Projected Line: Houston by 1 point
This is the second time in a row that these two teams face each other on this playoff round, but I expect a very different result this time. Houston has struggled during the second half of the regular season, especially on offense. Cincinnati has an underrated defense, with a very good pass rush and I believe they will be able to limit a struggling Matt Schaub and also the Texans running game that was just #16 on the regular season in rushing yards per carry. On the other hand, Cincinnati has in A.J. Green a massive threat on their passing game and with Jonathan Joseph physically limited, the Texans coverage isn't as good right now as they were in the first half of the season. Cincinnati ended the regular season in much better form than Houston and they will be eager to get revenge over their humiliating loss at Houston in last year's playoffs. I expect a very close game in here, so I'll be taking the Bengals plus the points.
Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 101 Cincinnati Bengals (+4,5) @ -110 / 1.91 on Bovada
NFL Wild Card - 105 Indianapolis Colts @ 106 Baltimore Ravens
Projected Line: Baltimore by 10 points
It's a fact that Andrew Luck performed a lot of great comebacks and he played very well down the stretch during the regular season, however he still had some problems throughout the season as well by being #31 in completion percentage, #17 in yards per pass attempt and #26 in quarterback rating, while having a 23/18 TD/INT ratio. Luck had some great plays, but he also had some terrible passes and this can easily become a problem against such an experience defense like the Ravens have. Baltimore's defense surely regressed this season, but they are still a top 10 defense in both against the pass and the rush in my book, so I believe they will be able to limit considerably Andrew Luck and the Colts passing game today. With the Colts running game not being a threat, Baltimore's defense should be able to have a good game today. On the other hand, Indianapolis struggled on both run defense and pass defense the whole season, therefore I expect Baltimore to have a good offensive game today. Joe Flacco struggled during parts of the season, but he performs better at home, while Ray Rice will have a very favorable matchup against a Colts poor run defense that can easily get crushed by a quality running back. Just ask Jamaal Charles. I expect the much more experienced Ravens to have a comfortable home win today against a team that gives them a very favorable matchup, especially on playoff stage.
Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 106 Baltimore Ravens (-6,5) @ -115 / 1.87 on Betonline
NFL Wild Card - 107 Seattle Seahawks @ 108 Washington Redskins
Projected Line: 50 points
I expect this game to be absolutely electrifying! Seattle's offense has been amazing during the past month, with Russell Wilson playing with a lot of confidence, while Marshawn Lynch keeps being one of the most dangerous running backs in the league. Washington's defense started the season badly, but they bounced back and I would say they are now an average defense. The problem is that an average defense isn't good enough to handle Seattle's current form on offense. Therefore, I expect the Seahawks to have a good offensive game on this contest. On the other hand, I also believe the Redskins are going to have a good game on their offense. Seattle is just #23 on run defense with 4.5 rushing yards allowed per carry and even though RGIII is still a bit limited on his movement, Alfred Morris is in excellent form and he has a very favorable matchup against the Seahawks. Also don't discount RGIII's ability to throw some big plays, even though Seattle has one of the best pass defenses in the league. With two very explosive offenses having favorable matchups on this contest, I expect this game to be a high scoring one. Therefore, I'll be taking the Over in here.
Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 107/108 Over 46 @ -110 / 1.91 on Bovada
2-Team 6pts Teaser:
NFL Wild Card - 103 Minnesota Vikings @ 104 Green Bay Packers
NFL Wild Card - 105 Indianapolis Colts @ 106 Baltimore Ravens
This is a revenge game for the Packers, as they lost in Minnesota last week. In that game, Christian Ponder was able to have a good performance, however on a road playoff game and especially at Green Bay, I believe he will heavily struggle tonight and get back into his non-effective mode. Adrian Peterson has been unbelievable, but he can't do everything on his own, especially with him getting a very big workload time and time again. The Packers had also one week to make some adjustments on how to defend Peterson and even though I expect the Vikings RB to have another good performance, I don't believe Minnesota will be very effective on offense tonight, due to their struggles on the passing game. On the other hand, Aaron Rodgers has finally all his receivers back and against an average-at-best Vikings pass defense, I expect him to have a big game tonight. I believe the Packers are clearly the better team on this game, even though Adrian Peterson has been amazing, and so, I expect Green Bay to win comfortably tonight.
Pick: 3 units (Single Dime Play) on 104 Green Bay Packers (-1,5) x 106 Baltimore Ravens (-1) @ -110 / 1.91 on 5Dimes
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