By Spread Astaire (@spreadastaire)
This Week in Sports Betting 11-21-24
We’re at an interesting time in the sports season. In the NFL, the cream of the crop has risen to the top. We know who the best teams are and we are looking forward to the playoffs. However, there are many teams who seem hopeless and are not a lot of fun to watch. As sports bettors, we’ll grind through it but most fans are looking towards the playoffs.
The NBA is in full swing and the NBA Cup was designed to make the regular season more interesting. However, injuries have already ravaged this league and many of the top stars will not be participating. The NBA is a great sport to bet and make money on, but as a fan, the product gets worse each season. I’m not sure what the NBA can do to fix this. They won’t shorten the schedule. Handicapping potential injury news has become the key facet to beating the books in the NBA.
Looking Ahead to the NFL playoffs
In the AFC, the race to the Super Bowl seems fairly wide-open. The Buffalo Bills just beat the Kansas City Chiefs. The Pittsburgh Steelers just beat the Baltimore Ravens and then lost at Cleveland. While I still consider the Chiefs the favorite to make the Super Bowl, the Bills’ win shows that KC can be vulnerable. And even though the Ravens lost to the Steelers, with the way that their offense has been playing, they definitely have a shot to reel off the three wins and make it to the Super Bowl. Because of their quarterback play, I don’t necessarily consider the Steelers a true contender. However, we can’t count the Steelers out. Even the LA Chargers have an outside chance with the way that their team is playing.
In the NFC it feels like it is the Detroit Lions’ conference to lose. All the other NFC teams have shown serious flaws. Right now I would put the Eagles with the second-best chance, but Detroit matches up with Philadelphia really well. The Eagles are reliant on their ferocious defensive line. Detroit has the offensive line to negate the Eagles fearsome pass rush.
I don’t believe in the Packers just yet. QB Jordan Love still needs to continue to develop, and their defense can be inconsistent. I don’t see any team out of the NFC West making it this year. The Niners are finally suffering from the Super Bowl hangover. Moreover, they’re too beat up to make noise.
It seems like it’s coming down to the Lions and the Eagles, and that will be an excellent NFC Championship Game if it happens.
Drama in Philly
We all know that the new breed of NBA fan likes to talk about off-court drama more than the actual game. These fans were delighted when more dysfunction came out of the Philadelphia 76ers organization. After a player’s meeting had details leaked, the 76ers were expected to bounce back against the Memphis Grizzlies. The 76ers fell once again. They had a regular season win total set above 50 games and they were considered to be a top contender in the East. But they are currently at the bottom of the standings.
The 76ers made their bed when they decided to build around Joel Embiid. Embiid is a fantastic basketball player, but he is lazy and does not take accountability. Your team takes on the personality of your team leader. As a result, the Philadelphia 76ers organization seems aloof and out of touch.
Then they made the colossal mistake of giving a huge contract to Paul George.
So the combination of building around the wrong guy and bringing the wrong people in to help him has the 76ers in a serious rut right now.
While I don’t think it’s impossible for the Sixers to turn things around, right now they are a cautionary tale of who to develop your team around and who to invest in. The Sixers seem to have failed on both counts. The Sixers could have got a huge haul for Embiid 2 years ago, now I wonder who would really want him. As usual, the drama off the court remains more interesting than the NBA’s on-court product.
My Favorite Bet of the Week: Seahawks vs Cardinals Prediction
I’m taking the Seattle Seahawks at home against the Arizona Cardinals for my Seahawks vs Cardinals Prediction. At the current line, it tells me that the market thinks that the Cardinals are 2.5 points better than the Seahawks. I think that’s a complete mistake.
The best argument for the Cardinals is that they have won one more game and they have faced a tougher schedule. While this is true, Seattle’s metrics are deflated by the huge rash of injuries they had earlier this season, especially on the defensive line. So I think the current numbers are not accurately encapsulating how good this Seahawk team currently is.
The Seahawks will continue their momentum and get another home win. Take the Seattle Seahawks moneyline.
Seahawks vs Cardinals Prediction: Seattle Seahawks ML (-104)
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