Divisional Round sides and totals
A pick for every game
Last week was one of the most boring Wild Card weekends we’ve had in years, with five of the six games being decided by at least 12 points, and five of the six games going under their totals. The one close game was Commanders-Bucs, which was decided in no small part because Tampa had multiple snap-related issues in the final five minutes, and the one game that went over was Chargers-Texans, which totaled 44 points against a 42.5 total thanks to a defensive TD and a late 86-yarder from Ladd McConkey. Even the one close game and the one over weren’t great.
That doesn’t mean there wasn’t good football played, just that we didn’t get strong matchups. It’s led to a set-up where three of the four games in the Divisional Round have spreads of at least 6 points, though the weekend is capped off with Ravens-Bills tomorrow evening. No matter what happens in the first three games, that one figures to be an epic showdown, even if one of the teams is somewhat dominant.
And because we have that game at the end of the weekend, the three with the larger spreads all just feel like icing to a degree. Hopefully one or more of them provides us with some intrigue, but even if not, we’ll still be happy to wait on that marquee matchup.
The picks went 2-2 last week, missing on two overs, moving us to 71-61-4 on the season. This week, while the lines feel very efficient, there are only seven games remaining in the NFL season, and four of those seven are happening by tomorrow night, so we’re getting after it. I’m making a spread pick for each one, and have two totals for you as well.
Let’s get to the picks. As always, all minus bets are bet to win 1 unit, all plus bets are risk 1 unit.