NFL Odds On Which NFC Teams Will Miss The Playoffs In 2009

Two teams expected not to have a prayer at making the playoffs in the NFC are the Detroit Lions and the St. Louis Rams. However, the numbers listed are so heavy in juice that they are not enticing me to lay down a huge bet. The Lions by far are the team least likely to make the playoffs in the eyes of the odds makers as they have been listed as lofty favorites to miss the post season at a whopping -1200. St. Louis is second in the running for least likely to make the playoffs, however the line is just -600.

These two teams are complete disasters. The Lions drafted Matthew Stafford but in no way is he going to be able to turn the Lions from an 0-16 team to a playoff contender in his first year. The Lions do have some dynamic skill position players in Calvin Johnson and Kevin Smith has showed signs of being a solid NFL running back. However, the offensive line is not very good which will make it difficult for a rookie QB to be successful. On the other side of the ball, the defense isn’t very good either. All in all, there is no way this team is going to the post season.

St. Louis has lacked consistency out of Marc Bulger and he will have to play better for this team to be any good at all. They lost Torry Holt to free agency and Steven Jackson will be the focus of the offense. Steve Spagnolo is a great coach and he should improve this team on the defensive side of the ball as they drafted some nice defensive players that could help right away. However, they are also a long ways away from going to the playoffs.

There are some solid NFL prop bets out there with much lower juice than the two aforementioned teams above. I think Seattle -175 is a solid bet as I don’t think they are ready to make a quantum leap into the playoffs. They will be better but Arizona is no doubt going to win that division and Seattle is simply not good enough to compete for the wild card. The 49ers at -200 are another solid bet at a reduced price. This team improved as the year went along but still have huge question marks at the quarterback position with no solidified number one starter.

Another team listed at -250 that I think won’t make the playoffs is the Washington Redskins. The Redskins will have six games against very good teams in the Cowboys, Eagles, and Giants. Jason Campbell has yet to prove himself as a quality quarterback and Clinton Portis, the focal point of the offense is getting up there in age. Finally, no way will the Tampa Bay Bucs make a push in the NFC South toward the playoffs. They too have huge quarterback issues. The addition of running back Derrick Ward should help but they simply don’t have enough talent to make a run especially in a tough division. The Bucs have been listed at -450.

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