PPH NFL Football Betting -- They're All Aiming at Seattle, But Who Will Hit the Target?

Written by:
C Costigan
Published on:
Sep/01/2014
PPH NFL Football Betting -- They're All Aiming at Seattle, But Who Will Hit the

Maybe it's fitting that the oddsmakers at WagerHome.com can't pick a favorite in the PPH football betting futures to win the Super Bowl. As all sports bettors could see, the Seattle Seahawks put forth one of the more dominant efforts of recent years to score the 38-9 rout over the Denver Broncos, but Denver made some adjustments in the off-season, including a couple that might have a very big impact. 

The Seahawks (+350 to win the Super Bowl at WagerHome) showed some intensity in the pre-season, and that is coach Pete Carroll's intention, we gather. Russell Wilson has looked very sharp, and the team seems to have settled its problems with running back Marshawn Lynch. Whatever the statistics say, Seattle established itself as the league's best defense with its performance in the Super Bowl, and there is little question that they will be able to pound the ball with both Lynch and Robert Turbin. 

The Broncos (also +350 in the WagerHome PPH Super Bowl futures) have Peyton Manning, and that is a pretty good start. We've got to have a few concerns about Wes Welker's concussion problems, and there was the loss of Eric Decker through free agency, but one thing football bettors will notice about Manning's history is that he has always been able to create stars out of otherwise nondescript receivers, and so we can be relatively confident that he will make a connection with Emmanuel Sanders, the speedy SMU alum who was picked up to take Decker's place. Let's see if they get enough out of the running back position after Knowshon Moreno's departure. 

If you have been around this football betting game for a while, you can develop an instinct about certain things, and that is why we have a feeling that DeMarcus Ware, who had established himself as one of the best pass rushers of the generation before being rejected by Dallas, is going to have a big season, and if so, he makes for a dangerous combination with Von Miller. Let's also not forget that Champ Bailey is out of the secondary and Aqib Talib is in, and that's an upgrade. 

Right below the Broncos and Seahawks, two teams check in at +650 at WagerHome to go all the way. And both of them have been to the "Big Game" recently. It seems that part of the New England Patriots' ongoing story is going to be keeping Rob Gronkowski healthy and in the lineup, and no one is going to know to what extent this can happen until he is under real game conditions. His right knee has undergone procedures for an ACL and MCL; he has also had back surgery, and NFL bettors who kept a close eye on the pre-season noted that the Pats were very careful with him, as he didn't play any snaps. 

If his effectiveness is limited, can Tom Brady once again improvise well enough to have success with smurfs like Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman? Can a deep threat possibly emerge? Certainly Bill Belichick expects that he'll have more defense, as Vince Wilfork and Jared Mayo are back from injuries and Darrelle Revis is at one of the cornerback spots. 

As WagerHome customers know, one of the things that makes the Patriots' situation different than either Seattle's or Denver's is that they will most likely have an easier time winning their division, as resistance is rather low. The Broncos have two other 2013 playoff teams to contend with in the AFC West - the San Diego Chargers (+3000 to win the Super Bowl) and the Kansas City Chiefs (+3500). 

In the NFC West, Seattle has deal with the Arizona Cardinals, who are priced at +3500 in the football betting futures after a 10-6 season, but perhaps even more significantly, the San Francisco 49ers, who are one of the favorites at +650. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick was just signed to a lucrative contract, and he will once again have key receivers on board (Anquan Boldin, Michael Crabtree) as well as a deep running game and one of the league's premier offensive lines. if they can keep defensive stalwarts like Aldon Smith and Ray McDonald out of jail (oops, too late for the latter), they will give the Seahawks a run for their money. 

Clearly there are many hopefuls. But one of them will have a chance to show their worthiness before the others. On Thursday night the season kicks off with the Green Bay Packers visiting the Seahawks at a very loud CenturyLink Field. Green Bay (+750 to win the Super Bowl at WagerHome.com) was just 8-7-1 last year, but they hope to have Aaron Rodgers healthy for the duration, and with Eddie Lacy and James Starks, they now have the running game they've been looking for. We'll see if Randall Cobb takes his big-play stuff to another level. And the defense, which is healthier, should be unveiling a few more looks than in the recent past. They are getting 4.5 points in the NFL betting odds, and the good news is that they won't get victimized by amateur officials the way they were last time in Seattle, when Wilson completed his infamous Hail Mary that, well, didn't leave a good taste in the mouths of pro football fans. 

What do you think? Join the discussion by following us, at http://www.twitter.com/wagerhome

- Charles Jay, Gambling911.com

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