Tag: Divisional Round

Can the Seahawks win in Lambeau Field for the 1st time since 1999?

The Seattle Seahawks will face the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round and will try for their first win in Lambeau Field since 1999.

The Seattle Seahawks face a daunting challenge in the divisional round of the 2019-2020 NFL postseason as they travel to Lambeau Field to play the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

The Packers finished 13-3 and claimed the No. 2 seed in the NFC under a rookie head coach in Matt LaFleur, a revitalized offense, and a defense that has shown flashes of greatness throughout the season. Not many of their wins have looked easy, and like the Seahawks, they have had a tendency to play down to the level of their seemingly-inferior opponents. However, quarterback Aaron Rodgers is still capable of strong play even at age 36 and he has proven that he can still take over a game when the Packers need him to.

But there is something even more troubling for Seattle. The Seahawks have not won a game in Lambeau Field since 1999, the first season in franchise history under Mike Holmgren. Be it in the regular season or the playoffs, Seattle has been unable to seize victory in Lambeau in the 21st century. In fact, the Seahawks have had quite a few brutal losses on the frozen tundra, including the 2003-2004 wild card loss in which Matt Hasselbeck threw a pick-six to Al Harris in overtime that decided the outcome, and a 38-10 thumping in 2016 in which Russell Wilson threw five interceptions. In addition, Green Bay is known to play well in wintry conditions and the temperature drops of December and January, especially in Wisconsin. This matchup will certainly not be easy and the Seahawks should definitely expect more resistance from Green Bay than they received from the Eagles.

Seattle has a prime opportunity to defeat the Packers in Lambeau for the first time this century. It will not be a cakewalk, but the Seahawks have proven themselves to be warriors on the road this season with an 8-1 record (postseason included) and they could extend that record on Sunday. If there is one thing the Seahawks know how to do, it is keeping a game competitive.

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Divisional Round: Tennessee Titans at Baltimore Ravens odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s AFC Divisional Round showdown between the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens, with betting odds, picks and bets.

The top-seeded Baltimore Ravens (14-2) host the sixth-seed Tennessee Titans (9-7) in an AFC Divisional Round showdown at M&T Bank Stadium Saturday. Kickoff is at 8:15 p.m. ET. We analyze the Titans-Ravens odds and sports betting lines, while providing NFL betting tips and advice on this matchup.

Titans at Ravens: Divisional Round preview, betting trends and notes

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  • The Ravens come off the Wild Card Round bye on a 12-game winning streak. Eight of those victories were decided by at least two scores.
  • The Titans took down the New England Patriots 20-13 on the road in the Wild Card Round. QB Ryan Tannehill passed for just 72 yards with one touchdown and one interception as RB Derrick Henry rushed for 182 yards and a touchdown.
  • The Ravens ranked fifth in the regular season with 93.4 rushing yards allowed per game as they go up against the 2019 rushing champ in Henry.
  • Baltimore lost 23-17 to the Los Angeles Chargers in last season’s wild-card game. QB Lamar Jackson threw for 194 yards with two TDs and one INT. He added 54 rushing yards.
  • The Ravens haven’t won a Divisional Round game since 2012 when they beat the Denver Broncos 38-35 in double overtime and went on to win Super Bowl XLVII.
  • The Titans’ last second-round win came in 1999 when they beat the Indianapolis Colts 19-16 en route to a 23-16 loss to the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV.
  • Baltimore and Tennessee ranked No. 1 and 3, respectively, in team rushing yards per game in the regular season. The Titans ranked 12th with 104.5 yards allowed on the ground per game.
  • The Ravens are 38-2 when allowing fewer than 22 points in a game since the start of 2016. The Titans topped that number in eight of 10 regular-season games since making the switch from QB Marcus Mariota to Tannehill.

Titans at Ravens: Key injuries

The Titans made it through the Wild Card Round healthy, but the season-long losses of DL Cameron Wake (undisclosed) and CB Malcolm Butler (wrist) will be factors against the top-ranked offense of the Ravens.

Ravens RB Mark Ingram (calf) and TE Mark Andrews (ankle) are expected to play after sitting out the regular-season finale.

Titans at Ravens: Odds, betting lines and prediction

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 11:30 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Ravens 27, Titans 13

Moneyline (?)

The Titans (+350) pulled off the upset as road dogs against the Patriots in Round 1, but the Ravens (-455) have a much more dominant offense and will be able to pull away. Some early scores will force Tennessee to turn away from Henry and the ground attack and keep the ball in Tannehill’s hands.

These odds are far too chalky, however, so look to better odds on the spread.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the favored Ravens to win outright returns a profit of only $2.20. It’s not worth the minimal risk.

Against the Spread (?)

The RAVENS (-8.5, -115) are just the second-largest favorites of the week next to the Kansas City Chiefs, who are laying -9.5 points against the Houston Texans. Feel comfortable backing the home side to win by at least 9 points, as they did frequently while running the table from Week 5 on.

Baltimore was 10-6 against the spread in the regular season and covered the number by a league-high 10.2 points per game.

Over/Under (?)

The projected total of 47.5 is the second-highest of the second round, behind only Chiefs-Texans (48.5). Take the UNDER 47.5 (-110) with the Ravens expected to pull away and take away the Titans’ No. 1 scoring threat in Henry. The 13 points allowed by the Titans last week matched the second-lowest total they gave up all season.

Want action on this game? Sign up and bet at BetMGM. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Esten’s NFL betting record: 57-48

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Seahawks to square off against Packers in divisional round of playoffs

The Seattle Seahawks will travel to Green Bay on Sunday to face the Packers at Lambeau Field in the divisional round of the playoffs.

The Seattle Seahawks beat the Philadelphia Eagles 17-9 wild-card weekend to advance to the divisional round of the playoffs. Seattle will next travel to Green Bay to square off against the Packers at Lambeau Field. Kickoff is set for Sunday afternoon at 3:40 p.m. PT on Fox.

“There is a real confidence about us,” coach Pete Carroll said after the Seahawks’ victory over the Eagles. “We don’t care where we’re playing.”

Seattle has been impressive on the road this year, winning seven regular-season away games in addition to the wild-card win in Philadelphia.

The weather forecast for Green Bay next Sunday is for high 20’s to low 30’s with cloudy skies – with no snow projected (for now) on game day.

The other NFC divisional-round matchup has been set as well. After beating the Saints in New Orleans, the Vikings will head to Santa Clara to face the 49ers, the top seed in the NFC.

New Orleans and San Francisco will battle first, with the contest set for Saturday, Jan. 11 at 1:35 p.m. PT on NBC.

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New Orleans Saints suffer third straight brutal playoff ouster

The Saints suffered another brutal way to have their season end in the playoffs Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

The New Orleans Saints have to wonder what it takes to catch a break and win a playoff game.

New Orleans became the second team to lose two playoff games in overtime when it fell to the Minnesota Vikings, 26-20, Sunday at the Superdome.

The loss is the third straight brutal one in the postseason for Sean Payton, Drew Brees & Co.

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Winner of Seahawks vs. Eagles will face Packers in Green Bay

The winner of the Seatt.e Seahawks vs. Philadelphia Eagles wild-card matchup will face the Packers in Green Bay in the divisional round.

The Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles wild-card matchup has just gotten underway and both teams now know who the winner will face next weekend in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Earlier Sunday afternoon, the Vikings (No. 6 seed) pulled off the upset over the Saints (No. 3 seed ) in New Orleans. Minnesota was able to score first in overtime, to ensure the 26-20 victory. The Vikings will now travel to play the 49ers on the road next weekend.

As a result, the winner of this afternoon’s game will head to Green Bay to face the Packers, the No. 2 seed in the NFC.

The AFC matchups have already been determined – the Titans hit the road against the top-seeded Ravens on Saturday and the Texans will square off in Kansas City against the Chiefs Sunday early afternoon.

Either the Seahawks or the Eagles will take the stage in Green Bay on Sunday at 3:40 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on Fox.

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WATCH: Did Kyle Rudolph push off on Vikings’ game-winning TD in OT?

Kirk Cousins found Kyle Rudolph in overtime to give the Vikings a Wild-Card victory over the Saints.

The Minnesota Vikings move on to a Divisional round date Saturday with the San Francisco 49ers after surviving New Orleans and the Saints in overtime, 26-20, Sunday at the Superdome. The game was decided on the first play of the extra session when Kirk Cousins found Kyle Rudolph in the end zone.

The winning score was set up by a 43-yard pass from Cousins to Adam Thielin, who made a wonderful over-the-shoulder catch.

New Orleans players were indicating the Minnesota tight end pushed off to get separation on the play that ended the Wild-Card game. However, no review was made and the Saints were done.

New Orleans seems to have a thing with playoffs and controversy. Remember last season?

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

NFL playoffs: Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens open as strong AFC Divisional round favorites

Vegas thinks the AFC Divisional round games will strongly favor the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs.

The AFC Wild-Card round is barely over. Vegas doesn’t let anything get by it, however, and the lines are out for next week’s AFC Divisional round games.

The Tennesee Titans will visit the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. On Sunday, the Houston Texans will visit the Kansas City Chiefs in a game that will feature Deshaun Watson against Patrick Mahomes.

The lines are:

Bettors are jumping on the home teams:

The Titans and Ravens did not play in the regular season.

The Texans downed the Chiefs, 31-24, in October asWatson threw for 280 yards and a touchdown while running for two more, outdueling Mahomes, who was picked two spots ahead of him in the 2017 NFL Draft. Carlos Hyde ran for 116 yards and a touchdown against the team that traded him to Houston in the preseason, when the Chiefs decided there was no room for him in their own backfield.

The teams combined for 21 penalties totaling nearly 150 yards, and that didn’t include close to a dozen flags that were offsetting, overruled or declined.

NFL announces important calendar dates for January 2020

A look at the important NFL calendar dates coming up to start the new year, including the wild-card round between the Seahawks and Eagles.

Happy New Year! With the start of 2020, the National Football League has released some important calendar dates.

The days and times for the wild card and divisional round matchups had already been announced. The Seahawks will travel to Philly to face the Eagles on Sunday at 1:40 p.m. PT to wrap up the first week of the postseason.

Here’s the rundown of the rest of the scheduled events for January, per NFL Communications.

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NFL announces wild card and divisional round playoff schedule

Following the Seahawks loss to the 49ers, the NFL announced the wild card and divisional round playoff schedule for the following weekends.

The Seattle Seahawks fell to the San Francisco 49ers Sunday night in their final game of the regular season, losing the NFC West title and entering the postseason as the No. 5 seed in the NFC.

Seattle will travel to Philadelphia (NFC East winner) next Sunday to face the Eagles.

Here’s a look at the wild-card schedule for next weekend and the potential divisional round matchups to follow, per NFL Communications.

NFL WILD CARD PLAYOFFS

Saturday, Jan. 4

AFC: 1:35 p.m. (PT) Buffalo at Houston (ESPN, simulcast on ABC)

AFC: 5:15 p.m. (PT) Tennessee at New England (CBS)

Sunday, Jan. 5

NFC:    10:05 a.m. (PT) Minnesota at New Orleans (FOX)

NFC:    1:40 p.m. (PT) Seattle at Philadelphia (NBC)

NFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

Saturday, Jan. 11

NFC: 1:35 p.m. (PT) Philadelphia/Seattle/Minnesota at San Francisco (NBC)

AFC: 5:15 p.m. (PT) Houston/Buffalo/Tennessee at Baltimore (CBS)

Sunday, Jan. 12

AFC: 12:05 p.m. (PT) New England/Houston/Buffalo at Kansas City (CBS)

NFC: 3:40 p.m. (PT) New Orleans/Philadelphia/Seattle at Green Bay (FOX)

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