NFL Week 5 Power Rankings

1) Houston Texans (5-0) Previous Rank 1 - Super Bowl bound? Still too early to tell if this team has what it takes but the Texans by far have been the most impressive team this season. Arian Foster is averaging 106.2 rushing yards per game and Matt Schuab has yet to have a 300 yard passing game largely in part to the fact that the Texans have a well balanced offensive scheme keeping opposing defenses on their toes. Now they didn't humiliate the Jets on Monday Night but they did get the win. Texans now will face Green Bay and Baltimore without star linebacker Brian Cushing who may be suffering from a torn ACL. Houston definitely will face its stiffest competition thus far in the weeks to come and we can finally get a true evaluation of what this team is all about.

2)Atlanta Falcons (5-0) Previous Rank 2 - A lot like the Houston Texans the Atlanta Falcons have yet to face stiff competition but have gotten the job done against lesser opponents. After an exciting matchup with the Redskins this past weekend the Falcons find themselves at 5-0 for the first time in franchise history. Another huge game for Tony Gonzalez 13 receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown he is by far Matt Ryan's favorite target. The Raiders come to town this week lets just say if you have any Falcons on your fantasy be sure to start them.

3)San Francisco 49ers (4-1) Previous Rank 4 - The only blemish with the 49ers is they rank 27th in passing yards but who cares when you rank 1st in rushing and have the best defense in the NFL. The 49ers racked up 621 yards a new franchise record ironically enough the last time they broke this record was against the Bills. Alex Smith cracked the 300 yard mark for the first time this season. In doing research I discovered that this was his 3rd career 300 yard game and the only time the 49ers have won when he has reached that mark. The 49ers are a very legitimate contender this season and now have an opportunity to flex their muscle against the New York Giants this week.

4)Baltimore Ravens (4-1) Previous Rank 3 - The Ravens couldn't find the end-zone this past Sunday in Kansas City luckily for them the Chiefs had offensive woes of their own. This should have been a blow out game for the Ravens but it wasn't Jamaal Charles rushed for 140 yards against the aging Baltimore defense. For the first team this season we get a glimpse of what happens when the offense doesn't show up for the Ravens. Nonetheless the Ravens now boast a 4-1 record and find themselves atop the AFC North and will now get a chance to pat their defensive statistics as none other than gun slinger Tony Romo and his Dallas Cowboys come to town.

5)New England Patriots (3-2) Previous Rank 9 - The rushing game of New England is opening things up for Tom Brady. New England ranks 3rd in rushing and as a result ranks 9th in passing. Even without tight end Aaron Hernandez the Patriots offense is looking the best it has in years. As far as defense goes they rank 30th in passing yards allowed at 291.6 yards per game and 8th in rushing yards. Teams definitely can attack New England through the air but cannot out shoot Tom Brady and his arsenal of unlimited weapons. They will now face the stingy Seattle Seahawks defense.

6)New York Giants (3-2) Previous Rank 6 - Ahmad Bradshaw and Victor Cruz each had a great performance against the Cleveland Browns this weekend. Bradshaw rushed for 200 yards and a touchdown. Cruz 5 receptions for only 50 yards but 3 of them for touchdowns. The Giants did everything right as they should have facing a very week Browns team. The Giants now face stiffer competition this week as they face the number one defense of the 49ers.

7)Chicago Bears (4-1) Previous Rank 10 - The Bears defense held the Jaguars to 3 points and only one failed trip to the red-zone. Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall have connected 19 times for 279 yards and two touchdowns in the last two games. As long as the Bears Defense continues to stop teams and Jay Cutler doesn't cough it up the Bears have a very prosperous season ahead of them. Chicago has a bye week and will face Detroit in week 7.

8)Philadelphia Eagles (3-2) Previous Rank 7 - The Eagles struggled this past Sunday in a loss to a banged up Steelers defense. Michael Vick fumbled the ball 3 times and now has 11 turnovers for the season. With a QBR of 51.7 he's been very careless with the ball but has yet to point the finger at anyone but himself. The offensive line is clearly built for the rush and continue to struggle when Vick is in the pocket. If Philadelphia plans on getting into the playoffs they need to stop turning the ball over.

9)Minnesota Vikings (4-1) Previous Rank 14 - The Vikings keep climbing up these rankings as they keep winning and are doing it very convincingly. They control the running game on both sides of the ball. Christian Ponder threw his first 2 interceptions of the season this past Sunday but other than that the Vikings were in complete control as they beat the Titans 30-7. They now will face the Washington Redskins.

10)Arizona Cardinals (4-1) Previous Rank 3 - It was bound to happen the Cardinals got their first loss at the hands of the St. Louis Rams. Its mind boggling to see a team ranked 25th in passing 31st in rushing offense and still have a 4-1 record. Arizona can improve to 5-1 as they face the Buffalo Bills.

11)Green Bay Packers (2-3) Previous Rank 7 - They lost to an emotional Indianapolis Colts team this week and Green Bay finds themselves below .500 for the 3rd time this season. Green Bay ranks 17th in both defensive categories and have given up 27 points in back to back weeks. They now head to Houston in a crucial game that can put them in a deeper hole if they can't pull out a win.

12)San Diego Chargers (3-2) Previous Rank 11 - San Diego didn't look that bad in their loss to the Saints this weekend. Phillip Rivers passed for 354 yards and a pair of TDs while spreading the ball to 8 different receivers. Sand Diego was in it this past week and if it wasn't for the two turnovers they might have gotten another victory. They face Denver this week in a crucial game that can get them a nice 2 game lead in the AFC west.

13)Denver Broncos (2-3) Previous Rank 12 - Three consecutive 300 yard passing games for Peyton Manning he truly is doing everything he can for the Broncos. Defensively the Broncos struggle when it comes to stopping the run ranking 21st. The Broncos for the most part have been very competitive in all three losses but as said earlier in the season they are relying on Peyton to be the savior and its starting to become a reciepe for disaster.

14)Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) Previous rank 13 - They finally loss to a lesser opponent. The Bengals found themselves in a position to win in the final minutes of the game until Andy Dalton threw an interception to seal a Miami Dolphins victory. Heading into Cleveland this week the Bengals have another shot at beating up on a bad team.

15)Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) Previous Rank 16 - The Steelers got Rashard Mendenhall back this past Sunday and he rushed for 81 yards and a TD. Pittsburgh got a win on a final drive in which Big Ben converted 2 crucial third downs and ate up over 6 minutes off the clock. Big Ben now has 29 game-winning drives under his belt. Pittsburgh will face the struggling Tennessee Titans without Troy Polamalu.

16)New Orleans Saints (1-4) Previous Rank 27 - The Saints finally got a win after the awful first quarter to their season. The bye couldn't come at a better time as they now get a chance to focus on the road ahead. For now the Saints get to enter their bye week with the best passing offense in football but rank nearly dead to last in all other categories offensive and defensively. The Saints clearly have displayed how dangerous and unstoppable they can be offensively. If they come out of the bye week with a more focused defense they can certainly salvage whats left of their season. Many may disagree where I currently rank the Saints but honestly the following 16 teams would have a tough time matching them offensively.

17)Dallas Cowboys (2-2) Previous Rank 17 - Coming off a much needed bye week, Tony Romo gets a chance to redeem himself against the Baltimore Ravens defense. The Cowboys are currently ranked first in passing defense and will certainly need to stop Joe Flacco this week to have a shot at getting above .500.

18)Seattle Seahawks (3-2) Previous Rank 18 - The Seahawks have the stingiest defense in the league giving up only 258.6 yards per game. They picked up another win (this time legit) against the Carolina Panthers. The Seahawks can definitely run the ball and have a strong defense but will they be able to stop the high powered Patriots this week?

19)St Louis Rams (3-2) Previous Rank 19 - The Rams are the first team to get a win against the Arizona Cardinals holding them to just a field goal. After losing their best receiver Danny Amendola due to injury, the Rams now have to figure out a way to move the ball through the air as they rank 30th in passing offense. Sam Bradford continued with yet another unimpressive game completing only seven passes on 21 attempts - a 33.3 completion percentage. Bradford's QBR is still at an awful 37.3 and losing Amendola won't help his cause. The Rams head to Miami this Sunday in what seems to be a coin flip of a game.

20)Detroit Lions (1-3) Previous Rank 20 - The Lions are coming off a bye week to face Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles. If the Lions lose this week it'll be four straight losses and a lot of ground lost in their division. The Lions' defense is ranked 10th in passing yards allowed and 13th in rushing. Getting to Vick and slowing down his receivers will be key for the Lions to avoid another loss.

21)Miami Dolphins (2-3) Previous Rank 25 - The Dolphins are the best team when it comes to stopping the run allowing only 61.4 yards per game. Reggie Bush currently has 417 rushing yards - ranked 10th - and three touchdowns. Brian Hartline now has 514 receiving yards - ranked first - but only one TD. Miami will host the Rams this week and will need further production from their offense.

22)Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3) Previous Rank 22 - The Buccaneers host Kansas City this week, they will need a win to avoid digging themselves deeper. Coming off the bye week, Josh Freeman has had time to regroup with his offense and looks for a chance to display improvement.

23)Washington Redskins (2-3) Previous Rank 15 - Robert Griffin III gave his fans a scare this past Sunday when he suffered a concussion. The Redskins are now 0-2 at home and will host the Minnesota Vikings. RG3 listed as questionable for the game.

24)Buffalo Bills (2-3) Previous Rank 21 - The Bills have now given up a total of 176 points to start the season and after a 45-3 loss this weekend to the 49ers, the Bills are looking for answers to fix their defense. Buffalo's defense ranks at the bottom, 24th in passing and 30th in rushing yards allowed per game. In their two victories this season, Ryan Fitzpaterick had QB ratings of over 100 and the Bill's defense held the opposition under 20 points. The Bills travel to Arizona this week needing a victory to get back to .500.

25)New York Jets (2-3) Previous Rank 24 - Mark Sanchez is under scrutiny and rightfully so. With only a QBR of 28.2 a completion percentage of 48.4 to go along with six INTs and three fumbles. Sanchez has shown no signs of progression this season. The Jets have lost two straight at home and now host Andrew Luck and the Colts. In Week-2, I would have said this is a favorable match up for the Jets but now there is no telling which Jets' team will show up.

26)Tennessee Titans (1-4) Previous Rank 26 - Touchdown Titans! That was all the Titans managed to get in their loss to the Vikings this past Sunday. As expected, Chris Johnson did nothing against the Vikings stingy run defense being held to a total of 29 yards from scrimmage. Matt Hasselbeck threw 43 times and only managed to get 200 yards. However, he did spread the ball connecting with 10 different receivers. Hasselbeck and the Titans have a lot of issues to address on offense.

27)Carolina Panthers (1-4) Previous Rank 23 - Three straight losses for Cam Newton and the Panthers. With the bye week coming up Newton will need to regroup and figure out why he has regressed this season. Newton has only four passing touchdowns and five INTs. The running game is also a problem for Carolina as Newton is their rushing leader with 209 yards for the season, making the Panthers one dimensional.

28)Kansas City Chiefs (1-4) Previous Rank 26 - The Chiefs held the Ravens to only nine points this past weekend in their loss. Matt Cassel was injured and Chiefs' fans celebrated him coming out of the game. The cheering is inexcusable but Cassel did have a QBR of 11.9 last week and had 27.5 this week before he came out. Brady Quinn will now have shot at the starting job as Cassel is listed as questionable and has yet to be cleared to practice as he is suffering from a concussion. The Chiefs travel to Tampa Bay this week.

29)Oakland Raiders (1-3) Previous Rank 29 - The Raiders are coming off a bye week heading to face the undefeated Falcons on the road. Oakland can find themselves in a 1-4 hole with a defense ranking 28th against the pass facing Matt Ryan. The Raiders secondary will have their hands full this week.

30)Indianapolis Colts (2-2) Previous Rank 31 - They did it for Chuck Pagano, the Colts upset the Green Bay Packers in what was the headline of the weekend. Andrew Luck threw for 362 yards (the most by any Colts' rookie in a game) and a pair of TDs, including the game winner to wide receiver Reggie Wayne. The Colts head to New York to face the Jets with a lot of emotion and momentum. It should be very interesting game to watch. Prediction - Andrew Luck gives Mark Sanchez and Tebow a lesson on what a Quarterback really is.

31)Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) Previous Rank 30 - Blaine Gabbert now finds himself with a QBR of 38.6 and has only reached 200-yards once this season. Maurice Jones-Drew has 408 rushing yards and only one TD. The Jaguars continue their offensive downfall and get a bye week to sort this mess out. It's not looking too good for the Jaguars this season.

32)Cleveland Browns (0-5) Previous Rank 32 - It's still a work in progress in Cleveland as the Browns are looking for their first win this season. Brandon Weeden starts his campaign at a pitiful 12.6 QBR, five TDs and nine INTs. The Browns receiving corp doesn't have anybody with more than 200 receiving yards. Trent Richardson's 303 rushing yards ranks him 16th among backs. The Browns host the Bengals this Sunday and a win will mark the first time the Browns have beaten an AFC North Opponent since October 3, 2010.

House Rules

"Cause the house always wins. Play long enough, you never change the stakes. The house takes you. Unless, when that perfect hand comes along, you bet and you bet big, then you take the house.” -Danny Ocean from the film Oceans 11 

The NFL is the most popular of all American sports due to the fact that it draws so much wagering. Gambling wether legal or illegal has become very popular from the office pools, to the straight up bets amongst friends, even the common fantasy league has some kind of cash prize at the end of the season. I can be sitting down on a Sunday watching multiple games needing someone to cover a four-point spread, but keep the total under 45 all while rooting for players on my fantasy league to come up big. It’s turned the game into a chaos of mixed emotions, all while making it much more exciting. 

I’m writing this to open up your eyes to the world of gambling, not to turn you into a degenerate. I plan to give you enough knowledge to add another element to your football experience. With Las Vegas a few hours away from SoCal, sometimes I like to take a trip and lay some bets down and enjoy what the sportsbooks have to offer. So if you’ve never placed a bet in a casino this what you will need to know in order to place a few dollars on your favorite team.

The Spread

The point-spread at first glance can be confusing and difficult to understand.The point-spread was created to level the game out. Sometimes a team is clearly far superior to their opponent, by giving a favored team a negative start to the game-essentially what is being created is a coin flip. When betting against the spread you are gaining points or losing points to start the game. In all instances where points are involved, the “favorite’ is losing points at the start of the game or it can be interpreted as the “underdog” is gaining points to start the game. In some instances there is not a spread and the line is left at 0 known as a “Pick Em” because essentially all you are doing is just picking a winner straight up, with no points involved. 

EXAMPLE

Green Bay	-	8:30 PM ET	Green Bay -3.5 (-120)
Seattle	-		Seattle +3.5 (-110)

Here, Green Bay is a three and a half point favorite. The best way to understand, the game starts off Green Bay down by three and a half points. Let’s say the final score was Green Bay 27, Seattle 24 - Seattle would be the winning outcome, since they got the half point to cover in their favor. So really the betting outcome is Green Bay 27 Seattle 27.5 

Another example, if the line wasn’t -3.5 for Green Bay, rather it was
just minus-three, and the same outcome of Green Bay 27, Seattle 24, it's neither a win or a loss. Since the actual outcome results Green Bay 27, Seattle 27, this is known as a push - exactly like in BlackJack when the dealer and the player hold the same outcome. Here, you don’t win any money nor do you lose any money. In order to bet Green Bay -3.5 or minus-three and win, Green Bay just needs to cover by four points so any outcome of Green Bay winning by four points is a win. One thing to remember the bookmakers always make you bet at a price which is what they call, "juice above". If you bet on Green Bay -3.5 the (-120)
indicates you will have to bet $120 to make $100. If you bet Seattle +3.5 the (-110), you will have to bet $110 to make $100. The juice can vary depending on how much is coming in on either side.

THE OVER/UNDER 

Green Bay	-	8:30 PM ET
Seattle	-		Over/Under 45.5 Over-110 Under-125

The OVER/UNDER is the easiest of the lines to understand. It is a line predicting where both teams combined points will result in. Again, for example, Green Bay 14, Seattle 21, the total combined points of both teams is 35. The line is 45.5 so 35 is considered under. As shown above, over 45.5 indicates that you can bet on either over 45.5 total points or under. So if you bet on the over, any total of 46 and above will result in a win. If you bet the under, any total of 45 and lower will result in a win. When the line has a half point as the one above does the outcomes are only a win or loss. When the over/under line doesn't have a half point (for example, the line is at 50) outcomes can be a win, loss, or push.

Betting on the over/under line can very fun as you are rooting for either a high score or a low score. It is very easy to be burned by this, as occasionally some teams score a meaningless touchdown at the end of the game that can ruin your bet. Also, keep in mind that over/under bets have a juice on them as well.

The MONEY LINE 

(EXAMPLE OF WHAT A MONEY LINE MIGHT LOOK LIKE)

NEW ENGLAND -160

BUFFALO     +140

The money-line is basically a pick 'em. You pick who you believe is going to win the game, straight up, no point-spread. Seems easy. Right? However there is a catch because sometimes it is easy for us to just pick a favorite. Usually, the probability of winning would be high, bookmakers aren’t going to just give money away. That would be too simple and flat out dumb on their part. That is where the money-line kicks in, which means you can pick the winner, but the risk is higher. Above New England -160 indicates that you will be paid $100 for every $160 you bet on New England to win. Buffalo however is +140, which means you will be paid $140 for every $100 you bet on Buffalo. On heavy-favorites, the lines can reach -500 and even higher. Making it a bit more discouraging to bet huge dollar amounts just to make 100. This benefits bookmakers because if they get large amounts of dollars on the favorite and the underdog pulls off an upset, they stand to make large amounts of money. If the favorite wins essentially they are only paying out cents on the dollar.

Now that I have explained the three common bets on a football game, these bets also
apply to other sports. The money-lines vary and the spreads accordingly for each sport's scoring systems. Other things that can be bet on are what's called a "proposition bet", better known as “props”. You can bet on an individual players performance. For example, Calvin Johnson, Wide Receiver, OVER/UNDER 97.5 Yards. Prop bets are most popular on bigger games like playoff games and particularly the Super Bowl.

Ridiculous props such as - How long will Christina Aguilera hold the note on "brave" while singing the National Anthem, or what color Gatorade will the winning coach get showered in. Yes, this stuff exists. I will be doing more articles on gambling. I just wanted our readers to get familiar with gambling. I love to do predictions and will start today with my pick for tonight - Green Bay by 3 over 45.

-Daniel