by: Double E
NFL Wildcard Weekend
After finishing the regular season a respectable 57-52, we can wipe the slates clean, it’s playoff football time!
Playoff football is one of the best times of the year. This year, we get the added excitement of several storylines that are sure to spice up these matchups. Cleveland and Houston start the action this weekend just two years removed from the Deshaun Watson trade. The Dolphins and Chiefs game features the return of Tyreek Hill to Arrowhead. Green Bay and Dallas renew one of the best playoff rivalries, while McCarthy gets his shot to send his former employer home. Mayfield and Hurts square off in the Lincoln Riley-apprentice bowl. But seemingly none of those storylines compare to the Rams and Lions matchup featuring the swap of two franchise quarterbacks. While it’s the Rams who have had the most success with each quarterback thus far, making it to a Super Bowl with both Goff and Stafford, the Lions seemed poised to make their own history.
Keep in mind that with limited matchups in the playoffs, it’s more difficult to find 6 picks that stand out. With that said, let’s look at the 6 that are the most appealing for Wild Card Weekend.
Spreads+Totals (0-0 for the playoffs)
1. Chiefs ML; Under 50.5: This game projects to be one of the coldest on record, which clearly favors the Chiefs given all the historical trends floating out there about the Dolphins record in cold weather games. On top of that, neither team scored the way we expect them too down the stretch, limiting the upside of taking the over.
2. Bills -3.5; Over 28.5: Another game expecting cold weather, I expect both teams to have success on the ground. The Bills, with Allen, will be able to extend drives and even potentially score more points if the wind limits kicking opportunities.
3. Bucs +10.5; Over 36.5: It’s well documented how far the Eagles have fallen the last 6-7 weeks of the regular season. While I still believe they’ll win this matchup, I can’t see them doing it by double digits. The Eagles simply lack the defensive prowess they once possessed.
Props (0-0 for the playoffs)
1. Isiah Pacheco under 3.5 receptions: A strong ground game will be essential to winning this matchup. The Chiefs are favored and rested Pacheco in week 18, meaning he should have all the necessary opportunity and juice to rush 20 or more times.
2. Amon-Ra St. Brown over 7.5 receptions: After getting snubbed from the Pro Bowl, Amon-Ra publicly stated is disappointment before terrorizing the Vikings for 7-144-1. I love betting on players with the passion St. Brown plays with, and with a high scoring affair projected, I think St. Brown hits the over here.
3. Ceedee Lamb over 7.5 receptions: All Ceedee did the last two weeks was explode for 26-325-3. Some guys get to the league and never crack those numbers in a single year. Adding to my love for this over is the fact Jaire Alexander got injured during Packers practice this week.