NFL Odds Point to Ravens, Cowboys Missing Playoffs

The Vikings and Colts were two of the NFL’s biggest long shots to make the playoffs in 2012 and paid off big-time for bettors when they crashed Wild Card Weekend in January.

This year, oddsmakers have stacked the odds heavily against teams like Jacksonville, Oakland and Arizona while also giving their opinion that the defending-champion Ravens won’t make it either.

“It seems Baltimore is always a fashionable pick to not make the playoffs, because they play in the Steelers division and because they always seem so old,” said OddsShark.com analyst Jack Randall, in an interview Monday.

“But making them -130 favorites to miss the playoffs seems a bit extreme and many bettors are already taking notice.”

The biggest lock to miss, according to Bovada, is Jacksonville. They are +1500 (roughly 15/1 long shot) to make the playoffs. Arizona and Oakland are both +1000.

Surprisingly, teams like Dallas, Washington, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis and Miami are also slight underdogs to make the NFL playoffs. In some cases, it makes sense to wager against these marquee NFL teams, known as ‘fading’ public teams (whose odds remain artificially high because of their high profile).

Not surprisingly, given the weakness of the AFC West, the safest bet according to sportsbooks is Denver. The Broncos are -1000 to make the playoffs (meaning just $1 in profit for every $10 wagered).

New England at -600 and San Francisco at -350 are the next safest bets.

“There are teams on the underdog list that many experts feel are close to contending, but the strength of their respective divisions makes it tough to set odds,” said Randall. He said the NFC East, with no clear-cut favorite, has the New York Giants as very slight favorites, while the Redskins, Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles all offer underdog payouts.

The New York Jets and Tennessee Titans are also long shots at +600 and +500 respectively. Check out some of the more interesting NFL playoff odds.

Will the Atlanta Falcons make the playoffs?        

Yes                  -200

No                    +160

Will the Baltimore Ravens make the playoffs?      

Yes                  EVEN

No                    -130

Will the Chicago Bears make the playoffs?          

Yes                  +145

No                    -175

Will the Dallas Cowboys make the playoffs?        

Yes                  +150

No                    -180

Will the Denver Broncos make the playoffs?        

Yes                  -1000

No                    +600

Will the Green Bay Packers make the playoffs?  

Yes                  -350

No                    +275

Will the Jacksonville Jaguars make the playoffs? 

Yes                  +1500

No                    -3000

Will the New Orleans Saints make the playoffs?  

Yes                  -175

No                    +145

Will the New York Giants make the playoffs?      

Yes                  -115

No                    -115

Will the Philadelphia Eagles make the playoffs?  

Yes                  +225

No                    -285

Will the Pittsburgh Steelers make the playoffs?   

Yes                  -150

No                    +120

Will the Tennessee Titans make the playoffs?     

Yes                  +500

No                    -800

Will the Washington Redskins make the playoffs?           

Yes                  +140

No                    -170