There are some bettors out there who are not too concerned about their team winning outright. Sure it’s nice to win, but more importantly, it comes down to how a team does ‘against the spread’ or ATS that wins them a warm place in the hearts of football bettors.
The Chicago Bears have a new head coach in Marc Trestman and what looks like a whole new attitude for 2013. Bettors were frustrated last season with the Bear’s overall performance but most especially their ATS numbers. Chicago went only 7 of 9 against the spread last year even though they were 10-6 SU or ‘straight up’.
This season the Bears are expecting more solid output from RB Matt Forte and QB Jay Cutler may finally find someone that he can get along with in Trestman. Chicago has a good shot at making the playoffs this year. Handicappers are giving them a +350 chance to win their division with a season win total listed at 8.5.
Sports fans who wagered on the Detroit Lions much last season probably lost money. The Lions were only 4-12 straight up and 6-10 against the spread. Detroit’s quarterback Matt Stafford has already shown us that he can play football at a high level given the support of his teammates. The Lion’s odds to win their division are listed at +550 but their win total for the season is set at 8.0 games.
Aaron Rogers and the Green Bay Packers are once again expected to be one of the elite teams in the NFL this year. Their season win total is set at a high 10.5 games and their odds to win the NFC North are -145.
The Packers were the best bet in the division last season posting an 11-5 record straight up and 9-7 against the spread. Green Bay has won 10 or more games in the past four seasons and should be considered as serious Super Bowl contenders for 2014.
Even with the outstanding performance of Adrian Peterson last season, the Minnesota Vikings did not exactly have a great year although bettors wagering on the Vikings did fairly well. Minnesota went 10-6 straight up and 8-7-1 against the spread last year. Oddsmakers are not showing much love for the Vikings for this season either listing their season win totals at 7.5 and their odds to win the NFC North at +700.
