NFL Pro Bowl Betting Preview

Sports Betting Overview:

NFL football betting fans will need to watch and cherish this year’s Pro Bowl because, along with Super Bowl XLV, it could be one of the last NFL football games for a very long time. The NFL scores may be interrupted by a labor dispute next season but, in the meantime, there are still two more NFL picks to make this year. The Pro Bowl promises to be very interesting this year.

Offense:
Ever since the NFL moved the Pro Bowl to the week between the Championship games and the Super Bowl, people have been concerned that the best talent in the league is playing in the Super Bowl and not in the Pro Bowl. For the AFC, that is not the case this season. While the AFC Champion Pittsburgh Steelers are a solid offensive unit, none of them played to a pro bowl level this year. The three best quarterbacks in the league will be playing for the AFC; Tom Brady (starter – New England), Peyton Manning (reserve – Indianapolis) and Phillip Rivers (reserve – San Diego).

The AFC will also have the best running game on the field with Maurice Jones-Drew (starter – Jacksonville), Jamaal Charles (reserve – Kansas City), Arian Foster (reserve – Houston) and Chris Johnson (alternate – Tennessee).

The NFC will have an exciting offense with some serious speed. Michael Vick (Philadelphia) will start at quarterback with Michael Turner (Atlanta) starting at running back. More speed appears at wide receiver with starters Roddy White (Atlanta) and Calvin Johnson (Detroit). The NFC definitely has some playmakers on offense, but these playmakers lack the experience that the AFC has.

Defense:
Defense is where the NFC eclipses the AFC. Troy Polamalu (Pittsburgh) was supposed to start at safety for the AFC, but his Super Bowl appearance makes him unavailable. James Harrison (Pittsburgh) will also not be available to start at linebacker for the AFC, which takes away some of the intimidation factor. Terrell Suggs (Baltimore) takes over for Harrison at starting linebacker. Suggs is a great player, but not nearly the hitter that Harrison is. In the Pro Bowl, that may be a good thing.

The defensive starting secondary for the NFC will be Asante Samuel (Philadelphia) and DeAngelo Hall (Washington) at cornerback, Antrel Rolle (NY Giants) at free safety and Adrian Wilson (Arizona) at strong safety. As fast as the AFC receivers may be, this secondary is more than able to keep up. In the Pro Bowl, there is no blitzing or any real pass rush at all. That puts the receivers out there alone with the secondary, and that is a definite advantage for the NFC.

The Bottom Line:
If you like watching good wide receivers play against good secondary players, then you will love this Pro Bowl. It should be fun to watch but, in the end, the NFC should be able to shut down the passing game of the AFC and walk away with a win. The Pro Bowl is all about airing out the football and stopping the pass. The AFC has the advantage in airing out the ball, but the NFC has the advantage in shutting that passing game down.

BSN Sports Free Pick: NFC