So I managed to close the season with a 3-1 mark, bringing my Best Bets total to 20-18. With the vig it’s probably not enough to break even in Vegas, but it’s better than going 1-3.
So, I’m going to make playoff picks too. Why not. (All of these picks are both straight up and against the spread)
1. Atlanta at Arizona: Pick ’em
Arizona has not been playing well the last month. Their last five wins have been against Seattle twice, St. Louis twice and San Francisco. Atlanta has the strongest running game in the NFL. And Matt Ryan, rookie of the year quarterback, has been strong at home and on the road. Winner: Atlanta
2. Indianapolis at San Diego (+1):
Both teams have quarterbacks playing extremely well and both teams went on winning streaks to get where they are. Indy won in San Diego earlier in the season and while the Chargers are constructed to beat the Colts, they really miss Shawne Merriman against a quarterback like Peyton Manning. Plus LaDainian Tomlinson enters the playoffs hurting. Winner: Indianapolis
3. Baltimore at Miami (+3.5)
Miami is the comeback story of the season. But the run ends here. The Dolphins aren’t going to be able to run against Baltimore and they can’t win on passing alone. It’ll be a low-scoring game but the Ravens will use their three-headed running attack to pull away in the end. Winner: Baltimore
4. Philadelphia at Minnesota (+3)
The Eagles play in one of the two toughest divisions in football and the Vikings don’t. The Eagles blitzing pass rush will either confuse Tarvaris Jackson or pummel Gus Frerotte. With Pat Williams looking less and less likely to play for Minnesota Philadelphia might even get the run game going. The Eagles will make it a clean sweep for the road teams. Winner: Philadelphia
Only one I disagreed on in my picks was Baltimore–and even that one is almost based purely on the fact that I don’t see all 4 road teams winning.
Stellar job on the predictions so far. Here’s hoping your streak continues into tomorrow afternoon!