Posted on 1/4/2008 7:01:18 PM

NFL Football Betting - NFC Playoffs Giants at Buccaneers

By Charles Jay

NOTABLE STAT: Eli Manning has thrown 20 interceptions, Jeff Garcia has thrown four

KEY NFL FOOTBALL BETTING TREND: The Giants are 7-0 SU and 6-1 ATS in their last seven road games

(For more useful trends and stats, visit our unique Matchup Tool)

The New York Giants (10-6 SU & ATS) come off a spirited effort against the New England Patriots last weekend, and now they invade Raymond James Stadium in Tampa (grass) to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7 SU & ATS) in first-round NFC playoff action that kicks off at 1 PM ET on Sunday.

In the BetUS NFL football betting odds, the Bucs are listed at -3, with the total posted at 39.5 points.

Here are some of the NFL betting trends and stats relative to this matchup:

* NY has covered four of its last five games

* NY has covered six of its last seven road games

* NY has won its last seven road games SU

* NY has played six of its last seven road games UNDER the total

* TB has won and covered six of its eight home games this season

* TB has played five straight games OVER the total

* TB has covered seven of the last ten meetings

* TB has covered four of the last five meetings as the home team

* The last five meetings have gone UNDER the total

* Four of the last five meetings in Tampa have gone UNDER the total

The Bucs have been resting players, as playoff position hasn't really been a concern for Jon Gruden. and Gruden has done a great job this season, considering his team lost running backs Cadillac Williams and Michael Pittman relatively early in the season. Ernest Graham has stepped in to do a yeoman job for the Tampa Bay offense, rushing for 898 yards and giving Gruden a running threat. This offense is designed to be low-risk, and Jeff Garcia fit the bill as the starting quarterback, completing 64% of his passes while being intercepted just four times. Garcia was bothered by a back injury late in the season, so getting some time to rest as Tampa Bay rolled over in its last couple of games was important for him.

The Bucs are, in fact, sort of a lower-case version of their fellow Floridians, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and like Jacksonville has often been, they are double tough to score on at home. If you threw out the season finale against Carolina (and if Gruden did, we will too), Tampa Bay's defense surrendered just 77 points in seven games at Raymond James Stadium. The tough side of that equation is that Tampa Bay had some advantageous scheduling, lost decisively at Indianapolis, avoided some elite NFL teams like New England, Dallas and Green Bay, and played in a weak division. Meanwhile, the Giants played the Packers and Patriots, as well as the Cowboys and Redskins twice each.

But out of those six games against playoff teams, New York registered only one win. Eli Manning was almost the anti-Garcia, completing 56% of his passes with 20 interceptions. And the Giants suffered some injury problems late in the year, when Jeremy Shockey and surprising running back Derrick Ward were lost for the duration. Plaxico Burress may or may not be getting healthier, and Brandon Jacobs played the regular season finale with a sore ankle.

It was not exactly unwise that the Giants played their starters and played them hard in that finale against New England, because it gave them confidence going into the playoffs. But a team can also get banged-up as a result, and that could be the after-effect. The Giants have a lot of positives; they lead the league in sacking the quarterback, they won their last seven road games, covering six of them, and they lead the league in rushing yards in enemy stadiums (156 yards per game). But they make negative plays, as evidenced by a minus-9 turnover margin. Tampa Bay is fresher, opportunistic (+15 in turnovers), has a QB who takes care of the ball, can run with some authority, and as mentioned, is extremely stingy on its home field. We'll grab the Bucs, minus the three points, as posted in the BetUS NFL football betting odds.

BetUS NFL betting odds: TAMPA BAY -3, Total: 39.5

JAY'S PLAY: TAMPA BAY

> > Check Week 16 Odds Here

The 2007 NFL betting season is here in full force! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The BetUS sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join BetUS today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLII and beyond!

(Charles Jay of TotalActionExtra.com is a member of the NFL too - that is, "not for long" if you don't get results. He is now a regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room)