We’re just two weeks away from the kick-off of the NFL regular season, and you better believe that the bets are out in full force.
While you’re waiting for the Thursday Week 1 opener between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears to get another football season started for us, you can already indulge in the new campaign by placing wagers on a ton of props.
In particular, the online betting site Bovada has dropped a set of odds on a prop bet for all 32 NFL teams and whether or not they will make the 2019 playoffs — you’ll be able to find the list of odds below.
Before we go over the entire list of odds, let’s go over some of the biggest teams that are considered to be on the bubble as far as their postseason chances are concerned.
The Dallas Cowboys are listed as a -110 favorite to miss the postseason, but it isn’t by much, they’re at -120 when it comes to making the playoffs. And honestly, that’s a bit shocking to me when you consider that the NFC East is a bit weak.
Yeah, the Philadelphia Eagles will still be in the mix for winning the division, but as far as the New York Giants and Washington Redskins, neither one are coming close to even sniffing the postseason, let alone making it. With that being said, the Cowboys have a really great shot of making the playoffs — at least by wild card.
It’s been rough being a Green Bay Packers fan the past few seasons, but it appears that the organization is finally getting back on the right track. Matt LaFleur, who graduated out of Sean McVay’s system, was named the new head coach of the team, and general manager Brian Gutekunst wouldn’t stop there. Through free agency and the NFL Draft, he would drastically improve the defense.
For the Packers, their odds are in a tie with it being a -115 figure for them to both make and miss the playoffs. If they do miss the postseason, it’ll be the third straight year without Green Bay present. However, I’m seeing a lot of value with the YES bet here, the Packers are revamped and ready to go with a new head coach, fresh talent and chemistry, and of course, they’re led by Aaron Rodgers.
Dominating the AFC North for quite some time now, the Pittsburgh Steelers would fall short of winning the division last season with a 9-6-1 tally. While it was still a winning record, it wasn’t good enough to put them into the postseason either.
Well, in the offseason they would officially lose Le’Veon Bell in free agency to the New York Jets and would trade away Antonio Brown to the Oakland Raiders. As a result, they’re a -130 favorite to miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season — their chances to make the postseason is at EVEN.
Let’s go over some of the other teams that don’t have extraordinarily close odds like the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, and Pittsburgh Steelers, but are somewhat on the bubble themselves as far as their odds are concerned to make or miss the playoffs. In other words, let’s look at some other profitable betting options.
The Atlanta Falcons are favored to miss the playoffs at -170, but you may want to consider their +140 figure to make the postseason to place a wager on. Not only are they a solid potential playoff team in my eyes, but I could also see the Georgia birds make a return to the Super Bowl in 2019. Last season, they were absolutely plagued by injuries left and right, especially on the defensive side of the ball. If they can keep it injury free this year, Atlanta’s defense should be effective enough to do the job.
On the offensive side, there shouldn’t be many problems with the potency they already have, and now that they’ve got offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter back on board, you can expect even more potency this season — Koetter was fired as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With all of that being said, the Atlanta Falcons are a solid bet to place on making the playoffs at +140.
As the Cleveland Browns were making power move after power move in the offseason, it didn’t take the odds-makers long to catch on. Coming into the season, they’re listed as a -135 favorite to make the playoffs, while they list at +105 to miss the postseason. While I personally think the Browns will make the playoffs, I think placing a bet on them to miss it is a good bet to make.
With Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, Cleveland has a massive chance to have a potent offense in 2019, but the chances are also high that Mayfield could suffer a sophomore slump, which would kill the offense. The Browns have a loaded defense, but as far as they are concerned (and the rest of the team), can they handle the high expectations and the tough schedule they’re faced with to kick off the season? Cleveland can be a good team this season, but they could also fall very easily — this is the Cleveland Browns we’re talking about. Consider the +105 figure to miss the playoffs.
Baltimore comes in with -220 favorite odds to miss the postseason, but after their playoff run in 2019, a bet for them to make it at +180 is something that you should strongly consider. Last season, not only did they have the emergence of Lamar Jackson at quarterback, but they also had an elite defense to go along with it as well — they were one of the most well-rounded teams in the league with both a top 10 offense and defense. The only other team to accomplish this feat was the Pittsburgh Steelers.
There might be some issues with this bet due to the offense having a referendum to stick Jackson as their long-term QB, and that could become problematic if he doesn’t have a strong arm with his game — a running quarterback only goes so far in this league. If Jackson does light up opposition both on the ground and in the air, however, the Ravens will be a threat to get into the postseason with their fantastic defense and special teams.
Place a bet before the odds change! Because they surely will after the latest developments involving Andrew Luck’s retirement. Currently, the Indianapolis Colts sit at a -230 favorite to make the playoffs, while they mark at +190 to miss the postseason. Go ahead and place it on the latter.
Not only is Luck retiring, but they also face a superior schedule with road contests against the Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Colts are pretty well-balanced team, and could potentially make a run for the postseason, but without a solid quarterback at the helm, I don’t have much faith in Indianapolis. Like I said, go ahead and place a wager on the +190 figure before it changes, there’s obviously a lot of profit there.
The Carolina Panthers are a very valuable team to wager with. They’re a favorite at -300 to miss the playoffs, and as a result, their +240 odds to make the playoffs is quite profitable. If Cam Newton can continue to be Cam Newton, if Luke Kuechly can continue to be a power force at the linebacker position, and their young playmakers around them can make solid contributions (especially Christian McCaffrey and D.J. Moore), Carolina will have a legitimate shot to make the 2019 postseason.
Also consider this: There’s a ton of pressure on both head coach Ron Rivera and general manager Marty Hurney to make the playoffs this season. If that doesn’t happen, both could be without a job at the end of the year. Owner David Tepper won’t hesitate to make a move, especially considering he didn’t buy the team in 2018 just to miss the playoffs his first two years in charge — that’s some extra motivation for the team. The Panthers are certainly a great (and profitable) bet to make the postseason at +240.
Listed as a -180 favorite to miss the playoffs, there’s certainly plenty of value with the Houston Texans and their +150 odds to land into the postseason. During the offseason, the Texans would go out and improve their offensive line and secondary. If the pass protection and coverage holds, Houston could certainly win the 2019 AFC South championship.
With Deshaun Watson at quarterback, they have someone who is both effective at throwing the ball and running on the ground. As he gets older and his maturity grows, his sack total will also decline, adding even more potency to the offense. If Will Fuller and Keke Coutee can stay healthy and productive, and if they can add some more effectiveness to go along with J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney on the defensive line, the Houston Texans are going to be such a good team this year. Yeah, they have some holes here and there, and play in a tough competition, but with as talented as the team is, their shot is just as good as anybody to claim the AFC South, especially with the recent retirement of Andrew Luck from the Indianapolis Colts.
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