The Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to continue the 2012 NFL season, and as a part of our analysis of the Week 8 betting lines, we are taking a look at some of the best NFL props on the board for this crucial Thursday Night Football matchup.

Christian Ponder Touchdown Passes Over/Under 1.5: When you look at the Tampa Bay secondary, you immediately think that this unit is atrocious, allowing 323.0 yards per game. However, if you take out QB Eli Manning and QB Drew Brees, who threw for over 900 yards and seven scores against this unit, what is left is a group that has allowed a grand total of just one touchdown pass this year. Ponder has nine touchdowns on the season, but he is more likely to turn around and give the ball to RB Adrian Peterson on the goal line than he is to try to throw the ball. This just doesn’t feel like a great matchup for the Minnesota passing game, and the ground game probably is going to find more success. Barring WR Percy Harvin busting a short pass for a long gainer, we don’t see many other ways that Ponder is going to have a shot at getting to two touchdown passes more often than not. Christian Ponder Under 1.5 Touchdown Passes (-110)

Minnesota Vikings Total Points Over/Under 24.5: Again, we’re back to supporting the Tampa Bay defense in this one. This unit was scorched by Brees and Manning, but no other team has scored more than 24 points against this unit on the campaign. The Minnesota offense looks like it is averaging 23.9 points per game this year, but when you take out the three defensive or special teams touchdowns, that number plummets down to just 20.9 points per game. Only three games this year have the Vikes reached 25 points, and this doesn’t figure to be another one of those games when push comes to shove. Minnesota Vikings Under 24.5 Points (-115)

Vincent Jackson Over/Under 4.5 Receptions: Jackson is getting a lot of play right now thanks to the fact that he just had seven catches for 216 yards and one touchdown (and one should have been touchdown) last week against the Saints. However, we have to remember that Tampa Bay is a run first team, not a throw first team. Jackson has had a number of games this year in which he hasn’t even gotten six targets, and with the way that QB Josh Freeman throws the football, it is like going to take at least six or seven for him to get to five receptions. Last week’s game aside, Jackson has been a relatively average receiver that is putting up WR2 numbers, not the numbers of a bona fide No. 1. Jackson Under 4.5 Receptions (+120)

Blair Walsh Over/Under 8.5 Points: The rookie out of Georgia has a huge leg, and there isn’t much in the way of a field goal attempt that he wouldn’t hit significantly more often than not. However, the Tampa Bay defense has allowed just two kickers to account for more than five points this year. We’re not saying that Walsh can’t be the exception to the rule, especially knowing that both K Dan Bailey and K Lawrence Tynes did this against Tampa Bay with the Bucs on the road, and this is only their third road game of the season. However, scoring 8.5 points is a ton, and it is going to take probably three field goals for it to happen more often than not. Blair Walsh Under 8.5 Points (-115)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Minnesota Vikings NFL Props @ JustBet Sportsbook (as of 10/25/12):
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Score in the First 7 Minutes of the Game -135
No Score in the First 7 Minutes of the Game +105

Buccaneers Score First +130
Vikings Score First -160

First Score a Touchdown -160
First Score Not a Touchdown +130

Longest Touchdown of the Game Over 41.5 Yards -115
Longest Touchdown of the Game Under 41.5 Yards -115

Josh Freeman Completions Over 19.5 -130
Josh Freeman Completions Under 19.5 +100

Josh Freeman Longest Completion Over 39.5 Yards -115
Josh Freeman Longest Completion Under 39.5 Yards -115

Josh Freeman Touchdown Passes Over 1.5 -150
Josh Freeman Touchdown Passes Under 1.5 +120

Josh Freeman To Throw an Interception -220
Josh Freeman To Not Throw an Interception +170

Doug Martin Rushing Yards Over 65.5 -115
Doug Martin Rushing Yards Under 65.5 -115

Doug Martin Scores a Touchdown +130
Doug Martin Doesn’t Score a Touchdown -160

Vincent Jackson Receptions Over 4.5 -150
Vincent Jackson Receptions Under 4.5 +120

Vincent Jackson Receiving Yards Over 80.5 -115
Vincent Jackson Receiving Yards Under 80.5 -115

Vincent Jackson Scores a Touchdown +120
Vincent Jackson Doesn’t Score a Touchdown -150

Mike Williams Receptions Over 3.5 -150
Mike Williams Receptions Under 3.5 +120

Mike Williams Receiving Yards Over 58.5 -115
Mike Williams Receiving Yards Under 58.5 -115

Dallas Clark Receptions Over 3 -115
Dallas Clark Receptions Under 3 -115

Dallas Clark Scores a Touchdown +190
Dallas Clark Doesn’t Score a Touchdown -250

Mason Foster Total Tackles Over 7.5 -115
Mason Foster Total Tackles Under 7.5 -115

Lavonte David Total Tackles Over 7.5 -140
Lavonte David Total Tackles Under 7.5 +110

Ronde Barber Intercepts a Pass +270
Ronde Barber Doesn’t Intercept a Pass -350

Connor Barth Total Points Over 7.5 +100
Connor Barth Total Points Under 7.5 -130

Christian Ponder Completions Over 20.5 -130
Christian Ponder Completions Under 20.5 +100

Christian Ponder Longest Completion Over 33.5 Yards -115
Christian Ponder Longest Completion Under 33.5 Yards -115

Christian Ponder Passing Yards Over 222.5 -115
Christian Ponder Passing Yards Under 222.5 -115

Christian Ponder Touchdown Passes Over 1.5 -120
Christian Ponder Touchdown Passes Under 1.5 -110

Christian Ponder Throws an Interception -200
Christian Ponder Doesn’t Throw an Interception +160

Adrian Peterson Rushing Yards Over 90.5 -115
Adrian Peterson Rushing Yards Under 90.5 -115

Adrian Peterson Receptions Over 3 -115
Adrian Peterson Receptions Under 3 -115

Adrian Peterson Scores a Touchdown -160
Adrian Peterson Doesn’t Score a Touchdown +130

Percy Harvin Receptions Over 6.5 -130
Percy Harvin Receptions Under 6.5 +100

Percy Harvin Receiving Yards Over 85.5 -115
Percy Harvin Receiving Yards Under 85.5 -115

Percy Harvin Scores a Touchdown +105
Percy Harvin Doesn’t Score a Touchdown -135

Chad Greenway Total Tackles Over 8.5 -125
Chad Greenway Total Tackles Under 8.5 +105

Antoine Winfield Total Tackles Over 7.5 -105
Antoine Winfield Total Tackles Under 7.5 -125

Antoine Winfield Intercepts a Pass +270
Antoine Winfield Doesn’t Intercept a Pass -350

Blair Walsh Total Points Over 8.5 -115
Blair Walsh Total Points Under 8.5 -115

Our NFL prop picks continue with our Thursday Night Football picks and our Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers prop picks. Be sure to check out our NFL prop picks for the big duel on Thursday, courtesy of BetOnline Sportsbook.

Tony Romo -42.5 Passing Yards vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers QBs
Over the course of the last few weeks, Romo really hasn’t had as many passing yards as you would figure. He only passed the 300-yard mark for the first time since Week 6 last week against the Giants, and in that game, the Cowboys allowed 400 passing yards to QB Eli Manning. We know that QB Josh Freeman has been a nightmare in terms of turning the ball over, but that doesn’t mean that he is all of a sudden going to end up forgetting how to throw the pigskin down the field. For all of their problems this year, the Bucs QBs are averaging 241.7 passing yards per game between them. This is a bad secondary that they are going against, and we think that they can get into the 260s or 270s in this one. Don’t be shocked if Tampa Bay’s QBs win this prop outright. Getting 42.5 yards is a heck of a start. Tampa Bay QBs +42.5 Passing Yards (-110 at BetOnline Sportsbook)

LeGarrette Blount +24.5 Rushing/Receiving Yards vs. Felix Jones
Jones is going to be back as the starting back for the Cowboys, but that doesn’t mean that he is going to immediately step in and put up the numbers that RB DeMarco Murray did. Murray was clearly the superior back of the two for this offense, and we just don’t know whether we are only going to see Jones in the backfield or not. RB Phillip Tanner could get some looks, especially in short yardage situations. Though Blount has been splitting carries all over the place with backs like RB Kregg Lumpkin and RB Moises Madu, he has still generally been getting his looks. He has at least 18 carries in three of his last four games. The problem is that you’re not going to get a lot of “Wow!” plays from Blount, and he isn’t going to pitch into the passing game all that often. But if he can get himself 80 yards in this one on the ground, we see no reason why he wouldn’t be a big time winner. Again, we think that this NFL prop should be a heck of a lot closer to a pick ’em than anything else. LeGarrette Blount +24.5 Rushing/Receiving Yards vs. Felix Jones (-115 at BetOnline Sportsbook).

Total Field Goals Over/Under 3.5
We know that K Dan Bailey has had some issues over the course of the last few weeks kicking important field goals at the gun, but we also know that he has just a slew of attempts this year. Bailey has made 31 of his 35 field goal attempts, and he has had at least two attempts in each of his last six games. The Dallas offense just has a tendency of reaching the red zone and just flopping. K Connor Barth, at times, is the only offense that the Bucs have. He hasn’t missed a kick since Week 6, and Head Coach Raheem Morris has a ton of confidence in him. We don’t think that there will be a shortage of yards in this game, but whether either team can execute in the red zone is a totally different story. Over 3.5 Field Goals (+145 at BetOnline Sportsbook).

Last season, the NFC South was one of those rare divisions that had three teams finish with at least 10 wins. Will things be as competitive this year? Check out the odds to win the NFC South in 2011!

The defending champs of the division are the Atlanta Falcons (Current NFC South Odds: 1.25 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook). Head Coach Mike Smith really had his team playing well last season, particularly at the Georgia Dome. It’s going to be hard to top this team once again this year, especially with this offense having yet another year to gel together. QB Matt Ryan, WR Roddy White, RB Michael Turner, and TE Tony Gonzalez were already strong as it is, but now, adding WR Julio Jones to the mix is almost not even fair. The questions that come up about this team are regarding its toughness. We saw a very weak team against the Saints and the Green Bay Packers at the end of last season, and if that doesn’t improve, this is going to be a tough division to try to win.

Instead, the team that might have the upper hand is the New Orleans Saints (NFC South Lines: 1.30 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook). The Super Bowl champs from two years ago snuck up on no one last season, though it did still have a rock solid year. Many were shocked to see QB Drew Brees and company bounced from the first round of the playoffs by the pitiful NFC West champs, the Seattle Seahawks. RB Reggie Bush is on the short list of players that have departed this team, but now, RB Mark Ingram should be able to carry the load as a rookie along with a hopefully healthy RB Pierre Thomas. Brees just refuses to lose on a regular basis, and we know that the Saints will be marching on the playoffs once again this year in some capacity.

Last season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Odds to Win the NFC South: 3.50 to 1 at JustBet Sportsbook) put on a grand show and should have made the playoffs with 10 wins. It wasn’t quite enough down the stretch, but it was still a fantastic season for a team that had incredibly low expectations. QB Josh Freeman had a great season last year in his first full year running the team, and Head Coach Raheem Morris and company have a lot of good pieces to build around. We’re just puzzled why the Bucs didn’t try to make some free agent signings with their oodles of salary cap space this year, and we are afraid that they are going to take a step backwards and not be a postseason factor.

Historically in the NFC South, you have teams go from worst to first all the time. This year though, won’t be a year in which that happens. The Carolina Panthers (2011 NFC South Odds: 25 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) do have a bit of a future to look forward to with QB Cam Newton running the show, but this isn’t the year that the team is going to be out of the gutter in this division. There’s no way that Carolina is going to be the worst team in the league this season, as the talent of Newton and RBs Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams should be good enough for a few wins, but four or five victories won’t win this division by a longshot.

2011 NFL Odds @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 8/10/11):
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Odds To Win NFC South
Atlanta Falcons 1.25 to 1
Carolina Panthers 25 to 1
New Orleans Saints 1.25 to 1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4.50 to 1

Odds To Win Super Bowl
Atlanta Falcons 16 to 1
Carolina Panthers 125 to 1
New Orleans Saints 16 to 1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 45 to 1

NFC South Super Bowl Odds @ JustBet Sportsbook (as of 8/10/11):
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Odds To Win NFC South Division
Atlanta Falcons 1.10 to 1
Carolina Panthers 25 to 1
New Orleans Saints 1 to 1.10
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5 to 1

Super Bowl 46 Odds
Atlanta Falcons 14 to 1
Carolina Panthers 150 to 1
New Orleans Saints 10 to 1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30 to 1

NFC South Odds @ Oddsmaker Sportsbook (as of 8/10/11):
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2011 NFC South Odds
Atlanta Falcons 1.20 to 1
Carolina Panthers 25 to 1
New Orleans Saints 1.30 to 1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 to 1

NFC South Team Odds To Win the Super Bowl
Atlanta Falcons 14 to 1
Carolina Panthers 150 to 1
New Orleans Saints 15 to 1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30 to 1

NFL Betting Odds @ BoDog Sportsbook (as of 8/10/11):
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NFC South Odds
Atlanta Falcons 1.20 to 1
Carolina Panthers 20 to 1
New Orleans Saints 1.30 to 1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4.50 to 1

Super Bowl Odds
Atlanta Falcons 15 to 1
Carolina Panthers 125 to 1
New Orleans Saints 16 to 1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30 to 1

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NFL Football Week 1 News & Headlines Cycle:

• ESPN; Richard Seymour Expected To Arrive in Oakland on Saturday
• ESPN; Browns’ James Davis Now Questionable
• ESPN; Appeals Court Rules Vikings Can’t Suspend Two Players
• Twin Cities; Tarvaris Jackson to Backup Favre This Season
• NBC Sports; Arron Ross Out For Giants This Week
• NFL Spin Zone; Jon Runyan To Join a Team on Monday
• Baltimore Sun; Ravens’ L.J. Smith Will be a “Gameday” Decision
• Seattle New Tribune; Deion Branch May Miss Opener With Injury
• Fox Sports; Tamoa Bay Buccaneers Have 30 Million in Cap Space

Blogisphere & NFL Football Week 1 Opinion/Entertainment Cycle:

• Sharapova’s Thigh; The Fastest Freaking NFL Preview Ever
• Cheddar’s Sports Blog; Week 1 NFL Preview – Lots of Questions
• Bleeding Green Nation; Holmes Wears Vick Jersey at Press Conference
• Biz of Football; NBC Has Highest Rated Kickoff Game in Seven Years
• Randall Simon’s Sausages; NFL Week 1 Hot Off The Grill
• The Ebony Bird; Joe Flacco Highlight Reel (video)
• Midway Illustrated; Bears Match-up Well With Packers Receivers
• The Viking Age; Sean Salisbury Fired For ‘Sexting’

2009 Week 1 NFL Fantasy Football Cycle:

• Midwest Sports Fans; Week 1 NFL Fantasy Start ‘Em / Sit ‘Em
• Top Fantasy Football; Week 1 Last Minute Updates
• Rotoworld; Week 1 Waiver Wire Pick-Up Recommendations
• Favre Dollar Footlongs; Fantasy Football is a Game of Poker
• CBS Sports; Week 1 Fantasy Football Matchups
• Pro Football Weekly; Ten Most Intriguing Players For Week 1
• Gang Green Nation; Week 1 NFL Football Fantasy Focus
• Rumors & Rants; Who Will Sink or Swim in Week 1
• Club Seat; Week 1 In The Club / Out The Club

About Our Football Links Cycle Posts:
Interested in adding your stories to our Football Links Cycle lists? We are always looking for more quality football related stories and blog posts. Our staff reads through thousands of sports stories every day. We post the stories we find the most relevant or the blog posts we think our readers will find the most entertaining. Do you have a quality sports/football related web site or blog? Do you offer football stories and opinion at your site? If yes, then please contact us and let us know about your site so that we can add it to our list of online publications. We can’t add your stories if we haven’t seen your blog.

Early this week we broke down the entire AFC playoff race. Now we take a look at the NFC playoff picture and where each playoff contender stands. Who possibly could be the best team and which teams could make a deep run in the postseason.

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New York Giants (11-2) – The Giants own the best record in the NFC and the 2^nd best record in the NFL. They have officially clinched the NFC East and are one game away from a first round bye. New York took a blow from the Philadelphia Eagles last week in a 20-14 defeat. Star WR Plexico Burress is out for the year after the gunshot wound and weapons charges he is currently facing. Will the distraction be enough to derail one of the NFL’s hottest teams? The former Super Bowl Champions have backed up last year’s season well and are favorites to win the NFC. However, one must wonder if New York may have peaked too soon?

Dallas Cowboys (8-5) – The Cowboys looked in good position last week to score a huge victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Then the Steelers routed 17 straight points in the final 7 minutes of the game to beat Dallas. The loss really hurt the Cowboys chances at making the postseason given they have a really tough schedule the rest of the way. Many believe Dallas has to win out to make the playoffs, but I believe they still have a good shot if they win at least two of their last 3 games. The Cowboys will hold the tie-breaker over Tampa Bay and Atlanta if those teams were to end with the same record. Still Dallas has to play New York, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. Two wins may be asking enough much less three.

Washington Redskins (7-6) – The Redskins are mathematically still in the hunt even though their chances do not look good. Washington is in dire need to win out or the playoff hopes will be gone. Even if the Redskins do win out they could still need some help from other teams to advance. Washington has a fairly soft schedule the rest of the way but they have a classic NFC East battle with Philadelphia in a few weeks. The Redskins have lost 4 of their last 5 games and the offense has been missing in action. The Redskins have a tall mountain to climb in this one and will most likely not being playing after the regular season.

Philadelphia Eagles (7-5-1) – Ironically a tie is better than a loss. Philadelphia stands much better chance to make the playoffs with that tie and they are playing well right now. The Eagles defeated the Giants last week and blew out Arizona the week before. Their last 3 games are against Cleveland, Washington, and Dallas. The Eagles will be favored to win the first two and the battle with Dallas could very well decide which one of those teams earns the final wildcard spot. The Eagles really need to run the table because a loss would most likely eliminate all chances they have.

Minnesota Vikings (8-5) – The Vikings had a slow start to the regular season losing 3 out of their first 4 games. However, Minnesota rebound nicely and now has won 5 of their last 6 games led by running back Adrian Peterson. The Vikings benefit from a weaker conference and hold a one game advantage of the Chicago Bears. Minnesota has a tough road ahead taking on teams like New York Giants, Arizona, and Atlanta to close out the season. The best option for the Vikings is to hope the Bears can not close the gap in the NFC North.

Chicago Bears (7-6) – Despite having a record barely over .500 the Bears still have a good chance to win the NFC North. Chicago has struggled to post the necessary points to keep up with a few teams and they need to catch on surge on the offensive side of the ball. While they definitely have the softer schedule compared to the Vikings, the Bears will have to win at the very least two games to have a chance. If there happen to be a tie with Minnesota, the Bears would lose to the tie-breaker making their chances even dimmer.

Carolina Panthers (10-3) – The Panthers captured their biggest win of the season last Monday night manhandling the Buccaneers 38-23 in route to nearly 300 yards on the ground. The Panthers have emerged out of the NFC South and are playing very well. Carolina has the tools similar to Tennessee in the AFC in a very dangerous ground attack and a superb defense. Notice how the Titans are doing in the AFC, this type of football works. Despite the strong record the Panthers still can not afford to slip as Tampa could hold the tie-breaker by the end of the season with a better in conference record. Still, Carolina will most likely be in the playoffs and will probably find a way to win the division. The Panthers have the ingredients to beat anybody in the NFL and primed for a deep run in the postseason. If the Panthers manage to win out, they will get home field advantage throughout the playoffs which would be huge considering they have not lost at home all season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-4) – The Buccaneers could have really helped themselves with a victory over Carolina last week. Now they will take on the Atlanta Falcons in a game of equal importance. The Bucs had won 4 in a row prior to last week’s loss and they need to rebound and score a victory. The Buccaneers last 3 games involve two AFC opponents. This could really help because even if they loss it would be an out of conference loss which would help in tie-breaking scenarios. Tampa Bay will be favorites to win two of those games convincingly and a win over Atlanta would pretty much seal the deal. The Tampa Bay vs. Atlanta game could be an elimination game for both teams.

Atlanta Falcons (8-5) – The Falcons suffered a disappointing loss last week 29-24 from the New Orleans Saints. Atlanta still has a reasonable chance to make the playoff, but absolutely must beat Tampa Bay this weekend. Rookie QB Matt Ryan is a superstar in the making and is getting better week by week. Atlanta has a legitimate chance to win out and they may just have to because two wins may not be enough. Since week 4 every loss the Falcons faced, they have bounced back with two straight wins. Well this time they will need to bounce back with 3 straight wins. A loss to Tampa Bay however will end all hopes.

Arizona Cardinals (8-5) – Arizona clinched the NFC West last week with a win over the St. Louis Rams. Kurt Warner has led the Cardinal offense that has become one of the best in the NFL. Arizona offense can give any opposing defense nightmares. The Cardinals are another team that benefits from a weak conference, but they can be a legitimate threat. The Arizona defense has in return struggled this season giving up 25 points per game. If the defense could come on strong and catch a late season surge, this could be a very dangerous football team.

The following teams are completely eliminated from the NFC playoff picture: Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams

The following teams aren’t eliminated but have absolutley no chance: New Orleans Saints, Washington Redskins

The following teams are not even worthy of mentioning: “The Winless Detroit Lions”