Tag: NFL playoffs 2021

NFL Playoff Conference Championship First Thought Predictions, Lines

The first predictions, early lines, and quick analysis of all the 2021 NFL playoff games – the conference championship version. 

The first predictions, early lines, and quick analysis of all the 2021 NFL playoff games – conference championship version.

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– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

It makes sense that the best quarterbacks and the best teams are in conference championships, but assuming – and really, really hoping – Patrick Mahomes is okay and ready to roll for the AFC Championship, the star power coming up on Sunday is as good as it gets.

This isn’t Tom Brady vs. a Drew Brees who’s on his last ride before hitting the TV booth. This is Tom Brady vs. soon-to-be-MVP Aaron Rodgers in what’s expected to be the snow and cold of Green Bay.

It’s Mahomes – again, fingers crossed – vs. Josh Allen in a battle of superstars who’ll be a big part of our NFL lives for the next decade.

Throw in the fun of a Buffalo Mafia fan base that’s losing its mind, the defending Super Bowl champs, Rodgers in his first home NFC Championship game, and Tom freaking Brady being a game away from another Super Bowl appearance, and …

Yeah. The NFL Playoffs are awesome.

As always, without doing any research or giving it a whole lot of deep-dive thought, we give our knee-jerk, always-go-with-your-first-answer thoughts and predictions along with a first guess line on each game. Then we go back and add the actual lines.

When our game previews come out – after the news of the week happens and we make the call for real – these can and might change, but …

NFL Playoff Conference Championship First Thought Predictions
– Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Green Bay Packers
– Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs

NEXT: 2021 NFL Playoffs NFC Championship: Tampa Bay vs. Green Bay

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

NFL Playoff Divisional Round First Thought Predictions, Lines

The first predictions, early lines, and quick analysis of all the 2021 NFL playoff games. 

The first predictions, early lines, and quick analysis of all the 2021 NFL playoff games. 

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– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

NFL Playoff Divisional Round First Thought Predictions
– Baltimore at Buffalo
– Cleveland at Kansas City
– Tampa Bay at New Orleans

Well that was a whole big big of fantastic.

The massive expanded NFL Wild Card weekend was outstanding from beginning to end. Even when there was a bit of a dud – (cough) Chicago New Orleans (cough) – it was still relatively entertaining in the glut of all those games that matter.

And now we get even more fun.

Two games Saturday, two games Sunday, and they’re going to be loaded.

Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen headline Saturday night when Baltimore goes to Buffalo, and we get Round 3 of Brady vs. Brees when Tampa Bay goes to New Orleans to end Sunday night.

Oh yeah, and the Rams going to Green Bay on Saturday and Cleveland taking its show to Kansas City on Sunday isn’t bad either.

So what’s going to happen?

As we do this for the college side, we go with the first-guess picks and then work from there. Like they tell you in third grade, always go with your first answer. I don’t look at the lines, guess at what they are, and then add them at the end.

By the way … went 6-0 straight up and 5-1 against the spread when doing this for the Wild Card round.

However, when our game previews come out – after the news of the week happens and there’s even more of a deep dive happening – these can and might change, but …

2021 NFL Playoffs Divisional Round: Saturday

6 Los Angeles Rams at 1 Green Bay Packers

Saturday, January 16
FOX, 4:35 ET
Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI

Knee-Jerk Instant Analysis: The Rams were able to pull it off against a Seattle team that – for some bizarre reason – thought the answer to not being able to hit third down plays was to keep chucking it deep. Green Bay will be sharper all the way around.

That LA D – No. 1 in the NFL – is obviously amazing, but Aaron Donald is banged up, and as good as that performance against the Seahawks was, that’s not going to be enough to overcome a still-injured Jared Goff.

Green Bay doesn’t turn the ball over enough to matter here, but there’s a bigger problem … Green Bay.

It’s still almost a week away, but it’s expected to be around 20ish degrees at game time.

Knee-Jerk No Research Prediction: Green Bay 26, Los Angeles 16
Early Line No-Look Guess: Green Bay -7.5
Actual BetMGM Line: Green Bay -7, o/u: 46

NFL Playoff Divisional Round First Thought Predictions
– Baltimore at Buffalo
– Cleveland at Kansas City
– Tampa Bay at New Orleans

NEXT: Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

NFL Playoff First Thought Predictions, Lines, Bracket, Super Bowl Pick

The first predictions, early lines, and quick analysis on all of the 2021 NFL playoff games. 

The first predictions, early lines, and quick analysis on all of the 2021 NFL playoff games. 

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– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

The NFL has made its way through, it expanded to include everyone who can throw a football and chew gum at the same time, and now comes the payoff with one-and-done games that ramp the intensity up a few levels.

Who’s going to win, how will the bracket go, and who’ll win the Super Bowl?

As we do this for the college side, we go with the first-guess picks and then work from there. Like they tell you in third grade, always go with your first answer. I don’t look at the lines, guess at what they are, and then add them at the end.

2021 NFL Playoffs Wild Card Round: Saturday

7 Indianapolis Colts at 2 Buffalo Bills

Saturday, January 9
CBS, 1:05 pm
Bills Stadium, Orchard Park, NY

Knee-Jerk Instant Analysis: The Colt lines are just good enough be a bother throughout. The great offensive front should be able to pound through the Bill defensive front, and on the other side, now the pressure is on. Josh Allen and the Bills are supposed to win. They’re supposed to keep this fun going. And they will, but it’ll be a bit of a grind until the Colt offense stalls in the fourth quarter and Buffalo finally pulls away.

Knee-Jerk No Research Prediction: Buffalo 30, Indianapolis 20
Early Line No-Look Guess: Buffalo -6.5
Actual BetMGM Line: Buffalo -6.5, o/u: 52.5

6 Los Angeles Rams at 3 Seattle Seahawks

Saturday, January 9
FOX, 4:40 pm
Lumen Field, Seattle, WA

Knee-Jerk Instant Analysis: Is Jared Goff able to go? How healthy is the rest of the Ram offense? It won’t matter – the defense will pick up the slack. This is a flaky LA team that could just as easily get blown out from jump as it could roll through with a stunning run. Seattle’s defense that’s had so many issues this year will get exposed further.

Knee-Jerk No Research Prediction: Los Angeles Rams 26, Seattle 23
Early Line No Look Guess: Seattle -4.5
Actual BetMGM Line: Seattle -4.5, o/u: 42

5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 4 Washington Football Team

Saturday, January 9
NBC, 8:15 pm
FedEx Field, Landover, MD

Knee-Jerk Instant Analysis: BE … CAREFUL. Everyone will mock, ridicule, and laugh at a 7-9 team being in the playoffs, but this defense is the real deal. Weather will matter a bit for the guys from Tampa, but the bigger problem will be Chase Young and a pass rush that will disrupt Tom Brady – the first time in weeks anyone will do that – and make this a fight. However, the Football Team offense will stall and make just enough mistakes to not pull this off, but the Buccaneers will get pushed.

Knee-Jerk No Research Prediction: Tampa Bay 23, Washington 16
Early Line No Look Guess: Tampa Bay -6.5
Actual BetMGM Line: Tampa Bay -7.5, o/u: 46.5

NFL Playoff First Thought Predictions
– Wild Card: Sunday
– Divisional Round: NFC
– Divisional Round: AFC
– Conference Championships, Super Bowl

NEXT: 2021 NFL Playoffs Wild Card Round: Sunday

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5