NFL Playoffs Best Bets for Sunday, January 16, 2022
Three games on the NFL slate for the playoffs on Sunday. Similar to how Thanksgiving is structured, games start at 1 ET and go through the end of the night. Let's see if we can make money all day long.
Eagles at Buccaneers
No shot. That's what I'm saying about the Eagles. They have no shot to win the game against the Buccaneers. I'm not sure that this will be a blowout, but I don't see any realistic scenario where Tom Brady loses to Jalen Hurts in the playoffs. Sure, the Eagles and Nick Foles beat a Tom Brady team in the Super Bowl, but this is different. Aside from an illogical loss to the Saints, and a poor showing against the Jets the Buccaneers have been good. The Eagles were just embarrassed at home by the Cowboys - the one good team they've faced in their last five games. I understand that Hurts didn't start against the Cowboys, but I don't think it would've made much of a difference. I think the Bucs win by 10 or more. I'll play Bucs -8.5 at -108.
49ers at Cowboys
For a team that came back from having a horrid defense and a quarterback's ankle that basically made a right angle the wrong way, the Cowboys looked great this season. Their defense improved and their quarterback looked like a potential MVP candidate. The 49ers, somewhat improbably in my opinion, made the playoffs. Looking at their schedule, they beat the Rams twice, the Eagles, and Bengals both once. Aside from that, they didn't have any really impressive performance. I don't think they have much of a chance against the Cowboys, but one interesting statistic is they went 6-3 on the road and 4-4 at home. They may actually be more comfortable away from San Francisco. I'm taking the Cowboys at home to dominate this one though. Frankly, I'm surprised it is just the typical 3pt favorite. Cowboys -3 at -112.
Steelers at Chiefs
We saw this game just a few weeks ago. The Chiefs easily handled the Steelers and won the game by 26. I don't expect this game to be quite that level of a blowout. The Steelers could potentially win the game, but I think a lot of things would have to go their way. Basically everything, including Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce being out with COVID. I lean more toward the over happening in this game. The Chiefs' defense isn't great at stopping anyone and we know their offense can score. On the road, the Steelers defense... I don't know, loses comfort or something, but they give up more points and their offense also scores more. I'll play the over 46 at -110.