The first day of the second round of the NFL playoffs schedule finishes up on Saturday night in the great state of Massachusetts, where the New England Patriots will try to beat the NFL odds for the second time this year against the Denver Broncos. Check out our NFL playoffs keys to the game for the Broncos and Pats!

NFL Playoffs Matchup: Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots
Broncos vs. Patriots Location: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA
Broncos vs. Patriots Date/Time: Saturday, January 14th, 8:00 p.m.
Broncos vs. Patriots Television Coverage: CBS

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2012 NFL Playoff Bracket And Other NFL Playoff Previews

Key #1: Tom Brady has to get over his playoff blues
Something happened to the Patriots in the playoffs in 2008. They were coming off of a 16-0 regular season of perfection in which they were really just not challenged at all. They struggled for a long time with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the playoffs, and the San Diego Chargers nearly picked them off in the AFC Championship Game. The New York Giants finished the deal and ended the “perfect” season at a not-so-perfect 18-1 and without a championship. Since the AFC title game that year though, there has been something majorly wrong with this offense. The team has scored at least 30 points in just a slew of games, especially at home since the start of that perfect 16-0 regular season, but in the playoffs, none of New England’s last four games have resulted in more than 21 points going on the board. Brady, who finished with over 5,200 passing yards this year, has only averaged 232.0 yards per game in his last four postseason games, and he has the same number of TD passes as INTs. We don’t know whether it is the playoff pressure or the tremendous opponents that the Patriots have run up against, but they have to figure this out quickly, or they will have a very short run here in the playoffs in 2012 as well.

Broncos @ Patriots Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Denver Broncos +13.5
New England Patriots -13.5
Over/Under 50.5
Click Here to Bet Your NFL playoffs Picks!

Key #2: Denver has to bring pressure, force turnovers, and take advantage of them
That’s a heck of a lot to ask one team to do, especially against a team that had four receivers account for over 700 receiving yards this year, two of which had over 1,300 yards. That being said, the common bond in the games that Brady has struggled in during the past postseasons was the pressure that he faced. Three offensive linemen are nicked up for the Patriots, and this was already a unit that struggled at times to keep its quarterback off of his backside. The Broncos brought all sorts of pressure last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, sacking QB Ben Roethlisberger five times and forcing him into tons of other bad decisions. There were two golden opportunities in the first half to score TDs instead of kick field goals, and in both trips into the red zone, the Broncos had to settle for K Matt Prater field goals. That just can’t be the case against New England. LB Von Miller, DE Robert Ayers, and DE Elvis Dumervil have to make some plays and they have to force turnovers, and when those turnovers are forced, the end result has to be touchdown, not field goals.

Key #3: The Patriots have to kick the Broncos to the curb early
Starting strong has been a real problem for the Pats in recent weeks. They were losing in the first half in each of their final four games of the season, including dropping behind 21-0 to the Buffalo Bills in Week 17. That being said, New England did come back to win all of those games, two of which were in resounding fashion. These Broncos aren’t the Bills from two weeks ago though, and if you look back over the course of the winning streak that QB Tim Tebow was able to amass, most of those came in games in which they were able to hang around until the end, when Tebow was able to make a play. Last week, Pittsburgh was up 6-0 at the end of the first quarter in spite of the fact that the Broncos only had eight total yards of offense. Two TDs there, and Tebow probably panics, has to throw the ball more, makes some mistakes, and the Steelers could have won by 40. New England has to get off to a better start in this game, take advantage of any mistakes that Tebow makes, and force him to become a passer. That’s when the game really got out of hand when these two met in Mile High a month ago, and that’s what has to be the case as early as possible this week for New England to feel safe, especially when playing against a set of NFL playoff odds like these.

Click Here to get the best football picks that you’ll find on the internet, including our NFL playoffs picks and the NFL picks for the rest of the playoff game odds.

Monday Night Football is back and better than ever this week, as there are two crucial divisional duels on tap. Check out how we stack up the NFL props and make our NFL picks on the clashes between the Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots and Denver Broncos vs. Oakland Raiders.

Over/Under 4 Sacks (NE/MIA)
You don’t normally think of these two teams as two that will gun the ball all over the place. However, with QB Tom Brady breaking in a new receiver in WR Chad Ochocinco and QB Chad Henne really stuck throwing the ball a ton without a steady running game, the sacks could mount in a hurry. You know that New England’s defense is not relenting, as Head Coach Bill Belichick will throw the kitchen sink at the relatively inexperienced Henne. The question is how much Head Coach Tony Sparano is going to send at Brady. Knowing that his job might be on the line, we’d guess that we’ll see a lot of guys like LB Jason Taylor and LB Koa Misi in the backfield. Over 4 Sacks (-110 at BoDog Sportsbook)

Brandon Lloyd Over/Under 4.5 Receptions
No respect here for the defending receiving yards champ in the league. Lloyd had a sturdy year last year, and though we know that Head Coach John Fox is going to want to run the ball more with RB Knowshon Moreno, that doesn’t mean that the rapport that QB Kyle Orton built with Lloyd over the last year will just suddenly disappear. Don’t be surprised if there are a few shots taken to try to loosen up this Oakland defense, and if that’s the case, Lloyd should be able to amass the five receptions needed to beat this target. Lloyd Over 4.5 Receptions (+100 at BoDog Sportsbook)

Longest Touchdown of the Game Over/Under 45.5 Yards (NE/MIA)
Last season alone, New England scored four special teams or defensive TDs that all went for more than 45 yards against the Dolphins, and that doesn’t even include the possibility of the offenses scoring from this far out. We know that Brady will be looking to hit some deep shots during this game, and the X-Factor very well could be RB Reggie Bush, who appears like he is going to get at least 20-25 touches of the football in some respect in this game. Don’t be shocked if this prop is decided with the very first touchdown. Longest Touchdown Over 45.5 Yards (-115 at BoDog Sportsbook)

Three of the four teams in the AFC East think that they have a real chance this year of being contenders to make the playoffs, but only one of the four might ultimately get into the playoffs in this very deep conference. Check out our AFC East NFL picks for 2011!

It really shouldn’t be considered all that much of a surprise that the New England Patriots (Current AFC East Odds: 1 to 1.70 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) are the favorites in this division. QB Tom Brady has a new target to play with in WR Chad Ochocinco, and he still has the use of both of his great young tight ends, Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski as well. There is some concern about the defense for this team, but adding DT Albert Haynesworth should really help out the toughness of this team. Surprisingly though, on Saturday, SS Brandon Merriweather was released to cut down the roster size.

Does that really open the door for the New York Jets (AFC East Lines: 1.90 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook)? Probably not. New York might have a worse team this year than it did a season ago thanks to the fact that WRs Jerricho Cotchery, Brad Smith, and Braylon Edwards are all gone. Only WR Plaxico Burress replaces them. The defense, as always, is stacked, and resigning DB Antonio Cromartie helped out quite a bit. However, this is a team that will only go as far as QB Mark Sanchez takes it, and we aren’t convinced that Sanchez is an elite quarterback as of yet in this league.

The Miami Dolphins (Odds to Win the AFC East: 11.20 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) might be the biggest joke in football this year. Head Coach Tony Sparano knows that he has to win with this team right now, or he’ll end up getting fired at season’s end, but this is a team that is delusional about just how good it really is. QB Chad Henne is awful, and the defense has a slew of holes in it even though there are some nice, young pieces to build around. Losing both RBs Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown hurt, and adding RBs Larry Johnson, Reggie Bush, and Daniel Thomas just doesn’t seem to be quite the same.

And then there are the Buffalo Bills (2011 AFC East Odds: 40 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook), who really didn’t do anything to help themselves out this year. There were a slew of quarterbacks there for the taking in the NFL Draft, but instead, the team decided that it was going to stick with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, which will likely guarantee yet another year with a Top 10 pick in the NFL Draft.

2011 NFL Odds @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 9/4/11):
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Odds To Win AFC East
Buffalo Bills 40 to 1
New England Patriots 1 to 1.70
New York Jets 1.90 to 1
Miami Dolphins 11.20 to 1

Odds To Win Super Bowl
Buffalo Bills 210 to 1
New England Patriots 5.65 to 1
New York Jets 15 to 1
Miami Dolphins 100 to 1

AFC East Super Bowl Odds @ JustBet Sportsbook (as of 9/4/11):
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Odds To Win AFC East Division
Buffalo Bills 25 to 1
New England Patriots 1 to 1.75
New York Jets 1.65 to 1
Miami Dolphins 9.50 to 1

Super Bowl 46 Odds
Buffalo Bills 125 to 1
New England Patriots 5 to 1
New York Jets 9 to 1
Miami Dolphins 60 to 1

AFC East Odds @ Oddsmaker Sportsbook (as of 9/4/11):
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2011 AFC East Odds
Buffalo Bills 40 to 1
New England Patriots 1 to 1.75
New York Jets 1.80 to 1
Miami Dolphins 9 to 1

AFC East Odds To Win the Super Bowl
Buffalo Bills 150 to 1
New England Patriots 6 to 1
New York Jets 9 to 1
Miami Dolphins 50 to 1

NFL Betting Odds @ BoDog Sportsbook (as of 9/4/11):
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AFC East Odds
Buffalo Bills 20 to 1
New England Patriots 1 to 1.65
New York Jets 1.85 to 1
Miami Dolphins 9 to 1

Super Bowl Odds
Buffalo Bills 150 to 1
New England Patriots 11 to 2
New York Jets 12 to 1
Miami Dolphins 60 to 1

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The New York Jets and New England Patriots have a ton riding on the line on Monday Night Football. Not only is the winning team going to give a catastrophic loss to the other, but the victors will pull a game ahead of the rest of the field in the AFC and will most likely hold the tiebreaker for the rest of the year over the loser in the AFC East race. Obviously, it’s going to give the winner a huge advantage. If that team can hold on to this advantage over the last quarter of the season, that team will only have to play two home games to reach the Super Bowl. The loser will most likely have to win three games on the road. In order to prepare you to make your NFL picks for the game, we have the three keys to the game to determine which team is going to beat the NFL betting lines on the day.

Key #1: Mark Sanchez Cannot Make Mistakes
QB Mark Sanchez has really done a nice job in recent games of getting the ball up the field. He has proven that the Jets are no longer just a team that runs the football to win games, as New York is averaging 212.4 yards per game through the air. That’s still only good enough for a modest No. 20 ranking in the NFL, but at least he has shown that he can make big passes. We know that his receiving corps is good enough to get the job done as well, especially with WR Jerricho Cotchery coming back into the lineup this week after dealing with his groin injury for the past two games. With names like Cotchery, WR Braylon Edwards, WR Santonio Holmes, and TE Dustin Keller to deal with, Sanchez has no excuse not to be able to move the football against a defense that ranks dead last in the NFL against the pass at 288.5 yards per game. The key isn’t so much going to be yards, though. It’s going to be turnovers. Sanchez’s eight INTs this year is way down from a season last year in which he challenged for the most blunders in the league, but all eight of those picks have come in his L/6 games. He has thrown at least one INT in all six. Against the Pats in Week 2, Sanchez completed 70.0 percent of his passes for 220 yards with three scores, but again, the key was no turnovers. The Pats need to force him into some mistakes, while New York is just hoping that its signal caller can look more like the man that beat this team in Week 2 and less like the one that has been careless with the pigskin of late.

Key #2: Rex Ryan’s Defense Must Have No Fear
In the first half of the clash in Week 2 against the Pats, the Jets really didn’t come after QB Tom Brady. He did the mass majority of his damage in that game in the second quarter, as that is when he threw both of his touchdown passes. After that though, the dogs were let loose, and New York started to cause all sorts of ruckus in the New England backfield. Brady couldn’t figure out what was going on, and he could not get the Patriots on the scoreboard in the entire half, something that is absolutely a rarity for him. DE Jason Taylor did have the only sack in the game for the men in green, but he was one of the many that was all over the backfield and all in Brady’s face in that second half. The Jets cannot sit back and let Brady pick them apart in this one for any period of time. Their defensive backs are certainly good enough to contend with what New England has to offer in man coverage 100% of the time. Sometimes, you’ll get burned. Sometimes, you’ll cause some big turnovers as well. Those picks are going to be key, and the Jets got two of them last time around. They have to come after Brady right from the start, especially on the road on Monday Night Football.

Key #3: New England Has To Get A Ground Game Going
Truth be told, this has been what has hurt Brady the most this year. RB Kevin Faulk is out for the season with an ACL tear, and RB Fred Taylor has been out of the fold for the last seven games with a toe injury. In Week 2, New England picked up New York castoff RB Danny Woodhead, and in just eight games, he has picked up 344 yards on the ground and 230 through the air. Though the majority of the carries are still going to RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Woodhead is going to get his chances. This offensive line badly needs to step up and embrace the idea of attacking the Jets in the trenches, something that is usually going the other direction when the New York ‘D’ is on the field. If Ellis and Woodhead cannot get anything going in the rushing game or even in the screen and short pass department, Brady is going to just be a dead man walking in this pocket. You know that, especially with a long week to prepare after playing on Thanksgiving night, that Rex Ryan and company have been drawing up some new schemes to prepare for the Brady aerial assault. The running game needs to be the great equalizer for New England to win on Monday Night Football.

Monday Night Football has never been bigger than this! The New York Jets and New England Patriots are going to fight it out under the bright lights this week, and the winner will have a one game edge in the AFC East and one the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC with just four games to play. You want NFL prop picks? We’ve got ’em right here at Bankroll Sports!

Mark Sanchez Over/Under 235.5 Passing Yards
“The Sanchise” is here! Sanchez had four games in a row in which he reached this total with ease before throwing for just 166 yards in a blowout over the Cincinnati Bengals on Thanksgiving Day. The key is going to be having this game stay remotely close. The Jets aren’t going to blow out the Pats in any way, shape, or form, and when push comes to shove, you know that Sanchez is going to have to throw the football to beat the Patriots. He threw for 220 yards in the first meeting in Week 2, but now, WR Santonio Holmes is in the lineup as well, giving him one more tremendous deep threat that he can get the football to. Things aren’t always pretty for Sanchez, but he should be able to figure out how to get there in this one. Unless all of a sudden, the New England secondary finds a way to shut down this core of receivers, we don’t see how Sanchez does anything but go Over 235.5 Passing Yards (-115 at Hollywood Sportsbook) on Monday Night Football.

LaDainian Tomlinson Over/Under 54.5 Rushing Yards
Tomlinson might have some of the numbers on the season, but he is starting to break down quite a bit. This is a man that averaged less than four yards per carry last year, and he is starting to look more like that man in recent weeks. Over his first five games, LT averaged 5.6, 6.9, 4.7, 7.0, and 4.7 yards per carry. Since that point, he has averaged 3.4, 2.7, 3.7, 2.7, 3.2, 3.0, and 3.8 yards per carry. There is going to be a point that Tomlinson is going to get fewer carries than RB Shonn Greene. When you’re talking about a man that probably isn’t going to get more than a dozen carries or so, it’s hard to think that he is going to be able to get more than 50 yards or so. Back LT Under 54.5 Rushing Yards (-115 at Hollywood Sportsbook).

Santonio Holmes Over/Under 4.5 Receptions
It seems as though Holmes is really becoming the top target for QB Mark Sanchez. We aren’t so sure whether or not this is going to be a match made in heaven for some time to come, but we do know that the former Pittsburgh Steeler has at least five receptions in four straight games. He only had a total of ten receptions in his first three after coming back from his suspension that covered the first four games of the regular season. Again, New England’s defense is probably going to prone to the passing game in this one, and we know that if Sanchez is going to be throwing the ball more often, he is going to be doing so to Holmes as well. This is a nice spot for Holmes to go Over 4.5 Receptions (-125 at Hollywood Sportsbook) against the Pats.

Danny Woodhead Over/Under 59.5 Rushing + Receiving Yards
Head Coach Bill Belichick has this knack for giving payback to players that have come from past teams, and this could be the perfect situation for Woodhead to shine. This is a man that has really done a nice job filling in for a rushing attack that hasn’t been that stellar, and he has at least a pair of receptions in each of his last seven games since really getting into the fold with the Pats after starting the year with the Jets. Woodhead is probably going to touch the ball about 14-16 times over the course of this game, and potentially even more if Belichick is content to try to let Woodhead stick it to his previous team. Don’t be shocked to see him fly Over 59.5 Rushing + Receiving Yards (-115 at Hollywood Sportsbook).

Thanksgiving Day always means that we have a fantastic set of games for NFL betting fans to sink their teeth into. This year is no exception, as the Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, and New York Jets play host to the New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, and Cincinnati Bengals respectively. Check out some of the best NFL prop picks for one of the biggest days in the NFL schedule.

Tom Brady Over/Under 265.5 Passing Yards
Common logic suggests that the Pats should be able to roll over the Lions, and if that’s the case, you would figure that Brady would be flying past the 265 yard barrier, right? Maybe not so much. Brady has actually only reached this passing total twice this year, including some games against some teams that aren’t all that great. The Lions have a terrible secondary, but if HC Bill Belichick has it his way, he is going to be able to utilize his running game significantly more than his passing game. With this being a 50/50 proposition that we need to beat, we’ll go with Brady Under 265.5 Passing Yards (+100 at Hollywood Sportsbook) on Thanksgiving Day.

Brandon Tate Yards On First Reception Over/Under 11.5 Yards
We know that Tate doesn’t catch a pass in every single game, and if he doesn’t make a reception, we are going to lose this prop, but we also know that this is the best deep threat that Brady has to work with. The Lions have an absolutely dreadful secondary as well. Tate has just 18 receptions this year, but nine of them have gone for at least a dozen yards. The former North Carolina Tar Heel should find a way to get that one reception necessary, and assuming he does, that catch should be Over 11.5 Yards (-115 at Hollywood Sportsbook).

Drew Brees Over/Under 1.5 Touchdown Passes
The Cowboys have really struggled with their secondary all season long, but there is a point that these NFL odds get a wee ridiculous. Brees has thrown for at least two TDs in six straight games and in eight of the ten this season, but we absolutely know that that isn’t going to keep up. Dallas gave Brees fits last year, especially up front in the trenches. This is going to be a tough task to get to for Brees, and at +220 odds, we feel like we are stealing Brees to go Under 1.5 TD Passes (+220 at Hollywood Sportsbook) against the Cowboys.

Jon Kitna Over/Under 244.5 Passing Yards
The Saints have one of the best secondaries in the NFL this year, and though this isn’t really a unit that you would really think would be able to shut down a team like Dallas, you might want to think again. Kitna is a great backup quarterback, but he is really no more than that: a backup quarterback. Asking him to reach the 250 yard passing mark at least half the time is going to be difficult, especially if New Orleans is the real deal. The Cowboys’ signal caller will stay Under 244.5 Passing Yards (-115 at Hollywood Sportsbook).

Will the Bengals Ever Have the Lead Against the Jets
The Bengals never really stood a chance against the Jets last year, as they were destroyed by them both in Week 17 and in the first round of the playoffs. However, for a team that has so many explosive offensive weapons against a team that tends to get bogged down at times, we tend to think that this is a sucker bet waiting to happen. The oddsmakers are begging you to take “No” at +150, but instead, we are going to be the role of the contrarians, saying that the Bengals Will Lead Against the Jets (-190 at Hollywood Sportsbook).

Terrell Owens Over/Under 73.5 Receiving Yards
Good ol’ TO might be a Pro Bowler this season, but he is about to step onto Revis Island to take on DB Darrelle Revis. Owens knows that he is going to see a lot of two of the best corners in football, and though Revis and DB Antonio Cromartie have combined for just one INT since Week 1 of the season, a lot of quarterbacks are wise to not throw their way. TO said that Revis was a one year wonder in the media, which sounds like fighting words to us. Now, let’s throw in the fact that he has only exceeded this number four times in ten games this year. The choice is simple. We have to go with Owens Under 73.5 Receiving Yards (-115 at Hollywood Sportsbook).

Shonn Greene Over/Under 50.5 Rushing Yards
Consider this a bit of a gut shot play. Greene really isn’t the featured back in the New York offense any longer, as RB LaDainian Tomlinson has really taken over. Greene basically made an entire career out of destroying the Bengals down the stretch last year, and this is still a team that is averaging the 23rd most rushing yards in the NFL. Greene has only gotten to this number four times this year, but he will make it five on Thursday. Go with Greene Over 50.5 Rushing Yards (-115 at Hollywood Sportsbook).

If you’re a fan of good old fashioned hard hitting football between two teams that just don’t like each other, this is the game for you! The Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots are sure to put on a real show on MNF this week, as they meet at Sun Life Stadium in a game that is absolutely crucial for both teams involved. Check out some of the NFL props for the game that we are keying in on to try to make you some great cash on the action!

Will there be a score in the first 6 1/2 minutes of the game?
Normally speaking, this prop would be set at 7:30, not 6:30, but due to the fact that this is the highest NFL betting ‘total’ on the board in Week 4, the number has come down just a tad. It won’t matter. The Dolphins now know that they can stretch the field quite a bit on the Pats, who seem to be relatively helpless defensive right now. With WR Brandon Marshall being used as an inviting target, big plays are very, very possible. We already know that the Brady Bunch has the top scoring offense in the game at 30.0 points per game, as QB Tom Brady and WR Randy Moss can hook up for a TD pass from anywhere on the field. Yes, there absolutely will be a score in the first 6:30 (-120 at Hollywood Sportsbook) on Monday Night Football.

Ronnie Brown Over/Under 65.5 Rushing Yards
Something is wrong with RB Ricky Williams right now. He doesn’t have a single carry this year for more than eight yards, and the end result might be more weight put onto the shoulders of RB Ronnie Brown. Brown is averaging well more than two yards per carry more than Williams is this year, and the defense on the other side of the field isn’t exactly known for its ability to stop the run, especially if you can bounce the ball outside and away from DT Vince Wilfork. Remember the MNF game last year when the Fins absolutely dominated time of possession against the Indianapolis Colts to try to keep QB Peyton Manning off the field? HC Tony Sparano knows that that would be a fantastic game plan to use on Monday night. Go with Brown Over 65.5 rushing yards (-115 at Hollywood Sportsbook).

Randy Moss Total Receptions Over/Under 4.5
Normally, it seems like a bit of a slam dunk for Moss to go ‘over’ this type of a number, but perhaps that shouldn’t be considered the case anymore. He only has nine total receptions on the season, and that’s due to the emergence of men like WR Julian Edelman, TE Rob Gronkowski, and TE Aaron Hernandez. Plus, age really isn’t helping Moss out any, as he is spending more and more plays on the sidelines when he isn’t being utilized. The Dolphins know that Moss is still a lethal deep threat though, and he is going to be a force to be reckoned with. Will Moss get his big play or two over the course of the game? Probably. However, especially if Miami does a great job of protecting the football, we have a hard time figuring how he is going to be getting to five receptions on the day unless he is really force fed the ball. That’s not a necessity for Brady and the offense anymore at this point in Moss’ career. Go with good ol’ Randy Under 4.5 Receptions (-120 at Hollywood Sportsbook) in this battle against the Dolphins.