Taking Advantage of American Football Motivation

So just what does American football motivation have to do with betting? Well, think of the two trickiest weeks to bet in any NFL season? That’s easy: The first and last of the regular season. While many bettors are coming into week one with preconceived notions based on the previous season and more than a few teams are trying new combinations on the field, the problems in the final week are even more problematic and are all about motivation. Thus, we look at the American Football motivation for betting.

American Football Motivation: An Introduction

Motivational issues are typically what causes a loss in a so-called “trap game,” but this term isn’t quite accurate in week 17. With many teams having clinched playoff spots or eliminated from further contention, second-stringers see lots of playing time throughout the league often to unexpected results.

In general, the best bets in tricky week 17 of NFL betting are the one or two “surging” teams. Of course, these teams are surging too late to make a difference but for one reason or another (ease of schedule, rookies learning the system, etc.) manage to win five or six games in the second half to start a buzz for the following season. No matter what the reason for success, these teams have the motivation of their own.

Place Your Bets

The best bet during the final week of NFL season – if you can find it – is an opportunity to place a correlated parlay. Let’s take as an example the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints. In week 17, the Falcons are playing an early game while the Saints are on later in the day; the Falcons can get into the playoffs only if the Saints lose.

Now, clearly, if the Saints win, the Falcons most likely won’t play starters for their whole game against the New York Giants and become far less likely to exert a winning-game effort. So in these conditions, a Saints-Giants parlay would have been well worth the betting.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, some online sportsbooks prevent this opportunity before it arises by not offering lines on key late games until the early games have already begun – however, a bit of looking can still find this opportunity for punters once in a while.

Your first stop for all things related to sports betting should be our Sports Betting For Dummies guide. Then go through our Popular NFL Wagering Types.

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