NFL News, Opinions, Rants & More

Welcome to our blog here at NFLSeasonSchedules.com This is where we will be sharing news from around the league as well as some opinion pieces to get you thinking. We encourage an open discussion but please keep it civil and act as the adults we were raised to be. If you don't agree with our opinion or just have something to add to a story then by all means do so... but do so in a professional and courteous manner. We read all comments and do not allow: 1) profanity laden comments 2) spam. If your comment abides by these two rules, it will be published here.

A Weekend Of Overtime Thrillers Steals The Show In NFL Week 11

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Bryan

Last weekend, there was a collective disappointment when it came to the overtime match up between the San Francisco 49ers and the St. Louis Rams, which ended in a tie. In Week 11 though, we had several games go the extra session to be decided, all of which were won in dramatic fashion.

In total, we saw three games go into overtime on Sunday, two of which were between teams that we far apart on the betting line.

Houston went into extra time with a one-win Jacksonville team and Dallas faced a loss in OT against a woeful Cleveland team.

Then in the NFC South, Tampa Bay went 60 minutes-plus with Carolina. Continue reading →

Four Teams Relying On Back Up Quarterbacks This Week To Get Job Done

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Bryan

We could possibly dub this week in the NFL the weekend of the backup quarterback. Unfortunately, it’s directly related to some tough injuries that were suffered in Week 10. Among those who will be without their starter include the Steelers, 49ers, Bears, and Eagles.

In fact, Chicago and San Francisco play each other on Monday Night Football this week, where both Jay Cutler and Alex Smith will be on the sidelines.

Three of the four quarterbacks out are all because of the same injury. It’s a word that is as bad as they come in the NFL.

Concussion. Continue reading →

What To Watch In Week 11 Of the NFL Season

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Matt

There are some compelling matchups as we move into Week 11 of the NFL season, with teams looking to get a win keep pushing forward.

Let’s take a look at a couple of things to watch this weekend.

1. How Will Pittsburgh Respond In The Absence Of Ben Roethlisberger?

The injury is pretty serious for the Pittsburgh quarterback, and the Steelers want to make sure it is fully healed before he comes back. this could result in Roethlisberger being out for several weeks. Byron Leftwich is getting the starting, and let’s face it, he is nowhere near the playmaker that Roethlisberger is. And of course, the Steelers get archrival Baltimore on Sunday night in primetime, with the division lead on the line.

2. The Green Bay/Detroit Game Has Big Division Implications

If the Packers are able to win against Detroit on Sunday, they would essentially control their own destiny in the conference, despite being one game behind. Green Bay already beat Chicago once this season, with the second game still to be played. But as of now, the Packers own the tiebreaker. Of course, the Lions are still in the thick of the playoff race in the NFC as well.

3. How Will Atlanta Respond After First Loss?

The Falcons return home to the Georgia Dome in Week 11, where they will face the Arizona Cardinals. Atlanta lost its first game of the season, on the road 31-27 to the New Orleans Saints. No question opportunities were missed, but responding in a positive way is the mark of a playoff team. Not turning one loss, into multiple losses.

4. Luck vs Brady

The Indianapolis Colts visit the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon, with Andrew Luck taking on Tom Brady. This matches an up and coming NFL star with a present one. It’s a tall-task to ask your rookie quarterback to go into New England and come out with a win. This should be a fun one to watch though.

What We Learned In Week 10 Of The NFL

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Bryan

Before we look forward to Week 11 in the NFL Season that gets underway on Thursday night with Miami and Buffalo, let’s take a step back and think about what transpired in the NFL in Week 10, and what we can take from there to apply the rest of the way to see if it holds true.

These aren’t really predictions, they are more observations, and things that we took away from the performances of various teams last weekend.

What We Learned Continue reading →

Week 11 NFL Power Rankings

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Kyle

The last unbeaten team in the NFL lost on Sunday, as the Atlanta Falcons dropped 31-27 on the road to NFC South rival New Orleans. The Falcons certainly had their chances, but at the end of the day were unable to convert on a couple of goal line chances late in the fourth quarter.

Atlanta has been at the top of our power rankings for the last several weeks, so how will this loss affect the way that we rate them now?

Well, let’s take a look at the latest power rankings heading into Week 11 of the NFL Season. Continue reading →

Atlanta Falcons Drop First Game As New Orleans Saints Make Statement

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Matt

And then there were none.

The Atlanta Falcons took a perfect 8-0 record into New Orleans on Sunday afternoon in Week 10, and came up short on the road in a 31-27 loss.

But this loss was not without several missed opportunities, that included two goal line stands by a Saints defense that has been pretty awful all season long. Twice in the fourth quarter, Atlanta was on the two-yard line.

They came away with a total of three points between those chances.

The most important was the four-downs stop by New Orleans with the Falcons trying to take the lead inside three minutes of the game. The Falcons were unable to convert on the first three downs, with quarterback Matt Ryan throwing an unsuccessful crossing route to receiver Roddy White on fourth down. Continue reading →

What To Watch For In Week 10 Of The NFL

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Bryan

With the NFL entering Week 10 of the season, here are a couple of important things we think deserve some attention going in.

1. Will The Falcons Remain Unbeaten?

Atlanta goes on the road to New Orleans to take on Drew Brees and the Saints. This is the first game of the season between these two division rivals. If the Saints hope to keep their playoffs aspirations alive, they will need this one. They can’t afford to fall to 3-6 with all of the talent in the NFC this season. Atlanta will try to move to 9-0, and are slight favorites in the Superdome on Sunday afternoon. Two of the top offenses in the NFL and two of the top quarterbacks in the league will be squaring off head-to-head in this one in Matt Ryan and Drew Brees. Continue reading →

Chicago Bears And Houston Texans Match Up In Big Week 10 Game

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Bryan

Two of the best teams in the NFL, and possibly a preview of the Super Bowl later down the line will take place on Sunday Night in prime time when the Chicago Bears host the Houston Texans. Both come into this one sporting identical 7-1 records.

And really when looking at these two, both have been getting it done in a variety of ways, but starting on the defensive side of the ball.

Chicago has been far and away the most potent defense in the NFL this season, scoring eight defensive touchdowns in eight games. That certainly makes things easier on Jay Cutler and the offense when your defense is putting up scores. Continue reading →

An Important Test For Indianapolis Colts On Thursday Night vs Jaguars

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Matt

Coming into this season we thought that Andrew luck would be good for the Colts, but did we think that halfway through the season he would have them in contention for the playoffs?

Already, Indianapolis has four more wins than they did all of last season, and sit at 5-3 on the year just two games out of the AFC South and the best record in the conference.

It’s a short week going into Week 10 of the season for both the Colts, and the Jacksonville Jaguars, who will match up in Florida on Thursday night in prime time in a division battle.

Of course, things haven’t been going too well for the Jaguars, who are the worst offense in the league, and have just one win to their credit so far. Jacksonville ranks 32nd in the NFL in passing, good enough for last. And running the ball it isn’t much better, as they sport the 28th best rushing attack. Continue reading →

Vegas Takes Hit In Week 9 Of The NFL With Favorites Ruling The Day

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Bryan

When Vegas sportsbooks formulate a betting line, you can bet that they do so very diligently. Research, trends, tendencies, and a whole lot more are behind each one. The nature of betting dictates that you have good weeks, and you have bad weeks.

In Week 9 of the NFL for Vegas, it was a bad week. Actually, it was a historically bad week to be a bit more specific.

Oddsmakers pay very close attention to the ways bettors tend to lean after a line has been formulated. And when it came to Week 9, the favorites seemed to be ruling the day. In particular, Vegas said that Denver, Detroit, Houston, Chicago, Seattle, and Baltimore were all popular choices in the early afternoon wave of games kicking off at 1 pm ET.

All were favored in their respective games as well. And not only did they all win, they covered the betting lines.

Ok, so some favorites won? What’s the big deal? Why is it devastating to sportsbooks on this particular day?

Well, the answer looks to lie in the types of wagers that bettors are putting down. Jimmy Vaccaro, a Las Vegas Sports Betting Insider, said that arguably the biggest reason is the number of tickets that are betting parlays.

A parlay, for those of you who don’t know, links multiple games together with the potential for big payouts. All games on the ticket have to be won for the parlay to win, so it’s obviously difficult. But when the favorites tend to win, and bettors go with those favorites, more parlays are hit. Bettors can lay down $5-$50 parlay wagers and profit 10 or 20 times that or more depending on how many teams and games they choose to link together.

Vaccaro said that parlays have gone from 25 percent of the wagers made, up to 75 percent of the wagers made, because bettors see the lower initial bet for the really high payout, despite the larger risk.

As an example, one Vegas sportsbook paid out $15,000 to a bettor who placed a $5 wager on a 12-team parlay.

Add that all together, and Vegas had a day like they did yesterday.

And this all happened before the Monday Night Football game later tonight with the Eagles taking on the Saints. Typically, we see players who perhaps lost, try to gain back some money on Monday Night. It will be interesting to see the number of bets taken and the money exchanged for this match up to see how Vegas comes out. You have to think that they are concerned, and would like to get some of this back.

As it stands now, New Orleans is a three-point favorite at home over Philadelphia. If the Saints win the game and cover the line in the process, that would be yet another favorite to win against the spread this week.