is the new Clinton Portis.

21. New York Jets – Rex Ryan defensive system really starting to kick in. Now if the Jets could just face the Bills and Bucs the rest of the way they’d be playoff bound in no time.

22. San Francisco 49ers – One thing about playing for Mike Singletary, you won’t find any quitters on this team.

23. Carolina Panthers – Things are starting to fall into place for Carolina and they should serve as a good warm-up team for the playoffs for their next two or three opponents; possibly even a good dog play.

24. Seattle Seahawks – If there’s any team in need of retooling this off-season, Seattle could be it. And this job will not be for the faint of heart.

25. Chicago Bears – This team is lacking urgency and focus; if players can’t realize they still need to play hard for shot at playoffs they should at least realize their jobs are on the line.

26. Oakland Raiders – Did QB Gradkowski play well enough before season-ending injury to unseat Russell from No. 1 spot for next year? Ball is in your court now JaMarcus.

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Starting with the Bucs, see if you can name the three teams that fired their offensive coordinators just before the season began.

28. Buffalo Bills – That’s two! (And you’re getting warmer)

29. Kansas City Chiefs – For final game of three-week home stand the Chiefs get the Browns
(2-11). KC lost by 29 to Denver (8-5) and just six points to Bills (5-8). Early money says home side wins and by the way, the Chiefs are the third.

30. Cleveland Browns – Beating Steelers gets Mang-idiot a two-spot bounce. Browns are at KC in Week 15, eying out that 29 spot.

31. St. Louis Rams – Rams beat Lions in Week 8 to show they were not the worst and now it looks as if they will burn Detroit again by finishing below them in the standings. Brilliant!

32. Detroit Lions – Enjoyed brief stint out of cellar after beating Cleveland but that loss to Baltimore has likely poured concrete over tomb of another lost season.

Check out BetRepublic.com for NFL picks, more NFL power ratings, power rating plays and live sports betting TV.

BetRepublic.com NFL Power Rankings Week 14

Any given Sunday was the case last week in the NFL, as the Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals all sent the mighty tumbling to the mat. And Washington probably should have beat the Saints, but the outcome of that game epitomizes the “day late, dollar short” story that will cap Jim Zorn’s short career once the season is over.

The Bengals strengthened their foothold in the top five of our rankings, but the next two weeks (at Minnesota, at San Diego) will show us Cincinnati’s real playoff potential.

Check BetRepublic for tons of free picks each week and our innovative sports betting TV show every day.

Week 14 NFL Power Rankings

1. New Orleans Saints –WR Robert Meachem averaging one TD per game in last five and the strip-score vs. Redskins was testament to mentality of Sean Payton’s team. There is no quit.

2. Indianapolis Colts – Key turnovers help Indy slam door on Titans win streak. Colts tie New England’s all-time win record of 21 wins.

3. Minnesota Vikings – Favre and Vikings defense look pedestrian in road loss; LB EJ Henderson’s leg is broken and he is done for the year.

4. New England Patriots – Playing away from home haunts Pats as team loses back-to-back for first time in 50 tries.

5. Cincinnati Bengals – Late score against Bengal prevent ruins ATS cover for Bengal backers but almost everything else was done right. Time of possession more than 38 minutes and if it hadn’t been Lions Cinci may jumped the Pats.

6. Philadelphia Eagles – Jeers turned into cheers as Andy Reid opens Michael Vicks playbook and sets offense on dominate-mode.

7. San Diego Chargers – Win over Browns not nearly as close as final score indicates. LT reached the 150 career TD mark this week faster than any other player in league history. That’s 15-straight December wins for the Bolts.

8. Arizona Cardinals – Captain Kurt getting his rally cap on as Cards play their game of the year.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers – HC Tomlin calling for changes but it’s starting to look like Steelers lack ability to backup his tough-talk. WR Hines Ward (hamstring) looking doubtful for Thursday night at Cleveland.

10. Denver Broncos – "Over" trend continues for Broncos in December at Arrowhead. 44 points is Denver’s highest point production since 2005.

11. Dallas Cowboys – December woes continue as the Boys get swept by G-Men. Forget pointing fingers at QB Romo, try looking at coverage teams that surrendered 165 return yards in one game.

12. Baltimore Ravens – Ravens still in hunt for Wild Card spot although you wouldn’t know it by way they played Monday Night vs. Packers.

13. Jacksonville Jaguars – Jaguars come away with another win! Quick, someone tell the city they have a team. Paid attendance was 42 079; real attendance looked more like 25 000.

14. Miami Dolphins – Chad Henne makes 52 attempts and racks up 335 yards to give Marino faithful upset of the year. Dolphins are 5-0 in December under Tony Sparano.

15. Green Bay Packers – WR Donald Driver having one of his better years and that is saying an awful lot; became tenth Packer with 50-plus TDs all-time in second quarter vs. Ravens.

16. Houston Texans – Anyone that started watching five minutes late must have done a double-take when they saw Rex Grossman throwing passes. Matt Schaub returned but honestly, did anyone expect Schaub to play more than 12 games this year?

17. Tennessee Titans – QB Young looked intimidated by Colts defense. Titans defenders made great tackles but problem is that they were making them after Indy had made big gains; too little too late.

18. New York Giants – Rumbling, stumbling; Giants didn’t get huge rushing yards but they got the ones that counted.

19. Atlanta Falcons – QB Matt Ryan could potentially return this week as 6-6 SU Falcs inch closer to falling off the edge of playoff hopefuls.

20. Carolina Panthers – Matt Moore breathes new life into Panthers offense and 5-7 SU Panthers are left wonder why it took an injury to make them consider benching Jake Delhomme in the first place.

21. New York Jets – Sanchez is starting to run out of knees but he still wants to start this week at Tampa Bay.

22. Washington Redskins – Stories of the one that got away will never be able to top the one from FedEx Field this weekend.

23. Seattle Seahawks – All the Seahawks could use are a little more power and some explosiveness in their run-game. Wonder how they feel watching Leonard Weaver run the rock with Philly?

24. San Francisco 49ers – Heartbreaking loss on the road starting to make run at NFC West title look like a fantasy.

25. Chicago Bears – If there was ever a reason for a false sense of security it was demonstrated Sunday in Chicago’s win over the Rams.

26. Oakland Raiders – It may not have been Kenny “The Snake” Stabler leading team past Terry Bradshaw but let’s give QB Gradkowski credit. Huge road win for Raiders in Gradkowski’s home town.

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Patriots think they have problems winning on the road; Tampa has now lost eight-straight away from home.

28. Kansas City Chiefs – Back-to-back home games against Denver and Cleveland are what Todd Haley’s team needs to cap average, first step of rebuilding year. Look for value on Chiefs against two teams that actually rate lower on our power rating chart.

29. Buffalo Bills – Maybe the extra rest will have Buffalo ready to explode this week at Kansas City Bills have now played five-straight road games without breaking 20-point barrier.

30. St. Louis Rams – Even the Bears could stop this punchless team.

31. Detroit Lions – Stafford finally takes enough punishment to sit down and QB Culpepper actually didn’t look too bad. We should see him start this week at Baltimore.

32. Cleveland Browns – News flash: Jimmy Clausen is foregoing senior year and entering NFL draft. Just keep losing guys, it’s over.

Good luck betting on all of this week’s NFL games.

NFL Power Rankings Week 13 Picks

The biggest shakeup in the NFL Power ratings week 13 was in the middle of the pack and speaking of the Pack, they’re not done yet! Don’t count the Tennessee Titans out, either.

NFL Power Ranking teams in the top 10 are supposed to be built to win big games and in that respect, the Denver Broncos moved back into the upper class after a brief stint in the minors. Baltimore is getting oh so close but wins against a Pittsburgh team being run by Dennis Dixon and without Troy Polamalu have to be graded accordingly.

Overall, top 11 teams went 8-3 straight-up and four of these teams played each other so someone had to lose!

The biggest shakeup this week was in the middle of the pack and speaking of the Pack, they’re not done yet. Don’t count the Tennessee Titans out, either.

NFL Power Ratings for Week 13


1. New Orleans Saints – Special teams and defense have both seen the light in the Big Easy and this team just gets better. Darren Sharper starting to look like free agent signing of the year. Beating New England on Monday night was another big test they passed easily.

2. Indianapolis Colts – Most dangerous team in the league right until the final whistle. One away from tying New England’s all-time win record of 21-straight regular season wins.

3. Minnesota Vikings – MVP talks are starting for Favre and the way things are going, the mayor of Minneapolis should probably start packing up his desk.

4. New England Patriots – Playing away from home is starting to look like a weakness for Belichick and crew. Miami, Buffalo and Houston: Take notice.

5. Cincinnati Bengals – Proving that Oakland was only a small lapse, Bengals are back on target. Beating Cleveland is not grounds for a promotion, however. RB Benson returns this week vs. Detroit.

6. Dallas Cowboys – Sad-sack opponent helps Dallas add to its overrated November numbers. Note: Cowboys were 4-1 straight-up last month vs. opponents with combined record of 24-31 (.436).

7. San Diego Chargers – Saw what the Broncos could do on Thanksgiving Night vs. G-Men and responded with a 40-buger vs. a division rival. Any questions?

8. Philadelphia Eagles – Lack of finish in Philadelphia starting to become a real concern. Once again, why was Michael Vick brought in here?

9. Pittsburgh Steelers – Ben Roethlisberger saga turning into a bad episode of Days of our Lives this week. Early prediction: Steelers will be the NFL’s Hard Knocks team for 2010.

10. Denver Broncos – Relegated to second place in the AFC West for the first time this year and Thursday we got to see how the Broncos would respond. Thanks to an overzealous cameraman, we were also able to hear Josh McDaniels’ thoughts on the subject!

11. Baltimore Ravens – Line movement was the story of the game against Pittsburgh and the first one (Baltimore -2.5) was much more accurate. OT win added to the list of phenomenal Sunday Nighters this year (Giants at Cowboys, Patriots at Colts…).

12. Arizona Cardinals – Latest victim of the resurgent Vince Young. Super Bowl losers do not have a good record the following year (71-100-2 ATS since 1999). Cards are starting to fade.

13. Green Bay Packers – Impossible to gauge impact of injuries on defense against woeful Lions squad. Week 13 Monday Night Football vs. Baltimore will be a day of reckoning.

14. Houston Texans – All style, no substance. You would think coach Kubiak would know better by now.

15. Jacksonville Jaguars – After the 41-0 blip in Seattle the Jags went on a 4-1 tear; the only loss coming against the Titans. Houston comes to Florida in Week 13 and these ratings will likely be different following that contest.

16. Miami Dolphins – An off-game against a bad squad is okay now and then but not when it’s divisional. Fish get break with Pats also losing.

17. Tennessee Titans – Mental errors at the end of the first-half were shades of a potential collapse for Vince Young. Instead, he inspires fifth-straight Titan power rating jump of the season.

18. New York Giants – Eli Manning’s problems with his foot are starting to look like the kind of thing that will cost his team a trip to the playoffs this year. Look for David Carr to finish this season as the starter.

19. Atlanta Falcons – Falcons offense is falling apart and it looks like this team will have to start planning for next year. Matt Ryan has already been ruled out for game against Philly.

20. San Francisco 49ers – At one point vs. the Jaguars Mike Singletary was between the hash marks attempting to call a timeout. Don’t ever question depth of Niners at linebacker.

21. New York Jets – Mark Sanchez has tweaked his left knee and given the state of this season we should expect the Jets’ run-game to start dominating the offensive playcalling.

22. Carolina Panthers – If you believe that handicapping turnovers is impossible to do you may want to cross the Panthers off your list each week of games to bet on.

23. Washington Redskins – Fantasy alert for next season! Remember Quinton Ganther as a bench running back; seriously. Behind 3rd stringer Rock Cartwright the second year Ganther averaged 6.4 RYPC vs. Philadelphia.

24. Seattle Seahawks – Good for you Seattle, you’ve now outscored the Rams 55-17 this year. Too bad Seattle is -65 net points against all other opponents.

25. Chicago Bears – Sounds like a lot of fingers in the Windy City starting to point at Jay Cutler. Do they not remember how bad Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton were?

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Should have won straight-up vs. Atlanta but seven-straight goal line stops in final minutes are asking a bit much.

27. St. Louis Rams – Spagnuolo sets new record for home losses as first year Rams head coach.

28. Buffalo Bills – Bills blowout Dolphins; Terrell Owens is happy again. Maybe Ralph Wilson should save a few million and just name Perry Fewell the new coach.

29. Kansas City Chiefs – Chiefs are home for three-straight starting this week vs. Denver, Buffalo and Cleveland. Given history of success in December at Arrowhead it may not be a bad idea to just play ON Kansas City all three weeks.

30. Oakland Raiders – If there was a stat for consistently having at least one good play on every drive the Raiders would actually rate fairly well.

31. Detroit Lions – Toughness aside, when do say enough is enough and sit the future of your franchise down before he gets killed.

32. Cleveland Browns – Cleveland will occupy this spot until they can win another game. It wouldn’t be right to move them ahead of the Lions, now would it?

Thanksgiving Day NFL

We just finished taping our Football Blitz online sports betting TV show over at BetRepublic.com, breaking down all the Thanksgiving Day NFL games.

Yes, we have to endure the annual Detroit Lions Turkey-Day matchup (this year hosting the Green Bay Packers), but there are two other games on the schedule to fill the day up with football action until late into the evening. That said, all three games do have playoff implications, but only the Giants at the Broncos matchup features both teams competing for a playoff spot.

Watch Thanksgiving Day NFL Live Online

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions
Line: Packers -11
Total: 47.5

Detroit is coming off its second win this season, in a crazy game against the Browns. Matthew Stafford threw the winning touchdown with no time left on the clock and with his left shoulder separated. It was a heroic effort but unfortunately he won’t be around for the annual Lions Thanksgiving game. He is out with the shoulder injury. The Lions could also be without WR Calvin Johnson. Without these two in the lineup there won’t be a lot of celebrating in Michigan.

The Packers have righted the sinking ship winning two straight games beating Dallas and the 49ers. Aaron Rodgers is getting rid of the ball quicker and the Pack have amended the playbook to include more shorter passing routes. Unfortunately for the Packers, they lost two of the top defenders when LB Aaron Kampman and CB Al Harris were both lost for the season with knee injuries. These two injuries could derail the Packers hopes of getting to the post season but they should still have enough to overcome the Lions without Stafford and Johnson.

NFL Trends

- The total has gone over in six of the Packers last nine games.
- Detroit is 3-11 against the spread in their last 14 home games

Packers: 6-4 SU, 5-4-1 ATS
Lions: 2-8 SU, 2-7-1 ATS

NFL Picks: We’re staying away from the side and total on this one. We won’t lay the big points on the Packers and certainly can’t put our money on the Lions.


Oakland Raiders at Dallas Cowboys

Line: Cowboys – 14
Total: Over 40

The Raiders are coming off their biggest win of the year when they battled back to put up ten points in the last minute to beat the Bengals. Bruce Gradkowski started in place of the embattled JaMarcus Russell and made just enough plays to win. The strength of the Raiders is their defense and they played their best game of the year against Cincy.

Meanwhile, Dallas barely beat the Redskins 7-6 last week in a game that they were outplayed, but did get the win over a very mediocre (read: bad) team. Tony Romo was harassed all day long and the Redskins secondary contained the Cowboy receivers all day, side from that critical final drive. In this matchup, the Cowboy running game should be enough to provide them with some balance on offense, as the Raiders will be forced to bring eight men up to support stopping the run, which should allow the passing game to produce more plays than last week. Oakland struggles stopping the run (giving up 157 yards per game) and that will be their undoing this week as early success will allow for the passing game to open up as well.

We also think the Raiders will find ways to score some points, not enough for a win, but they’ll push the Cowboys.

NFL Trends

- The total has gone under in six of the Raiders' last nine games.
- Dallas is 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 home games

Raiders: 3-7 SU, 5-5 ATS
Cowboys SU, 5-5 ATS

NFL Picks: We lean to the underdog getting 14 points, but the BetRepublic.com TV hosts gave out a play on the “Over” 40 in this one.

Check ESPN for updated injury reports, particularly for Richard Seymour

New York Giants at Denver Broncos
Thursday, November 26, 2009

Line: Broncos – 7
Total: Over 42

The Giants finally stopped their four game slide with an overtime win against the Falcons in New York last Sunday. Eli Manning played a great game tossing for three scores and making a number of difficult throws. The Giants still can’t get their running game going and now could be without Ahmed Bradshaw who injured his ankle last week. Brandon Jacobs is not putting up the numbers that he did last year and he missed all of the fourth quarter and overtime against the Falcons with a leg injury but will go this week. The lack of running game is forcing Manning to put the team on his shoulders. LB Antonio Pierce is the heart, soul and brains of the defense and he is out with a back problem. The Giants still can’t stop the pass and Denver will look to get WR Brandon Marshall in the game early.

Denver will be looking to stop their own four-game slide. The Broncos have fallen out of first place and could be in a big free fall if they don’t win this game. Kyle Orton will play with his injured ankle because the NFL quarterback gene didn’t get passed down to Chris Simms. The Broncos have a huge advantage of playing at home on a short week in the mile-high air of Denver. New York is beat up and traveling across the country with only three days to prepare, but no way can we lay a full touchdown with this Denver team.

NFL Trends
- The total has gone under in eight of Denver's last ten games.
- The NY Giants are 17-4 against the spread in their last 21 road games
Giants: 6-4 SU, 4-5-1 ATS
Broncos: 6-4 SU, 6-4 ATS

NFL Picks: Looking at this one, we have a small lean to the visitor getting the seven points.

Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving from BetRepublic. Enjoy all the football action, the food, and family fun.

NFL Power Rankings Week 11 Betting Picks

Clear Thoughts for the Cloudy Minds

Check out sports betting community for NFL Power Rankings Week 11 betting tips & picks, free nfl picks at BetRepublic

Cincinnati took a big jump in the standings and is now one of the AFC favorites to make it to the Super Bowl, along with New England, and Indianapolis.

The Steelers without Polamalu is like a day without sunshine. Gloomy and dark.

Your number one team in the NFL is. The New Orleans Saints.

No. two, is Peyton Manning and the Colts. They are undefeated unless New England gets them tonight, then the Colts drop two spots, and New England goes up one to two positions.

No. three position is held by the Minnesota Vikings ar 8-1. There is no explanation here. They have the third best record in the league against some quality teams.

No four are the Cincinnati Bengals. A big win over Pittsburgh, sweeping that series, and a 7-2 record that should in all reality be 8-1. This team is all about the W.

Deep breathe here now. Relax. Clear your mind of all barriers and let the truth flow. Hang on not to past dreams, but today’s reality. Denver has lost three in a row. Dallas got shut out in Green Bay, who can't beat Tampa Bay.

No one else is eligible for this number five spot so welcome back Patriots the the top five of professional football. Fear Bill Belicek and Tom Brady in the playoffs.

Currently the New England Patriots are in the number five spot with maybe a 7-2 record if they can knock off no. two Indianapolis. The Colts could fall as low as number five with a loss, or hold steady at number two with a win against New England.

No six is the Pittsburgh Steelers at 6-3 for the season. They have to win a few down the stretch now, and see who can trip up the Bengals. A third play-off match up is very interesting.

It is very very hard to beat a team three times in one season if they are evenly matched.

No. seven are the Arizona Cardinals who keep showing up week after week. Now at 6-3, the offense is explosive with Warner and his receivers.

No. eight are the San Diego Chargers who would be oh so much better with a defense.

No. nine are the Denver Broncos, now the proud parents of a strapping eight pound three game losing streak and San Diego knocking at the door.

No. 10 are the under achieving Dallas Cowboys who get shut out, by the team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat for their only win.

No. 11 belongs to Atlanta, outside looking in at the big boys playing in the yard. This may be a little rough for you, youngsters. Better wait til next year when you are bigger and stronger.

The once mighty New York Giants are now in the No. 12 position and needs some wins now, No more excuses, Execute and move up. Struggle and miss the playoffs. Get it together G-Men.

Houston is now hovering in that zone of maybe making the playoffs. 5-4 and hope springs eternal. Better get some wins too, Texans or you'll be with the Giants. One game short.

The San Francisco Forty-Niners, or the little train that could, are at No. 14. Mike Singletary must get something up his sleeve to get a win in Green Bay.

The surprising Jacksonville Jags are at 5-4 and are at an astonishing record for this season so far. They can beat Buffalo and actually be at 6-4. Wow! Good job with the three name dudes. You need some more of those. No. fifteen is your reward.

Baltimore who still has some hope for the playoffs, after Cincinnati beat the Steelers is currently in number 16. They should win next week, because they suddenly have to, if the playoffs are to follow this season.

The Packers are number 17, and moved up after beating the Cowboys. Next week, can they do it again beating number 14 ranked San Francisco? A big game for both teams motivation for this season.

Philadelphia is falling off the charts with this win one, lose one pattern.8-8 will not cut it, guys. Now at number 18 and going to angry Bears that are wounded at home next.

The Dolphins are at No. 19 and it does not look good for playoffs to be in Miami's future this season.

The Panthers are at 4-5 now and have made a nice recovery from the 0-3 start. No. 20 and number 19 play next week. 5-5 to the winner.

The Bears are at No. 21 and really need a miracle to catch anyone to make the playoffs.

The Jets are not that much better and need a lot of things to happen, jst to go 8-8 this season. Again, this team will not make the playoffs. No. 22 to the Jets.

Tennessee is number 23 now with three wins in a row. Hooray!!!

Seattle is at 3-6 and going no where fast. Number 24 to the Seahawks.

Washington is the best of the bad teams, beating Denver and staying out of everyone in the NFC East's way, 3-6 and No. 25.

Buffalo is also 3-6 and No. 27. Maybe you should put T.O. in your game plaqn, a little more. The man can catch dummies.

No 28 is Kansas City who beat the Raiders in Oakland. 2-7 and a brownie point.

No 29 are the inept quarterbacked Raiders. Who finally sat Russell, I hope, forever.

No. 30 are the Buc's, who are somehow, improving, week by week.

Number 31 and slipping fast, are the Detroit Lions, who need another win, next week against....... you guessed it, No. 32, and worst team in the league Cleveland Browns.

Oops, I forgot the Rams. I skipped a number after Washington. Ok, Number 31 1/2 to the Rams.

Enjoy your week and watch key power match ups next week as No. 11 Giants host the No. 12 Falcons.

San Diego at No. eight takes on No. nine Denver in Mile High Stadium. Both teams desperately need to win and this game will rock.

Baltimore must find a way to slow down Peyton Manning and the Colts if they want to play in there post season. The Colts travel to Baltimore in firm control of their own playoff destiny.

For More Football Betting Tips & Picks and Sports Betting Information at BetRepublic.

Premier League Preview Show

Claridge and Eastham target this weekend's Internationals for betting value...

As there are no Premier League matches this weekend Bet Republic TV hosts Steve Claridge and James Eastham are covering this Saturday and Sunday's last few World Cup Qualifiers in their Premier League Preview Show.

As well as the World Cup Qualifiers there is also a full schedule of International friendlies including an enticing encounter in Qatar between England and Brazil.

Sports betting expert James Eastham presents the show - that is streamed onto bet republic on Thursday evenings - alongside Steve Claridge, a former professional footballer with clubs including Portsmouth and Leicester.

Each week the two betting-mad pundits trawl through bookmakers' prices to hunt out the weekend's best bets. They have a formidable record of picking winners every week from among the 100 or so markets that are available on every game of football with most bookmakers.

These are the games that they are focusing on this weekend, with stats and betting recommendations. You can watch the show on www.Betepublic.com from Thursday evening at 9pm UK time. Alternatively video clips of the game will run on the BetRepublic YouTube channel at: www.youtube.com/slicker66.

Saturday, 14 November 2009

GREECE v UKRAINE

Greece won four and lost one of five home qualifiers

Both teams scored in four of Greece’s five home qualifiers

Greece finished second behind Switzerland in their group, one of the easiest of all European pools

Theo Gekas was Greece’s top scorer with 10 goals in nine qualifiers

Ukraine finished second behind England after a great run of four wins and a draw in their final five qualifying games

They’ve kept clean sheets in their last four games

Andriy Shevchenko scored six goals in nine qualifiers

Recommended Bets:

Ukraine +0.25 Asian handicap (evens)

Under 2 goals (21/20)

PORTUGAL v BOSNIA

Ronaldo is out – although fans in Portugal would argue that he never plays well for his country. Reminds me of the John Barnes & England situation in the 1980s

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored no goals in seven World Cup qualifiers

Simao is actually Portugal’s top scorer with four goals in eight games

Portugal finished second in their pool behind Denmark

5/10 had over 2.5 goals, 5/10 had under 2.5 goals

Portugal won two and drew two of four home games following a 2-3 home defeat v Denmark in their opening match

Bosnia’s star player is Edzin Dzeko. He scored nine goals in their 10 qualifiers and is one of 30 players shortlisted for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award

Other key players include captain and centre-half Emir Spahic and Lyon playmaker Miralem Pjanic, one of the best young footballers in Europe

Pjanic has scored five goals in 18 appearances for Lyon this season

Recommended Bets:

Portugal -1.25 Asian handicap (21/20)

Miralem Pjanic to score anytime (7/1)

REP IRELAND v FRANCE

France finished second behind Serbia in their qualifying group, mainly because of a slow start and too many draws

Coach Raymond Domenech remains a hugely unpopular figure in his homeland but France have some outstanding individual players

Centre-half is the weakness in the France team. William Gallas is a regular starter, but a succession of players have been tried without success alongside him

Franck Ribery is out through injury but Thierry Henry, Karim Benzema, Yoann Gourcuff, Andre-Pierre Gignac and Sidney Govou are all available

Ireland finished second behind Italy in their group – and were one of the few sides to go unbeaten through all 10 games

They drew home and away v Italy, showing their prowess against better sides

Robbie Keane was Ireland’s top scorer with five goals in 10 games.

Recommended Bets:

Draw (9/4)

Andre-Pierre Gignac to score anytime (5/2)

RUSSIA v SLOVENIA

Russia had the best record of any second-placed team – seven wins, a draw and two defeats. Both defeats came against group winners Germany so Russia clearly had an excellent record against all but the very best opposition

Russia’s goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev is one of the best young goalkeepers in Europe

Spurs striker Roman Pavlyuchenko was Russia’s top scorer in the qualifiers, netting five goals in seven games

Russia boss Guus Hiddink has a superb recent record at World Cup tournaments. He took Holland and South Korea to the World Cup semi-finals in 1998 and 2002 respectively and led Australia to the last 16 in 2006

Slovenia finished second behind Slovakia in their qualifying group thanks to a superb run of four straight wins in their final four qualifiers, including a 2-0 win away to group winners Slovakia

Slovenia are a side virtually without a single household name. Ex-Marseille and West Brom centre-half Bostjan Cesar is one of the few familiar faces

Recommended Bets:

Russia -1.25 Asian handicap (10/11)

Over 2.5 goals (10/11)

ENGLAND v BRAZIL

TV match: 5pm on ITV1

Under Fabio Capello, England’s friendly record is three wins, two draws and a defeat

England’s only friendly defeat came away to Spain (0-2)

England’s overall record under Fabio Capello is 12 wins, two draws and two defeats

England’s games have been high-scoring under Capello: 13 out of 16 have had over 2.5 goals and nine out of 16 have had over 3.5 goals

Both teams have scored in nine of England’s 16 internationals

England are without a win in their last seven meetings against Brazil – they’ve had four draws and three defeats in that time. Brazil have qualified for next year’s World Cup as the top team in South America’s qualifying pool

Recommended Bets:

Draw (5/2)

Luis Fabiano to score anytime (15/8)

HUDDERSFIELD v WYCOMBE

TV match: 12.05pm on SkySports 1

Huddersfield are sixth in League One with 24pts from 15 games

Huddersfield have an excellent home record – five wins, two draws and no defeats

Wycombe are bottom of the table with just eight points from 15 games so far

Wycombe have won just one of their opening 15 games

Away from home Wycombe have drawn three and lost four

Gary Waddock replaced Peter Taylor as Wycombe manager last month

19-year-old Jordan Rhodes is Huddersfield’s top scorer with nine goals in 14 games

Huddersfield’s games have been high-scoring – 10 out of 15 have had over 2.5 goals

Wycombe’s games have been low-scoring – 10 out of 15 have had under 2.5 goals

Recommended Bets:

Huddersfield -1.25 Asian handicap (evens)

Jordan Rhodes to score anytime (5/4)

Sunday, 15 November 2009

SOUTHAMPTON v BRIGHTON

TV match: 4.30pm on Sky Sports 1

Southampton are 22nd in League One – but their position is lower because of having 10pts docked because of going into administration

Southampton have 12pts on the board but have actually won 22pts on the pitch, a tally that would see them eighth in the table

Southampton have a solid home record – three wins, three draws and a defeat

Southampton’s form is excellent going into this game – four wins and a draw in their last five games

Southampton have scored 15 goals in their last five games. Southampton have lost only one of their last 12 games – five wins, six draws and a defeat

Southampton’s top scorer is their £1m summer signing Rickie Lambert, with 10 goals in 14 games.

Both teams have scored in Southampton’s last seven games.

Brighton have appointed Gus Poyet as their new manager this week following the sacking of Russell Slade.

Brighton’s results have been poor – they’ve won one, drawn three and lost four of their last eight league games

Brighton are 20th in League One with 14pts from 15 games

Brighton avoid defeat a lot away – one win, four draws and just two defeats

Brighton’s top scorer is 36-year-old Nicky Forster, who has nine goals in 13 appearances

Recommended Bets:

Southampton -1 Asian handicap (21/20)

Both teams to score (5/6)

BetRepublic Big Three Bets:

Ukraine +0.25 Asian handicap (evens)

Portugal -1.25 Asian handicap (21/20)

Russia -1.25 Asian handicap (10/11)

Carling Cup: Expert Picks

Where are the experts putting their money in tonight's Carling Cup matches?

Carling Cup matches on Tuesday, 27 Oct
Barnsley v Man Utd, R4, 19:45
Portsmouth v Stoke, R4, 19:45
Sunderland v Aston Villa, R4, 19:45
Blackburn v Peterborough, R4, 20:00
Tottenham v Everton, R4, 20:00

BetRepublic Betting

Tottenham v Everton
3pts Tottenham to beat Everton at 4/6 with Eurobet, Bet365 and Blue Square

Portsmouth v Stoke
1pt on Stoke to beat Portsmouth at 11/4 with BetFred and Skybet

Barnsley v Man Utd
0.5pt on Draw/Barnsley half-time/full-time at 16/1 with Eurobet and Bet365

Betting Zone Betting

Barnsley v Man Utd
1pt Barnsley to beat Man Utd at 13/2 (Sportingbet, Blue Square)

Sunderland v Aston Villa
2pts Sunderland to beat Aston Villa at 6/4
Racing Post Betting

Barnsley v Man United
Barnsley, 1pt 13-2 Blue Square

Portsmouth v Stoke
Stoke, 1pt 12-5, Bet365, Eurobet

Spreadwise
Buy Tottenham v Everton goals, 5pts at 2.9, Sporting Index

Betting.Betfair Betting

Barnsley v Man Utd:
Lay Man Utd @ 1.5 in Match Odds market.
Back Barnsley/Barnsley @ 15.0 in Half Time/Full Time market
Back Any Unquoted @ 6.0 in Correct Score market

NFL Picks Week 1, Sunday’s NFL Schedule, Week One NFL Picks

The sports betting community, bet republic like most sports betting enthusiasts, we were anxiously awaiting the kick-off to the new NFL season. Thursday night gave us a tase of what was to come, as the Titans and Steelers mixed it up in Pittsburgh.

We broke that game down in our Thursday Night sports betting TV show and will go through all the Sunday action in our Sunday NFL Blitz sports betting TV show at the site.

Here are a handful of NFL picks and write-ups from the Bet Republic office focused on Sunday’s NFL schedule.

It’s always tough making football picks in Week 1 since preseason games are the only opportunity we’ve had so far to really gauge the impact of off season player/coaching changes. Looking over the odds online presented a handful of spots that could be a good betting opportunity and we’ve previewed those games here.

Into the 2009 season we go…

Miami Dolphins at Atlanta Falcons
NFL Odds: Falcons -4
Over/Under: 44
Both teams were a surprise last season finishing 11-5 SU and getting into the playoffs. Opponents will be more prepared for each of these squads in `09 and this matchup will give bettors a good opportunity to see which team has made the greatest adjustments. The Falcons have signed TE Tony Gonzalez to their offense, which is a very thoughtful addition.

Atlanta finished 6th in total offense last year and Miami 11th. Defensively, Atlanta ranked 24th and Miami 15th. Miami was 6-2 ATS on the road last year and getting more than a field goal, we like the Fish in the season opener.

BetRepublic’s Pick: Take the underdog Dolphins
Philadelphia Eagles at Carolina Panthers
Line: Eagles -2
Over/Under: 44
This is a matchup between two teams that, in the past decade, have been a mirror image of each other. Both are led by veteran coaches and QBs, both have had solid regular season success and both have fallen victim to the Patriots dynasty in the Super Bowl. The Eagles had a ton of preseason hype and the Panthers are trying to recover from their last playoff debacle. Look for both teams to feature the run and for this contest to finish under the number.
BetRepublic’s Pick: Take the “Under”

New York Jets at Houston
Line: Texans -4
Over/Under: 44
Houston is the only AFC team in the past decade that has failed to make at least one trip to the post-season. For that to change the team needs a strong start and this home opener vs. the Jets could be the break Houston needs. QB Matt Schaub has recovered from his ankle injury and will start. Jets QB Sanchez will find the going tough against Mario Williams and the rest of the Houston D. Jets without two suspended defensive starters who were last season’s sack leaders – Shaun Ellis and Calvin Pace. The Texans are 1-3 ATS in recent home openers but were only favored once (2007), beating KC 20-3.
BetRepublic’s Pick: Take the Texans

Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots
Line: Patriots -11
Over/Under: 47.5
Cover your eyes kids this could get ugly. The Bills are one of a handful teams that appear to be in disarray heading into the season. The Patriots will use this Monday Nighter to put a scare into the rest of the league. Look for Brady to throw for more than 400 yards. We usually steer clear of double-digit favorites, but will throw a unit down on this one.
BetRepublic’s Pick: Take the Patriots

NFL Betting: Bets On Preseason Football

NFL Betting: Bets On Preseason Football: With less than two weeks left until the NFL sports betting hits full stride, take advantage of the time to prepare a winning strategy.

At betrepublic, we provide sports bettors with betting strategies they can use all year. Let’s a have a look at a few key sports betting tips that can help you

NFL Gambling - For anyone that bets on preseason football, the final two weeks of August have felt like anything but dog days. NFL games being played on four, even five days per week. Odds for NCAA football games already popping up at your online sportsbook, (courtesy of the good people in Las Vegas), and then there’s baseball. As if keeping up with the demands of a winning bankroll in baseball weren’t tough enough already.

If it’s been starting to bog you down, relax. Take a timeout and consider a couple things before making your next bet.

Fall has always been considered a sports bettors paradise. Baseball will be into the post-season, basketball joins the mix and football games will actually count to the players, not just the people betting them. What you do between now and the hardcore betting season could have a major impact on how your account performs when the action hits its high.

- Adjust your mind-set: Each Major League Baseball team has a little over 30 games left to play in the regular season. A lot of clubs know they don’t have a shot at a pennant and are forced to accept it; even the stubborn ones that you knew were done back in June. It’s going to affect how they play and that means adjusting the way you bet.

Angles and systems that worked throughout the season need to be monitored more closely now. Note call-ups and how much work they’re getting. Basically, think back to the way you bet baseball during the first month of the year. September ball is a different animal and the right approach can make it the most profitable month of the season.

- Pick your spots: It’s easy to get swept up in the hype leading into NFL betting during Week 1 but there’s nothing that will boost your confidence more than a winning record through the preseason. To help try and achieve that goal, resist the urge to make bets ‘just for action.’ Do some research, find a solid angle and bet it. Week 3 is the most important week of the exhibition season. Starters will see ample playing time and it’s a good spot for sharp bettors to look for value.

- Get ready: Waiting until the actual first week of the football season before getting organized is like last minute shopping – it’s easy to overlook something important. Get a book setup for tracking your plays, make sure your online account has a decent balance to start the year off right, watch the preseason games you’re betting and scout the Week 1 card in advance.

The one advantage we have on our side right now is time. De-stress ahead of the regular season and prepare to produce your best records yet.

Check BetRepublic for daily sports betting tips from our experts, such as Sonny Palermo and Greg Dempson. Plus watch our innovative BetRepublic’s online sports betting TV shows that give out winning NFL Picks, baseball picks, handicapping tips and more.

You can find it all at Bet Republic – An Online Sports Betting Community!

Thursday Night NFL Preseason Games, NFL Preseason Games & Picks

Thursday Night NFL Preseason Games: Week three on the preseason schedule kicks off Thursday night with three games. This is the big week in preseason football, as the starters playing for a full half with some players going deep into the third quarter.

BetRepublic looks at the games in their Thursday Night sports betting TV show, as well TV hosts Sonny Palermo and Greg Dempson talked college football and NFL picks in the Wednesday night Betting Show.

The feature game of the night is the Jacksonville Jaguars facing the Eagles in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia: - 7 ½
Over/Under: 37

Michael Vick is the story. He will be seeing action and word is it will be with the first team offense. There is a lot of speculation on just how Head Coach Andy Reid will use Vick throughout the season, as Donovan McNabb is a lock as the starting quarterback. Vick could be either the number two or three quarterback on the roster but is too much of a unique athlete to hold a clipboard all season.

The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback hasn't played in an NFL game since December 31, 2006. Against the Jaguars he will be relieve McNabb who is slated to play deep into the third quarter. Vick will get a few reps with the first team according to Reid but won’t be asked to do much.

The Eagles have yet to win a preseason game losing to both New England and Indianapolis. Running back Brian Westbrook returned to practice this past week from ankle surgery and will not play against the Jags.

The offensive line has been hit hard by injuries. LT Jason Peters has been bothered by a quadriceps injury most of training camp and Left guard Todd Herremans will miss the beginning of the season with a stress reaction in his foot.

Stacy Andrews is recovering from ACL surgery in January hasn't played in either of the first two preseason games. His brother Shawn Andrews reinjured his back on the first day of camp and hasn’t been in practice since.

The loss of defensive standout middle linebacker, Stewart Bradley for the season will hurt the Eagles. It will be difficult to replace his leadership and 151 tackles but look for Joe Mays to make a statement against the Jags.

The Jaguars are also winless in preseason but QB David Garrard has looked very good. He has a new favorite target in former Viking Troy Williamson who has had two very good games. The Jaguars are looking to rebound from last year and this will be a good test to see how competitive they will be. Maurice Jones-Drew will play the entire first half and should be effective against the Eagles.

Linebacker Clint Ingram sustained a blow to the head in the last game and is listed as doubtful as is linebacker Lamar Myles who sustained a hand injury.

St. Louis at Cincinnati

Bengals: - 2 ½
Over/Under: 35

The Rams haven’t looked very good in preseason even though they did get a win in game one against the Jets. The Bengals on the other hand have played well particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

The big news in this game is that Carson Palmer won’t play as he is still recovering from an ankle injury. J.T. O’Sullivan will get the start but no one will confuse him for Palmer. Third string QB Jordan Palmer, brother of Carson, will get a good look against the Rams.

Cedric Benson is looking to have a big game but the loss of tight end Reggie Kelly for the season with an ACL injury will hurt the running and passing game of the Bengals. The defense has been playing well to date and held the Patriots to six points in the second preseason game.

The Rams have been inconsistent and now will probably face the Bengals without starting QB Marc Bulger who is out after injuring his pinkie finger on his throwing hand. Former Raven Kyle Boller will get most of the snaps. Left tackle Alex Barron has a swollen knee and will be replaced in the lineup by rookie first round pick Jason Smith. WR Donnie Avery is still nursing an injury and won’t play.

Miami at Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay: - 2 ½
Over/Under: 35

Miami heads to Tampa with a ton of gadget plays and two pretty consistent preseason games under their belt. Chad Pennington looks very good after getting a chance to be in the Dolphin camp for a full off-season. The running game featuring Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams has looked sharp.

Defensive backs Sean Smith and Jason Allen should be back in the lineup after missing the last game with swine flu like symptoms. Jason Taylor has looked good in his return so far.

Tampa Bay is still trying to sort out who will be the starting quarterback. Byron Leftwich should get the bulk of the first half snaps but look for Luke McCown to play with many of the first string in the second half. Both quarterbacks will get lots of support from a very good running game featuring former Giant Derrick Ward, Cadillac Williams and Earnest Graham.

The Bucs took a big hit on the defense this week when they lost linebacker Angelo Crowell for the season to a torn biceps injury. Cornerback Elbert Mack will miss the Dolphins game with an ankle sprain. Safety Will Allen is back practicing and could play against the Fins.

Enjoy all the preseason action and good luck with your picks.