Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers
Sean McVay and the Rams produced the first upset of the NFL Playoffs as they travelled to Seattle and beat the Seahawks 30-20. After losing QB John Wolford to a neck injury, Jared Goff took over the reins and made key throws when it mattered. But the key was their defence and running game. Cam Akers finished with 131 rushing yards and a score. Meanwhile, the Rams defence sacked Wilson 5 times and Darious Williams returned an interception for the first touchdown of the game in the 2nd quarter. So the Rams defence should be confident coming into a tough matchup against Rodgers.
The 13-3 Packers enjoyed the week off as they watched the NFC battle each other. Their key to success is their passing offence behind Aaron Rodgers after finishing the year with 48 touchdown passes. However, this should be a challenging matchup for Davante Adams against the Rams #1 ranked pass defence in terms of yards allowed. While on defence, the Packers really haven't been troubled lately with a few soft matchups but they're also fairly strong against the pass and will look to pressure Jared Goff into mistakes.
The Packers have been pretty much unstoppable at home and while the Rams have a great defence, Aaron Rodgers is matchup nightmare along with Aaron Jones in the running game. So we do like the chances of a high scoring affair. As such, the Over is 5-0 in the Packers last 5 playoff games and also 7-0 in January games. The Rams also scored 30 points last week and should be well equipped if this turns into a shootout.
Stadium Record
Green Bay is 7-1 at home this season. The Rams are 1-4 at this venue since 2004.
Head to Head Record
The last meeting was in 2018 and the Rams won at home 29-27. But since 2002, the Packers lead the head to head, 6-4.
Best Bet
Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills
Baltimore and Lamar Jackson are coming off a massive playoff win over the Titans in Tennessee as they outlasted the home team, 20-13. Lamar's 48 yard touchdown run in the 2nd quarter sparked the Ravens and their defence was impressive. They allowed just 40 yards on 18 carries to the best running back in the league in Derrick Henry. They also intercepted Tannehill as the Titans mounted a late comeback. The Bills have a strong offence so the Ravens will need to be prepared again for a tough matchup.
The Bills playoff drought is over after they survived a late scare against the Colts (27-24) in their first playoff win since 1995. Josh Allen continued his combination with Stefon Diggs, which included a 35 yard bullet touchdown pass to start the 4th quarter. But the Bills would be looking to improve on defence. They didn't sack Rivers and had a fairly tough time stopping the run at times.
This should be a really close playoff game between two of the best running QBs in the NFL between Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. While the Bills have home field advantage, the Ravens defence is the stronger of the two teams and that should make things difficult for Buffalo. Meanwhile, the Ravens running game should be able to move the chains throughout the game and Lamar Jackson will be the key. So we do like his odds in the anytime touchdown scorer markets after he scored a TD last week.
Stadium Record
The Bills have won their last 5 home games. The Ravens are 1-2 at this venue since 2007.
Head to Head Record
The two sides met last season and the Ravens came away with a 24-17 victory. In the last 5 meetings, the Ravens are also 4-1.
Best Bet
Anytime Touchdown Scorer - Lamar Jackson $1.90
Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs
Well, the Browns defence came to play against the Steelers as they stormed out to a 28-0 lead in the first quarter. Overall, they picked off Big Ben 4 times in the best defensive effort of the season and the Browns easily won in the end, 48-37. Obviously, they'll be massive underdogs at Kansas City but the confidence of this team now will be a factor. Their pass defence coming into the playoffs was a question mark but last week's effort is a huge positive for this team.
Kansas City cruised into the playoffs with a 14-2 record and were able to rest their starters in a meaningless Week 17 matchup. So Patty Mahomes and his offence will be ready for what should be a high scoring affair on their home turf. The week off would've also helped the likes of Tyreek Hill nurse a hamstring injury and he'll be ready to go now. While on defence, the key will be stopping Nick Chubb and the Browns running game, where the Chiefs run defence has been average this season.
Cleveland will be a confident team after last week and the Chiefs may struggle in the early stages as their starters haven't played for 2 weeks. So it's hard to look past the Browns covering the line. The total is set around 57 points so the market is expecting a high scoring game and the Browns do the ability to score quick points if Mahomes gets on a roll. They also have a strong running game behind Chubb and Hunt. Kansas City also has a poor 1-5 ATS record at home and did fall behind in their last 2 home playoff games last season.
Stadium Record
The Chiefs are 13-2 at Arrowhead Stadium. Cleveland is 1-2 at this venue since 2009 but all 3 games have been close.
Head to Head Record
Kansas City won the last matchup in 2018, 37-21 and hold a 6-3 record since 2002.
Best Bet
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay and Tom Brady got the job done in Washington last week as they beat the home side 31-23. Antonio Brown and Brady hooked up for an early touchdown but Washington started to mount a comeback in the second half. However, the playoff experience of Brady showed and the Bucs earned their first playoff win since 2002. Their defence was impressive against the run (and has been most of the season) so that'll be the key against the Saints in this matchup.
Meanwhile, New Orleans were too good in the end for the Bears in their 21-9 home victory. Drew Brees tossed 2 touchdown passes, Alvin Kamara ran for 99 yards on the ground and Michael Thomas returned from injury with 5 catches / 73 yards / 1 TD. Their defence was also impressive as they stopped the Bears running game and forced Trubisky to beat them in the air, which he couldn't achieve many results.
The playoff matchup we all wanted between Brady and Brees is now a reality. New Orleans had the wood over the Bucs this season with a 34-23 win in Week 1 and a 38-3 thrashing in November. Brady has tossed 5 interceptions in those 2 games so if he can limit turnovers, then the Bucs are a better chance this timearound. Ultimately, good conditions in the dome should see a fairly high scoring game and a similar scoreline to the Week 1 34-23 result between the two teams. Both sides have strong passing games and the Over has a nice trend. It's 4-1 at this venue when the Bucs travel to New Orleans and they're also coming off a 54 point outing in Washington.
Stadium Record
The Saints have won 6 of their last 7 home games. Tampa Bay is 1-4 at this venue since 2016.
Head to Head Record
As mentioned, the Saints won both meetings this season and hold a 7-3 advantage since 2016.
Best Bet
