For Super Bowl betting handicappers looking for an advantage over your colleagues, consider reading the NFL injury report before the start of each week’s games. As the name suggests, football betting teams submit a list of all of their injured stars prior to the game they are about to take part in. Here is the NFL Injury report and some thoughts heading into the NFL Conference Championships this weekend.

New York Jets vs. Pittsburgh Steelers - Despite being a three point favorite the Pittsburgh Steelers have the most crucial injuries of any of the four remaining teams. This week in practice, strong safety Troy Polamalu did not participate because of an Achilles injury that has bothered him all season long. The other Steelers star that didn’t take part in practice was corner back Bryant McFadden. McFadden left the Steelers verses Ravens game with an apparent abdomen injury and hasn’t been seen from since. When both of these players have been out with injury, the Steelers have become a much more vulnerable team, as they have lost games by considerable margins.

On the New York Jets side of the football, several important players are battling injuries, however everyone took part in practice in either a full or limited role. The three biggest injuries the Jets have are to the shoulder of quarterback Mark Sanchez, the groin to Antonio Cromartie and the hamstring of Darrelle Revis. Yet as we mentioned earlier, all three participated in practices this week and should be good to go come game time.

Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears - The biggest news coming out of the practices for the Packers and Bears surrounded three players, two for the Packers and one for the Bears. For the Packers line backer Clay Matthews injured his shin in last weekend’s route over the Atlanta Falcons. Regardless of the shin injury, Matthews still was at practice in a limited role.

Also for the Packers is former Michigan Wolverine Charles Woodson. Woodson hurt his toe in last weekend’s win over the Falcons, however he too took part in a limited role. On the Chicago side of things, Earl Bennett missed practice this week, however it was due to personal reasons as opposed to an injury. Bennett should be able to play in this weekend’s game against Green Bay.

During the regular season, NFL betting sites put out an injury report for fans both gambling and playing fantasy sports to refer to in order to set the best possible roster. With two weeks remaining in the regular football betting season for 2010-11, week 16 is shaping up to be the most lethal as a result of key injuries around the league. Here are several injuries that have huge implications for week 16.

Aaron Rodgers QB Green Bay Packers – After being forced out of the Packers game in week 14 against the Detroit Lions due to a concussion, Rodgers was cleared to return to practice on Wednesday December 22. With the Packers literally hanging on for dear life and needing to win their final two games of the season against tough foes the New York Giants and Chicago Bears, Rodgers return to the lineup was a much needed boost.

Mark Sanchez QB New York Jets – At 10 wins and four losses on the season, the Jets are putting together one of the more impressive seasons in the last decade of New York football. With that said, the Jets may be without sophomore starting quarterback Mark Sanchez due to a shoulder injury for his throwing arm. Sanchez although having an injured shoulder, was able to guide his Jets to a narrow win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last weekend. If Sanchez can’t go this week, fans can all but guarantee that the Jets Wild Card hopes may be dashed.

Joseph Addai RB Indianapolis Colts – Before the start of this season, to even have speculated that the Colts would be struggling for a playoff spot would have been an absurd reaction. Now in week 16 with several injured players likely done for the season, running back Joseph Addai who has missed part of the season due to a neck injury will be a welcome addition. The Colts are playing for their playoff lives and the run game has sorely missed Addai over the last couple of weeks.

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.

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.

One of the easiest divisions for NFL betting, is finally becoming more difficult, as the 2010 edition of the AFC East appears to be the toughest division for betting online. Naturally the greatest odds to win the division are with the New England Patriots, however the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins each are making strong pushes for claiming the division title.

While the three teams above look to battle it out for AFC East title, the fourth team in the division the Buffalo Bills, appear to still be a few years away from contending. The Bills led by quarterbacks Trent Edwards, and Ryan Fitzpatrick, have been the laughing stock of the division ever since Drew Bledsoe left the team in 2003. Since then they have gone through numerous head coaches, players and many highs and lows. Although slated for last in the division in 2010, the Bills have always had one of the top five defense’s in the league. The trouble is their offence, as Bledsoe was the last competent quarterback the team had. This past draft, many fans and experts alike figured, the team would draft a quarterback and have him learn on the job. Instead they did not take a quarterback until the seventh round of the draft.

Another plus besides the defense for the Bills is the team’s run game as alongside Marshawn Lynch, the team has drafted the quickest running back since Adrian Peterson, CJ Spiller. Spiller was coveted by many, and if he can live up to his potential, the Bills will look fantastic at the run position for years to come.

For the Patriots to remain as the top dog in the AFC East, they will need star quarterback Tom Brady to return to MVP form, as last year, he looked rather timid while trying to recover from the injured knee two years ago. Further Wes Welker returning off of knee surgery, will hopefully be able to make a strong impact.

Sports betting aficionados, when considering the direction of the NFL’s AFC North Division in 2010, will have a difficult choice to make, that is if they are not watching UFC 116 Betting. Will the Cincinnati Bengals claim the division, or will it be the Baltimore Ravens?

Yes, that question might seem surprising, but at least for 2010, it will be hard to think otherwise. The Pittsburgh Steelers, winners of two of the past five Super Bowl titles, are simply not positioned well for the upcoming campaign, not with the departure of Santonio Holmes and the loss of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for at least one-fourth of the regular season, if not more. The Steelers have a lot of issues and deficiencies to deal with, so the debate in the Northbet concerns the Bengals and the boys from Baltimore.

The Ravens loaded up on defense in the 2010 NFL Draft and are trying to build a unit as nasty as the group that brought the franchise its one Super Bowl title back in the 2000 season. The Ravens didn’t win the North last year (the Bengals did, of course), but they advanced farther in the postseason than any other team from the North. They’ll be very tough to deal with, especially if quarterback Joe Flacco can cut down on turnovers and regain the form he exhibited in his stellar 2008 season.

If Cincinnati is to win the North, NFL betting gurus will need to see one thing in particular from coach Marvin Lewis’ team: a dramatically improved passing game. Despite the presence of Carson Palmer under center, Cincy’s aerial attack really never got going in 2009. In a home-field wild card playoff loss to the New York Jets, the Bengals’ vertical game was nowhere to be found. Yes, the Jets have the league’s best secondary, but Cincinnati’s lack of passing potency still rated as a notable disappointment. If the addition of downfield pass-catching tight end Jermaine Gresham can loosen up defenses, perhaps Cincy will come out on top in the North. The smart money, though, should rest with the Ravens.

Super Bowl odds are just around the corner, and the two teams that should participate in the big game are New Orleans and Indianapolis, the top two seeds in the NFL. Here’s what both teams would need to do on February 7^th.

The Saints would probably be the underdogs according to sportsbook, thanks to the Colts’ experience, but the Saints have a lot of weapons that the Colts haven’t seen before. They have a decent running game, but the x-factor is Reggie Bush, who destroyed Arizona. Drew Brees and the Saints’ offense could run wild on an Indy secondary that has had trouble stopping the pass against a good quarterback.

The Colts have no running game to speak of, which allows New Orleans to be aggressive with the pass rush, and safety Darren Sharper can help out on wide receiver Reggie Wayne. The key for the Colts will be tight end Dallas Clark, who caught 100 passes and offers a lot of matchup problems. Defensively, the secondary needs to be at their best.

Manning and the Colts always have a chance, especially late in the game, but the New Orleans defense doesn’t get the credit they deserve, and they’ll hold up in a close win for New Orleans.

NFL picks: New Orleans

The Super Bowl odds will be a little clearer after this weekend but for now, let’s deal with what is in front of us. Here are some picks for this weekend:

Arizona Cardinals @ New Orleans Saints

Experience is a factor for a second straight week as the Cardinals upend the Saints. By the way, Saints haven’t won at home since November 30th.

Pick: Cardinals +7

Baltimore Ravens @ Indianapolis Colts

This is your blowout of the week. The Indianapolis Colts beat the Baltimore Ravens on the road in Week 11 and now, they’ll serve them some home cooking. Ravens won’t run, Ravens won’t pass, Ravens won’t come close to winning or covering.

Pick: Colts -6.5

Dallas Cowboys @ Minnesota Vikings

Brett Favre and Tony Romo are very similar. This weekend, though, the teacher will outplay he student. Vikings were a perfect 8-0 at home this year and didn’t score less than 27 at home. Cowboys won’t score enough.

Pick: Vikings -2.5

New York Jets @ San Diego Chargers

The Jets are the biggest underdog in the sportsbook (us sportsbook reviews) this weekend but their game plan should work. They’ll run the ball and play defense, which won’t get them the win but they’ll cover. Take the Jets plus the points or the Chargers moneyline.

Pick: Jets +7.5, Chargers To Win