While the Super Bowl line has everyone excited, there are still two weeks left until the big game. Until then, NFL betting players will have to amuse themselves with the Pro Bowl on Sunday, and thanks to some injuries to the AFC, the NFC is in the running to win their third straight in this event. There is no line for the Pro Bowl yet, as linesmakers await more players to drop out.

AFC vs NFC odds – Sunday, January 31, 6:20 PM ET

The AFC learned that New England’s Tom Brady and San Diego’s Philip Rivers will skip this event, held for the first time in 30 years outside of Hawaii, which leaves Houston’s Matt Schaub to share time with Tennessee’s Vince Young and Jacksonville’s David Garrard. Young almost led the Titans to the playoffs after a terrible start, but Garrard? Look for a lot of handoffs to Offensive Player of the Year Chris Johnson, Young’s Tennessee teammate.

The NFC will be powered by Minnesota’s Brett Favre and the man who replaced him in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers. The Pro Bowl is built on offense and points (only one of the last 10 have had 40 points or less), so it’s all about the teams that can air it out. Look for Favre and Rodgers to look towards Minnesota’s Sidney Rice, who had a massive season with Favre in the Metrodome.

NFL picks: NFC

Coach Rex Ryan thinks his Jets should be NFL betting favorites for the Super Bowl, and they continue their hot streak with a thorough beating of Cincinnati on the road. Can they continue this when they head west to face the rested San Diego Chargers?

Jets vs Chargers betting – Sunday, January 17, 4:40 PM ET

The Jets executed their gameplan to a tee in a 24-14 win at Cincinnati, running the ball for 182 yards, while keeping the passing game simple for rookie pivot Mark Sanchez. The defense was ranked No.1 in the regular season and for the second straight week, they completely shut down the Bengals’ offense.

The Chargers won their final 11 games of the season and are probably the hottest team in the NFL. Philip Rivers has a disgusting amount of weapons at his disposal, led by Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates. Their defense gives up yards, but they come up with big plays when they need to.

The Chargers are 7.5-point favorites according to bookmaker odds (bookmaker reviews) in this contest, and they’ve won their last two meetings with the Jets. New York needs to get a lead early against the Chargers, because they don’t want it all resting on Sanchez. Rivers and the San Diego offense won’t be flustered by the blitzing New York offense as they’ve seen it plenty when Ryan was defensive coordinator in Baltimore. It’s tough to pick a rookie quarterback in the playoffs, as well.

Sportsbook pick: Chargers -7.5

Okay, stop the presses, hold the phone, etc. etc. It’s time to discuss the one NFL betting line that means the very most in this coming Week 4 of matchups: the Packers vs Vikings odds, of course. And, of course, this man:

I love a good revenge tale as much as the next girl. We’re a vindictive gender, as I’m sure most of you men out there are aware of. (Kill Bill is indeed one of my favorite movies.) And as much as I’m not that fond of one Mr. Favre - he’s overrated, in my opinion - he’s actually been chugging along better than expected for the boys in purple. True, I think Minny’s REAL star is this guy right here:

..but Peterson can’t carry the team by himself, especially against Green Bay in next week’s Monday Night Football betting match. True, Peterson looked a bit shaky against San Fran the other week, but even an off-day for him is a good day for most NFLers. As far as defense goes, both teams are deadlocked in terms of strength and skill, so I’d be looking at the offense to be the difference-maker here. The Packers are still uneven in this fourth week of play, whereas the Vikings are scarily solid.

Take the Vikings in this contest, and take the over while you’re at it.

NFL Week 3 odds are comin’ atcha fast these days, as we approach the end of September. Really? Already? Pretty soon we’ll be back to seeing NFL players tackling each other as snow comes down. Anyway, there’s some good matchups as per usual, so here’s my two picks for next week:

Colts vs Cardinals odds, for one. I mean, really - Peyton Manning vs Kurt Warner? Uh, yes please. Quarterback battles are always entertaining. These two teams are going to run each other into the ground, by the looks of it, and it’ll be one of the more hardcore football games on this Sunday. Watch for a high-scoring and very tight race, but I like the Cardinals a little better on the road here. They just have more depth, whereas the Colts are relying a bit too much on Manning. That’ll come back to bite them.

And you know, Monday Night Football betting looks like a good choice this week, too. It’s the Panthers going up against the Cowboys, and I gotta say, it’s been interesting to try and figure out what direction the Cowboys are going to go this year. Even with their new bazillion-dollar stadium and the love of many patriotic Americans, Dallas just…never really lives up to expectations. This year doesn’t look to be any different. Sure, they’re not gonna lose at home for a third week in a row, but the Panthers will be hungry and desperate to not start off their season with a bunch of losses. Carolina will put up a fight, for sure, but Dallas will own this one. At least, for the sake of my online sports betting account, I hope.

Is it just me, or did Week 1 of the NFL season fly by fast? Okay, sure, technically the “week” is limited to mostly one day - Sunday - but it looks like we’re already into NFL Week 2 odds, and there’s a couple in there I’m definitely excited to take a look at. Wanna join me? Here we go:

First up is Cowboys vs Giants odds. I’m hardly a Romo fangirl - if you know me, you know it’s Brady all the way - but it is gonna be neat to see the new gazillion-dollar Cowboys stadium in action. As well as the team itself, that is — the Dallas Cowboys are looking to be most excellent at home, which is bad news for Eli Manning and company. The Giants are lacking so many key pieces right now, it’s hard to give them the betting edge in this contest. Probably the only area where the Giants may pull ahead is on D, but that won’t be enough to stop the Cowboys from putting on a big show in their new home this Sunday.

Secondly: Eagles vs Saints odds. I mentioned before about how much I love the Saints and how good their odds are looking this season; well, look no further than this matchup on Sunday. Either way, it’s going to be some great smash-mouth football — the Eagles are evenly matched with the Saints, and they’ve both got legitimacy to prove in this contest. However, I may be a little biased but I like the look of the Saints a bit better; their offense is rock solid and I’m thinking Philadelphia might be slightly shaken after Donovan McNabb’s injury last week. Bet on the Saints to go under the total here.

Good luck with your NFL picks this week!

…Aaaaand here we go with more NFL week 1 odds picks! Are you excited? Are you? I know I am. Not much longer now, my lovelies…in the meantime, we’re going to look at some more matchups and their likely outcomes. And, of course, foxy football dudes.

Bills vs Patriots odds are giving the nod to New England in this contest, and for good reason. If the Pats were that good last season without Tom Brady, how awesome are they gonna be now that he’s back in the lineup? Even if he were to go down with another injury (say it ain’t so!), I’m pretty sure the Patriots could handle it. Really, they’re my betting pick for this season, along with the New Orleans Saints.

But back to the game: I know that T.O. is hot shit in Buffalo - really, what else do they have to be excited about? I was stuck in a bus station in Buffalo once and it was awful - but he’s been a non-factor so far, especially with a broken toe. Who knows if he’ll even play this game — and, moreover, if he’ll have any impact? Granted, I enjoy Bills fans’ enthusiasm and dedicated love for their team, but even they have to realize that up against the Patriots, it’s a David and Goliath story. With odds of -10.5, I’ll definitely be dropping a sportsbook wager on this one.

As promised, Mr. Brady:

Okay, so here we go with some more NFL odds picks for preseason contests — this time, I’m gonna take a look at - what else? - Vikings vs Texans odds. In case you hadn’t heard, Minnesota made a tiny little signing the other week that kind of sort of sent shockwaves through the football community:

Oh, Brett Favre. So old. So worn out. So much Vikings fans’ personal savior. But is he really going to be as much of a benefit to Minnesota as people are hoping? Or - as other people are hoping - is his bionic arm going to fall apart on him again and he’ll have a lackluster “unretirement” season?

No matter what happens, you have to figure sportsbook cappers are watching this game with interest. Going up against the Texans is a test for the Vikings as it is — the team hasn’t really come together very well yet, especially since Favre reportedly hasn’t been looking too hot in practice. By comparison, Houston is gunning on all cylinders, even more so since they’ll be playing at home at Reliant Stadium. This game might not be until next Monday, but it’s definitely one I’ll be placing a wager on — for the Houston Texans to deliver a walloping dose of reality to Minnesota.

Okay, I have to say that out of all the preseason NFL betting madness that’s going on, I’m taking a vested interest in the Saints vs Raiders odds. No, not because of any particular hottie player on either team (my ass isn’t quite big enough to appeal to Reggie Bush), but because I can’t help but giggle at all the craziness and dysfunction that’s been going on in Oakland so far. So far. The 2009-10 season hasn’t even officially started yet, and there’s already been reported fights between assistant coaches, not to mention Al Davis continuing his Weekend At Bernie’s impression. The Raiders are garbage. The end.

And so I’m tipping my scales - I’m a Libra, btw - to the Saints, not just because of my love for True Blood (Louisiana yeeeeehaw!). New Orleans has got some deadly offense going on already, which definitely bodes well for their NFL odds once the season really gets underway. Drew Brees is looking fab. By comparison, the Raiders are struggling to even stay cohesive out there on the field.

So if you’re hanging around this weekend getting your fill of action at the sportsbook, why not toss a few dollars down on the New Orleans Saints? It’s what Sookie and Bill would do. Lawd have mercy!

Now, I don’t know what the summer weather’s been like where you are, but I’m betting that most of you are in the North American hemisphere, therefore most of you have been disappointed. It’s been chilly, it’s been rainy, it’s been downright crappy in terms of warm summer happiness. But hey, I figure that if life gives you lemons, squeeze ‘em into cocktails…and get to thinking about autumn, and NFL betting!

YES, GUY.

NFL week 1 odds are out and set, and the season’s looking to be a doozy straight outta the gate. Me, I’m particularly looking forward to the first game of the year — the energy coming from the Super Bowl champs’ hometown crowd will make the Titans vs Steelers odds a gong show matchup. Another one of interest is the Vikings vs Browns odds match, which I’ve got my eye on since I’m heavily relying on Adrian Petersen in my fantasy football pool, ha ha.

If I were to make some NFL betting picks right about now, I’d have to say that I especially like the Patriots as far as possible Super Bowl contenders are concerned. The Pats had a deadly game last year even without superstar and super-fox Tom Brady, but now that they’ve got him back from the IR, there’ll be no stopping them in their quest to be this year’s champs.

Mmmm…Tom Brady.

I’ll take six, please.

Okay, so here we are, finally: Super Bowl Friday. Have you been good and visited your sportsbook yet? No? Then go and go now, because there’s plenty of Super Bowl props to bet on, Super Bowl lines and Super Bowl odds and everything else you’d come to expect from the most bet-on sports event of the year. Me, I’m gathering up the girls, keeping tabs on my wagers, and going out to our regular downtown pub for some good old-fashioned pint-pounding and yelling at the bar’s widescreens. (This is sort of like our Thanksgiving — all diet bets are off! Bring on the wings and nachos!)

So where did my wager end up going, you ask? Plain and simple: the Steelers.

Troy Polamalu has got some awful hair, it’s true. But when it comes to being absolutely solid out there on the gridiron, this guy’s got it, and combined with the might of Big Ben, you’ve got two major reasons to bet on the Steelers. Take into account Pittsburgh’s great track record when it comes to Super Bowls, and you have a can’t-miss here. (Still, it’ll be nice to see Arizona put up something of a fight…will definitely keep the game interesting! I’ll settle for another blowup courtesy Anquan Boldin)

As for the rest of you at home, have fun, be safe, drink responsibly (or at least don’t drive after drinking irresponsibly), get thinking about how you’re going to handicap Super Bowl 44…cheers to football lovers everywhere — this is our weekend!

(pic from Two Parts Sugar on Flickr)