Finding an edge in the NFL odds at this point in the season is like finding your wife the perfect Christmas gift: it’s not going to fall in your lap. And it’s not a foot bath thing, either.

Lines are tight as a (little drummer boy’s) drum at this time of the year, which means you need to mix in some situational handicapping — AKA spot bets — into your research routine. I do the heavy lifting with the NFL Week 16 odds, picking out my favorite letdown, look-ahead, and schedule spots for this week’s slate.

…

The Detroit Lions host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday afternoon in Week 5 of NFL action. It might seem wild for long-suffering Detroit fans to see their team as a double-digit NFL odds favorite but given how this season has gone, it isn’t that surprising to see those odds.

The Lions are atop the NFC North with a 3-1 record after hammering the Packers at Lambeau Field last Thursday while the Panthers are one of only two teams in the NFL that has yet to win a game. Here are my best Panthers vs. Lions free NFL picks and predictions for October 8.  

Panthers vs Lions odds

Panthers vs Lions predictions

The Lions are off to their best start since 2017, and traveling to Lambeau to beat the Packers by 14 poin…

It’s the last day of 2023 and that means it’s time to leave the year with a trio of plus-money milestone bangers following a profitable Week 16.

This Sunday, I’m looking at a secondary passing option for the Raiders, hitting a running back at 25-plus receiving yards, and betting on garbage time in Orchard Park. Another profitable week is in sight.  

Here are my free NFL picks for your Week 17 player props betting card.

…

Aaron Rodgers will get a do-over on his New York Jets career tonight when he heads home to Northern California to take on the San Francisco 49ers.

The four-time MVP lasted just four snaps in his Jets debut a year ago, rupturing his Achilles tendon moments after the game began. Now, exactly 12 months later, he’s fully healed and appears ready to make the most of his second chance. 

“I have a lot of pride in my performance, so when I take the field, I expect greatness,” he said ahead of the game. “That’s the kind of standard I hold myself to.”

There are a number of subscription-based TV channels and streaming services available to watch this evening’s game, but did you know you can also live stream the action directly from legal sports betting …

The second week of the World Cup in Rostov-on-Don began with the city s feverish support for their adopted team, Iceland.

Having three Iceland internationals on the books of FC Rostov ensured the locals would be backing Heimir Hallgrimsson s men against Croatia, but the Nordic underdogs were unable to progress to the round of 16.

Omnisport s team on the ground took the opportunity of a break ahead of the knockout stages to visit Volgograd by sleeper, where the city s tragic history proved a fascinating prelude to Poland s 1-0 win over Japan.

That result ensured the Samurai Blue would be heading to Rostov for the round of 16, and Belgium were later confirmed as their opponents, with the two teams now set to do battle on Monday.

Along with the football, we …

A Bassam Al-Hurayji own goal in the 100th minute of the match handed Al-Nassr a 1-1 draw against Al-Ahli and denied Ivan Toney a winning start to life in Saudi Arabia.

Franck Kessie looked to have won all three points for Al-Ahli with a wonderful effort from the outside of the box after 57 minutes, but Al-Nassr s pressure was rewarded late on when Al-Hurayji diverted Sultan Alghannam s cross into his own net.

The home side started the match well, with Sadio Mane seeing an early effort cleared off the line and Marcelo Brozovic testing Edouard Mendy from distance, but they were unable to find a way through in the first half.

Kessie had gone close just after the break, dragging his shot wide of the far post, but he was not to be denied a second time. He met a pullba…

Harry Kane equalled Gary Lineker as England s joint-highest goalscorer in major tournaments as he propelled the Three Lions into the Euro 2020 final.

Kane scored on the rebound after having a penalty saved by Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel in extra-time at Wembley on Wednesday.

It made it 2-1 to England, with Simon Kjaer s own goal having cancelled out Mikkel Damsgaard s opener.

Schmeichel got down to his left to keep out a relatively tame spot-kick – which was won contentiously by the excellent Raheem Sterling – yet the rebound fell kindly to Kane, who coolly tucked in his 10th goal in a major tournament.

That tally brings the England captain level with Three Lions great Lineker.

All of Kane s major-tournament goals have come with his …

For the eighth year in a row Juventus are the champions of Serie A, but their latest triumph may be their most impressive yet.

The competition has been simply obliterated, with Juve beaten only twice in the league this season as Cristiano Ronaldo rested up at Genoa and SPAL.

Napoli, the closest of the other contenders, have been unable to match Juve s searing pace and, despite having six matches still to play, their title hopes are already over after a 2-1 comeback win over Fiorentina crowned Juve again.

Ronaldo s arrival from Real Madrid might not have delivered the intended results in the Champions League, but it appears to have inspired Juve to new heights domestically.

Eight straight Scudetti sets a new record in Europe s top-five leagues, outrstrip…

Michu scored a brace for Swansea at Arsenal to give his side a 2-0 win.

Reading and Manchester United produced possibly the craziest half of Premier League football ever in yesterday’s late kick-off.

Manchester United were 4-3 up at half-time at the Madejski Stadium and that’s the way it stayed.

Reading started the scoring in just the 8th minute, Hal Robson-Kanu scoring with a superb half volley.

The visitors were back on level terms in the 13th minute, Brazilian midfielder Anderson lashing an effort past Adam Federici at the near post to level the scores.

United were in front on 16 minutes. Jay Tabb pushed Jonny Evans over in the penalty area and Wayne Rooney scored from the resulting spot-kick. Reading turned it around quickly though, the R…

For a club like Milan, 11 years make for a long wait.

Let alone the enormous hierarchical changes that have taken place at Casa Milan over that period, with turbulent changes of ownership and coaches that have impacted various transformations in approach both on and off the pitch, those 11 years in European football have witnessed a seismic tactical shift.

The Rossoneri s last Serie A title in 2010-11 sits as a stark contrast to this year s title charge that ended in success, glory sealed on Sunday with a 3-0 win at Sassuolo.

In 2010-11, the Scudetto was like a perfect storm – upon Massimiliano Allegri s hiring as coach, Alexandre Pato was coming into his own before injuries started to take their toll, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva were solidifying…