1. Jets
a. New York had a chance to rest this week, and their next three games are very winnable.
2. Steelers
a. Barely survived against Miami, but are now 5-1.

3. Ravens
a. It’s usually all about the defence, but Sunday’s game proved that the Ravens can score, too.

4. Patriots
a. Came out on top of a game they could easily have lost.

5. Falcons
a. Atlanta continues to impress, especially at home.

6. Colts
a. Another team thankful for the bye; the Colts host Houston on national television next Monday.

7. Titans
a. 27 points in the fourth? These Titans are for real.

8. Chiefs
a. The Chiefs are doing what many thought they couldn’t: beating bad teams and challenging strong ones.

9. Redskins
a. Jay Cutler will have nightmares of DeAngelo Hall for the rest of the season.

10. Eagles
a. Having Michael Vick available probably wouldn’t have helped in Sunday’s collapse.

11. Giants
a. A win against the Cowboys would solidify NY’s place near the top of the NFL standings.

12. Seahawks
a. Seattle is coming together and could be an NFC dark horse.

13. Buccaneers
a. Tampa Bay has actually been one of the league’s more consistent teams this season.

14. Texans
a. Houston needed their bye to regroup and prepare for a showdown with the Colts.

15. Bears
a. After their strong start, Cutler and the Bears are looking awfully fragile.

16. Saints

a. People are giving New Orleans the benefit of the doubt, but Sunday’s whipping proves that this probably isn’t last year’s team.

17. Dolphins
a. Questionable call has the Dolphins at 3-3 and third in their division.

18. Packers
a. Aaron Rodgers was phenomenal against the Favre-led Vikings on Sunday.

19. Cardinals
a. Arizona has yet to win—or lose—two games in a row.

20. Vikings
a. Nothing is going right for Brett Favre this year.

21. Raiders
a. The Raiders put up one of the highest halftime NFL scores in recent memory, whipping the Broncos.

22. Jaguars
a. One of the few teams that probably aren’t quite as good as their win total suggests.

23. Broncos
a. Denver was embarrassed on Sunday, and Tebow still wasn’t given the reins.

24. Bengals
a. Cincy’s mediocre season is slipping away quickly.

25. Rams
a. St. Louis hasn’t won an away game yet, but may get a chance when they visit San Francisco in Week 10.

26. Chargers
a. San Diego’s combustion continues—the Chargers have now lost three straight.

27. Browns
a. Colt McCoy wasn’t spectacular, but Cleveland still managed to stun the defending champs.

28. Lions
a. It’s a long season, and Detroit may turn it around. Maybe?

29. Cowboys
a. Tonight’s game could spell the end of Dallas’ season.

30. Panthers
a. At this point, beating the 49ers doesn’t generate all that much excitement, even if it is win number one.

31. 49ers
a. The Mike Singletary watch is on again.

32. Bills
a. Close doesn’t cut it in the NFL, and the Bills are still a portrait of futility.

1. Jets

• L.T. continues to score, and the Jets continue to roll.

2. Steelers

• Big Ben’s return could very well mean that the final piece is in place for Pittsburgh’s championship run.

3. Ravens

• Ravens have only themselves to blame after OT loss to New England.

4. Patriots

• The return of Deion Branch will continue to push the Pats up the NFL standings.

5. Colts

• If Pierre Garcon can make those catches with regularity, Indy has nothing to worry about.

6. Titans

• Even without VY, Tennessee is finding a way to win.

7. Saints

• Brees had his best game yet and New Orleans looked sharp in their demolition of Tampa Bay.

8. Eagles

• It’s great when you have two starting quarterbacks on the same team.

9. Giants

• A couple weeks ago we thought NY was ready to implode. Instead, they’re back in the top-10.

10. Falcons

• Atlanta has yet to knock off an elite team, but is somehow still 4-2.

11. Texans

• After starting the year on fire, Houston has come back to earth a little. Still, the Texans managed to pull out a win against the Chiefs they probably didn’t deserve.

12. Bears

• Another team that had football experts jumping the gun; Jay Cutler looked ordinary in the Bears’ loss to Seattle.

13. Chiefs

• Kansas City should have had the win against Houston. Regardless, the Chiefs are miles better than anyone expected.

14. Dolphins

• Hard to tell what Miami’s record is a sign of; the Dolphins are undefeated outside of Miami, but have yet to win at home.

15. Redskins

• Washington is giving up real estate like it’s 2009.

16. Buccaneers

• Hard to believe they were once undefeated after evisceration by Saints.

17. Cardinals

• Cards have a chance to win a very shaky division.

18. Seahawks

• Seattle is constantly eyeing the NFL scores to make sure they stay on top of their division.

19. Packers

• Injuries have taken their toll on the Packers, and the Brett Favre circus is coming to town.

20. Vikings

• Minnesota barely won Desperation Bowl against Dallas, but is happy to be 2-3.

21. Broncos

• Is Tim Tebow the answer to all of Denver’s problems?

22. Bengals

• Cincy is well-rested after their bye, and should be better in the second half of the season.

23. Jaguars

• Monday Night Blowout wasn’t what Jacksonville had in mind.

24. Rams

• The more we joke about the Rams, the better they seem to perform.

25. Chargers

• The new Giants-could team turmoil derail the Chargers’ season?

26. Lions

• Detroit has had a chance in many of their games, but lack the winning experience to capitalize.

27. Cowboys

• This season is becoming increasingly nightmarish for Dallas fans.

28. 49ers

• Mike Singletary managed to buy himself another game.

29. Raiders

• Loss to SF was insult added to a plethora of injuries in Oakland.

30. Browns

• Cleveland doesn’t have the pieces in place to win games.

31. Bills

• Unlikely that Bye Week will fix Buffalo’s many problems.

32. Panthers

• Same goes for Carolina.

Offshore NFL betting players will be in for a big week as the NFL heads into the meat of their schedule, so with no more delay, here are the top four games of Week 7.

Steelers Dolphins Betting – Sunday, October 24, 1:00 PM ET
Ben Roethlisberger made a victorious return to the NFL against Cleveland, but Miami poses a different set of problems for the Steelers. The Dolphins won a tough overtime game at Green Bay, but they’re going to have to worry about Pittsburgh’s destructive linebackers.

Patriots Chargers Betting – Sunday, October 24, 4:15 PM ET
The Patriots won in overtime against Baltimore, and face another AFC foe in the Chargers, who were upset in St. Louis and don’t look like a team that can win the West. This is a massive game for the Chargers, who could slip out of the playoff race with a loss to the Patriots.

Vikings Packers Betting – Sunday, October 24, 8:20 PM ET
The Vikings came up with a must-win victory at home over Dallas, while the Packers were upended by Miami at home, but wins and losses aren’t important here. Brett Favre returns to Lambeau Field after outdueling Aaron Rodgers in last year’s game, and longtime Packer nemesis Randy Moss also returns.

Cowboys Giants Betting - Monday, October 25, 8:30 PM ET
In the Monday nighter, NFC East rivals go head to head as the Cowboys will be looking for something, anything, after losing in Minnesota. The Giants are somehow leading the division after beating Detroit, but are they worth a sports bet in this game?

The myth of the Monday Night Home Underdog NFL betting system, started out in 1970 when the AFC and NFL merged into one giant football league. It was during this time, that the only game broadcasted on television was that of the Monday night prime time variety. As a result fans betting on NFL teams would take the home underdogs, as they were expected to give an extra effort for the spectacle game.

Through the first 15 years of the new NFL, football fans could only watch the Monday night game. During the game at the half time show, the scores of the Thursday and Sunday prior games would be shown. From this tiny bit of information, NFL fans could handicap which teams they thought would play well in the underdog role.

The NFL home underdog myth drew comparisons to that of Mort Olshan’s Power Dog handicapping system from the 1950s. In Olshan’s system, he suggested that good teams taken as the underdog had as good if not better chance than the favorite to cover the point spread or win the game outright. As a result, many fans both sharp and casual tended to take the underdogs at home on Monday nights.

The system was seen as a huge success from 1970 to about 1985. But from 1985 to 2010, the Monday night system has come full circle, and appears to have run its course. In the last 25 years, the system has gone 65 and 62 good enough for a 50 percent success rate.

Although this percentage is not bad in football betting, a more puzzling statistic is the fact that the system has gone 21 - 31 over the past decade. In the last five seasons alone, the home dog has gone 12 - 18.

San Diego Chargers (-10) @ St. Louis Rams
The betting world is being a little harsh on the St. Louis Rams. The Rams lose one game to an 0-4 team and the suddenly find themselves 10 point underdogs to an underachieving AFC West team. The Lions were set up well to beat the Rams, the Chargers are not. With the Chargers giving up 10 points, this looks to be a good game to take the Rams. There is even a chance that the Rams could win this game outright.

Pick: San Diego Chargers 13-10

New Orleans Saints (-4 ½) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Are the Saints as bad (by their high standards) as their 3-2 record indicates? Are the Buccaneers as good as their 3-1 record would say they are? The answer to both questions is no. The Saints are badly banged up right now, and their running game is what will suffer the most. The last time the Tampa Bay Buccaneers faced a team like the New Orleans Saints was in week three when they lost in a blowout to the Pittsburgh Steelers 38-13. Look for a similar result in this game.

Pick: New Orleans Saints 45-10

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots (-1 ½)
This is easily the game of the week as these two division leaders meet in Foxboro, MA. The Patriots are at a slight offensive advantage as they re-acquired wide receiver Deion Branch from the Seattle Seahawks to replace the departed Randy Moss. Branch knows the New England offense and if he can step in to place like the last four years never happened then the Ravens secondary is in trouble. The Patriots defensive secondary is young and prone to mistakes. Joe Flacco is inconsistent, but he should be able to put points on the board against the New England defense.

Pick: Baltimore Ravens 24-20

Indianapolis Colts (-3) @ Washington Redskins
It is hard to say why the Redskins keep bucking the NFL betting trends by winning games they have no right winning. Considering the high drama surrounding the Redskins thanks to defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth, it is amazing that the Redskins get anything done at all. The Colts are fighting with a weak running game, a porous offensive line, an inconsistent defensive secondary and injuries. Other than that, everything in Peyton Manning’s world is fine.

Pick: Indianapolis Colts 27-20

1. Steelers

• Could easily be 4-0. 3-1 without Big Ben is good enough to claim the top spot.

2. Packers

• Struggled against a bad team, but a win is a win.

3. Saints

• The offence needs serious work and better scores, but New Orleans is still finding ways to win.

4. Chiefs

• Thanks to the schedule, KC can claim the title of Only Remaining Undefeated Team for at least a full two weeks.

5. Jets

• Rex Ryan has NY firing on all cylinders, and LT is turning back the clock.

6. Colts

• Tough loss to swallow for Manning & Co. Indy has a chance to take out its frustration on the undefeated Chiefs next week and rake in some NFL scores.

7. Pats

• Heading into Bye Week with a win over the Dolphins would put New England in a good spot.

8. Ravens

• Huge character win over the Steelers proves that Baltimore can score as well as defend.

9. Bears

• Cutler’s status is uncertain after atrocious defending left last week’s star dazed on the sidelines.

10. Texans

• Rushing leader Arian Foster has Houston energized—the team is 3-1 for the first time in franchise history.

11. Falcons

• A win in Cleveland would put Atlanta firmly in the top-10.

12. Dolphins

• Three very tough games coming up—a win against the Pats would be huge.

13. Bengals

• Embarrassing loss in the Battle for Ohio; Cincy has been the epitome of up-and-down.

14. Eagles

• Vick versus McNabb never really materialized, and now Philly’s resurgence is in jeopardy.

15. Redskins

• Less exciting than predicted, but Washington is happy to take a win at the Linc.

16. Broncos

• Orton was rock solid despite six sacks, singlehandedly willing Denver to victory.

17. Cowboys

• Dallas has a chance to right early-season wrongs after a week off.

18. Chargers

• Consistency is the biggest issue for a talented San Diego squad.

19. Cardinals

• Arizona has proven one thing: it can win against bad teams, and lose to good teams. Not exactly a recipe for NFL success.

20. Titans

• The Titans showed flashes of brilliance but an inability to execute against Denver.

21. Giants

• Team Chaos looked incredibly poised against the Bears—maybe falling expectations have taken the pressure off New York?

22. Rams

• A winning streak? One more win and St. Louis will force people to start taking them seriously.

23. Buccaneers

• The Bucs have yet to prove they can hang with the elite teams, even at 2-1.

24. Vikings

• Favre gets a much-needed rest before next week’s Monday Night showdown against the Jets.

25. Seahawks

• Miserable loss to the Rams. Seattle enters Bye Week with a bad taste in its mouth.

26. Jaguars

• The Jags are 30th in opponent passing yards, but that may not matter against the Bills.

27. Browns

• Good morale boost on Sunday, but don’t expect the Browns to put a streak together.

28. Raiders

• The next two weeks are a battle of in-state pride.

29. 49ers

• Mike Singletary’s seat is hotter than ever.

30. Lions

• Detroit gets an A for effort in Sunday’s loss.

31. Bills

• At least the Lions are competing.

32. Panthers

• Don’t let the score fool you—Carolina was outplayed all game by the Saints, hence last in this NFL Standing.

NFL betting players will have a full slate, so with no delay, here are the top four games of the week in Week 5 action.

Chiefs Colts Betting – Sunday, 1:00 PM ET
The Colts should be favored at home after a 31-28 loss in Carolina, while the Chiefs are coming off a bye week as the only unbeaten team in the league. Kansas City’s young defense could get torched by Peyton Manning.

Broncos Ravens Betting – Sunday, 1:00 PM ET
The Ravens should be home favorites after toughing out a 17-14 win in Pittsburgh, while the Broncos won 26-20 in Tennessee. Denver’s Kyle Orton has three straight games of 300 yards or more, but he’s going up against an insane Baltimore defense.

Packers Redskins Betting – Sunday, 1:00 PM ET
The NFL betting line for this game won’t be very large either way, as the Packers are coming off a shaky 28-26 win at home over Detroit, while the Redskins used defense to win 17-12 in Donovan McNabb’s return to Philadelphia.

Eagles 49ers Betting – Sunday, 8:20 PM ET
This is another NFL betting line that won’t be big either way, as the Eagles lost to Washington as well as an injured Michael Vick, while the 49ers are still winless after losing 16-14 in Atlanta. The line probably won’t even be out until news on Vick is official, but if Kevin Kolb is playing, look for the 49ers to be the betting favorites at Candlestick Park.

In a battle of one team proving critics wrong and another moving right along at the pace many predicted, NFL betting enthusiasts are counting down the days until the Baltimore Ravens face the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens are tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for second in the AFC North with a two wins and one loss record, while the Pittsburgh Steelers have shocked the NFL betting online world by going undefeated through the first three weeks. Here is a preview of the game.

Going into the 2010-2011 NFL season, many fans and experts were picking the Pittsburgh Steelers to start off the season with three losses heading into their week four affair with the Baltimore Ravens. Conversely, the Ravens were favored to be three wins and no losses at this point with the upgrades on offense finally able to compliment the legendary defense.

Instead, with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger facing suspension for four games, it is fourth string quarterback Charlie Batch guiding the Steelers to an undefeated start. But before we go ahead and hop on the Batch band wagon, let’s be clear that the reason the Steelers are winning is because of their defense.

Going into week four of the regular season, the Steelers are a one and a half point favorite over the Ravens. The reason for this is the strong effort of the defense that through the first three weeks has averaged a league best 11 points allowed with 60 yards on the ground and 219 in the air.

When these two teams meet, the game almost never covers the point spread. Last season the clubs split their two encounters, with the Ravens winning the first matchup 20-17 although they were an eight point favorite. Conversely, in the second encounter Big Ben and the Steelers won 23-20. This game should be a rough and tough affair with the point spread finally going over for a three point victory to the Ravens.

The betting on NFL season is well underway, and as we reach the quarter mark of the season, there are a couple of key match ups to look forward to in week four. Here is a look at the four most anticipated contests this coming weekend.

AFC North Rivals Clash In Steel Town

With their bye week just one week away, and the suspension of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger coming to an end, the Pittsburgh Steelers look to defend their perfect start to the 2010-11 regular season this weekend when they welcome the Baltimore Ravens to town for an AFC North division clash. Much more than first place in the division is on the line, as the Ravens attempt to prove the Steelers’ hot start is just an illusion.

McNabb Returns To City Lacking Brotherly Love

Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Donovan McNabb will play the team that drafted him for the first time this Sunday, when the Washington Redskins travel to Lincoln Financial Field. Anticipated to be a battle between McNabb and Kevin Kolb, Michael Vick will step in to the spotlight once again with Kolb injured.

Bears Look To Remain Unbeaten Sunday Night

Few would have projected that the Chicago Bears would open the betting season 3-0. Now Chicago has the chance to show why they are undefeated in Prime Time against the New York Giants.

AFC East Division Rivals Clash For Top Spot

The New England Patriots take their talents to South Beach this Monday night to battle the Miami Dolphins for first place.