If you do any sports betting online, then you have been following the myriad of changes that
have been occurring in the NFC this off-season. The defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants are going to figure into the NFC playoff mix this year, along with a long list of other potential contenders. The best sports betting sites have taken note of the dramatic increase in the quality of play in the NFC, and it makes for a very crowded playoff prediction picture. Let's take a look at the top four teams that should be there when the playoffs start and how those teams may fare.

New York Giants

The thing that propelled the Giants to a world championship last season was its defense. But the play of quarterback Eli Manning had a lot to do with the success of New York as well. The price per head sportsbook experts took note of the loss of wide receiver Mario Manningham in free agency, but Manningham was not the focus of the New York offense last season. Without much of a running game to rely on, Eli Manning finally proved that he is an elite NFL quarterback with his play last season.

  

The Giants have taken steps to improve its running game and to bring a little more speed in to the defensive secondary. While this will not necessarily be a new and improved version of the New York Giants, it is important
to note that there was not much that needed be improved in the first place.

  

Philadelphia Eagles

The NFC East will be the best division in football in 2012 and the Philadelphia Eagles will win that division. Everyone has to remember that it was not Eagles' head coach Andy Reid who called his team a "dream
team." Reid knew what he had and he tried to temper everyone's expectations. But when the Eagles crashed to the ground, it was Reid who took the flack for it. That means that Reid better get the credit when the Eagles
soar into the playoffs in 2012. Sportsbook reviews of the Eagles' play last year showed that many of the problems came from a bad offensive line. The Eagles claim to have those problems fixed and that means good things for Philadelphia football fans.

  

San Francisco 49ers

By now, head coach Jim Harbaugh and his quarterback Alex Smith have smoothed over their differences after the Peyton Manning debacle. The thought of Peyton Manning running that San Francisco offense would have struck fear
into the hearts of any opposing football player. It was punt returner Kyle Williams who lost the NFC Championship game for the San Francisco 49ers. The lesson learned in that game by rookie head coach Harbaugh was to never put a player in the same pressure situation twice when that player did not respond the first time. The
49ers are still one of the best teams in the NFC, and will be there when the playoffs roll around.

 

Detroit Lions

The Green Bay Packers did nothing to improve its defense in the off-season, which paves the way for the rise of the Detroit Lions in 2012. Even the hockey news writers know that the Packers need to make changes if it wants to compete. The Lions are another year older and have another year of experience under their belts. This
will be the year that Detroit distances itself from the rest of the NFC North.

  

NFC Championship Game
Pick: Detroit Lions vs San Francisco 49ers

NFC Championship
Pick: San Francisco
49ers

The betting sites are getting all geared up for the NFL regular season and that means analyzing every little detail from every team in the league. The most important position in sports is being an NFL quarterback, and there are several quarterbacks that everyone should keep an eye on this year. The online sports book experts will be watching every quarterback in 2012, but these are the quarterbacks that are positioned to make the most noise when the first game kicks off for the season.

Peyton Manning – Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos really needed to grab running back Trent Richardson in the 2012 draft to try and find a replacement for the oft-injured Knowshon Moreno. But the Broncos have an extremely talented and young receiving corps that will benefit from a healthy Peyton Manning. This will be a very interesting year for the Denver Broncos.

Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers

The arrival of Cam Newton last season to Carolina was enough to convince star wide receiver Steve Smith to stay with the team. Smith, and the Carolina brass, turned out to be right about Newton as he tore up the league and dominated the NFL offensive rookie of the year voting. The sportsbook software has projected Newton to be even more effective in 2012 and Newton is expected to be the catalyst for a emerging team in Carolina. 

Robert Griffin III – Washington Redskins

Everything RG3 will need to succeed in Washington is in place and waiting for him to arrive. The Redskins have a good offensive line and a talented set of receivers. A 5dimes.com review of the Washington running game shows a weakness that Griffin can fill. Roy Helu is projected to be the starting running back in Washington, but he has never carried an NFL load for a full season. Griffin has never played a game in the NFL, but he is still expected to find success in his first year as the Redskins' quarterback.

Andrew Luck – Indianapolis Colts


The Colts have really put Andrew Luck in a bad spot. The only veteran offensive player the team has is wide receiver Reggie Wayne. Luck will not have the cast of talented people to throw to that Peyton Manning had.

Not even the basketball news writers in Indianapolis give Luck much of a chance at success in his first season in the NFL. But the Colts are hoping that Luck's abilities will help him to find ways to be successful and give Luck a chance at showing why he was the first overall pick in the 2012 draft.

Mark Sanchez – New York Jets

The reason that NFL fans should keep an eye on Mark Sanchez in New York is to see how long he can hold on to the starting job with the Jets with Tim Tebow looking over his shoulder. Tebow has been getting rave reviews from the entire Jets coaching staff for his workouts to date and there has been very little said about Sanchez. The Jets do not appear to be committed to Sanchez and Tebow may give the Jets a way out of the Sanchez era.

Ah, what a difference just a few weeks can make in the odds
for Super Bowl XLVII. The online
sportsbooks keep a very close eye on trades, free agent moves and draft
picks to see how team moves will affect the Super Bowl winning odds. Now that
most of the major personnel moves have been made, it is time to see how the sports
betting experts have adjusted the odds.

Green Bay Packers (Super Bowl Odds – 6 to 1)

Despite not making any moves to improve its embattled
offense in free agency and making suspect draft picks, the Green Bay Packers
retain the status as the odds-on favorite to win it all in 2013. The online sports betting experts
have a great deal of faith in Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense. But, as the Packers showed
last season, when that offense fails, the defense is unable to pick up the
slack. When you are putting your Super Bowl futures list together, you will
want to be careful when it comes to investing in the Packers.

New
England Patriots (Super
Bowl Odds – 7 to 1)

Once again, the betting experts are going by reputation with
this one as opposed to reality. The Patriots allowed a couple of key defensive
players to get away in free agency and did not make any quality moves to
replace those players. The Patriots are trying to replace defensive veterans
with draft picks. That idea did not work out so well in 2012 and 2011, and it
is not going to work in 2012. Wide receiver Wes Welker is still not under
contract and he is a significant part of that Patriots' offense. The Patriots
took almost all defensive players in the draft, but it may not be enough to
help a defense that was last in the league last season.

New Orleans Saints (Super Bowl Odds – 8 to 1)

If the Saints finish 8-8 in 2012, then that should be
considered a small miracle. The price per head sportsbook
experts seem to be ignoring the absolute chaos that will be taking place in New Orleans in 2012. The
Saints face a flurry of challenges that will keep the team out of the playoffs
and as far away from Super Bowl contention as the team has been in a very long
time.

Philadelphia Eagles (Super Bowl Odds – 12 to 1)

The Eagles came back into the spotlight when it made some
interesting free agent pickups and some good draft picks. A betonline
review of the Eagles 2012 season showed a team in transition. The Eagles
has become living proof that even a roster of superstars needs time to gel
together. But Philadelphia
has been given its baptism by fire and looks to be a stronger team because of it.
Philadelphia is
a good team to include in your Super Bowl betting futures.

Houston Texans (Super Bowl Odds – 12 to 1)

Even the baseball
blog writers in Houston
have taken notice of the strides the Texans have made towards being a playoff
and Super Bowl contender. If the Texans can remain healthy in 2012, then it is
another team worth considering with your Super Bowl futures betting.

The betting sites are buzzing with NFL news all year long. Right now, the sites are focused on
watching the progress of the NFL draft as there are a lot of questions that need to be answered before teams hit the practice field. The online sportsbook experts are betting that the San Francisco 49ers will dominate the NFC West again in 2012 as it did in 2011. But things can change over a winter and spring that could affect the fortunes of many teams, including those teams in the NFC West.

 

San Francisco 49ers

The price per head sportsbook experts are expecting the 49ers to run away with the division this season, and all indications are that San Francisco should be able to do that. But there is still fallout to deal with in regards to San Francisco's participation in the Peyton Manning sweepstakes earlier in the spring. Quarterback Alex Smith was told by the San Francisco 49ers that he would be the quarterback that the team would move forward with. Then the 49ers actively pursued Peyton Manning. These are all grown men and professionals in this situation, but Alex Smith
was visibly rattled by the whole process. He was so rattled that he almost signed with the Miami Dolphins. It will be interesting to see how the 49ers gel after an eventful offseason.

Predicted Finish: First

Seattle Seahawks

No one is quite sure what head coach Pete Carroll is doing in Seattle because no one is really paying attention to the Seahawks. The NFC West will be a division of the San Francisco 49ers and the "also rans" again in 2012. But Carroll and the Seahawks will make another step towards being a playoff contender with an improved
outing in 2012. Is Matt Flynn the answer at quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks? Seattle is playing it off like Flynn will compete with Tavaris Jackson for the starting job, but it is Flynn's job to lose. A 5dimes review of the Seahawks' defense last year showed a decent unit that is improving. With a real quarterback and a deep passing threat wide receiver, the Seahawks could be trouble.

Predicted Finish: Second

St. Louis Rams

Yes, Jeff Fisher is a good head coach and he will prove it in 2012 when he slowly starts to bring the Rams back to respectability. The one monkey wrench in Fisher's plans is the indefinite suspension of defensive
coordinator Gregg Williams. Even the hockey news writers were covering the New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal, and
Williams received the harshest penalty. Ken Flajole takes over at defensive coordinator, but it will be something that will affect the Rams for at least the 2012 season.

Predicted Finish: Third

 

Arizona Cardinals

If the Arizona Cardinals want to keep wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald around, the team is certainly not taking the steps to make that happen. The Cardinals were one of the shunned teams in the Peyton Manning sweepstakes
and the Cardinals, just like the 49ers, had to grovel to its current starting quarterback to make sure the team had a quarterback in 2012. The difference is that Alex Smith has potential in San Francisco where Kevin Kolb has no potential in Arizona. The Cardinals need a quarterback if it is going to compete, and Kurt Warner has made it clear that he is not coming out of retirement.

Predicted Finish: Fourth

Most of the sports betting sites were practically handing the Green Bay Packers the Super Bowl
title in the preseason, and with good reason. The Packers were a strong team that looked ready to defend its title. But Green Bay was weak on defense and, in the end, it was the inability to stop the New York Giants’ running game that put an end to the Packers’ short playoff run last season.

 

Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions are giving every indication that it is a team on the rise and ready to challenge the Packers for the NFC North title. Many online betting sites are also picking the Bears to be competitive this season. There is a very good chance that both NFC wild card teams come out of the NFC North this season.
Let’s take a look at the NFC North and see how things shake out.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers will not go 15-1 again this season, but it is still the best team in the division. The price per head sports
experts will give the nod to the Packers based mostly on the performance of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. However, if Rodgers gets injured for any extended period of time, then look for problems in Green Bay. Backup quarterback Matt Flynn has left the team to sign with Seattle. If the Packers lose Rodgers, then Green Bay will have problems even making the playoffs much less winning the division.

Predicted Finish: First

Detroit Lions

The Lions are in a similar situation as the Packers. If Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford is injured for any extended period of time, then the Lions are in trouble. But if Stafford stays healthy,
then Detroit will challenge for the NFC North title. A betonline.com review of the Lions’ defense shows a young but very talented unit. If the Lions can get the defense to play more disciplined in 2012, then it will be a
very dominant unit. Detroit wide receiver Calvin Johnson is paid as the best wide receiver in the league
because he is the best wide receiver in the league. The only thing Detroit is lacking is a
consistent running game. If Jahvid Best can stay healthy, then that problem
could be solved.

Predicted Finish:
Second

 

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears were not happy with its offense in 2011. The offense let down the defense and quarterback Jay Cutler took all of the heat again. The Bears picked up a quality backup quarterback in Jason Campbell
from the Oakland Raiders. That will help stabilize the team if Cutler gets hurt. But where the Bears really made headlines is getting wide receiver Brandon Marshall from the Miami Dolphins. Marshall and Cutler were teammates in Denver, and the hope is that the two can rekindle the magic they had in the Mile High City.

 

Minnesota Vikings

Even the MLB blogs know that the Minnesota Vikings wasted one of the best defenses in the league
by signing old quarterbacks instead of good quarterbacks. Now that the Minnesota defense is getting older and players are leaving, there is little that Minnesota can do to try and create a winning team. Second-year quarterback Christian Ponder is just another in a long line of bad quarterback decisions by the Vikings.