It’s the Wild Card weekend of the NFL season, which kicks off the playoffs on Saturday, so it’s time for our weekly look at the point spreads in order to help you win some money.
Last week, Charles Curtis went 5-10 in Week 17 picks (123-124-1 overall) and Steven Ruiz went 6-9 (122-111 overall).
We now go to each of them for comments before their picks.
Charles: Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I’m so mad. The quest for a second straight year with a winning record fell short by one game. Only thing I can do is deliver a better postseason.
Steven: Survived Week 17, which is always rough, with a winning record for the season. The playoffs should be much easier to pick.
(All bets courtesy of BetMGM)
Bills at Texans (-2.5)
Charles: Bills
I’m nervous. I can’t believe I’m about to back Josh Allen on the road in a playoff game, but here we are. But I can’t shake the fact that the Texans defense just isn’t good and that Buffalo’s secondary with Tre’Davious White can clamp down on DeAndre Hopkins, the most dangerous weapon Houston has.
Steven: Texans
The quarterback factor is too big for me to ignore. I know Deshaun Watson has been inconsistent — and kind of bad recently — but if you’re going to back one of these guys, it’s him. The Texans defense is awful, but playing at home should give it a boost. I see this one ending with a 23-16 score.
Titans at Patriots (-4.5)
Charles: Patriots
I know: the Patriots are not the same Patriots we’ve seen over the past two decades. Tom Brady and the offense can get stuck, and you could see a scenario in which the Titans take an early lead and the Pats have no response.
But this is not the game you’d bet against them. They still finished the season with the league’s best defense and Ryan Tannehill will play in his first postseason game in his career. Despite the fact that it was his play that helped carry this team to the playoffs, I can see Bill Belichick chuckling at the film and finding a way to stymie the Titans. A win by five points isn’t out of the question.
Steven: Patriots
Betting against the Patriots in the second half of the season has served me well, but it’s playoff time and that’s when Bill Belichick’s game-planning makes its biggest impact. He’ll have something cooked up to slow down Tennessee’s play-action passing game. And as bad as the Pats’ passing game has looked this season, the Titans’ pass defense hasn’t looked much better. New England *should* be able to move the ball in this one.
Vikings at Saints (-7.5)
Charles: Vikings
Look, the Saints are going to win this game. The defense will keep Kirk Cousins relatively in check and stop Dalvin Cook from completely breaking out. But that spread feels a tad too large to me, so I’ll take the points, with the hope that the Saints secondary learned a thing or two since the last time these two met in the postseason:
Steven: Vikings
I’m with Charles here. New Orleans is the pick to win the game but not by more than a touchdown. Mike Zimmer’s defense is too good to let that happen. And this Saints defense isn’t as strong as it was, say, a month ago. I’m expecting a huge day out of Michael Thomas but I’m not sure if the Saints have enough playmaking behind him to put up big numbers and turn this one into a blowout.
Seahawks at Eagles (-1.5)
Charles: Eagles
The Seahawks lost some of their luster in December, losing to an underachieving Rams squad, to the Cardinals and then on Sunday night to the Niners. Plus, they’re on the road against an Eagles team that suddenly showed some life with Carson Wentz (and yes, I’m aware all four of their wins were against putrid NFC East teams). This isn’t the same Seattle team that beat Philly at Lincoln Financial 17-9 in November, especially with Marshawn Lynch running the ball instead of Chris Carson or Rashaad Penny. So I’ll back the Iggles.
Steven: Seahawks
I think the Seahawks have been overrated all season, but this Eagles team is depleted on offense right now. This little win streak they’re on came against a putrid NFC East. It’s been a while since they’ve played a team as good as the Seahawks. It will undoubtedly be a close game, but I’ll take the better quarterback in this one, and that’s clearly Russell Wilson.
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