Beginners Guide To NFL
Content Editor at Free Super Tips, Alex was born in the shadow of Old Trafford and is an avid Man Utd fan. After graduating from university he combined his love of football, writing and betting to join FST and now closely follows goings-on in all of the top European leagues.
We hope you enjoy our american football betting tips and Super Bowl 51 predictions. Our aim is to provide free predictions every week but please remember to have fun and gamble responsibly. Enjoy watching the games on and good luck!
An introduction to the NFL and betting on it
The National Football League is the most watched sport in the USA. Known simply as the NFL to many, the league formed in 1920 and has seen a total of 50 Super Bowls since and a grand total of 19 World Champions.
For many across the pond in the UK it’s a sport which is considered confusing, and when it comes to betting on it that can appear even more so.
However, we at Free Super Tips are here to give you a helping hand. We’ll talk you through the rules, the teams, as well as everything you need to know about placing a wager on the NFL.
Where should you back our NFL betting picks?
You must back all of our American Football betting tips and Super Bowl predictions at bet365! They offer bonuses for winning accumulators (parlay bonus), offer loads of additional point spreads and totals which we use for our banker doubles. They also offer a massive £200 deposit bonus for new customers who sign up today, What are you waiting for? If you have any questions about our free NFL picks then feel free to post a comment and our experts will help you out. We get many questions asking about the types of betting available and the tips we give so here’s a breakdown for those of you who are new to betting on American Football.
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A Brief Look at the Rules
For even the most avid American Football fan, the rules can be a little confusing. Flags on the field, coaches challenges and video reviews, we’re all left scratching our head every now and again.
But for those who don’t know their Eagles from their Seahawks we’ll start with a very brief beginner’s guide to the NFL…
The Teams
Unlike football and many British sports, the NFL is made up of 32 franchises. This means that a team isn’t necessarily entirely connected to a city or region. For example, Oakland Raiders moved to Los Angeles in 1982 before moving back to Oakland in 1995, while the Los Angeles Rams only relocated to La La Land this season after 11 years in St Louis.
AFC-North
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC-South
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans
AFC-East
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
New York Jets
AFC-West
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Oakland Raiders
San Diego Chargers
NFC-North
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
NFC-South
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC-East
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins
NFC-West
Arizona Cardinals
Los Angeles Rams
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Where to Watch the NFL
Game Days – Thursday | Sunday | Monday
The NFL is readily available for punters in the UK. SkySports show as many as six games live every week, while the BBC have a number of shows across the season including weekly magazine shows The NFL Show and NFL This Week.
NFLUK also offer a Game Pass feature which allows fans to stream every game live or on-demand.
On top of that, the NFL also touches down in London a number of times per year. 2016 saw two match ups at Wembley and one at Twickenham, with a further two games to be played in London next season.
Types of Wagers
Parlay
Simply an American translation of ‘accumulator’.
Team Points
This is quite simply wagering on the total points a team may score.
Money Line
Essentially, Money Line is a term used in American sports which means ‘To Win’. It’s as simple as that, so backing a 49ers Money Line would require the San Francisco 49ers to win in order to cash out.
Game Totals
A Game Total is the number of points scored in a game by both sides. For exactly Over/Under 45 points, the total points be 46 or more to win the Over and 44 or less to win the Under. If the game finished with 45 points, your stake is refunded.
Touchdown Scorers – Anytime/1st
You can back a touchdown scorer in a number of ways. The 1st touchdown scorer means your wagered player would need to be the 1st scorer of the game in order to cash out, while an anytime scorer means they may score at any point during the game.
Buying Points
This allows you to give away less points on the favourite or receive more points on the underdog. For example you can buy a -3.5 point favourite down to -3 points or buy a +6 point underdog up to +7. Buying points is important when you understand the key numbers in NFL betting.
Player Props
A prop bet is a wager that is focused on the outcome of an individual player within a game. Therefore a player prop bet is all about what a player does. For example, the number of yards rushing or receiving a player may make or the number of interceptions a quarterback may throw.
Teaser
A bet that includes multiple teams with the point spread adjusted in the bettor’s favour. A famous teaser bet type is the ‘Wong Teaser’. This is a teaser that involves favourites of -7.5 to -8.5 and underdogs at +1.5 to +2.5. Teams are teased by 6 points to take them under or over the key betting numbers of 3 and 7.
Point Spread
The same as a handicap bet in football/soccer. For example, a Detroit Lions -6.5 point spread means they must win the game by 7 clear points. If the spread is a whole number and the team win by exactly 7 points it becomes a void bet and your stake is refunded. If the spread is +7 points it means the Lions could win or lose by 6 points or less to win the bet. Again, if they lose or win by exactly 7 then the bet is refunded.
Season Timeline
NFL Draft
Late April/Early May
First Game of the regular season
Weekend after Labour Day, September
Thanksgiving Day games
November
Wild-card Weekend
Second Weekend of the year, January
NFL Divisional playoff
Third Weekend, January
Championship Games
Fourth Weekend, January
Superbowl
First Weekend of February
Terminology
Flag
The yellow flag match officials throw on the field means a penalty (foul) has been committed during the play.
Fair Catch
A player can make a fair catch following an opponent’s punt. The player must make a signal to make the catch and once caught the ball is dead.
The Passing Pocket
The protected area around the quarterback that the offensive line creates to allow the quarterback time to complete a pass.
Red Zone
The red zone is the area between the 20-yard line and the defences end zone.
Sack
A sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackled with the ball behind the line of scrimmage.
Turnover
A change of possession which happens when the ball is either intercepted by the defence or the result of a fumble.
Audible
A change of play at the line of scrimmage by the quarterback to the upcoming play.
End Zone
The area between the goal line and the end line in which a touchdown is scored.
Snap
A snap is the backwards passing of the ball from the center which starts the play from the line of scrimmage.
