2007 Week 12 NFL Betting

1.  New England Patriots - The only betting value here was the New England Patriots odds to win the 2008 Super Bowl, and even those odds are expected to be way out of reach in terms of risk factor as we head into Week 12's betting frenzy.  Most sports bettors were willing to bet the Patriots at -14 on the road this week.  In fact, more than 94% of the action was placed on the Pats with that number.

2. Dallas Cowboys - Following a big win at home over the Washington Redskins, the Dallas Cowboys solidify their role as "the other team to beat" in the NFL and probably the one that will face New England in the 2008 Super Bowl.  Their odds to win the 2008 Super Bowl were likely to still be around 5/1 (+500) similar to this past week thanks to New England's perceived "unbeatable" status. 

3. Indianapolis Colts - This is the only team thus far during the 2007 regular NFL season that has come even close to beating the Patriots.  Make no mistake about it, the Colts only two losses of the season could easily have been wins if not for some last minute flukes (in the case of San Diego) and heroics (in the case of New England and Tom Brady).  The Colts may very well be the only team that could get in the way of New England making it into the Super Bowl and yet we expect them to have better payout odds than this past week, the reason being this week's win against Kansas City could easily have been a loss.

4. Green Bay Packers - Still a good value to win the NFC.  Green Bay has shocked with a 9-1 record.  Only Dallas has just as good a record in the NFC.  And only New England has a better record in the league.  It's actually interesting to note that two of the three best records in the NFL belong to NFC teams. 

5. Pittsburgh Steelers - Maybe they were looking past the New York Jets, but the Steelers lost to what was a one win team on Sunday.  So you knew they would be falling from last week's #3 spot.  Their odds of winning the Conference and Super Bowl should be quite good in terms of payout potential.  This is still a team capable of playing and possibly beating the best of them, including maybe New England (assuming the Patriots Tom Brady and Randy Moss were out with injuries).