2010 Pro Bowl Betting with Props – AFC vs. NFC (-2.5)

AFC vs. NFC
Sunday, January 31st – 7:20 PM ET
Sun Life Stadium – Miami, FL

NFL Point Spread: NFC -2.5, O/U: 57 

The 2010 Pro Bowl represents a new world for professional football’s all-star game. For the first time since 1979, this contest will be played on the American mainland, not in Hawaii. After decades of being the last game of the season, the Pro Bowl will be staged a week before the Super Bowl. Those changes are just the beginning. 

The players on the two teams competing in the Super Bowl – while required by the NFL to attend the game – will not play at all. This includes Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning (AFC) and New Orleans Saints signal caller Drew Brees (NFC). Multiple offensive linemen for the AFC and NFC also exist on the Colts and Saints. This will be weird.  

NFL Handicapping: What The AFC Has To Do To Win 

Establish the ground game.  

Because of the quirky backdrop to this contest, the players who participated in the conference championship games, win or lose, are not likely to be a factor at all. Members of both the New York Jets (AFC) and Minnesota Vikings (NFC) will have virtually no turnaround time for this game, and the pain of losing just before the Super Bowl will make it hard for those teams’ all-stars to emotionally gear up for this new-look Pro Bowl.

As a result, the players on teams who either didn’t make the playoffs or got eliminated early in the playoffs will likely decide the outcome. The AFC has three running backs – Chris Johnson of Tennessee, Maurice Jones-Drew of Jacksonville, and Ray Rice of Baltimore – who will be relatively rested for this game, whereas NFC running back Adrian Peterson of Minnesota will find it hard to be motivated. If the AFC can establish a power running game and outwork the NFC’s defensive front, it should have a great chance to win. 

NFL Handicapping: What The NFC Has To Do To Win 

Thrive in the passing game and hit big plays downfield. 

If the AFC has the edge at running back, the NFC owns an advantage under center. With Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning preparing for the Super Bowl and New England’s Tom Brady clearly at less than full strength (the AFC Wild Card loss to Baltimore revealed as much), the AFC’s best hope at quarterback is San Diego gunslinger Philip Rivers, but Rivers is not at 100 percent in his own right. Houston’s Matt Schaub and Tennessee’s Vince Young have been listed as reserves, so it’s clear that the AFC will need an above-average performance on Sunday. 

The NFC won’t have Drew Brees or Brett Favre, but it will have Tony Romo of Dallas and Donovan McNabb of Philadelphia as backup quarterbacks. That’s a much better set of reserves – behind starting signal caller Aaron Rodgers – than the AFC’s Schaub-Young tandem. If this becomes a shootout, the NFC is positioned rather nicely. A power-oriented slugfest will help AFC coach Norv Turner (San Diego), but an aerial show will aid the cause of NFC coach Wade Phillips (Dallas).

NFL Handicapping: Outlook & Pick 

The new circumstances surrounding this game are hard to account for. No one really knows just how the logistics of a Pro Bowl played before the Super Bowl will affect the AFC and NFC rosters. It will be odd to see the two conferences play without the representatives of their respective champions, the Colts (AFC) and Saints (NFC). Who will win? It’s an open question.

But since this game is being played before the Super Bowl and a lot of players will be less rested compared to past Pro Bowl games, the feeling here is that offense will dominate. If that’s the case, the quarterback-rich NFC should triumph. 

NFL Point Spread Pick: NFC -2.5 & Over 57 

NFL Prop Betting: Team To Score First And Score In First Six Minutes 

The NFC should be the team that will score first, for all the reasons stated above. And if this game is going to be a shootout, it’s highly likely that a number will be posted in the game’s first six minutes of action. The home of the Miami Dolphins will witness a lot of touchdowns on the final day of January. 

NFL Prop Betting Pick: NFC Will Score First, Score In First Six Minutes