Every week billions of dollars are wagered on the NFL. The most popular type of bet is the spread. Each week there are a few games with an appealing spread and others with an ugly spread. To help bettors figure out which spreads they should bet on and which to avoid, two of our NFL writers, Mike Fanelli and Dale Money, give their take on every spread for each of this weekend’s games.
To recap, last week, Mike finished with an 11-5 record while Dale finished 10-6. For the year, Mike is 122-130-2 while Dale is 136-116-2. Let’s take a look at their picks for Wild Card Weekend.
Spreads are provided by Jazz Sportsbook. Please bet responsibly.
Be sure to check out our NFL betting advice article each week.
Game
Mike
Dale
Las Vegas Raiders vs Cincinnati Bengals -6
LV +6
CIN -6
New England Patriots vs Buffalo Bills -5
NE +5
BUF -5
Philadelphia Eagles vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers -9
PHI +9
PHI +9
San Francisco 49ers vs Dallas Cowboys -3
SF +3
SF +3
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Kansas City Chiefs -13
PIT +13
KC -13
Arizona Cardinals vs Los Angeles Rams -4
ARZ +4
ARZ +4
The Team to Bet
Mike: Philadelphia Eagles +9
When these two teams played in Week 6, the Eagles were seven-point underdogs. However, they went on to cover the spread, losing by six. That was against a mostly healthy Tampa Bay Buccaneers team. Tomorrow, the Eagles are a two-possession underdog against a banged-up Buccaneers offense. They won’t have Chris Godwin or Ronald Jones for this game, while Leonard Fournette is a game-time call coming off a hamstring injury. The Buccaneers also recently released Antonio Brown, leaving Mike Evans as their only reliable wide receiver. Meanwhile, the Eagles have been one of the best teams running the ball and controlling the time of possession this season. While it is foolish to bet against Tom Brady, the Eagles will keep this game close, losing only by a field goal.
Dale: San Francisco 49ers +3
After their strong performance last week against the Eagles, many believe the Dallas Cowboys will win this game. They will, however, have to contend with an old playoff rival in the 49ers. Last Sunday, Jimmy Garoppolo led the Niners to a thrilling 27-24 win over the Los Angeles Rams on the road. Expect Garoppolo to come out firing as this might be his last game as the 49ers’ starting quarterback. San Francisco will match Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ high-scoring offense. This game should be one of the more exciting games this weekend. Take the 49ers plus the points.
The Team to Avoid
Mike: Kansas City Chiefs -13
While many expect this game to be a bloodbath, don’t count out the Pittsburgh Steelers. They are playing with house money and know it, so expect the Steelers to come out aggressive on both sides of the ball. Meanwhile, the Chiefs have been seven or more point favorites eight times this season. While they are 7-1 straight up in those games, the Chiefs are only 4-4 against the spread. Furthermore, they were 10.5 points or more favorites against the New York Giants and Denver Broncos this season. They won both games by a combined seven points, failing to cover the spread in those contests. In the final game of Ben Roethlisberger’s career, expect the Steelers to keep it close right up until the final drive.
Dale: New England Patriots +5
Mac Jones has fallen back to earth after a midseason run in which he led his Patriots to seven straight wins. They face a Buffalo Bills team that has cleared its last three opponents. Josh Allen is at a point in his career where just getting past the Wild Card round is no longer good enough. Let’s also not overlook Devin Singletary, who has hit paydirt at least once in each of the last four games. Jones has struggled to figure out the Bills and will have a difficult weekend. New England can’t rely on Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson to carry the offense against Buffalo as they did in early December. Bet on the Bills minus the points, as they have the more reliable offense.
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