NFL Odds – Raiders come up big in battle of awful teams

Sports betting players could have their hands full when looking at this week’s NFL odds for Washington’s trip to Oakland, as both teams are absolutely atrocious. How can you win some cash on a matchup like this? Read ahead.

Redskins vs Raiders betting – Sunday, December 13, 4:05 PM ET

The Redskins (3-9) are still trying to figure out how they let last week’s 33-30 overtime loss to New Orleans at home slip away. Shaun Suisham had a chance to ice the game with a 23-yard field goal, but he missed it right with 1:52 to play, leaving the door wide open for the Saints, and Suisham was released shortly after the game. This was Washington’s third straight game in which they allowed a fourth-quarter lead to slide away, but this one may have hurt the most. Jason Campbell was 30-of-42 for 367 yards, three touchdowns and a pick, but the Redskins had four turnovers, and like their NFL odds, their spirit may be dead.

The Raiders (4-8) showed a lot of heart in a 27-24 upset win at Pittsburgh, led by Bruce Gradkowski’s fourth-quarter heroics. Gradkowski, a Pittsburgh native, was 20-of-33 for 308 yards and three touchdowns, which all came in the last 15 minutes, and he was named the AFC Player of the Week for his exploits. The Raiders were 2-of-2 in the red zone and didn’t turn the ball over once, leading to a big NFL odds upset.

NFL odds in your sportsbook have the Redskins as a 1-point favorite on the road, which seems strange when you consider that the Raiders are 2-4 at home, and Washington is 0-6 away from home. Washington is also 0-4 as an ATS favorite, while the Raiders are a decent 6-5 as an underdog, and 3-3 ATS at home. The Redskins will hope to have Albert Haynesworth and DeAngelo Hall back, and their secondary (particularly safety Laron Landry) has had problems with the deep ball as of late, which is right up Oakland’s alley. Like Cleveland-Detroit in Week 11, this matchup of lowly teams may actually turn out to be decent.

NFL picks: Raiders +1

Ronaldo and Zidane will play in January, "Match Against Poverty"

Ronaldo and Frenchman Zinedine Zidane advert today that the upcoming "Match Against Poverty" will take place in Lisbon on 25 January 2010.

The meeting, organized every year to raise funds to finance anti-poverty projects in Asia, Africa and LatinAmerica, face a team that will feature the two stars to a combined figure of Benfica.

For the first time since he organized the charity event, Ronaldo and Zidane will be on the same side. They will play alongside other renowned players.

"No one is a spectator in the struggle to end poverty," Ronaldo said in a statement, which called for "work together as a team" to achieve the eight goals gathered in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs ).

The MDGs is an agreement by all 192 UN members and at least 23 international organizations that are committed to reducing extreme poverty, reducing child mortality and combat epidemics such as AIDS. It has eight goals to develop until 2015.

"We write these eight goals through commitment, teamwork and willpower," said Zidane.

The seventh edition of "Match Against Poverty" will be played at the Stadium of Light where Benfica usually serves as a local.

Army vs Navy Odds – Army has improved, but not enough to beat Navy

The sports betting odds for Saturday’s Army vs Navy betting matchup have the Black Knights as a huge underdog, even though they’ve improved a lot from last year, and they still have a bowl game to play for. But is that enough to end a seven-year losing streak against their interservice rivals?

Army vs Navy Odds – Saturday, December 12, 2:30 PM ET

The Black Knights (5-6) have won their last games to stay in bowl contention, and a win this week would put them in the EagleBank Bowl, bouncing UCLA. Army is powered by the 14th-ranked rushing attack in the nation, led by freshman quarterback Trent Steelman, who has run for 100 yards or more in two of his three games. Patrick Mealy also gets carries in Army’s version of the triple-option, while Alejandro Villanueva and Damion Hunter are the main targets when the Black Knights decide to throw. But something that may hurt their Army vs Navy odds in this game is their run defense, as Army is 66th in the nation against the run.

This fits right into Navy’s (8-4) gameplan as they’re third in the country in rushing. Junior pivot Ricky Dobbs leads the team in rushing, despite playing the last few games with a cracked kneecap, so no one can ever question his toughness. Vince Murray is another weapon in Navy’s triple option, while Mario Washington’s nine receptions leads the team. Defensively, the Midshipmen are 44th in defense, including 41st in stopping the run.

Army vs Navy odds in your sportsbook have the Midshipmen as a two-touchdown sports betting favorite, and they’ve won seven in a row over the Black Knights, including two straight beatdowns by a combined score of 72-3. The Black Knights are going have to figure out a way to stop the run as they allowed 222 rushing yards in a win at North Texas last week. Navy’s pass defense was carved up in Hawaii last week, but they’re playing a team who, like them, think of passing as an afterthought. Army has played well this year, but they still have a way to go to catch up to their rivals at Navy.

NCAA football predictions: Navy -14

NFL Odds – Steelers need to Snap Out of it Against Browns

The sports betting odds for Thursday’s matchup between a pair of AFC North rivals, Pittsburgh and Cleveland, are thinking that it’ll be a blowout, but the Steelers must get their heads together before this game.

Steelers vs Browns betting – Thursday, December 10, 8:20 PM ET

The Steelers (6-6) were stunned 27-24 at home by Oakland for their fourth straight loss, giving up a touchdown with nine seconds to go. Pittsburgh really misses Troy Polamalu’s presence in the lineup, as Bruce Gradkowski passed for 308 yards and three touchdowns with no picks against the Steelers…that’s right, Bruce Gradkowski. Ben Reothlisberger returned from a concussion to go 18-of-24 for 278 yards, two touchdowns and a pick, but Pittsburgh has to better in the red zone to boost their NFL odds, as they were only 2-of-5 inside the 20-yard-line.

The Browns (1-11) fell behind by 20 by the end of the third quarter, but fought back to make it a respectable 30-23 scoreline in a home loss to San Diego. Brady Quinn was 25-of-45 for 271 yards and three touchdowns for his second good outing in three games for the Browns, and he’s showing that he should have been given a chance to play all along, instead of Derek Anderson. The Browns were also 3-of-4 inside the red zone. It’s a shame their defense is just so awful, allowing 477 yards of offense against the Chargers.

NFL odds in your sportsbook have the Steelers as a 10-point favorite in Cleveland, where they’ve won nine of their last 10. They’ve dominated the Browns to the tune of 12 straight wins, and 18 in 20 games overall. The defense has to find their legs in a hurry as Quinn and the Browns have shown an ability to get into the end zone lately. However, the Cleveland defense couldn’t stop a high school team, and even with the possibility of Hines Ward and Rashard Mendenhall being out for this game, the Steelers still have Roethlisberger, who has a 97.1 rating in 10 career games against the Browns.

NFL picks: Steelers -10