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posted June 16, 2008 at 14:27 in NFL Free Picks

BetUS NFL Betting Odds: Buffalo -2

NOTABLE STAT: Buffalo 15.8 ppg last year (30th in NFL)

KEY NFL FOOTBALL BETTING TREND: Buffalo has covered 10 of last 13 at home

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

The Seattle Seahawks (10-6 SU, 9-6-1 ATS in 2007) begin their final season with Mike Holmgren as head coach, and they hope to make it a successful one as they visit upstate New York to take on the Buffalo Bills (7-9 SU, 10-6 ATS) in the season opener, set to get underway at 1 PM ET at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, NY.

In the BetUS Sportsbook football betting NFL odds, the Bills are listed as a two-point favorite.

Here are some NFL football wagering trends as they relate to this sports betting matchup:

* SEA has played five of its last seven games OVER the total

* SEA has covered seven of its last ten games

* SEA has lost five of its last seven road games SU

* SEA has covered two of its last seven road games

* SEA has played four of its last six road games OVER the total

* BUF has lost five of its last seven games SU

* BUF has covered 10 of its last 13 home games

* BUF has played five of its last six home games OVER the total

* BUF has covered the last three meetings

Mike Holmgren has anointed Jim Mora Jr., the former Atlanta Falcons coach, to take over for him as head coach when he steps down at the end of the season. When will the end of the season take place? Well, for the Seahawks, the hope is that it can go two steps further than it did last season, when Seattle defeated Washington in the first round of the playoffs, only to get crushed at Green Bay in a snowy January 12 encounter.

Seattle said goodbye to running back Shawn Alexander, but picked up Julius Jones to handle the bulk of the ground game, which was lacking to the point where Holmgren and Matt Hasselback collaborated on an offensive attack that almost entirely consisted of short passes. T.J. Duckett were added on the off-season to bolster the backfield, with rookie fullback Owen Schmitt expected to be the lead blocker. The Seahawks can bring a lot of heat on Buffalo quarterback Trent Edwards, who completed 56% of his passes as a rookie. But Edwards, a heady signal-caller, was sacked only 12 times in ten games. Marshawn Lynch, who rushed for over 1000 yards in his rookie season, should only get better as a sophomore, and James Hardy is going to wind up a key component of this offense.

Buffalo's defense was not as bad as its statistics showed. There were plenty of injuries, but the Bills are healthier now, with Paul Posluczny and Ko Simpson back, and former Pro Bowl tackle Marcus Stroud added to the mix. Leodis McKelvin, the first-round draft choice, is a potential shutdown corner. And expect the Bills' outstanding special teams to make a play or two to grab an edge in field position.

Whether Jones is going to be an answer for Seattle is unknown, because he is not regarded as a receiving outlet (just 32 catches in the last two years). And rushing the football still won't be a strength for the 'Hawks, which is just fine with Buffalo, which ranked 25th in the NFL in rushing defense in '07. The Bills, who will eventually take some trips to Toronto, exhibit a real home field advantage (10-3 ATS in last 13), so with the expected defensive improvement, this is a team that will "hold serve" more often that not.

We'll take Buffalo and lay the two points as they are posted in the BetUS NFL football betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: BUFFALO (-2) ***

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

The 2008 NFL betting season is around the corner! 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 XLIII and beyond!

(Charles Jay of eBookies.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)