NFL WILDCARD WEEKEND

UPDATE: 2 OF 3 PICKS HIT ON SATURDAY. Considering we hit 100% on week 18, we are on, what is commonly known as "a roll". Better hop on. 

 This is one of our favourite three-day weekends of the year.  We are recovering from the end of the holidays and the stress of the new year. A three-day weekend is just the ticket. And the NFL has a slew of games to help with the consumption of pizza, chicken wings and beer. 

WIN First up is Raiders at Bengals Saturday at 430 pm. These Raiders are fun to watch. Maxx Crosby on defense is a beast, second only to the Steelers TJ Watt this year. Derrick Carr has won some close games, and the team overcame some disastrous coaching problems as well as the tragedy of a WR getting involved in a DUI homicide. And yet, they made the playoffs. That's the good news. The bad news is that they are running into the hottest team in the playoffs- the previously downtrodden Cincinnati Bungles. These Bengals are no Bungles. They have arguably the QB (Joe Burrows) who had the best season, throwing to a number five pick at WR (Ja'Mar Chase) who is going to be the offensive rookie of the year. We are rooting for the Raiders, but it's midnight for Cinderella. Bengals -5.5 seems like a lock. Also over 48.5. (loss)

WIN. NOT EVEN CLOSE. WHAT DID WE TELL YOU? YOU SHOULD HAVE BET THE MORTGAGE AND KIDS EDUCATION ON THIS ONE. Next up is a game we are going to really enjoy. Saturday at 8:15 the New England Cheaters travel to Buffalo to get their heads handed to them by the Bills.  Take every available penny and put it on the Bills -4 at home over the evil genius. 

Sunday at 1pm the Eagles go to Tampa and take on the defending Champion Bradys. The bloom is sort of off the rose for Tampa courtesy of Antonio Brown who continually punked the Bucs head coach until he was forced to fire him which created the very best ever "I'm outta here" scene, and caused us, who had AB in our FF league playoffs to scream at the TV "where the F are you going???".  This is weird to say about a team that made the playoffs, but the Eagles had a disappointing year.  They should have been a higher seed. 8.5 is a lot, but we are going to hold our noses and lay the points on what we think is a ten-point Brady win. 

Sunday at 430 is 49ers at Cowboys. This is not your father's 49'ers Cowboys matchup of the late 1980s. Your Cowpokes were an astounding 10-3 against the spread this year, the best in the NFL. If Dak gets hot, this game is a blowout. Jimmy G is 7-0 in games he doesn't throw an INT. So watch the game and if he throws a pick early, bet the Cowboys for the second half. We do not love this pick, but Dallas is at home, and we are taking them -3. 

Sunday at 830 is your other Cinderella team, the Pittsburgh Steelers at KC. Going into week 18 the Steelers had a 4.5% chance of making the playoffs, and yet, here they are, playing a team that blew them out a few weeks ago. Mike Tomlin and his crew are good, but not that good. Like the Raiders, we will be rooting for Pittsburgh. The issue for the point spread is that Ben gets hot in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs are a 188,000 point favourite (actually 13 and the line has moved from 11 to 13), but we see a back door cover as Ben makes it close in the fourth quarter. Want to buy that new Tesla? Parlay the Raiders and Steelers money line for a win by both. Steelers +13. 

Monday night is another great game- Cardinals at Rams. We are on the Cardinals bandwagon. Like Cinncy and Buffalo they are a team to fear if they get hot. We have never liked Rams QB Matt Stafford. He's just one of these guys that don't seem to be able to win the big game, as he showed last week against the 49'ers. We are going to eschew the 4 points and take the Cardinals money line to win right out +170 (so for a hundred-dollar bet, if the Cardinals win, we get 170). 

Coming Sunday, a whole lot of trials in sedition arrests and protestors. Our take.