Football is in full swing and that means it’s time to place some bet and make your picks. It has only been a few weeks into the 2018 season and I can already tell it is going to be an interesting year, full of surprises.
You don’t need to constantly follow football to make a bet, you just need to know about the odds and do your research. If you need any help getting started, the American Online Sports Betting Guide is a great resource. Remember, it is crucial to know about the rules and regulations when you are betting. Make sure to read the online terms as each site might be different. But for the most part, sports betting is pretty universal.
The NFL is always full of surprises and these first two weeks didn’t disappoint. The Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers ended up tying in the 1st week and the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings did the same in the 2nd week. Two tied games back to back, especially at the beginning of the season, is highly unlikely. This has certainly thrown a curve ball into sports betting. Especially since the Steelers are always a promising team, it looks like they could be falling apart the season after a tough loss in week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Aaron Rodgers scared fans with what they thought could have been a season ending injury, but came back in game 1 to dominate the Chicago Bears. He is still putting on a fantastic performance, but he couldn’t get enough help from his teammates to beat the Minnesota Vikings last week. The Packers and Vikings are both supposed to have a good year, so with a tie early on, it might not be wise to put all of your bets on them just yet.
There have been some teams that have already showed that they have no chance for the playoffs and are going to be a huge disappointment this year. The Buffalo Bills have had back to back awful games, where even one of their players retired in the middle of the game right before halftime. The Arizona Cardinals is another disappointing team after playing 2 horrific games in a row as well. With a new coach and new quarterback, we knew they would have a shaky start, but didn’t expect anything this bad. This is another team you should highly consider not betting on. It is no surprise that the Cleveland Browns are probably going to have another losing season, especially after the awful performance by their kicker in week 2’s loss to the New Orleans Saints.
A couple of teams have already shined and looks like they could have a promising year. The Los Angeles Rams defense is incredible and has shut down the Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals in the first 2 weeks of the season. Their offense is also strong with Gurley running the ball every chance he can get. The Kansas City Chiefs has a new quarterback in Patrick Mahomes and so far he has been a stud. He threw 6 touchdown passes last week and has already broken records in just the first 2 games of the season. They had an impressive win against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week and is a team that you should consider betting on. The Super Bowl Champs, the Philadelphia Eagles, are also expected to have another phenomenal year and so far has proved to have a solid team.
But there many things to look at instead of just a team’s record when you are going to place a sports bet. You have to consider the match up and who the teams are playing along with how they have done against them in the past. The location of the game also needs to be taken into consideration, things like who has home field advantage, the weather (Denver is a tough stadium because of altitude) and the fan base (Seattle has one of the loudest stadiums, making it challenging for away teams). Also, do research on if there are any injuries on either side of the teams and who is going to be the starting quarterbacks. There are plenty of resources online that will you the point spread and help lead you in the right direction on who you should bet on.
Bonus Idea: Play Fantasy Football to help with your bets! It is a fun way to keep track of players and teams and stay engaged. Surprisingly, Fantasy Football can help with your bets. Plus, you can play for free or for money. It is always a good strategy to help you get prepared for the season.
