"Motivated teams" (1 Viewer)

[Homer]

Sheer idiocy, IMO. Round robin those three 'dogs and you pay for your new's year eve celebration (and fantasy football losses for the year).

The week 17 "motivation factor" always seems to have a boomerang effect? It certainly isn't significant enough to justify such psycho spreads.

 

[Chase Stuart]

@Oakland isn't easy, and the Broncos recent history (and recent history of December struggles) makes it hard to imagine them as a double digit favorite. That said, I'm not sure motivation is affecting the spread; Oakland and KC have been double digit dogs all season long, and with good reason.

As for the Jets game, that's because of the likelihood that we see lots of Jordan Palmer and little of Ochocinco.

 

[Homer]

All 'dogs here are at least nfl caliber teams (as is Cleveland). Queue the old adage about "on any given sunday". The huge exception is the Rams, who have been just bloody gawd-awful all year. Of course so were the Bucs until recently...

I think trends in the NFl last 2 weeks on average, 3 weeks if it's a true trend. NFL had a HUGE season for big favorites. But week 17 is absolute POISON for reading ANYTHING into betting lines for things like "motivation". It just doesn't happen.

Thanks, Chase, for a great post.

 

[Aardvarks]

I've been known to wager here and there, and I already put the farm on the Jets at -9.5.

The Bengals will have nothing to play for (the #3 seed is not worth exposure to injury) and QB J.T. O'Sullivan will likely enter in the 2nd quarter.

Plus the Bengals will have to play the Jets again in the wild-card so they are definitely not laying it on the line Sunday night. Rest is the answer for Cincy players. They need it, mentally & physically.