Anyone betting on NFL preseason games has had a lot to look at in only one week. Rookie and second-year quarterbacks are making an impact while veterans are reviving their careers. Defensive units are improving while others just cannot seem to get anything right. Here is a list of some of the key games in preseason week 2 and how they should turn out.

Tennessee Titans @ St. Louis Rams

The Rams looked really good in their week 1 preseason win over the Indianapolis Colts. Colts fans can relax knowing that it is just preseason and quarterback Peyton Manning is not playing. But the Rams and their fans should be optimistic. The Titans are also excited about the play of rookie quarterback Jake Locker. This should be a good game between two young teams.

Pick: St. Louis Rams

New Orleans Saints @ Houston Texans

The Saints got everything they expected out of rookie running back Mark Ingram, and then some. Ingram proved to be very agile on an NFL field as well as powerful. The Texans are hoping to find the defensive players in this preseason that will make the team a contender in 2011.

Pick: Houston Texans

Cincinnati Bengals @ New York Jets

The NFL betting lines still have the New York Jets as preseason playoff contenders. But the Cincinnati Bengals are a young team that should be able to make some waves in the 2011 season. The Bengals are young on offense and experienced on defense. That will make for some exciting football in 2011.

Pick: New York Jets

If you bet on sports then you love looking ahead to the favorites in upcoming championship games. Super Bowl XLVI is being played in Indianapolis in February 2012, and there are some clear favorites from both sides that NFL fans can choose from.

New England Patriots (Super Bowl XLVI Odds: 6.45 to 1)

The Patriots showed a lot in their 47-12 blowout of the Jacksonville Jaguars in their preseason opener. Yes it was only preseason, but the Patriots’ second team completely dominated the Jaguars’ first team in every aspect. With depth like that, the Patriots are going to be tough to beat in 2011-2012.

Pittsburgh Steelers (Super Bowl XLVI Odds: 9 to 1)

Can the Steelers repeat as AFC Champions in 2011-2012? It won’t be easy, but the NFL betting lines certainly give the Steelers a chance. Pittsburgh still has one of the most dominating defenses in all of football and a quarterback that confuses opposing defenses when he constantly ad libs plays. But the Packers showed a lot of cracks in the Pittsburgh armor in Super Bowl XLV that AFC teams may learn from this year.

Green Bay Packers (Super Bowl XLVI Odds: 6.25 to 1)

Even though the Packers won Super Bowl XLV, fans do not feel that the league got a real look at the Green Bay Packers. The team was injured most of the season and on into the playoffs. With a fresh start in 2011-2012, and a completely healthy roster, the Packers should dominate the NFC.

Atlanta Falcons (Super Bowl XLVI Odds: 14 to 1)

Was rookie wide receiver Julio Jones the final piece in what could be one of the most dominating offenses in the NFL? Possibly, but the Falcons still have problems on their defensive line that they have not addressed. Stopping the run was an issue for Atlanta last season, and if they do not find a way to fix the problem then they may not be able to compete into the playoffs.

The NFL preseason will be getting underway on Thursday August 11, and sports betting football fans could not be happier. Let’s take a look at some of the preseason Super Bowl favorites and how they may fare with their first preseason game in 2011.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Washington Redskins – Friday August 12^th – 7:30 PM EST

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be looking to defend its AFC championship and try to get back into the Super Bowl. Last year, the Steelers were an interesting mix of passing and running. But quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw two key interceptions in Super Bowl XLV, and the Green Bay Packers went on to win the game. Watch for the Steelers to work on their offense in this preseason to try and put together a more complete team.

Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers

Green Bay Packers @ Cleveland Browns – Saturday August 13th – 7:30 PM EST

Do not expect a lot from the Packers in this preseason. The team will work its starters a little bit, but the fear of the injury bug will keep most starters out for the preseason. The Green Bay second string is better than the Cleveland starters, but when this game gets into the third string it should shift to Cleveland.

Pick: Cleveland Browns

New York Jets @ Houston Texans – Monday August 15th – 8:00 PM EST

The Jets are, once again, expected to be in the playoff hunt for the AFC. But the Houston Texans should be given some credit for off-season moves on their defense that may make them a contender as well. Depth has been a problem for New York in the past, and the Texans may be able to hang a loss on the Jets to start the online casino play preseason.

Even those who play US poker sites know that it’s a risky proposition to wager against Indianapolis in the NFL’s AFC South, but can you pull the trigger in 2011 on a wounded Colts team?

The Colts (-180) are still holding out hope that Peyton Manning will be ready for the start of the regular season due to neck surgery, and it doesn’t matter what the MVP vote says each year: no player means more than Manning does to the Colts, who will hope to avoid a rash of receiver injuries like last year, and no one knows what the defense will do. Houston (+180) needs to only stop people some of the time, because they have one of the best offenses in the league, but that defense can’t be as bad as they were 2010….or can they? Jacksonville (+800) and Tennessee (+800) have to sort out a lot of things before they can challenge the top two, but you have to think that snagging Matt Hasselbeck gives the Titans an edge, which tells you something about the Jaguars’ David Garrard. This will also be Tennessee’s first year without Jeff Fisher coaching the team since 1994, although Mike Munchak has been in the franchise since 1992 as a Hall of Fame player and coach.

This will boil down to Indianapolis and Houston again, and it’s tempting to take the Texans, but their secondary is still very young and Manning is still one of the top three quarterbacks in the league. Their Week 1 sports betting matchup in Houston is huge in so many ways, but the Colts are the smart play in your sports book.

One of the divisions that was quiet in the free agency frenzy last week was the AFC North. The Cincinnati Bengals added through subtraction when they let mega-distraction Chad Ochocinco go to the New England Patriots. But the rest of the AFC North did not really make any moves, and sports betting experts know that the AFC North could be interesting to watch in 2011.

Baltimore Ravens – Predicted finish: First

Quarterback Joe Flacco was only in training camp a few minutes before the media started questioning his leadership once again. Flacco is emerging as a solid quarterback that does not lean towards the flashy media soundclips. He is better than the version of Trent Dilfer that took the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory in 2000, and he has a better supporting cast than that team had.

Pittsburgh Steelers – Predicted finish: Second

One thing that every online casino wagering sports fan knows is that the Pittsburgh Steelers will be competing for the AFC North title from day one. The Steelers defense carries the team, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger finds new ways to generate points when needed.

Cincinnati Bengals – Predicted finish: Third

The Bengals officially announced last week that quarterback Carson Palmer will not be traded because he has retired. That leaves rookie Andy Dalton to play quarterback for the Bengals, which is not as bad as it sounds. The Bengals are building a young and winning team in Cincinnati, but it will take a year or two for the team to compete for a playoff spot.

Cleveland Browns – Predicted finish: Fourth

Most people in the NFL assume that Mike Holmgren knows something that they do not. When it comes to the Browns’ future, Cleveland football fans are really hoping that Holmgren knows what he is doing.

Sports betting experts know that offense sells tickets but defense wins championships. The NFL has had some impressive defensive units in its history, and there are a few entering the 2011 season that could be remembered as some of the most physical units of all time. Here is a quick look at the defenses to watch in 2011 and which teams could be dominating on the line of scrimmage this year.

Detroit Lions

Online casino wagering football fans had no problem watching Detroit Lions’ rookie Ndamukong Suh be named defensive rookie of the year in 2010. The Lions went ahead and added Nick Fairley to their defensive line in the 2011 draft, and a defensive unit that was already getting better just got a huge boost.

Pittsburgh Steelers

You can say that James Harrison is a dirty player and Troy Polamalu over-commits too easily, but both of those players are still excellent defensive football stars. The Pittsburgh defense is physical and intimidating and one of the main reasons why the Steelers will be playoff contenders again in 2011.

Baltimore Ravens

The Raven defense is anchored by Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. If both of those players can stay healthy in 2011, then the Ravens have a good chance at being a contender. The Ravens defense is an interesting mix of veterans and younger players that just learned how to play together last season. In 2011, they get to really unleash their defense.

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers have a fast and aggressive defense that is extremely difficult to get away from. The secondary can stay with any group of receivers, and the Green Bay Linebackers are some of the most gifted athletes in the league.

The 2011 – 12 NFL betting lines are set to open in a few weeks after a new collective bargaining agreement was decided upon earlier this morning. After four long and grueling months, sports betting enthusiasts from around the league are trying to determine, which division will be the best this year. Here is a preview of last year’s most surprising division, the AFC West.

Made up of the Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos, the AFC West has been dominated by the Chargers for nearly the entire decade. That was until last season, when Kansas City and Oakland both emerged as middle of the pack teams. Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos took a huge step backwards last season, finishing near the bottom of the standings in the entire NFL.

Entering the 2011 – 12 seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders are surrounded by optimism amongst fans and ownership alike. Kansas City shocked the entire NFL last year by winning the AFC West, before losing in the first round of the playoffs. Conversely, Oakland finished with a 500 record for the first time since going to the Super Bowl early in the decade.

This season, the Kansas City Chiefs will look to show that last year was no fluke. Chiefs pivot Matt Cassel is coming off a career season, and should be able to improve on those numbers. The biggest move of the Chiefs offseason was drafting several impressive wide receivers to help Dwayne Bowe carry the offensive load. If the Chiefs defense can continue to improve, we see no reason why the Chiefs can’t start dominating the division.

The dark horse in this division will be the Denver Broncos. Many people don’t believe the Broncos will be much of a threat; however with a new quarterback at the helm anything is possible.

Even online poker players know that NFL teams need good receivers in this day and age; the league depends on passing now, and while there are a ton of good quarterbacks, they wouldn’t be where they were without the receivers. Here are the best of the bunch.

Andre Johnson, Houston

Johnson is fast, big, he’ll go over the middle and he showed that he had some fire in last year’s fight with Tennessee’s Cortland Finnegan. Simply, Johnson is unstoppable and still has a few good years left at 30.

Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona

It’s amazing that Fitzgerald had another 1,000-yard season given Arizona’s awful quarterback situation, and the Cardinals will need to improve that to convince Fitzgerald to stay. He may have the best pair of hands in the NFL.

Brandon Lloyd, Denver

Lloyd came out of nowhere to lead the league in receiving yards, but now he has to prove that he

can do it again. Also, along with Fitzgerald, Lloyd didn’t have a fumble last year: these two were the only receivers in the top ten to keep that category clean.

Roddy White, Atlanta

White led the league in first downs, and now the Falcons drafted Julio Jones to take some pressure off White, which will surely help their sports betting odds. Expect another big year from White.

Greg Jennings, Green Bay

It’s no betonline.com scam, Jennings quietly was one of the best receivers in the NFL before last year, but his role in the Packers’ run to the Super Bowl brought him to the forefront and at 27, he’s in his prime. Jennings can do it all, and he is a big reason why Green Bay is one of the favorites to repeat in your best online sportsbook.

When it comes to NFL betting lines, the best race of the season could come from the AFC East, where New England is favored as they’ve dominated the division over the last decade, but the New York Jets are coming in a hurry.

New England (-140): The Patriots rolled through the East, winning the crown for the eighth time in 10 years, and they’ll be back again as long as Tom Brady is at the helm. But the defense is still improving, and the Patriots still don’t have a deep threat.

New York Jets (+135): The Jets have a top-three defense and that will take you a long way, but they also have a quarterback in Mark Sanchez that is gaining in big-game experience and a solid game to run down the clock, as well as minimize mistakes, which boosts their sports betting odds.

Miami (+700): The Dolphins have quarterback issues and Chad Henne may not be the starter when the season starts. Miami also has to replace Ronnie Brown or Ricky Williams, maybe both as they’re free agents. The defense is good, but not better than the Jets.

Buffalo (+1800): The Bills bring up the rear and again, they’re not going to go anywhere with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center, but they have bigger offensive worries, such as C.J. Spiller not getting many touches, a lack of receivers (although Stevie Johnson emerged last year) and a suspect offensive line.

Prediction: The Jets offer better value, and it’s their time to knock the Patriots off their perch, especially after last year’s upset postseason win in New England. It’s no betonline com scam, take the Jets in your online sports betting picks.

The sports betting world seems to have backed off on the importance of the running back to a winning football team, but running backs made their point in 2010. Let’s take a look at some of the running backs that will be shifting the NFL betting lines in 2011.

Steven Jackson – St. Louis Rams

Why will Steven Jackson be a force in 2011? Because he is no longer carrying the offensive load by himself, defenses cannot just key in on Jackson to stop the Rams. Jackson will have room to run in 2011, and he will make good use of it.

Adrian Peterson – Minnesota Vikings

Adrian Peterson can get a little fumble-prone when he carries the ball a lot, but he also gets better when he plays more. Since the Vikings will be breaking in a rookie quarterback in 2011, Peterson will pretty much be the Minnesota offense.

Arian Foster – Houston Texans

Arian Foster will be sharing the backfield with the now-healthy Ben Tate in 2011. The Texans just took a good offense and made it that much more dangerous. Tate will be a change of pace back that will get defenses softened up for Foster, and Foster will have another great year in 2011.

Ryan Grant – Green Bay Packers

The defending Super Bowl champs won it all last year without a running game. It wasn’t until the wild card round of the playoffs that James Starks came out of nowhere and lit up the league. The reason the Packers did not have a running game is because starting running back Ryan Grant was injured in the first game of the season last year. This year Grant is healthy and looking to re-gain his form as an elite NFL running back.