NFC East 2011 Betting Preview
The Eagles are the trendy pick on the NFL betting lines at the sportsbooks to win the NFC and compete for Super Bowl XLVI behind MVP candidate Michael Vick. Here's an overview of how the NFC East teams rank heading into the season.
Philadelphia Eagles
Despite winning the NFC East and having Vick re-emerge as a force last season the Eagles didn't have success in the playoffs, falling to the Packers in Philly in the Wild Card round. That led to the Eagles doing an all-out blitz in the offseason, most notably dealing backup QB Kevin Kolb to the Cardinals for CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, signing coveted CB Nnamdi Asomugha, and adding depth to their offense by picking up reclamation projects Vince Young and Ronnie Brown.
That flashy display has the Eagles pegged at +390 at online sportsbook 5Dimes to win the NFC this season, and they're also at +775 to claim Super Bowl XLVI next February. After winning 10 games last season the oddsmakers at Bodog have the Eagles' OVER/UNDER at 10.5 victories for 2011, and Vick is high up the odds list at 17/2 on the NFL MVP lines.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys won just six games last season and killed their supporters on the NFL odds by going just 6-10 ATS. It didn't help that starting QB Tony Romo was limited to just six games last season due to injury; he threw for 1,605 yards with 11 TDs and seven INTs in those contests. With Romo healthy, can the Cowboys be contenders again this season?
At 5Dimes the Cowboys trail the Eagles on the NFL betting lines to win the NFC at +875, and they're back at +2000 on the Super Bowl XLVI odds. Still, Dallas is expected to have a bounce-back campaign, with Bodog setting their OVER/UNDER at nine wins for this season. Romo is at 20/1 on the MVP odds.
New York Giants
Eli Manning and the Giants had the same record as the Eagles last season, but missed out on making the playoffs on the tiebreaker. That probably seemed like poetic justice to New York's supporters on the NFL odds, as the team went just 7-9 against the spread to put a dent in their backers' bankrolls.
The Giants don't have the buzz of the Eagles this season, and that's reflected in their lines at 5Dimes as they're back at +1300 to win the NFC Championship and at +3000 on the Super Bowl odds list. Bodog has the team's OVER/UNDER sitting at 9.5 wins, with Manning at 25/1 to be the MVP.
Washington Redskins
Drama surrounds the Redskins every season, even one in which they're coming off a lousy 6-10 campaign. Washington, though, at least managed to excite bettors last season with a 10-5-1 mark ATS, including a 10-4-1 record vs. the lines as the underdog. Expectations will be just as low (and potentially lucrative) this season.
At 5Dimes the Redskins are longshots on the NFL betting lines to win the conference championship at +6000, and they're at +14000 on the Super Bowl XLVI odds list. The Bodog OVER/UNDER for Redskins victories this season sits at 6.5.