Welcome to another special Playoffs edition of SLICED SPREAD.
Last week was Wild Card Weekend, and I managed to finish 3-1 ATS and 2-2 H2H. Props to Tim Tebow for giving us all a wild finish to the proceedings on Sunday, and now let’s get to it as I take a look at the Divisional Round matchups:
SATURDAY:
New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers:
Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints are unstoppable at home in the dome, but they are also 3-2 when playing outdoors this season. It’s a good thing for the 49ers then that this game will be played on the grass in San Francisco, something the Niners earned by beating out New Orleans when it came to playoff seeding.
I feel like everyone and their uncle is thinking the Saints are going to march in and win big. However, I just can’t and won’t discount the Niners with the very disciplined Jim Harbaugh at the helm, Frank Gore running the football and the defense and special teams units both playing at an elite level.
In the end, the Niners will temper Brees’ offensive prowess and score just enough points with a late field goal to move onto the NFC Championship game.
CB’s Prediction: Niners win 26-24
CB’s Pick ATS: Niners +3
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Denver Broncos at New England Patriots:
I would love to see Tim Tebow pull off another miracle, but it just won’t happen as long as Tom Brady can connect with tight end Rob Gronkowski all night long. I want to believe in the Broncos defying the odds again this week, but I just can’t pick them in good conscience.
CB’s Prediction: Patriots win 35-24
CB’s Pick ATS: Broncos +13.5
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SUNDAY:
Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens:
In what will likely be the snoozer of the week when these two very methodical teams square off, I think the Texans are being highly overlooked. Despite their record, the Ravens have been very inconsistent throughout this season, and now that the Texans notched their first playoff win they are playing with house money while the Ravens now have all of the pressure on them to win. Arian Foster is a beast and the Texans’ offensive line is very good at opening running lanes and protecting their young quarterback. As for the Ravens, I just don’t trust their offense to not come out flat, and that will cost them in the long run here.
CB’s Prediction: Texans win 23-20
CB’s Pick ATS: Texans +7.5
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New York Giants at Green Bay Discount Double-checks Packers:
The Giants have all of the momentum in the world coming into this game and Eli Manning also happens to have a playoff win at Green Bay that he notched in 2007 during New York’s improbable run to the Super Bowl that year. At the same time, Aaron Rodgers is on the other side of the ball this Sunday, and one of the hardest things to do in sports is to deliver that final knockout blow to any team that is defending its championship.
Ultimately, I am picking the Giants because they are playing at such a high level defensively and hitting enough big plays offensively that they will come into this game completely unintimidated by their opponents, and that extra boost combined with execution will be just enough to escape Green Bay with a big road playoff win.
CB’s Prediction: Giants win 31-28
CB’s Pick ATS: Giants +7.5
That’s it for this special NFL Divisional Round Weekend edition of SLICED SPREAD.
See you next time – CB
