Sports Betting Blog

Eight teams will have to battle for the four spots in the Divisional Playoffs

The Dallas Cowboys have had some troubles this season. Tony Romo had a fairly good season, with 4483 passing yards, and 26 touchdowns. But when it comes to playoffs his 63.1% completion average drops to 53.8%. Romo has only completed 398 yards in his 3 playoffs appearances and has not won any of his playoff’s games.

Although the Cowboys have won their last three games, the Eagles’ last couple postseason numbers are much more inviting. Just like last weekend’s game, Dallas is facing the Eagles at the Cowboys Stadium, and home sweet home, might just give them an extra edge.  They played very well for the NFC East title against the Eagles to win 24-0 last week. But it has been 13 years since Dallas won in the Playoffs.

On the other hand, under Coach Andy Reid the Philadelphia Eagles have reached five NFC title games, including last year’s run. And if it is consistency you are looking for, the Eagles have kept Reid in front of the team ever since he was hired in 1999. The Cowboys have had four different coaches in that span.

The Eagles were playing brilliantly just before this last weekend. They had a six-game win streak until their last visit to the Cowboys Stadium. And all though they have already lost twice against the Cowboys this season, they sure know how much is at stake in this game. As of press time, Instant Action Handicappers have made the Cowboys favorite by -4. That is the highest spread among the 4 Wild Card Round games.

On Sunday, at 4:30, the last spot for the Divisional Playoffs will be played.  The Arizona Cardinals are going to be facing the Green Bay Packers at the University of Phoenix Stadium. Last Sunday, the Cardinals played it easy and cautiously against the Green Bay Packers. The result: Green Bay wiped out Arizona Cardinals reserve players 33-7. Arizona’s Head Coach Ken Whisenhun sat quarterback Kurt Warner after the first quarter, and rested most of his key players. After the Cardinals saw the Minnesota Vikings team win it game against the N.Y. Giants, they decided to put their flaps down against the Packers in a meaningless game.

Aaron Rodgers, the Packers’ young quarterback didn’t get much rest. But he sure is got to be excited about his playoffs’ debut. Let’s just see if he can fill Bret Favre’s big shoes. We could suppose that Head Coach Mike McCarthy was trying to keep up the team’s momentum by keeping his starters in last week’s game.  At least we would like to believe that this is where he was going with such a risky decision. The Packers have won 7 of their last 8 games, and that is certainly going to have them fired up. .

Kurt Warner, Arizona’s QB, is 8-3 in the postseason, and he was quite brilliant in last season’s playoffs. He completed 11 touchdown passes with only 3 interceptions. But Warner is going to be trying to surpass NFC’s top defense. In general terms, the Cards have a bit more experience in playoffs. But the Packers have built great momentum from their last games.

It is going to be a close match. At least that’s what Instant Action Sports handicappers are predicting. As of press time the Cardinals are the favorite by only 1 point in the NFL playoffs wagering lines. Both the juice and the spread are going to be oscillating a bit as kick off time closes in.

Eight teams will have to battle for the four spots in the Divisional Playoffs

The Cincinnati Bengals will have a real shot against the N.Y. Jets this Saturday. Leaving playoffs strategy behind, during last week’s game the Bengals had nothing to prove. They had already secured a spot for the wildcard round, while the Jets were forced to win if they had intentions of moving on to the postseason. But even if Cincinnati was not trying hard, a 37-0 loss against the Jets might just seem like a bit too much.  Who are we kidding? It’s too much for a NFL team about to go into the playoffs. 

The Jets have amazingly pulled off a qualification into the playoffs. And they are looking strong. They have won 5 of their last 6 games. One could object that their last two opponents, the Colts and the Bengals, were not trying too hard. Nevertheless, the Jets are in good shape. So yes, quarterback Mark Sanchez has had many interceptions in his rookie year (20!), but he has also completed 2444 passing yards and 12 touchdown passes. Let’s face it, we can think of at least two other Hall-of-Fame QB’s who also threw tons of interceptions in their rookie year. 

Even if the Bengals have lost 3 of their last 4 games to playoff’s teams, Carson Palmer and his 3,094 passing yards; Chad Ochocinco and his 72 receptions and 9 touchdowns, are expected to bring back their magic, for the Bengals have been handicapped as the favorite. The wagering lines opened at Cincinnati -3.5 but as of press time, the Bengals are the favorite by 3pts. Whichever team wins this wildcard will face #1 seed Indianapolis Colts in what will be one tough away game. 

On the other hand, the Baltimore Ravens will face the New England Patriots to complete the AFC Wild Card Weekend. The Ravens haven’t had the best season ever. With a 9-7 record, they have struggled to win 3 of their 8 games on the road. The team has serious deficiencies in both its offensive and defensive lines. But, the Ravens made it into the playoffs while the Pittsburg Steelers are now officially on vacation. And the hardcore fans take this as some extra kudos.  

The Patriots on the other hand are a strong team, and they do very well in the playoffs. Truth be told, Patriots’ Head Coach could have copied a page from the Colt’s Jim Caldwell who sat down his key players in the last games of the regular season to save them from injuries. But he did not, and now his best runner is going to be out for the playoffs. They are strong, but it’s hard to tell how much Wes Welker’s absence is going to affect their game. All we can tell you is that Instant Actions Sports handicappers have made the Pats favorite in their wagering line by 3½ points. The winner will face the San Diego Chargers the following weekend.