Here comes the money!!! We are 7-1 since the start of the playoffs and we are going for 9-1 this week with the NFC and AFC Championship games. Let’s dive right in shall we?
AFC Championship: Patriots (+3) @ Chiefs
After all the bull shit we have gone through watching and betting on football this year, we have arrived. We all saw this matchup coming, but can we see who will win? New England is REALLY milking this under dog thin to the point where it is incredibly obnoxious. At the end of the day, Brady and Belichick are legends of the game. No doubt about it. But you can’t blame people for trying to predict the end of the Patriot dynasty. They dismantled the Chargers last week in impressive fashion. A lot of people had the Chargers (not us) and it made sense at the time. Getting 4 points, the Chargers seemed like a team of destiny. But then the New England magic showed up early and often, leading to a Patriot win.
Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid have the Kansas City offense hitting on all cylinders and the defense came up big against a lifeless Indianapolis Colts offense last week. Our question is, can this Kansas City defense hold off the last charge of Tom Brady and the Patriots? Kansas City is finally healthy on both sides of the ball for the most part. You can make the argument that the Chiefs are a better defense lately than they get credit for. Am I going to make that argument ? Hell no.
This could possibly be the game of the year and I for one am incredibly excited for this one. At the end of the day with the Patriots getting 3 points, Vegas is basically begging you to go all in on the Chiefs. I honestly believe Belichick will throw so many different schemes and looks at Mahomes that it will get the Patriots a win overall by a slim margin. That is why I love that 3 I am getting with this bet. Now Mahomes won’t be shut down by any stretch, but the Patriot game plan will be to keep him off the field by running the ball with copious amounts of screen passes. Hoping to drain the clock, the Pats will try to put Mahomes in a position where he has to “make something happen” by bombing the ball down field. And that is when Belichick’s defense will do just enough to keep those deep balls from connecting.
Pick: Patriots (+3)
NFC Championship: Rams (+3) @ Saints
By far one of my toughest picks of the year. The Saints look, sound, and smell like a team of destiny this year. With Drew Brees breaking the All Time Passing hard record at the Superdome, and the team getting the #1 seed for the first time in forever, this is all lined up for NOLA. Michael Thomas is solidifying his position at the top of the wide receiver power rankings in the NFL. They have arguably the best back field in the NFL and the defense has been a bit overrated, but solid all year. Sean Payton has coached this team masterfully all year and he will get a healthy amount of coach of the year votes.
The Rams are coming around and shaping into their best form right on time. Even though they lost to the Saints in the Superdome back on November 11th this season by 10 points, they still have a very good chance at a win tomorrow. Gurley is 100% finally and the addition of CJ Anderson has been a nice complement to Gurley in the backfield. You already know the year that Jared Goff has been having with these talented receivers. And Sean McVay has been the mastermind behind the whole damn thing. Wade Phillips’ defense is the unit to watch this week. Will he be able to throw a few curveballs The Saints way? I honestly don’t think any sort of curveball coverage would phase the Saints at this point.
I hate laying any amount of points when it comes to the playoffs, but here I think it is very safe to put down three. It will be close, but not field goal close. Saints should win by at least a touchdown when it is all said and done. And don’t feel bad Rams fans. It just feels like McVay and company are just a year or two off of their Super Bowl moment.
Let’s get this money boys!