Betting on the NFL isn’t exactly a walk in the park. This is because there are several factors that you have to consider when placing a bet and different NFL betting lines you can go with. However, it is possible to make smarter betting decisions if you are always open to learning new strategies, and these can go a long way to help you maximize your winnings and minimize losses.
Today, we will look at the best tips and tricks you can go by as you develop a better betting strategy for NFL games.
Think With Your Head, Not Your Heart
As cliché as this may sound, keeping emotions in check when placing bets is a struggle for most gamblers. Whether it is a team you like or one you loathe, putting aside your preferences to develop a reasonable sports betting strategy has often proven elusive for most bettors.
But one thing you need to know is that the easiest way to make smarter betting decisions is to have more objectivity. Ensure that you carefully analyze every bet that you want to make. What does the data say? It’s only after that you can then consider the risk you want to take.
Consider the Game Venues
The home-field advantage matters, and this is particularly true at specific stadiums. For instance, the New England Patriots’ performance improved significantly between 2014 and 2018 when they played on home grounds. The same can be said for the Seahawks, who have performed exceptionally well at home since way back in 2003, although it may no longer be the case. These, however, aren’t the only teams that prove the advantage, so check it for every team you want to bet on.
Another thing to note is that there are specific teams that tend to travel poorly. These often stand out for being poor on the road, and so you can consider going against them. Besides that, you can also consider the type of traveling. For example, teams from the West Coast traveling to the Eastern Time Zone have less difficulty with the time change, while East Coast teams required to play on the Pacific Coast are at a big disadvantage because of the time differences. So as you develop your betting strategy, find out when and where the teams have played recently and how they’ve performed.
Identify the Individual Matchups
In football, certain one-on-one matchups can significantly affect a game’s outcome. For example, it is reasonable to anticipate that a team with premier edge rushers will outperform one with a weak offensive tackle. Paying attention to the skill discrepancies between competing players is a crucial tool in developing a robust NFL betting strategy.
While at it, also consider the individual team coaches. They utilize recurring strategies that work well against some opponents and fail with others. Coaches are often familiar with each other’s game approaches, and some respond to these strategies better.
Dig Deeper Than Just the Trends
Following trends is always a welcome idea when analyzing NFL games as it provides valuable information. It lets you know the team’s performance over the years and what to expect in the upcoming games.
However, numbers alone aren’t enough, and the best bettors are those who study the context behind these numbers. For instance, scoring 52 points the previous week doesn’t necessarily mean a team’s defense is solid. Take a closer look at how these points were scored. Did a defensive back fall, allowing for a touchdown pass? Or perhaps they were playing a weaker team?
Keep Your Eyes on the Injury Reports
As you may already know, football is the ultimate team game, which is why even the tiniest alterations can throw off an entire unit. Ensure you take note of the players that have been missing in action during practice sessions, their status for upcoming games, and their role in the team.
It isn’t uncommon for team injury reports to be a bit vague, so make a habit of checking the Twitter accounts of each team’s best writers. While the reports may not provide the best betting strategies, they give more detail to help your bet analysis. If your predictions are correct, good for you. If you lose, you live to fight another day.