NFL Betting: Week 12 Recap and Wagering News

After another wild week in the NFL, the playoff races are only getting muddier in each conference. The musical chairs in the NFC now has the Arizona Cardinals in the playoffs and the San Francisco 49ers out (49ers play the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football). Who would have believed that in the preseason?

Meanwhile, the last AFC wild card spot is a complete traffic jam as six teams are tied for the last berth with a record of 5-6. Here’s our recap of Week 12:

What’s Happened to the Chiefs and Colts?

One month ago, the Chiefs were undefeated the Colts were the only team to have defeated the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos – the two favorites to win the Super Bowl according to the NFL betting odds. People who give out NFL betting tips were even suggesting to bet Colts and Chiefs futures for the Super Bowl. However, after Week 12, we have to reevaluate how good these teams really are.

The Chiefs have now lost two straight. Fine, losing on the road in Denver is understandable and nobody is faulting them for that. But on Sunday, they lost 41-38 at home to the San Diego Chargers. We’re talking about a Chiefs defense that had allowed just 111 points through their first nine games (12.3 points per game) has now given up 68 in the last two weeks. All along we’ve heard that the Chiefs have not defeated a team with a winning record and those echoes are only growing louder. They’ll have to play better if they hope to win even a single playoff game.

As for the Colts, they deserve their fair share of scrutiny after getting crushed by the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. We were expecting a close game as Bovada had the NFL point spread anywhere between Arizona -1 to Arizona -3 this week. However, the Colts – for the second time in three weeks – were absolutely flattened in a 40-11 loss. Quarterback Andrew Luck really seems to miss star receiver Reggie Wayne, who was lost for the year to injury. Luck had 10 touchdowns and just three interceptions with a quarterback rating over 90 in his first seven games but that QB rating has dropped below 80 with five touchdowns and four interceptions in November.

Totals Betting: Unders Edge Overs

The overs have been cashing in like crazy this season but the unders edge them 6-5 this week (heading into Sunday Night Football). Maybe it’s the weather as this was the first week where winter blasted through a number of stadiums and seemed to genuinely affect the games.

Significant Injuries to Note

Justin Houston/Tamba Hali, Kansas City Chiefs

NFL online betting handicappers have noticed that the Chiefs defense has fallen off the last couple of weeks. That’s because they have one sack in three games. They lost both Hali and Houston in the first half on Sunday and that duo has combined for 20 sacks this season. The Chiefs can’t afford to lose these guys for too long.

Zac Stacy, St. Louis Rams

Those who bet on the NFL have seen Stacy excel as the Rams No. 1 back. He was on pace for the best game of his young career with 87 yards on 12 carries in the first half before suffering a concussion. Keep an eye on his status.

Stinging NFL Point Spread Loss of the Week…

The Kansas City Chiefs. If you laid -3 on the NFL lines with them, you definitely took one on the chin. The Chiefs scored a touchdown with 1:22 remaining to go up 38-34, so you’re thinking to yourself “Hey, they’re ahead on the NFL odds and have one of the best defenses in the NFL. They should be able to keep San Diego out of the end zone, right?” Turns out that was wrong. Philip Rivers drove the Chargers down the field for a game-winning touchdown with 22 seconds remaining. Ouch.