NFL Spreads
NFL Week 8 Betting Odds
Best Online Sportsbooks for NFL Spread Betting
1. BetOnline Sportsbook – US Bettors Welcome
The BetOnline Sportsbook is known for posting early NFL lines. They usually have their point spreads and totals posted late on Sunday for the following week. Their NFL money lines usually get posted on Monday.
BetOnline has a standard 10% vig on NFL spread bets, money lines, and over/unders. They also offer a ton of NFL props, along with futures bets for division, conference, and Super Bowl Champions.
The BetOnline Sportsbook has been in the online sports betting industry since 1991, and are extremely popular with American bettors. Millions of handicappers have wagered real money at BetOnline, mostly on popular US sports like NFL & NCAA football, NBA & NCAA basketball, MLB baseball, UFC mixed martial arts & others. They have minimum bet amounts of just $2, with some the highest maximum bets offered by US sportsbooks. They are a great choice for casual & professional punters alike.
BetOnline accepts Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and other deposit options from players in the United States. All of the most popular deposit & withdrawal options are available for those outside USA.
BetOnline now offers mobile betting for all types of mobile devices. Their mobile betting software is simple to use, and loads quickly. The mobile betting site is compatible with iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, and Windows based phones. Basically, if your cell phone or mobile device is internet enabled, you can bet at BetOnline Mobile. To simplify the signup process, we highly recommend that new players register and fund their accounts online through their computer. This is a tedious process to do on a mobile device, but very simple & fast on a computer.
BetOnline continues to expand their live NFL betting options, now with hundreds of wagers that can be placed during a single game. With a funded account at BetOnline, bettors can watch NFL games on tv and place bets on individual plays during the game. For example, if it’s third and short, you can place a wager on whether or not the team will convert a first down.
2. Bodog Sportsbook – US Bettors Welcome
The Bodog Sportsbook is one of our top picks for NFL betting because of a well-earned reputation for honesty and fairness, along with a wide variety of betting options. The Bodog name is one of the biggest in the sports betting world, and they also operate an excellent online poker site & casino.
The Bodog sports betting software is extremely easy to use, even for brand new handicappers. Plenty of simple deposit options are available, including Visa credit & debit cards. The fastest withdrawal option is check by courier (Fedex), which generally gets the check to your door within 3-4 days – very fast.
The Bodog Sportsbook offers a nice selection of NFL football betting options, and live betting as well. They offer point spreads on every NFL game, plus money line bets, totals (over/under), prop bets, futures and more. Their minimum wager amount is just $1, and maximums range depending on the type of bet you’re making. In general, their limits are plenty high enough for casual punters, but too low for professionals. If you’re look to place bets of $2500+, go to BetOnline instead.
The Bodog Sportsbook gives all new handicappers a 10% instant deposit bonus, only limited by the deposit option you choose. While Visa is the most popular way to make a real money deposit, bank wires have the largest maximum deposit amount. For high stakes & professional handicappers, the best deposit method for large deposits is bank wire. Bank wire deposits of up to $100,000 USD are accepted.
3. Bet365 Bookmaker – Non-US Customers Only
Bet356 is an online bookmaker focused on the UK market, but they still offer NFL spreads and a wide variety of betting options. You’ll also find a variety of NFL prop bets such as who will score first, the first team to reach 10 points, the winning margin and much more. The list of NFL bets at Bet365 is actually better than many US bookmakers.
If you live outside the US but would like to make NFL bets, Bet 365 is the best choice. In fact, this sportsbook would be ranked higher if it accepted bettors from the US. Sign up through one of our links and you’ll get a 100% deposit bonus worth up to €100.
NFL Point Spreads Explained
In almost every NFL football game, one team is perceived to be stronger than the other. In order to make the betting attractive on both sides of the wager, online sportsbooks use point spreads to handicap the better team. Then, the favorite must win by that number of points for bets on them to win. In NFL football sports betting, spread bets are the most popular type of wager. Money line and over/under bets are popular as well, but most cappers bet on the spread. You’ll also find that most handicappers that write for sports websites base their NFL picks on the spread.
For example, let’s say we have a matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Diego Chargers. In this example, the Chiefs are big underdogs so the point spread would look something like this:
Kansas City Chiefs +7.5
San Diego Chargers -7.5
In this case, the favored Chargers would have to win by at least 8 points for bets on them to win. The Chiefs bettors have it a little easier because they can lose by up to one touchdown and still be credited with the win. By setting up the betting in this manner, online sportsbooks are able to get a more equal amount of action on both sides. When the sportsbooks can get equal action on both sides they are guaranteed to make money on the juice. Sportsbooks aren’t trying to beat you, they’re only trying to create lines that encourage equal betting.
As an NFL football handicapper, you’re trying to beat the spread. To do this consistently takes a lot of work. It requires NFL bettors to keep up to date with player injuries, stats, win/loss records in a variety of elements, and a variety of other aspects.
If a team is doing badly, it can mean that team moral will be down, causing them to lose more. On the other hand, if they have some solid team leaders, it may piss them off and make them work harder. Knowing the type of leaders a team has can be critical if you want to beat the spread. For example, if the Ravens were off to a bad start, how would Ray Lewis respond versus another player? Lewis snorts fire, and he’d have his team working hard to regain their pride.
2011 NFL Playoff Spreads
As the 2010 – 2011 NFL season progresses, playoff futures & prop odds continue to change. Prop bets on which teams will make the 2010-2011 NFL playoffs are running now, so get your bets in while the odds are still good. Once the regular season is over, we’ll post the 2011 NFL Playoff spreads right here.
AFC East Championship Odds
In the AFC East, the New England Patriots are still looking good (6-2 heading into week 10). However, the New York Jets are also 6-2 now, with a better defense who’s allowing just 16.25 points per game. Both teams have tough schedules ahead of them, and every game will be important. The Jets won in week 9, barely squeeking past the 2-6 Detroit Lions by 3 points. The Patriots got clobbered in Cleveland last week, losing 34-14. Neither game was indicative of what these teams are capable of, so it’s still a toss up. Defense wins football games, but so does Tom Brady. I’m seeing this somewhere around even money heading into week 10, but handicappers can get +125 on the Patriots right now. That looks more attractive to me than -160 for the Jets.
AFC East Championship Futures Odds:
- New England Patriots +125. Last Week: -140
- New York Jets -160. Last Week: +115
- Miami Dolphins +2500. Last Week: +1400
AFC North Championship Odds
Heading into week 10, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have the same record of 6-2. The Steelers only have 3 road games left, at Buffalo, Baltimore, and Cleveland. The Steelers already have a solid 4-1 record on the road and you have to figure them to beat Buffalo and Cleveland without too much trouble. At home, they have yet to face New England, Oakland, Cincinnati, New York Jets, and Carolina. They could potentially win all of these games, although there are a few tough ones in there.
The Ravens have 4 games on the road and 4 at home. Their road games are against Atlanta, Carolina, Houston and Cleveland. They should be able to get through Carolina, Houston and Cleveland, with one tough game at Atlanta in Week 10. Their remaining home games are against Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, New Orleans and Cincinnati. They should beat Cincinnati fairly easily, but the other 3 games will be tough. The Ravens are playing well at home this season, but Miami was the best of the 4 teams they’ve played so far.
Assuming the Steelers can get past Buffalo and Cleveland on the road, and Oakland, Cincinnati & Carolina at home, that’s 5 wins right there. I’m also picking them to win at least one of the two games against New England or the Jets. If they do this, and lose to the Ravens, they’d end up with a 6-2 record to add to their 6-2 record right now, finishing at 12-4.
If the Ravens beat Carolina, Houston, and Cleveland on the road, plus Tampa Bay, New Orleans and Cincinnati at home, that gives them a 6-2 record as well. Atlanta, Pittsburgh and New Orleans will be tough games, with Atlanta & New Orleans being the keys in this scenario. Assuming the Ravens lose to Pittsburg and win 2 out of three against Atlanta, New Orleans or Tampa Bay, the Ravens would also finish the final 8 games with a 6-2 record.
I prefer the Steelers schedule from here on out and think the Ravens have more chances to lose than the Steelers do. Going into week 10, both teams are listed at -110 to win the AFC North division. At those odds, my bet would go to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With that said, this could be a battle that goes down to the last game of the season, and the week 13 matchup between these two teams could be the difference.
AFC North Championship Futures Odds:
- Baltimore Ravens -110. Last Week: – 125
- Pittsburgh Steelers -110. Last Week: -110
AFC South Championship Odds
The Indianapolis Colts (5-3) and Tennessee Titans(5-3) both have potent offenses that can beat any team in the league. Both teams have decent defenses, and at this point of the season the difference could come down to penalties, turnovers, and the rushing game.
The Colts only have 3 road games left to play, good for them since they’re 2-3 on the road so far this season. The road games they have left aren’t easy though, against New England, Tennessee and Oakland. Although they’re capable of going 3-0 on the road, they could also go 0-3. Considering their road performances so far this year, I’m picking them for 1-2 in their final 3 road games of the 2010-2011 season. At home, the Colts will face Cincinnati, San Diego, Dallas, Jacksonville, and Tennessee in the final game of the regular season. They could go 5-0 at home, but 4-1 or even 3-2 is more likely. If they go 1-2 on the road, and 4-1 at home, they’ll finish the season with a 10-6.
The Titans have 4 games left on the road, at Miami, Houston, Kansas City and Indianapolis. None of these will be easy games, but it’s likely the Titans will come out with a 2-2 record. At home, they play Washington, Jacksonville, Indianapolis and Houston. They’re likely to go 3-1 at home, or possibly even 4-0. Assuming 2-2 on the road, and 3-1 at home, the Titans would finish the season with a 10-6 record, just like the Colts. With 2 games remaining against the Colts, these will likely be the deciding factor.
While the Titans lead the league in penalty yards, they just added Randy Moss to help Chris Johnson and the offense find bigger holes. Of course Randy is still a deep threat as well, so it’ll be interesting to see how much impact he has on the Titans already potent offense. If they can become a more disciplined team and stop giving up penalty yards, the Titans could take the AFC South.
With all of this said, the Colts are the Colts. You can never count Peyton Manning and his experienced team out. With all this in consideration, I think there’s better value in Tennessee at +140, but I couldn’t blame anyone for disagreeing with me.
AFC South Championship Futures Odds:
- Indianapolis Colts -110. Last Week: -140
- Tennessee Titans +140. Last week: +180
At +180, I’m taking the Titans to win the AFC South. Looks like good value to me.
AFC West Championship Odds
At week 10, I can’t believe we’re talking about the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders leading the division. The San Diego Chargers have looked better in the last few weeks, improving their record to 4-5. The Denver Broncos flat out suck, so nothing else needs to be said about this team.
The Chiefs are sitting at 5-3, with the Raiders in second place at 5-4. For the most part, the Chiefs have beaten teams they should beat, and lost to teams they should lose to. This might be good enough to win the AFC West, but I don’t think it’ll be good enough to go far in the playoffs.
The Oakland Raiders are becoming a real threat, beating Denver, Seattle, and Kansas City in the last three weeks. They absolutely destroyed the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks, with a combined score of 99-17. Jason Campbell is looking better each week, and Darren McFadden is leading the team with 757 total yards on 139 carries (5.4 yds/carry). The team seems to be believing in themselves, and the rest of the 2010-2011 season should be interesting. Are they for real, or are we seeing lightning in a bottle?
The San Diego Chargers had their typical slow start, but have won two in a row, against the Titans and Texans. In week 7, the Chargers lost a close game to the New England Patriots 23-20. They bounced back in week 8 with a big win over the Titans 33-25. Are they about to make their standard second half run, or are the Chiefs and Raiders too good for them this year?
Oakland still has to face the Steelers and Indianapolis, and their remaining schedule looks a bit tougher than KC and SD. It’s close though, and the AFC West could still go to any of these three teams. At the following odds, a case could be made for betting on any of these teams. Personally, I like the value at +350 for the Raiders, but San Diego is scary. The bet I like the least is on the Chiefs, as I don’t see them holding on.
AFC West Championship Futures Odds:
- Kansas City Chiefs +140. Last Week: -125
- San Diego Chargers: Even. Last Week: +150
- Oakland Raiders +350. Last Week: +500
NFC East Championship Odds
**NFC Divisional Futures Odds will be updated Friday, November 12th.
While the numbers for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles look pretty similar, the Giants look like the better team. At 5-2, the only games the Giants have lost are to the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans early in the season. Since then, they’ve run off 4 wins in a row and the team seems to be coming together.
If Kevin Kolb continues to improve, the Eagles might be able to make a run at the playoffs, but I have a hard time seeing them beat out Eli Manning and the Giants. Both teams have some question marks, but experience usually wins in the NFL, and that’s what I expect to happen in the NFC East.
Forget the Redskins, barring a miracle, they aren’t going anywhere in my opinion. The role the Redskins will play in the NFC East will be based on how they effect the Giants and Eagles. With a game against the Eagles in week 9, and two games left against the Giants, they could have an effect on which of those teams win the division. Unless they win all three of those games, I don’t see the Redskins going anywhere in the 2010-2011 NFL season.
NFC East Championship Futures Odds:
- New York Giants -200
- Philadelphia Eagles +250
- Washington Redskins +550
I’d like to see the Giants pick up one more game on the Eagles before placing a prop bet on the NFC East, but if I had to choose now I’d go with the Giants at -200. Without a little more separation between the two teams, I’m not excited about -200, but +250 on the Eagles isn’t good enough either. Let’s wait a week and see what happens first.
NFC North Championship Odds
The Green Bay Packers at 5-3 are better than their record shows. While they’ve lost three games, they’ve lost those games by a total of just 9 points. They’ve either won, or kept every game close.
The Bears have lost to the Seahawks and Redskins in the last two weeks, albeit by only 3 points per game. Regardless, these are games they should’ve won but came up short. If the Bears can figure out how to protect Jay Cutler and get into the end zone more often, they might put up a fight.
NFC North Championship Futures Odds:
- Green Bay Packers -225
- Chicago Bears +333
- Minnesota Vikings +600
The Minnesota Vikings are done, stick a fork in ‘em. While I’m not real high on the Bears right now, at +333 it’s hard not to place a small bet on them. With one fewer win and the same number of losses as the Packers right now, The Bears still have a shot. If they can find a way to protect Cutler and stop losing to teams they should beat, they could do it. I still prefer the Packers, but don’t see much upside at -225. I’ll place a small bet on the Bears at +333, knowing I have an uphill battle.
NFC South Championship Odds
The NFC South Division is a 3-horse race. The Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are tied at 5-2, and the New Orleans Saints are 5-3.
For the Saints, it looks like Reggie Bush will be coming back here in week 9 against the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers are awful and the Saints should win this game with or without him. This couldn’t be a better time for the Saints to play a bad team because it means they aren’t likely to need Bush too much, if at all. The light workload will give Bush more time to get back to 100%.
When Bush is on the field he creates better matchups for the rest of the offense, helping their offense greatly. While the offense has been ‘ok’ so far this season, they will be better with Bush on the field. The Saints whooped Tampa Bay 31-6 in week 6, and beat the Steelers 20-10 in week 8. They’ve proven the ability to beat good teams, and with Reggie Bush back, they only get better.
If Reggie can stay healthy for the rest of the season, I’m picking the Saints to take the NFC South Division. The openings he creates for the entire offense might translate into enough points to simply outscore most of their opponents. If he gets re-injured or isn’t back to 100%, it’s still a 3-horse race.
The Atlanta Falcons have a respectable 5-2 record, but only one of those wins came over a team with a winning record (New Orleans at 5-3). This is a team on the rise, but not quite ready yet.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have yet to beat a good team. The wins they have are against teams with a combined record of 12-24, and they’ve lost to New Orleans and Pittsburgh. Until they beat a single contender, the Buc’s shouldn’t be taken too seriously.
NFC South Championship Futures Odds:
- Atlanta Falcons -110
- New Orleans Saints +110
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers +800
This is my favorite divisional prop bet going right now. At +110, I’m going with the Saints with a big, juicy wager. In my opinion they’re the best team in the division, and they’re getting better as the season goes. Add Reggie Bush to the offense, and +110 is looking like a good value.
NFC West Championship Odds
Let’s just start with this – whoever makes it out of the NFC West this year isn’t going any further than the first playoff game. This is the most boring division in the NFL, and all 4 teams have allowed more points than they’ve scored.
At 4-3, the Seattle Seahawks have beaten San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago and Arizona. They’ve lost to Denver, St. Louis and Oakland. In their 3 losses, they’ve been outscored 84-20.
The St. Louis Rams are 4-4 heading into week 9. The 4 teams they’ve beaten have a combined record of 12-18, and the teams they’ve played have a combined record of 26-33. A team with a 4-4 record against 26-33 teams is hard to give much respect to. Essentially, the Rams are average against bad teams. With all this said, the Rams havce some things to look forward to in the second half of the season.
Quarterback Sam Bradford should continue to get better, and Steven Jackson will continue to carry the workload as Bradford gets more comfortable. The Rams schedule isn’t as tough as Seattle’s, so I have to go with St. Louis over Seattle. Arizona actually has the easiest schedule from here on out, but they have too many other deficiencies to make up for. I’m going with the St. Louis Rams to win the NFC West.
NFC West Championship Futures Odds:
- Seattle Seahawks +110
- St. Louis Rams +225
- San Francisco 49ers +450
- Arizona Cardinals +500
This is an interesting set of lines. I don’t think Seattle is going to win the NFC West, so I definitely can’t bet on them at +110. I do think the Rams will win, and at +225, that’s not bad. However, the Cardinals have the easiest schedule from now until the end of the season. At +500, this looks pretty attractive. I’m still going with the Rams at +225, but I couldn’t blame anyone for betting on Arizona.
Betting on NFL football is always huge, but the Super Bowl is the largest event for betting in the U.S. every year. A thirty second ad spot during the 2010 Super Bowl was something like $2.6 million. While the economy is hurting right now, it was at least as bad last year. This means that ad costs are likely to remain the same, or go up.
2012 Super Bowl Point Spread
The 2012 Super Bowl is still several weeks away. When we get to it, we’ll update this page with the latest Super Bowl point spread, money line, and over/under odds.
Recommended NFL Football Online Sportsbooks
- BetOnline.com
- Bodog Sportsbook
- Bet365 (U.S. bettors not accepted)
Each of the online sportsbooks listed above offer straight bets, money line bets, and props for every NFL game of the season. Bodog has the best live betting options and interface in the industry, and handicappers can place dozens, or even hundreds of bets in a single game.
The Bodog Sportsbook is currently accepting futures wagers for the CFL, but NFL futures are closed. While 2011 Super Bowl XLV futures bets are closed, tons of prop bets will be available when it comes. And of course, the standard straight bets and money line bets will be running as well. Take a look at our futures betting page for open futures bets in other football leagues.
