With the playoffs landscape already set, all that’s left with the end of the regular season is determining which teams snatch up the coveted wild cards. Keep reading to get our predictions for the wild card weekend games.
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Kansas City Chiefs vs Houston Texans
- Time: Saturday, January 09, 2016 4:35 PM ET
- Place: NRG Stadium
- Betting Line: Chiefs -3. Over/Under 40.5.
Riding a 10 game winning streak, the Chiefs pulled out all the stops and have managed to find their way into one of the wild card games. Considering that at one point they were at 1-5, you have to give them enough credit to believe they have earned their right to make it to the playoffs. Kansas City has been solid on defense and with the return of Justin Houston and Tambi Hali, they should be able to stop anything the Texans can throw at them.
On their behalf, the Texans showed that they’ve earned their spot in the post season with a convincing win over the Jacksonville Jaguars 30-6. And, with J.J. Watt back, they have one of the best defensive units you can possibly hope for. Watt demolished the Jaguars’ offensive with three sacks, two batted passes, eight tackles and a forced fumble.
Betting Trends:
- Kansas City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
- Kansas City is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Houston
- Houston is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Kansas City
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games when playing at home against Kansas City
Free Pick: Watt will once again be at his best and stop the Chiefs dead in their tracks. Take them straight up, they’ll win.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cincinnati Bengals
- Time: Saturday, January 09, 2016 8:15 PM ET
- Place: Paul Brown Stadium
- Betting Line: Steelers -2.5; Over/Under 47
The Steelers may have somebody rooting for them up in heaven, if there’s anything to tell from what’s gone right for them. With a win over the Browns and the Jets losing on Sunday, they now have a spot as the second AFC wild card. Their offense is firing away with Ben Roethlisberger leading the attack and they seem to be the superior team with momentum, and luck, on their side.
The Bengals won their game against the Ravens last Sunday. However, this still did not secure a first round bye and complicated matters for them with Andy Dalton nursing an injury. If back up AJ McCarron takes the field, he’ll have to be at his best to win this game. It might be up to the defense to get the job done, the Bengals are ranked as the second best scoring defense and this could be a factor against the Steelers who struggle against division rivals.
Betting Trends:
- Pittsburgh is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 8 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
- Cincinnati is 2-13 SU in its last 15 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Cincinnati's last 8 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Free Pick: Take the Steelers at -2.5, they’ll cover.
Seattle Seahawks vs Minnesota Vikings
- Time: Sunday, January 10, 2016 1:05 PM ET
- Place: TCF Bank Stadium
- Betting Line: Seahawks -5.5. Over/Under 42.
Seattle proved why they’re here with a win against Arizona last Sunday by a score of 36-6. Quarterback Russell Wilson got his passing game going and put up a total 197 yards through the air and three touchdowns without a single pick. With Marshawn Lynch possibly being back in the fold, it could give the Seahawks the upper hand in this game. On defense, Seattle has already proven successful at stopping the Vikings as they did earlier in the season when they kept them under 125 in total.
Meanwhile, Minnesota beat Green Bay last Sunday and earned them a game against Seattle. Though this might seem like bad news for the Vikings, they are playing at home which is always a plus, especially considering their offense is not playing as well as one would hope. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will have to step up his game in a major way if they want to win this one.
Betting Trends:
- Seattle is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing Minnesota
- Minnesota is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Seattle
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing Seattle
Free Pick: It’s a given, Seattle will win and cover. Take them at -5.5.
Green Bay Packers vs Washington Redskins
- Time: Sunday, January 10, 2016 4:40 PM ET
- Place: FedExField
- Betting Line: Redskins -1; Over/Under 45.5.
Behind a four game winning streak, the Redskins won the NFC East to end the regular season. Quarterback Kirk Cousins is playing extremely well, as was evident in their game against Dallas on Sunday. They also have the home field advantage, which could prove to be the determining factor considering how successful they’ve been at FedEx Field this season.
Green Bay has all sorts of problems with their offense. Despite Aaron Rodgers being one of the top quarterbacks in the league, he’s been sluggish and unable to fire up the offense. And, that’s just the passing game; the Packers running game has also been horrible with Eddie Lacy running the ball for just 94 yards in the past two games and James Starks with 35 yards along with a fumble over the same number of games.
Betting Trends:
- Green Bay is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Washington
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Green Bay's last 8 games when playing Washington
- Washington is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Green Bay
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington's last 8 games when playing Green Bay
Free Pick: Take the Redskins at -1, they will cover.
