Table of Contents
By Alex Lauzon from the “Course of Life” podcast
DIVISIONAL WEEKEND – THE ELITE EIGHT
I don’t mean to scare you, but we’re down to the last SEVEN games of the NFL Season. I know, I hate to be the one to deliver the first stab wound but let this be your reminder that time as an NFL fan is precious. We must hold onto these glorious playoff football weekends with everything we’ve got. There are just a few of them left but that means the games that are even more epic. Also, the opportunities for winning tickets, parlays to pay out, and props to hit are running out. In short – it’s time to push all in.
Wild Card Weekend brought us a frenetic comeback that came up short for the Fins, and another successfully completed by the Jags (of all teams). The Vikings did their usual thing we all suspected they would, and the Niners led by Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy flexed the biggest muscle of the weekend. Last but not least we saw the Cowboys roll through Tampa and potentially deliver the final blow to TB12’s career. Based on his press conference exit salutations, we could be in for another February retirement. Before the offseason Brady drama hits a fever pitch, we’ve got four TASTY matchups for the divisional weekend and the point spreads are tightening – let’s get to the early week plays:
BTW Our NFL Playoff contest is still live so get yourself involved in postseason picks! Free pool…lots of prizes…get on it now!
THE HEADLINERS
Saturday
Chiefs (-8.5) vs Jaguars – 4:30 pm ET – NBC
Coming off of the unthinkable 27-point comeback win at home, Trevor Lawrence and the Jags head to the behemoth that is Arrowhead to play the 1 seed. Mahomes and crew will be dialed and ready, but I will say that they’ve been susceptible to slow starts in spots like this in years past. If the Jags can jump out to a 10-0 or 14-3 type lead they stand a chance, but the odds of any comebacks repeating for this wild card team are unlikely. Get the number now before it gets to double digits. Even in a game that’s close, the Chiefs offense will overwhelm with time.
Alex’s Play: Chiefs -8.5
Eagles (-7) vs Giants – 8:15 pm ET – FOX
On the NFC side, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles come off their bye and get a very familiar division opponent in the Giants. Philly swept the season series with 48-22 and 22-16 wins, the second one with backups. Of the two teams off a bye, I’m actually foreseeing that Philly is the flatter of the two teams out of the gate and the Giants could take advantage. Saquon Barkley is becoming what we always thought he could be, and Daniel Jones limiting mistakes with the ball needs to complement in a big way to stay close here. I like the Giants to keep it within a score, but buying the half a point or waiting for 7.5 may be the prudent play:
Alex’s Play: Giants +7.5
Sunday
Bills (-4.5) vs Bengals – 3:00 pm ET – CBS
With the season of adversity, tragedy and health scares this team has had, the bandwagon for the Bills is just about fully loaded at this point. They tripped on themselves a few times in their surprisingly close win vs the Dolphins, but the offense still put points on the board when needed and they got the stop they needed late on D. This week, however, is a whole different animal. Joe Burrow has been down this road of winning playoff games in tough spots already in his young career – LAST YEAR. I’m quickly learning to not place wagers opposite Joe Cool aka Jackpot Joey, and that pattern continues with me for at least one more week. This one should be nothing short of an instant classic in Orchard Park.
Alex’s Play: Bengals +4.5
49ers (- 4) vs Cowboys – 6:30 pm ET – FOX
The Niners delivered with the most impressive and authoritative win of wild card weekend, and now Brock Purdy’s Cinderella, Tom Brady-esque run continues with a matchup against the Cowboys. It’s a fascinating matchup as it conjures up all sorts of 90’s memories for millennial and older football fans. Cowboys/Niners was practically an NFC playoff lock in those days, and the rivalry is revisited in a new way in 2023. The respect in the early line for the Cowboys is there, but if I’ve noticed anything about their offense it’s that it’s hard to put together two winning performances in a row. The Niners should win in front and San Fran wins a grinder, not as pretty as last weekend.
Alex’s Play: 49ers -4
WILDCARD WEEKEND Picks RECAP
The playoff betting frenzy here started off pretty warm, but a couple of game totals bit me to even things out for my wild card weekend. Overall we snuck just above .500 at 6-5-1 with the plays, picking a side and an over/under for every game on Twitter @courseoflife1. As for the card here, it was a split from the get-go.
Wildcard Weekend: 3-3 ATS, Postseason Overall: 3-3 ATS
Remember – our NFL Playoff contest is live so there are more chances to win this postseason!
EATS AND DEETS
The best crowd: Gonna have to go with the BITTER rivalry playing out in the parking lots of Lincoln Financial field. I wouldn’t bring a child to this one but it should be an entertaining environment for the NFC East clash.
Goofiest line: Bills getting that much respect off of that performance on Sunday? Looked a little shaky to me!
Tailgate pick of the week: The January diet is still on but there are plenty of workarounds for football food. This week we’re croc-potting those mini wieners in BBQ Sauce, hold the buns. A Texas tailgate classic if I do say so myself.
