With Week 14 approaching, only one team has secured a spot in the postseason, the league-leading Los Angeles Rams. It will certainly be a wild wild card race over these final four weeks of the regular season, not to mention the battles for division titles.
With such excitement almost guaranteed, sports betting in New Jersey also picks up. For Week 14, we take a look at offerings from FanDuel Sportsbook.
(All point spreads and moneylines are as of Tuesday.)
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8) at Tennessee Titans (6-6)
This week’s Thursday night football game features an AFC South rematch from week 3, in which the Titans won 9-6 away.
Now, with Tennessee still battling for a postseason spot, two of the lowest-scoring teams in the league square off.
The Titans enter as four-point favorites and have won three of their last five. It would have been three straight losses had QB Marcus Mariota not completed a TD pass with 36 seconds remaining to help Tennessee overcome a 16-point deficit to beat the New York Jets 26-22 last week.
Conversely, Jacksonville bucked a seven-game losing streak by shutting out the Indianapolis Colts in Week 13. That 6-0 result tied the NFL’s lowest-scoring shutout since 2007 and was just the fifth shutout in Jaguars history.
The Jags rely on QB Cody Kessler, who won for the first time in nine starts. Their offense continues to flummox. Jacksonville’s defense, in terms of scoring and yards, still ranks among the league’s best.
That makes the Jaguars, against a Tennessee offense that is fifth-worst in the NFL, a reasonable pick with a +162 moneyline.
An intriguing prop surrounds the first team to score and the game result. In seven games this season, Tennessee opened the scoring, winning four times. Jacksonville, meanwhile, has gone 4-2 when scoring first.
On the flip side, the Jaguars enter Thursday’s game 0-6 when allowing the opponent to strike first.
Consider this when mulling the following from FanDuel
Team to score first and win: Jacksonville +260, Tennessee +122.
Team to score first and lose: Jacksonville +290, Tennessee +450.
Los Angeles Rams (11-1) at Chicago Bears (8-4)
The flexed-to Sunday Night Football game gives the world a taste of the NFC playoffs.
Last week, the Rams became the first team in the NFL to clinch a spot in the postseason. The Bears, meanwhile, lead the NFC North.
With the No. 2 offense in the league, Los Angeles enters the primetime Sunday game as three-point favorites at Soldier Field, boasting the league’s top rusher in Todd Gurley II.
For an 11-win team that has been dominant offensively, the spread may appear slim. Consider, though, that LA’s defense has not stood as stout as early in the season.
Last week’s 30-16 win at the Detroit Lions was a tad promising. In the previous four games, the Rams allowed an average of 38.5 points.
Meanwhile, Chicago, featuring RB Tarik Cohen coming off a 156-yard-receiving, one-TD-passinggame against the New York Giants, features the league’s fifth-highest-scoring offense and a defense that ranks in the top five.
Last week’s 30-27 OT loss to the Giants was the Bears’ fourth setback of the season, with all four begin decided by single digits.
That said, Chicago has recorded the most takeaways in the league this season and could have QB Mitchell Trubisky (shoulder) return to action this week. Perhaps that is enough for the Bears to get the victory, paying +148 on the moneyline.
Minnesota Vikings (6-5-1) at Seattle Seahawks (7-5)
Wild Card spots in the NFC playoffs are on the line in Washington on Monday Night Football.
Seattle has firm control of second place in the NFC West (the Rams already clinched the division title). Minnesota trails the Bears in the NFC North, but with the Green Bay Packers falling apart of late, the Vikings remain in postseason contention.
The Seahawks have been red-hot recently, their 43-16 blowout win at the San Francisco 49ers being their third straight win and fifth in seven games.
On the other side, the Vikings have dropped two of three, including last week’s 24-10 loss at the New England Patriots. In that game, Minnesota scored its fewest points in a game since Week 3.
How much longer can Seattle remain this successful? QB Russell Wilson has been steady, with 29 TDs against just five interceptions this season. But the Seahawks’ rushing game has been inconsistent and plagued with injuries.
Despite QB Kirk Cousins getting picked off six times over the past five games, he has tremendous downfield weapons in WRs Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. Additionally, Minnesota boasts a top-10 defense that could give Seattle fits.
The Vikings enter as three-point dogs, a +100-payout attached for covering the spread, and sit at +150on the moneyline.
Long shots of the week
Four games at FanDuel feature spreads of a touchdown or more. As always, take risks at your own risk.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (9-3) AT MIAMI DOLPHINS (6-6)
The top two teams in the AFC East get together here. It’s the Patriots’ to lose. New England is getting into postseason form, as it always does at this time, and heads in as a 7.5-point favorite, paying +100to cover. The moneyline for a Miami win, however, sits at +270.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (10-2) AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (5-7)
Throw out last week’s low-scoring loss to the Dallas Cowboys. In this NFC South showdown, two of the highest-scoring teams in the league go head to head. The Saints, with MVP candidate QB Drew Brees, stand as eight-point favorites, while Tampa pays +330 with an outright win. Interestingly, the over/under for this game is listed at 56 points, with the overpaying +100.
TWO BIGGEST SPREADS
For those feeling most bold, consider two AFC North-AFC West games.
The Cincinnati Bengals (5-7) are 14-point underdogs against the Los Angeles Chargers (9-3). The moneyline for the upset: +570. Hitting the over, set at 48 points, is +100.
In California, the lowly Oakland Raiders (2-10), with one win in eight games, host the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4-1). An 11.5-point dog, Oakland sits at +530 on the moneyline.
MVP, Super Bowl predictions at FanDuel
Super Bowl LIII:
- LA Rams, +300
- New Orleans, +350
- Kansas City, +430
- New England, +500
NFC champion:
- LA Rams, +130
- New Orleans, +150
- Chicago, +1,000
AFC Champion:
- Kansas City, +175
- New England, +195
- LA Chargers, +500
MVP Race:
- New Orleans QB Drew Brees, +105
- Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes, +105
- LA Chargers QB Phillip Rivers, +1,400
- Indianapolis QB Andrew Luck, +2,300
Where else to bet online in New Jersey
As it has been well-documented, New Jersey features an array of mobile sports betting options.
Eight mobile sportsbooks complement the nine retail operations in the Garden State:
- DraftKings Sportsbook
- PlayMGM Sport
- SugarHouse Sportsbook
- FanDuel Sportsbook
- William Hill NJ
- Caesars Sportsbook
- 888 Sportsbook
- BetStars NJ (no browser)
The list of NJ sportsbook apps includes a deep variety of traditional moneylines, parlays, in-game betting, and futures.