Revenge—this week the Cowboys were still playing for home field advantage while the Eagles were playing for nothing, yet the Eagles came into Dallas and beat them, because they still had motivation after getting stomped earlier in the year. Revenge is a strong motive even if you are out of the playoffs.

Protect your turf—the fact that you may be out of the playoffs does not mean you want roll over at home. It’s embarrassing at home to lose and to lose badly so at any given time a home team will not give up the good fight. A perfect example was this week when a Carolina team that barely had playoff hopes alive fought off and beat a Seattle team that was in the battle for home field.

Win total—its easy to spot a team that has given up, take a look at the wins they have. If they have three wins or less they are not used to winning and can throw in the towel barring any good side stories that may make a difference.

Side stories—this time of year it is more important than ever to just read the newspaper. Side notes that are hidden in a reporter’s blog should now be headlines for the sports bettor. Little things can make all the difference. If a team has given up on the season but are letting younger kids play they will try harder and in turn not give up on the season. A perfect example was San Francisco starting a third string QB and the team wanting to play well to give him a win when he rarely gets a chance to start.

So what’s left?—With two weeks left there is still plenty of time to see the teams that need it for playoff reasons, but its harder to dig up the teams that still will play even if they don’t need it. Make sure to do your research on teams and look for the little differences that will motivate a team this late in the season to play well on Sunday. Stop by www.bangthebook.com and get all of the last minute information to make a profit late in the NFL Season!