Computer Forecast: Green Bay Packers To Win Superbowl 50.

October 25, 2016 by

rp_HTB1RaXOIVXXXXXjXXXXq6xXFXXXb.jpg

Who will win Superbowl 50? Our computer Beardog is picking the Green Bay Packers over close rivals New England, Seattle and Dallas.   Sportsbooks have set the betting odds  at 6.5-1.

It will be inspiring and poetic for the Packers to win the prize after being derailed in last year’s NFL Championship game. Once again, the NFL’s smallest market cap team, will prove to be the best. Some teams would never recover from the trauma of blowing a 19-7 lead with 4 minutes to go as the Packers did in Seattle. The Hawks comeback from down 16-0 at one point was the largest ever in a conference title game. Such a breakdown is not consistent with the heart Green Bay has shown over the years and we are sure they will bounce back strong and determined.

Let’s state the obvious: in a quarterback driven league, Aaron Rodgers is the most effective and most consistently lethal at his position. The Packers ensured he did not lose his vital receivers and strong offensive line in the off season. We don’t think the loss of Jordy Nelson to injury will be a large negative. Furthermore, running back Eddie Lacy is one of the very best in the game. Astute readers will know that we like to see the quarterback to also have a strong running option. The Green Bay defense may only be a little above average but by coupling Clay Matthews with Julius Peppers they have their share of play makers.

The key to this year’s success is to simply play as well as they did last year but to gain the home-field advantage for the Championship game. Played on the frozen tundra of Lambeau field, the Seattle crowd will obviously not be a factor in the game. As the strongest team in the NFC North, they are in position to have the best win-loss record.

Reaching the Superbowl in Santa Clara, California will be very exciting, especially if Rodgers plays New England (winner of Superbowl 49) with Tom Brady since both quarterbacks grew up in Northern California and are considered the best in the game. Green Bay won the first two Superbowls at a time before it became a national holiday. It will only be fitting for them to win the 50th Superbowl as well!

Filed Under: NFL Forecasting, Sports Betting Tagged With: , , , ,

Don’t Overlook These NFL MVP Candidates for 2015-6 (archival article)

October 16, 2016 by

It is fun and potentially lucrative to bet on the NFL MVP award winner.

It seems like all we hear about these days is Aaron Rodgers, Andrew Luck, Tom Brady and Russell Wilson. Bla-bla-bla….But we give you four other  NFL offensive players who are rated as longshots but have a decent chance to win the award:

 

 Adrian Peterson, Running Back, Minnesota Vikings at 8-1:

A lot of people are overlooking Adrian Peterson due to his off field issues. They are forgetting that he is one of the most talented running backs of all time!

The Vikings lost four of  nine games last season by a combined eight points! With Peterson now back in the fold and additions on both sides of the ball, Minnesota can do some serious damage. At age  30  he has nearly 2,300 total touches under his belt. However, he’s had an entire season to rest! He’s  averaged nearly 1,700 total yards and 13 touchdowns in his first seven NFL seasons.  If he performs similarly he could  easily walk off with the MVP trophy!

 

 Tony Romo, Quarterback, Dallas Cowboys at 15-1:

Tony Romo can be a very effective and dangerous quarterback. Last season with the assistance of Demarco Murray , Dez Bryant and a strong offensive line he led the Dallas Cowboys to a 12-4 record. He led the league with a 69.9 completion percentage and a 113.2 quarterback rating. He threw for over 3,700 yards with 34 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.

If Dallas and Romo have another great season, he will have arrived into the elite category and will surely be a hot MVP candidate.

 

Antonio Brown, Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers at 15-1:

By now everybody recognizes the extraordinary productivity of Antonio Brown. If anybody is a potential dark horse candidate for the MVP award it is surely him. Last year’s season was simply phenomenal.His 129 receptions were second-most in league history. The 1,698 receiving yards Brown put up were sixth in league history. What if he improves on these numbers? How could voters ignore him as they did last year?

 

 Philip Rivers, Quarterback, San Diego Chargers at 20-1:

OMG! Phillip Rivers seems to get better with age!

He put up nearly 4,300 yards with 31 touchdowns last year. Unfortunately the Chargers lacked a running game. They ranked 31st in the NFL in yards per rush at 3.3 and 30th at 80.4 yards per game. Hopefully, now that the Chargers added Melvin Gordon in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft, Rivers should have more support on the ground. Throughout history the elite quarterbacks have typically had such a solid running option to go to. San Diego is loaded in the passing game and has one of the most underrated offensive lines in the NFL.  If San Diego wins the AFC West over Peyton Manning’s Broncos don’t be surprised if Rivers is getting lots of MVP love!

 

Filed Under: NFL Forecasting, Player News, Sports Betting Tagged With: , , ,

The Flight of the 2016 NFL Eagles

October 1, 2016 by

The Philadelphia Eagles seemed like a mess after the Chip Kelly experiment crashed and burned, and new head coach Doug Pederson inherited a team that had lost offensive weapons DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy and DeMarco Murray because of Kelly’s incompetence.

The Eagles traded up in the 2016 NFL Draft to draft QB Carson Wentz from North Dakota State with the number two overall pick. Many questioned the move, especially for a new head coach to invest his future in a QB who was from an FCS school. Wentz has played exceptionally well through 3 games, leading them to a 3-0 record. His most impressive performance was last week’s 34 to 3 thumping of the Pittsburgh Steelers, when he thre for 301 yards and 2 TDs. The thing critics of Wentz did not take into account even though he played FCS college ball, is thatthe Bison ran a pro-style offense which has allowed for a much easier transition to the NFL with Doug Pederson’s west coast offense.

The Eagles have also emphasized running the ball to help the rookie QB, and they use a four headed monster led by RB Ryan Mathews. Darren Sproles, Kenjon Barner and Wendell Smallwood are change of pace, “scat” backs that allow Wentz to hit easy checkdowns that can go for big yards. WR Jordan Matthews has become his favorite target, with 15 catches for 204 yards and 2 TDs. Nelson Agholor has also stepped up with 11 catches for 120 yards. Someone to keep an eye on as the season progresses is WR Dorial Green -Beckham, who is 6″ 5′ and could become a monster in the redzone. The defense is in the top 8 in total, pass and rush defense. The run defense has been especially impressive as they are 2nd in the league, led by the best interior DL Fletcher Cox. Cox was just recently NFC defensive player of the month.

The offense has proven to not be too complex for Wentz, as he has shown a knack to take what the defense gives him and not force it into coverage. He will eventually make some rookie mistakes, but if he shows resolve to bounce back and continue to improve and get his playmakers the ball, he could prove to be the answer at QB the Eagles have needed since Donovan McNabb. If the defense continues to play well, the Eagles should earn a playoff spot because the NFC East is so inconsistent and up in the air. Every team has serious issues, the Eagles are  the most consistent team in the division as of right now. They are ranked #12 overall in our NFL computer power rankings.

Filed Under: Team News Tagged With: , ,