NFL Teams, Odds, Lines & Betting

Buffalo was besieged by injuries last season on the defensive side of the ball, so in way, their league ranking of 31st in total yards allowed was deceiving. this team will be bolstered by the return of several players, including last year's #1 draft choice, linebacker Paul Posluczny.

The Bills were 7-9 straight-up but 10-6 against the number last season; there was a lot of good news, including the fact that the team very likely found a quarterback (Trent Edwards) and running back (Marshawn Lynch) who can carry them into the future. If Edwards falters or gets hurt, J.P. Losman, a talented passer, is there in reserve. A key pickup may have been the drafting of wide receiver James Hardy of Indiana, who will add size and speed as a complement to Lee Evans. It is also hoped that he can help this team's red zone offense, which was one of the worst in the NFL last year.

Beyond New England, the AFC East is pretty wide-open. That means someone could sneak through into a wild card slot. Buffalo is currently +800 to win the division and +3500 to win the AFC in the BetUS NFL future betting odds.

Cincinnati Bengals Odds, Lines & Betting

Location : Cincinnati, Ohio

Stadium : Paul Brown Stadium

Coach : Marvin Lewis

NFL Championships : None

Bengals Team Info : The Cincinnati Bengals franchise began their play in the American Football League in 1968 under the ownership of Paul Brown. The team got its name from a Cincinnati pro football franchise that existed back in the 1930s and ‘40s.

In 1970, the Bengals claimed the AFC Central Division title to become the first expansion team to win a divisional championship in their first three years of play. Cincinnati went on to win its second AFC Central championship in 1973 and a Wild-Card berth in the 1975 postseason The next five years were not as positive as the Bengals struggled, but again came out on top in 1981 when they won the Division and Conference titles led by QB Ken Anderson and rookie WR Cris Collingsworth to earn a spot in Super Bowl XVI. They were defeated 26-21 by the San Francisco 49ers. The Bengals won the AFC Championship again in 1988 led by QB Boomer Esiason and rookie sensation RB Ickey Woods. The popular “Ickey Shuffle” may have been reason for celebration, but Joe Montana’s TD pass with 34 seconds left to go in that year’s Super Bowl left the Bengals on the losing end.

Cincinnati experienced quite a few injury difficulties in 2007, particularly in the linebacking corps, which was almost completely wiped out. The team finished with a 7-9 straight-up record, and was 6-9-1 against the pointspread. With some of the linebackers returning to action, and Antwan Odom added to help the pass rush, the Bengals should be able to improve on last year's #27 ranking in overall defense.

Cincinnati has one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL in Carson Palmer, but he will have to protect the ball more than he did in '07, when he tossed 20 interceptions. Chad Johnson has been unhappy with management, but when it comes down to it, he will lace up his cleats and play. And once again he will team with T.J. Houshmandzadeh to give the Bengals a potent wide receiver duo. Head coach Marvin Lewis is expecting to get more out of Rudi Johnson, who ran for over 2700 yards between the years of 2005 and 2006.

Cincinnati is in a tough division (the AFC North), which also features the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns. They are +450 to win that division, and +3000 to reach the Super Bowl as the AFC representative.

Cleveland Browns Odds, Lines & Betting

Location : Cleveland, Ohio

Stadium : Cleveland Browns Stadium

Coach : Romeo Crennel

NFL Championships : 1950, 1954, 1955 & 1964

Browns Team Info : The Cleveland Browns began play in 1946 in the All-American Football Conference. Arthur B. McBride acquired the franchise and immediately named Paul Brown as the club's head coach and general manager: he claimed the team was named after boxer Joe Louis – “The Brown Bomber”. The Browns were a dominant team in the early years winning four straight AAFC Championships before joining the National Football League in 1950. They won the NFL Championship their very first year led by Hall of Fame quarterback Otto Graham. Graham led them to two more championships in 1954 and 1955 before retiring. In 1957, the Browns drafted Rookie of the Year Jim Brown who went on to rush for over 1,000 yards seven out of the nine seasons he played. The team won another Championship in 1964.

In 2007, the Browns made great strides. Tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. was healthy and very productive. Wide receiver Braylon Edwards emerged as a star. Quarterback Derek Anderson came on the scene after Charlie Frye bombed out in the season opener and used his strong arm to throw for 29 touchdowns. All of them, plus rookie left tackle Joe Thomas, the top draft choice, made it to the Pro Bowl. Another first-round draftee, Brady Quinn, was projected to be eased into the starting role, but his training camp holdout, combined with Anderson's success, kept him on the bench.

The Browns actually tied for the AFC North title, with a 10-6 straight-up record (and a sizzling 12-4 against the spread), but lost in the division and wild card races via a tie-breaker. That was a disappointment, but there has been some reason to expect improvement.

As they head into the 2008 season, Cleveland has added personnel, with defensive linemen Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams coming over from Detroit and Green Bay, respectively. And Donta Stallworth, who played for the Patriots last season, gives Anderson another big play receiver to aim his throws at.

Cleveland is a +175 choice to win the AFC North (the Steelers are even money), and the Browns are +1600 to make it to the Super Bowl.

Denver Broncos, Lines & Betting

Location: Denver, Colorado

Stadium: INVESTCO Field at Mile High

Coach: Mike Shanahan

NFL Championships: Super Bowl XXXII (1997) & Super Bowl XXXIII (1998)

Broncos Team Info :The Denver Broncos began play as a charter member of the American Football League in 1960 where they struggled unsuccessfully to achieve a .500 record until the AFL-NFL merger a decade later. Broncos’ stars from these early years include receiver Lionel Taylor who ranks second all-time in receptions as a Bronco with 543, and running back Floyd Little who was drafted in the 1st round in the 1967 draft.

Amazingly, the Broncos first ever postseason experience resulted in an appearance in Super Bowl XII in 1977. After finishing the season 12-2 quarterback Craig Morton won the Comeback Player of the Year Award after throwing for 1,929 and 14 touchdowns in the regular season. The Broncos tough defense led by outstanding linebackers Tom Jackson and Randy Gradishar were among the best in the league. Despite the accolades the Broncos went down 27-10 to the Cowboys, but the Orange Crush had arrived.

The Denver Broncos appeared in the Super Bowl three out of four years between 1986 and 1989 but lost each time. Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway’s impressive numbers and late-game heroics made headlines, however the team was beaten decisively in each Super Bowl game. It was really a matter of time and finding the supporting cast to push Elway and the Broncos over the top. In 1997 a 6th round draft pick named Terrell Davis ran for 157 yards, caught 2 passes for 8 yards, and scored a Super Bowl record three rushing touchdowns on the way to Denver’s first ever Super Bowl victory. The next season Davis rushed for 2,008 yards and 23 touchdowns in the regular season, but John Elway claimed Super Bowl XXXIII MVP honors after he threw for 339 yards leading Denver to a Super Bowl win.

Mike Shanahan has not returned to the Super Bowl since the departure of Elway. Last season his team did not get to the playoffs, compiling just a 7-9 straight-up record, with 5-11 against the spread. The Broncos could not stop the run in the '07 season, as their defense ranked 30th in that category. As usual, the team ran the ball well, ranking ninth (112 ypg), but remember that Alex Gibbs, who was responsible for a lot of the success of Denver's running game with his innovative zone-blocking scheme, has been off the staff for a few seasons now.

Jay Cutler was diagnosed with diabetes in the off-season, but that is under control, and he is firmly entrenched as Shanahan's quarterback of the future. What he needs is a better corps of receivers to work with. Brandon Marshall is a standout (102 receptions last year) but if the team is counting on Darrell Jackson for some explosiveness, they might wind up being sorely disappointed. Denver may also suffer from lack of stability in the place-kicking department; Jason Elam, who had been a stalwart in the Mile High City for 15 years, left town to accept a free agent offer from Atlanta.

The Broncos are +450 to win the AFC West, where San Diego is a clear favorite, and they may have their work cut out for them to hold off an Oakland team that figures it may have landed a missing component in explosive running back Darren McFadden.

Houston Texans Odds, Lines & Betting

Location: Houston, Texas

Stadium: Reliant Stadium

Coach: Gary Kubiak

NFL Championships :None

Texans Team Info :The dream to bring an NFL team back to the city of Houston, Texas was fulfilled by owner Bob McNair when the Houston Texans debuted in the 2002 AFC-NFC Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. After posting a victory in their first regular season contest against in-state rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, the franchise as gone through the growing pains most NFL teams must endure, though their record did show marked improvement until the miserable 2-14 in 2005.

Gary Kubiak, the former offensive coordinator in Denver, took over the Texans after that disaster and has gone from that 2-14 record to 6-10 to 8-8 in his two years on the job. He has also swept former #1 draft choice David Carr out of town and replaced him with Matt Schaub (or when Schaub is injured, Sage Rosenfels). Kubiak has turned his organization into what some have called "Denver South," taking a lot of former Bronco people with him. Indeed, Kyle Shanahan, Mike's 28-year-old son, is the new offensive coordinator, and Alex Gibbs, the architect of the Denver running game for nine seasons before going to Atlanta, has been hired by Kubiak as assistant head coach.

Naturally, Kubiak wants to run the ball better, and the Texans signed free agent Chris Brown and drafted Steve Slaton to help make that happen. It;s the infusion of talent into the defense, however, that makes this a team to watch. The newcomers in the last three years - DeMeco Ryans, Mario Williams and Amobi Okoye - form the nucleus of what could eventually become one of the league's best stop units. That may not all happen this year, but Houston probably won;t be ranked 24th in the league in yards allowed this season.

Houston, which was also 8-8 against the spread in 2007, is listed as +1600 to win the AFC South, which would seem a bit unusual for a young, developing team that reached the .500 mark the year before. The Texans are also +3500 to win the AFC title.

Indianapolis Colts Odds, Lines & Betting

Location: Indianapolis, Indiana

Stadium: RCA Dome

Coach: Tony Dungy

NFL Championships: 1958, 1959, 1968, Super Bowl V (1970), Super Bowl XLI (2007)

Colts Team Info : In 1950, a Baltimore Colts team was founded in the All-America Football Conference, but this venture failed and the franchise disbanded after only one season. However, Baltimore was presented with a second opportunity to host a NFL team three years later when the Dallas Texans franchise was moved by the league, and the Colts were reborn in Baltimore in 1953.

The Colts’ first NFL Championship win in 1958 was led by Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas, who many consider the greatest quarterback of all time. In what has been called “The Greatest Game Ever Played”, running back Alan “The Iron Horse” Ameche scored in overtime to stun the Giants. The Colts beat the Giants again in 1959 to earn a second Championship victory. Led by a group of outstanding players the Colts went into Super Bowl III as 17-point favorites in after a 13-1 record in the 1968 regular season. But in one of the most unforgettable events in football history, Joe Namath predicted a Jets’ win, and delivered, and the legend of Broadway Joe was born. The Colts remained an outstanding team winning Super Bowl V two seasons later.

After the club relocated to Indianapolis in 1984 years of mediocrity ensued until franchise quarterback Peyton Manning emerged as a star in the league in 1998. With running back Edgerrin James, receiver Marvin Harrison and an arsenal of offensive weapons, the Colts have been regular guests to the postseason.

The Colts finally got Peyton Manning his Super Bowl ring after another pretty stellar regular season and an amazing tightening up by a run defense that ranked last in the NFL until it really counted: the playoffs. In the rain in Miami in Super Bowl XLI, the Colts took it to the offense-less Chicago Bears, who had their fears about poor quarterback play come true.

The Colts were more solid on defense in 2007, ranking first in the league with the least points allowed. Bob Sanders emerged as one of the best defensive players in the league at any position. And Dwight Freeney, who lost much of his 2007 regular season due to injury, is expected back. Indianapolis was 13-3 straight-up and 9-7 against the spread in 2007, but they were severely disappointed when they were beaten at home by San Diego in the AFC semi-finals. That prevented a Colts-Patriots showdown/rematch from taking place.

Peyton Manning is in the peak of his form, and he will once again have enough receivers to choose from, including Marvin Harrison, who may not be as effective as he once was but should be healthier than he was last year. Expect Anthony Gonzalez, last year's first-round pick, to play a more pivotal role. And look for Dominick Rhodes, one of their Super Bowl heroes who was re-acquired in the off-season, to be able to give Joseph Addai a breather every now and then. Manning is able to run his offense more expertly than anyone in the NFL, and that is an intangible that sometimes transcends the abundance of personnel he has at his disposal.

A well-balanced team at this point, the Colts are one of the favorites to once again reach the Super Bowl. Indeed, at BetUS, Indianapolis is -175 to win the very competitive AFC South and is +450 to win the AFC title.

Jacksonville Jaguars Odds, Lines & Betting

Location: Jacksonville, Florida

Stadium: Jacksonville Memorial Stadium

Coach: Jack Del Rio

NFL Championships: None

Jags Team Info : The expansion Jacksonville Jaguars joined the NFL along with the Carolina Panthers for the 1995 season. The growing NFL Market had not expanded since 1976 when the league added the Seattle Seahawks and another Florida team – the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The fact that there were already two NFL teams located in the state led the league to question whether the market could financially sustain another franchise. The Touchdown Jacksonville ownership group went through various contortions as early as 1991, until they were actually awarded a team on November 30th, 1993. Major renovations on the Gator Bowl including the demolition of the entire lower bowl were required before the beginning of the 1995 season.

On the field, the Jags had immediate success with quarterback Mark Brunell (acquired from the Green Bay Packers) and receiver Jimmy Smith proving a formidable combo. In their 2nd season, they went all the way to the Conference Final before losing to the New England Patriots 20-6. The following two seasons, the Jaguars won the AFC Central and had success again in the playoffs. In 1999, they found themselves again one step away from the Super Bowl, but ran into a ferocious Tennessee Titans’ defense that created six turnovers on route to a 33-14 route.

Jacksonville finished with a 11-5 regular season record last season, also covering 11 of 16 games against the pointspread. They also crossed a bridge by advancing past Pittsburgh in the first round of the playoffs before losing to New England.

One of the things that has made the Jags highly competitive has been their ability to develop an effective running game behind Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew. It is head coach Jack Del Rio's objective to pound the ball first and play a controlled passing attack. David Garrard proved to be an ideal quarterback for him, as Garrard completed 64% of his throws with just three interceptions in the regular season. Garrard's success was important to Del Rio, because it justified him cutting Byron Leftwich loose before the season began.

The Jaguars added defensive ends Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves as a way of improving a pass rush that was disappointing last year. Elsewhere, this is a team that is not only solid but has acquired a mental toughness under Del Rio as well. they are listed at +200 to win the AFC South and +800 to win the AFC in the BetUS NFL futures.

The 2008 Super Bowl XLII and beyond!