Sports handicappers and sports bettors know that the 2012 NFL season has mostly been “The Year of the Underdog.” That slowed down last weekend and this past Thursday Night when favorites started cashing tickets. Are you aware which TEAMS have been doing the best and the worst against Las Vegas pointspreads? Here’s an update heading into the 10[SUP]th[/SUP] Sunday of the pro football season.
MOST UNDERRATED (Best ATS Records)
Houston 6-2
Atlanta 6-2
Tampa Bay 6-2
Seattle 6-3
Indianapolis 6-3
Chicago 5-3
Denver 5-3
New England 5-3
San Francisco 5-3
NY Jets 5-3
Nobody’s run the table this year against the Vegas numbers, or even managed a 7-1 ATS mark. Three teams are right at 75% though, with Super Bowl contenders Houston and Atlanta on that short list, along with the very surprising Tampa Bay Bucs. New head coach Greg Schiano has the team playing with intensity and confidence in his first year at the helm.
A pair of rookie quarterbacks clock in at 67% success. Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck both earned market respect with good Preseasons. Yet, the lines have STILL been too low in their games two-thirds of the time.
Note the list of Super Bowl contenders at 5-3 ATS. Even though this has been the year of the dog, you can see that the best teams are still doing well against expectations. That’s an underreported phenomenon in the NFL…you CAN make money betting on the best teams as long as your smart about situations and pricing. The NY Jets are the only surprise in this group at 5-3. Most teams would put them on the “overrated” list off the top of their heads. And, Rex Ryan was just voted as the most overrated coach in a poll of players. Yet, there are the Jets two games over .500 entering Sunday’s game in Seattle.
MOST OVERRATED (Worst ATS Records)
Philadelphia 1-6-1
Kansas City 2-6
Cincinnati 2-5-1
Tennessee 3-6
Baltimore 3-5
Dallas 3-5
Minnesota 3-5-1
Arizona 3-5-1
Buffalo 3-5
Oakland 3-5
Philadelphia has been the disaster of the year. They were supposed to be the best team in the NFC according to many Preseason pundits on TV and in Las Vegas. That’s kept their prices way too high all season long (including last Monday Night’s game in New Orleans). Kansas City is right behind them at 2-6 ATS. Some are wondering if the Chiefs are losing on purpose to try and lock in the #1 spot in the draft. Oddsmakers have been slow to react to the demise of BOTH of those teams, regardless of what’s causing the destruction.
Cincinnati has been one of the quieter disappointments. Quarterback Andy Dalton is suffering some growing pains as he tries to play more aggressively. Too many mistakes from the Red Rifle, and the team as a whole, particularly in crunch time.
Baltimore and Dallas are the other contenders on this list. Baltimore was supposedly going to set the league on fire with a new up-tempo offense. They’re certainly on the short list of potential Super Bowl teams. But, they’re not playing up to expectations on a consistent basis. And, much of that is because quarterback Joe Flacco has been so inconsistent. The mainstream media has been all over the Cowboys problems. Fitting that they play Philadelphia in a big TV game Sunday. Somebody’s going to have even more bad news!
It’s telling though that so few teams are having truly bad seasons against the number…and Kansas City is the only projected non-contender (by most anyway) that’s been really awful against the spread. The true story of “The Year of the Underdog” is that many bad teams are doing enough to cover about half the time. Bad teams aren’t making a fortune. Bad teams are close to break even or a little worse against the number, while GOOD teams are doing very well as underdogs.
Lesson #1: Don’t bet underdogs blindly…bet quality dogs in good situations!
Lesson #2: It’s okay to bet contending favorites at reasonable prices. They’ve been covering!