Time is running out for bettors to make headway on NFL betting odds out of Las Vegas.It's sort of like the playoff chances for teams in almost any division this year, considering one miserable set of teams (cough, NFC East) wouldn't even be bowl-eligible in college but will send a team to the postseason.Which one is the question. It's the same one facing bettors in what looks like a difficult set of games this week, so here's a look at the full odds out of Las Vegas and how bettors should approach them.NFL Week 14 OddsOdds courtesy of Odds Shark. Early-Week Odds to BetAtlanta at Carolina (-8.5)The NFC South isn't much better than its East counterpart.Alas, there's plenty of coin up for grabs when the 12-0 Carolina Panthers take on the 6-6 Atlanta Falcons. Those who took a month or so away from NFL action for whatever reason might be confusedthe Falcons have lost five in a row and six of their last seven.Last time out, Atlanta took a 23-19 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Matt Ryan mustered just one touchdown pass and Devonta Freeman had 3.4 yards per carry, handing the NFC South crown to the Panthers.They still have to play each other twice.The first matchup, at least, will get quite ugly. Cam Newton, who has 32 total touchdowns this year, has helped the Panthers to score at least 27 points in every game since Week 3. No defense, including Tampa Bay, Seattle or any other, has found a way to slow the versatile attack just yet, which also features a suddenly in-form Jonathan Stewart, owner of 914 yards and five scores.For fun, Atlanta and Carolina have a common opponent in Tampa Bay. Atlanta lost to the Buccaneers twice, Carolina blew them out of the water in 37-23 fashion. Expect a blowout in this one.Prediction: Panthers 28, Falcons 17San Diego at Kansas City (-11.5)Another divisional matchup, another blowout and a chance for bettors to make some serious coin.The San Diego Chargers, to the surprise of many, sit at 3-9. Things looked promising after a win to start the season, sure, but Philip Rivers and Co. have only mustered wins against the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars since.That right there should have bettors rushing to get bets in as soon as possible.No' Here's a look at how San Diego has fared in AFC West encounters this season:So no, the over isn't such a bad idea here.Helping things is the fact the Kansas City Chiefs stand as one of the league's hottest teams. Andy Reid's team has won six in a row after losing five in a row, an epic turnaround fueled by all three phases of the game.Over the streak, the Kansas City defense has allowed more than 20 points once and the offense has posted 30 or more four times. In the 33-3 whipping of these Chargers in Week 11, Alex Smith didn't even throw a touchdown because the offense ran for 153 yards and three scores while intercepting Rivers once and holding rushers to 2.1 yards per carry.This contest in Kansas City will be more of the same. The Chargers don't have enough on either side of the ball to make it a contest. These Chiefs certainly aren't the Browns or Jaguars.Prediction: Chiefs 40, Chargers 18New England (-3) at HoustonThe New England Patriots are suffering.Gone are Dion Lewis and Julian Edelman, among many others. Rob Gronkowski has a slight issue, too. These hiccups have in large part led to the Patriots sitting on a two-game losing streak, the latest a surprise 35-28 upset at the hands of the struggling Philadelphia Eagles."We'd love to have everybody healthy. I think everybody would love that," quarterback Tom Brady said, according to ESPN.com. "It's just not the reality at this point."While it sounds all doom and gloom, here's a bit of history to consider when bettors look at this line, as captured by Christopher Price of WEEI.com:New England isn't losing to Houston.The Texans sit at 6-6 and are in a serious battle for first place in the AFC South. J.J. Watt and Co. have won four of their last five, but last time out was a 30-21 loss to the Buffalo Billsa team the Patriots have already beat twice this season.In the win, Buffalo posted three touchdowns through the air and 187 rushing yards against what should be an intimidating defense. Brady can match or exceed those numbers through the air, especially now that he's angry, and for the first time this season the Patriots cannot afford to be complacent atop the AFC East.Most times it's silly to let factors influence a bet. This isn't one of those times, as New England hasn't lost a trio of games in more than a decade for a reason. Brian Hoyer and the Texans are a solid team, but only when the opponent plays into their game plan and pace.Brady and Co. will dictate this one when they come out firing.Prediction: Patriots 45, Texans 24Stats courtesy ofNFL.comand accurateas of December 8. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
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