But this year the tables have been turned and the surprising Chiefs are 5-3 and currently in first place in the division while the Broncos have struggled to a 2-6 start and sit in last place in the AFC West.

Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 4:10 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Chiefs as a 1-point favorite with an over/under total at 43.

This game is a close call and as good as the Chiefs have been this season the Mile High city is simply too difficult of a place to go in and grab a division win on the road.

The Broncos will win this game for a couple of reasons and if you’re looking to make an NFL gambling play on this game put your money on Denver to pull off the home-dog victory.

Denver is just 1-3 at home but this team hasn’t lost games at home in the second half the season over the past decade. In addition, Denver is coming off a Bye week and it’s almost impossible to bet against a home-dog coming off a Bye unless it’s the Carolina Panthers.

The Broncos are not a great team and the Chiefs have a very solid defense (8th in the NFL allowing just 18.1 ppg) but the Broncos passing game has too many weapons to go 2-7.

Kyle Orton has gone through a bit of a lull but still has this unit running like a well-oiled machine. It ranks 2nd in the NFL with 313.8 ypg with 12 TDs and just 5 INTs. At the WR position Brandon Lloyd has been the best in the biz this season with 878 yards, 4 TDs and ridiculous 20.9 yards per catch. Teammates Jabbar Gaffney and Eddie Royal also rank in the top 12 in the AFC in receptions (44 and 38, respectively).

The Chiefs pass defense is below average (232.9 ypg, 10 TDs) and Orton should be able to move the ball.

The major concern for the Broncos is the Chiefs league leading running attack (179.6 ypg) but with an extra week to game plan the Broncos should finally break their 4-game losing streak in the Week 10 sports betting action.

So far the 6-2 Giants have far exceeded the expectations while the 1-7 Dallas Cowboys have underachieved by a startling margin.

Dallas’ season is all but over and the best the team can hope for now is a good position in next year’s NFL draft. New head coach Jason Garret took over the reins on Monday but was given an impossible task and will likely be replaced by higher profile coach at the end of the season.

Against the Giants this weekend this team has little to no-chance of winning but the Giants must remain focused and avoid the unthinkable in what could be potential ‘trap-game’ for this surging squad.

Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 4:20 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Giants as a 14-point favorite with an over/under total at 45.5.

In order to win this NFL gambling matchup the Giants simply need to keep doing what they’ve been doing the past 5 games and that’s: dominate. Eli Manning has been sharp (259.4 yards per game, 17 TDs, 11 INTs), the running game has been stellar (151.9 yards per game) and the defense has been one of the best in the league giving up just 250.6 yards per game.

Less than a month ago this Giants team came back from a slow start to embarrass the Cowboys in Dallas and they should have a much easier time of it their own stadium playing against the ‘Boys sans Tony Romo.

With backup QB John Kitna in the starting lineup the Cowboys are 0-2 and averaging just 12.0 ppg. This Dallas squad looks like it’s already given up on the season and so long as the Giants stick to fundamentals and don’t turn the ball over they’ll win this NFL betting odds contest easily in front of their home crowd.

The Bears are tied for the second best record in the entire conference but are completely underwhelming. The Vikings can thank the 1-8 Cowboys for preventing them from being the single most disappointing team of the NFL season so far.

But it’s only Week 10 and with the way that the NFC, and the NFC North are playing out so far there is still time for both teams to make the playoffs.

Kickoff for this Thursday matchup is set for 1:05 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Bears as a 1-point favorite with an over/under total at 40.

The Bears have Bears haven’t been very good at any aspect of the game this season (with the exception of special teams returns) and have managed to outscore NFL gambling opponents just 148-133 and their record is a bit of a mirage.

However, they’re a perfect 2-0 within the division including an impressive Week 3 win over division leader Green Bay (6-3).

But the Bears are just 2-2 at home and against a Minnesota Vikings team coming off a very gutty win in Week 9 it’s going to have its hands full.

Especially worrisome for the Bears offense is the Vikings’ newly found pass rush. In last week’s come from behind win against the Cardinals the team notched 6.0 sacks and DE Jared Allen finally came alive as he grabbed 2.5 sacks in the effort. You can be sure that the Vikings front 7 is salivating at the prospect of playing a Bears team that has given up a league leading 32 sacks in 8 games.

On offense Brett Favre finally looked like his old self in a 446 yard performance, the first game of the season in which he had something resembling a healthy receiving corps. Add to that the fact that the Bears pass defense ranks 19th in the league and have just 5 INTs on the year and Favre looks set for another big day.

Look for the Vikings to run their win streak to 2 games in the Week 10 NFL betting odds action.

The familiar story line, as well as Cleveland head coach Eric Mangini playing against his former employer create an interesting background to this game, but the football matchup overshadows all the off field stuff.

The Browns got off to a horrendous start to the season with a revolving door of incompetent QBs (Jake Delhomme and Senecca Wallace) and lost 5 of their first 6 games.

Enter rookie QB Colt McCoy. Since taking over the reins of this team McCoy has guided this team to a 2-1 record and huge wins in Weeks 8 and 9 over the Super Bowl champion Saints (6-3) and the Patriots (6-2).

Admittedly the Brown’s staff has been careful not to put too much on McCoy’s plate and his stats have been modest as defense and the running of RB Peyton Hillis (4.8 yards per carry, 4 TDs) has carried this team. But he’s an accurate passer and forces opponents in the sports betting action to play off the run a bit.

The Jets have escaped narrow defeat in 2 of their past 3 games and could easily be on a 3-game losing streak heading into the Week 10 action. Their good luck could finally have run out against Cleveland this weekend.

Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 1:05 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Jets as a 3-point favorite with an over/under total at 37.5.

New York’s defense has been superb once again this year ranking 3rd in the NFL in points allowed (16.3 ppg) and ranking 3rd in rushing defense (87.4 yards per game). That’s a good thing considering that Cleveland RB Hillis is coming off a career rushing day and has been all but unstoppable when healthy this season (184 yards, 2 TDs).

The Jets should be able to keep Hillis under control and Rex & Co. will try and force the rookie McCoy to beat them with his arm. And he just might do it. The Jets one weakness on D has been against the pass having given up 12 TD passes with just 5 INT.

If McCoy is able to toss a TD pass or two, and avoid turning the ball over the Browns will win this NFL gambling matchup.

Brees is going to have to get his vision checked and his arm on target in the Week 8 action as his 4-2 Saints play host to a surging 5-1 Pittsburgh Steelers team boasting #1 defense in the league (13.7 ppg). This unit will make the Browns defense look like the Girl Scouts and will capitalize on even the smallest Brees mistake.

But as good as this defense is, it’s still tough to bet against Super Bowl champion Brees and the likelihood of him having two bad games is a row is slim.

Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 8:25 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Saints as a 1-point favorite with an over/under total at 44.

No matter how bad he may have looked last week, the NFL betting odds makers, just can’t see this guy choking two weeks in a row at the Super Dome in front of his beloved Who ‘Dat Nation.

The one thing that’s working in Brees favor is the fact that despite being the #1 overall defense in the NFL, the Steelers –at least statistically- have not been all that effective against the pass.

The Steelers have been lights out against the run giving up a cartoonish 63.7 yards per game. But against the pass this team ranks 24th in the NFL, giving up an unholy 235.7 passing yards per game. That’s got to sweet music to Brees’ ears.

But that stat comes with a caveat as a lot of those yards have come in garbage time in games that were already in hand. And even though the team has given up big yards, it’s only given up 4 passing TDs in 6 games. It also has 9 INTs to go with those numbers and Brees should very little time to run through progressions in the pocket as the Steelers also have 18.0 sacks.

If the Saints are going to win it will be on a big day passing for Brees, but don’t fall into the stat trap that the Steelers are weak against the pass. Pittsburgh still looks like the better team and should win this sports betting matchup.

After starting the season 2-0 the team has now dropped two straight division games in the highly competitive AFC East. With wins over Minnesota and Buffalo (a combined record of 1-9) it’s hard to say that the team is a playoff contender but with losses to the Jets (4-1 and the best team in the NFL right now) and the Patriots (#1 offense in the NFL 32.8 ypg) it’s hard to say this team is cellar dweller either.

The Green Bay Packers are a good team and in a win against them at Lambeau Field would put the Dolphins a game over .500 and add instant credibility their playoff hopes.

The only problem is the Packers have now lost two of their last three games and probably their starting QB for this Week 6 NFL gambling matchup.

That’s great news for Dolphins fans (terrible for Packers fans) but doesn’t help in the way of finding out what kind of team this Dolphins squad is.

Green Bay QB Aaron Rogers was concussed in the team’s Week 5 loss to the Redskins and there’s a good chance that Matt Flynn will start in his place.

Without Rogers the Packers offense, which was already starting to look shaky, should be ineffective and if the Dolphins can generate a little offense of their own and get away from the highly predictable Wild Cat set they could win this road matchup. Much depends on the play of QB Chad Henne who had a break out performance against the Jets in a Week 3 loss throwing for 363 yards and 2 TDs against a great New York secondary. But he was plagued by INTs against the Pats a week later (3 INTs) and that’s a real risk against a Packers defense with crafty CBs and a rabid pass rush.

Even without Rogers, the Packers defense should be good enough to hold an inept Dolphins offense check and win an ugly sports betting matchup in Green Bay.

This game could go a long way in deciding Denver’s QB pecking order although Tebow’s health is suspect and he may not suit up.

The Broncos were pleasantly surprised last season when Kyle Orton actually put decent numbers and led this offense to respectability. However, the job will much more difficult this year in the NFL betting lines competition without all worlds WR Brandon Marshall. The receiving corps is average at best and Orton is unlikely to repeat his performance of 2009. If the wheels fall off the wagon early and Orton struggles it’s possible that rookie Tim Tebow could see extended action as well as career back up Brady Quinn.

This game could go a long way in deciding Denver’s QB pecking order although Tebow’s health is suspect and he may not suit up.

The Steelers have a different kind of QB issue. Pro Bowl QB and off the field dirt bag, Ben Roethlisberger, will be suspended for at least four games and the Steelers must find his replacement. So far the team has found two. Byron Leftwich has been practicing with the first team in Big Ben’s absence but second year man Dennis Dixon has been superb all preseason and adds a dimension of mobility that Leftwich lacks. If Dixon sees some reps with the starters and outplays Leftwich he just might be the starter on opening day.

As far as this preseason matchup is concerned, don’t expect either offense to steal the show. The most talented unit on either side of the ball between these two teams is the Steelers’ defense and it should wreak havoc on Orton and passing game.

Kickoff for this Saturday matchup is set for 8:05 Eastern Time and sbgglobal opened with the Steelers as a 1-point favorite with an over/under total at 36.

Expect the Steelers D to blitz the bejeezus out of whoever the Broncos have behind center and get the win for Blitzburgh in what should be a modest scoring affair.

The event that rocked this franchise as well as most of football betting was QB Ben Roethlisberger’s questionable behavior in a college bar in rural Georgia. His poor judgment earned the wrath of NFL Commissioner/God, Roger Goddell and earned him a 4-6 game suspension. Big Ben has been the engine behind the Steelers two recent Super Bowl betting wins and this team will sorely miss him when the 2010 NFL betting season opens up.

But will it ruin the Steelers chances of making the football betting playoffs? Probably not!

The aforementioned stability has this team well positioned to weather the first four games of the NFL betting action (and don’t think for a minute that he won’t be reinstated after four games, he earns too much money for the NFL to leave him out any longer) without Ben. In fact, this team should weather Big Ben’s absence much better than it did Troy Polamalu’s several game absences in the 2009 football betting action.

The Steelers have two competent backup QBs in Charlie Batch and Byron Leftwich. Even young Dennis Dixon has proved he can play in the NFL. The offense should be able to hold its own and with newly drafted Maurkice Pouncey the Steelers running game should be as good as it’s been in years.

With the return of Polamalu the defense should be much more effective this season as well and if the offense can get 13 points a game in Big Ben’s absence the Steelers should be fine.

After all, it’s not like the Steelers are playing against the Saints or Colts in their first four games. Pittsburgh’s first four games of the 2010 NFL betting season are against Atlanta, Tennessee, Tampa and Baltimore. Obviously the football odds matchup against hated rival Baltimore will be tricky but even if the Steelers go 3-1 to start the NFL betting season they’ll be in fine shape.

Perhaps it’s not quite that bad, but if you’re a fan of football wagering you can’t help but feel a bit sorry at least in the back of your mind for this talented QB who can’t seem to catch a break. He’s already has to put up with Chad Ochocinco and now Owens too?

If the truth is told it could actually be a terrific pairing for both sides and might even have a big impact on the 2010 NFL betting, at least in the hotly contested AFC North.

The Bengals are a good team coming off a division winning season last year (10-6) but are sorely lacking talent in the WR department. Ochocinco is still a legit #1 WR but with no other receiving threats on the field he’s generally hampered by double teams. TO should be able to help spread the defense a bit and with one of the top running games in football wagering this multi-faceted offense that could give opposing defenses trouble. The Bengals also added depth at the receiver position in the NFL draft with top TE prospect Jermaine Gresham and deep threat Jordan Shipley of Texas to stretch the field.

Looking at TO’s signing through that lens makes it seem like a great addition to this already playoff contending team. And it just might be.

But you could also argue that TO could be over the hill and ineffective as a WR, and more trouble than he’s worth which is why all the other NFL betting teams passed on him.

TO’s numbers from last season were nothing impressive (55 catches, 829 yards, 5 TDs), granted he was playing with an awful QB but that was hardly the problem. TO leads the league in drops almost every year (many negating sure-thing TDs), he doesn’t like contact and doesn’t have great speed.

And after what Jets CB Derrell Revis did to Ochocinco in back to back weeks last season the this WR duo might struggle mightily this football wagering season as their talent level seems to be rapidly deteriorating.

The jury is still out on this signing and the only thing it guarantees the Bengals is that they’ll lead the NFL in reality show drama.

With less than two weeks left before the NFL training camps begin and the football betting action just a month or so away, everyone from NFL betting fans, to team owners to coaches breathed a sigh of relief when the Bryant signing was announced.

The 2010 NFL offseason has been a particularly difficult one for wheeling and dealing as there’s no collective bargaining agreement in place for next season and for many technical reasons it’s thrown the professional football universe off kilter.

But the signing of Bryant should set the rest of the first-round picks up to sign quickly and teams and agents will get together and dozens of contracts will be signed in the next few days.

Taken with the 24h pick overall, Bryant, has become the de facto guinea pig for the rest of the first round picks and has set the pay scale, more or less, for the rest of the first-round picks to base their compensatory demands upon.

Bryant’s signing is significant for more reasons than simply being the first of the first round. He’s an exceptional talent and is an early contender for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in the upcoming NFL betting season.

Some scouts had him listed as a top five player overall and it came as a shock to most football wagering fans that he slid as far down the draft board as he did. Bryant dazzled at Oklahoma State before being suspended for infringing on some ridiculous NCAA rule and is a huge and athletic target that should instantly improve QB Tony Romo’s stats and start from day one. He’s also dangerous return man who can beat you on special teams as well.

In fact, when it’s all said and done Bryant may be the piece that finally gets the Cowboys over the playoff hunt and back into Super Bowl contention.