NFL Divisional Playoffs Point Spread Picks

PLACE YOUR BETS!!! WELCOME TO THE PLAYOFFS!! ADF was looking pretty as Wildcard Weekend was playing out. With the Chiefs dropping the ball after having a huge lead against the Titans, and a late touchdown for the Panthers to kill the Saints spread, ADF had a 4-0 weekend turn to 2-2. With the Divisional Round upon us, we look to once again run the table and generate cash flow as the NFL season winds down. Follow me and we’ll get you that money. Good Luck!

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Wildcard Round Point Spread Record: 2-2 (.500)

Season Point Spread Record:  128-132 (.492)

DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS – Predictions (Projected odds makers @ JAN.11.2018 – 12:00PM EST)

Saturday Jan.13.2018

Atlanta (Favorite) @ Philadelphia

Westgate -3

Caesar’s -3

William Hill -3

Wynn -3

CG -2.5

Unibet -1.5

SportSelect -2.5

To kick off Divisional Round Weekend the Falcons travel to Philly as the slight favorite to take on the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Atlanta played a great game a week ago, showing their playoff experience isn’t something to overlook as they disposed of the high powered Rams fairly easily. The Falcons looked ready to play last week and ADF feels Coach Quinn will have his boys revved up and ready to take down the Wentz-Less Eagles! The Falcons are impressing more on the defensive side of the ball as they look fast, strong, and extremely motivated. Offensively the game plan against the Rams was run heavy creating opportunities in the pass game while not turning the ball over. Atlanta ran the ball 32 times with Freeman and Coleman allowing the Falcons to take advantage executing in the pass game. The formula should view similar against the Eagles, where they would like to exploit time of possession keeping Foles and company cold in hopes of generating turnovers. The Falcons will however need to greatly improve their redzone attack, as again it’s more than evident that offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian is inept at understanding those situations. Playoff experience counts for a lot, and the Falcons proved last week they have what it takes in the grind of playoff pressure to remain cool and collected.

The Eagles now rested and hopefully prepared for the upcoming task of hosting the charging Falcons, will have to be on point and very creative. Nick Foles hasn’t impressed outside his comeback performance against the New York Giants back in week 15. Perhaps Coach Pederson was playing his cards to show inadequate play on purpose from his backup signal caller to preserve game plan scheme for these situations. That might seem a tad far-fetched as Foles looked incredibly horrific in weeks 16 & 17! The Eagles will have to generate yards on the ground in mass chucks to strike any fear in the Falcons to defend the pass game lead by Foles. ADF isn’t suggesting that Foles is a terrible quarterback that wouldn’t be able to get the job done, but in this situation he will have to excel and play a flawless game. Carson Wentz had the ability to mask the inadequacies of the offensive line with his ability to scramble and buy time. Foles isn’t that type of quarterback and should be under relentless pressure. Even with the Falcons travel miles, they should be able to pull this one out. ATL covers the spread @-3 ATL 10 PHI 15 (L)          

Tennessee @ New England (Favorite)

Westgate -13.5

Caesar’s -13

William Hill -13.5

Wynn -13.5

CG -13.5

Unibet -13.5

SportSelect -13.5

With the Titans magical comeback victory last week in Arrowhead, they have earned the right to travel to Foxborough and face off against the mighty Patriots. Yet again the Vegas odds makers are giving the Titans no chance in this contest, placing them as a two touchdown underdog on Saturday Night. Tennessee came out in the second half against the Chiefs and did what they should’ve done all game, run the ball and wear down the defense. By the fourth quarter, the Chiefs defense wanted nothing to do with taking down Derek Henry in the freezing cold. As Mariota and company game plan for the Patriots, It’s very simple to ADF as to how they should approach this one. The run game should dictate the offense and Derek Henry should carry the rock at a minimum of 35 times. If Coach Mularkey believes he can enter this contest getting into a shootout, this game will be over before it begins. The only chance the Titans have is to control the clock and generate positive plays on the ground. Establishing play action will also provide the potential for huge plays as the Pats will eventually stack the box.

The Patriots host yet another divisional round game as their seemingly endless playoff appearances continue, this time taking on an inferior opponent. Recent news has come about of an internal power struggle existing within the Pats organization between Belichick, Kraft, and Brady. With that, news that both Patriot coordinators have been fielding interviews for vacant Head Coaching opportunities during the bye week. For other teams this might pose as a distraction, but for New England and Coach Belichick, this shouldn’t faze them and might actually fuel the motivation further. Tom Brady will again be chasing greatness that maybe no other quarterback in our lifetime will be able to achieve. Going up against the Titans and a defense that was able to shut down Alex Smith and the Chiefs in the second half of their wildcard match, is it possible we see them raise the bar and pull the reins in on Brady and co.? ADF is just building the narrative on a contest that shouldn’t be much of one to begin with. The Patriots defense should be able to tighten up on Mariota forcing him into big mistakes while stacking the box and removing Henry from the game. Brady will exploit the mismatches on the field all day and should easily send the Titans home with sad faces. NE covers the spread @ -13 TEN 14 NE 35 (W)       

Sunday Jan.14.2018

Jacksonville @ Pittsburgh (Favorite)

Westgate -7.5

Caesar’s -7

William Hill -7

Wynn -7

CG -7

Unibet -6.5

SportSelect -7.5

Coming off a snooze-fest victory last week against the Buffalo Bills, the Jaguars travel to Pittsburgh to face the high-flying Steelers. Not one expert will argue the talent level of this Jaguars defensive unit that may be the best in the NFL. This defense will be leaned on and required to have their best game on the season to have any hopes in coming out of Steel-Town victorious on Sunday. Their game plan will be simple, keep Ramsey locked on Brown, keep a line backer tight to the line to assist with Bell, and keep Big Ben in the pocket so the front four can generate pressure. Executing on this plan will obviously be the challenge as the Steelers have viewed the same film on how to exploit their weaknesses. Offensively the Jags need to do a lot better than last week if they hope to compete and provide relief to their defense who should see the field quite a bit. Leonard Fournette will see eight and nine man fronts for most of the afternoon as the Steelers will dare Blake Bortles to beat them through the air. The last time these teams met was back in week 5 when Roethlisberger threw a career high five interceptions costing the Steelers the game. The Jags will need that type of production to get a W in this one.

The Steelers have enjoyed the extra week off healing up and gearing up to face a team that embarrassed them back at the beginning of the season. The biggest question mark going into the contest was the health of the great Antonio Brown. Reports have made it clear that AB-84 is ready and fully able to participate as he would in elite level. The Steelers should continue to game plan as they have for most of the season with a heavy dose of LeVeon Bell to open up the offense for other players. ADF believes we could see a great battle between Brown and Ramsey leaving JuJu Smith-Schuster and Martavis Bryant having to pick up the slack as Big Ben shouldn’t force the issue passing to a covered Brown. The Steelers all season have played to the level of their opponent killing spreads that have appeared to be solid and easy to obtain. In this case the Jaguars are an elite unit defensively that should require the top gear of all offensive weapons to generate enough points to move on to the AFC Championship. Vegas odds makers are baiting the public into more than a touchdown spread which could be difficult to achieve. The Steelers should be able to punch their ticket to next week, but should be tighter than most think.

PIT doesn’t cover the spread @ -7.5 JAX 45 PIT 42 (W)

New Orleans @ Minnesota (Favorite)

Westgate -4.5

Caesar’s -4.5

William Hill -4.5

Wynn -4

CG -4.5

Unibet -5.5

SportSelect -4.5

More than likely this will be the game of the weekend adequately scheduled for Sunday afternoon/evening! The Saints roll into town as a decent underdog to the Minnesota Vikings. A big advantage for the Saints without stepping foot on the Minnesota turf is confidence from last week’s victory against the Panthers. Arguments can always be made to what’s more important, rest or continuous play to generate momentum. The Saints might fall into the latter of momentum. Coach Payton had his bunch ready to roll last week in rather diverse fashion then we’ve been accustomed to from the Saints all season long. New Orleans came out throwing the ball with great efficiency and continued to do so as the game moved forward. Witnessing Drew Brees have his best game of the season put his critics to rest that he has lost a step in his elite level play. Throwing for almost 400 yards leaving their strength (the run game), taking a back seat to what seemed like amazement on the Panthers defensive unit. ADF questions whether it was game plan specific or just the sheer brilliance of Coach Payton to adjust in game to dominate like we haven’t seen all season through the air. Either way, the added benefit will undoubtedly allow the Saints to confuse the Vikings to which way they plan to attack on Sunday. New Orleans will have to generate on the ground in this contest to be successful as Minnesota employs two fantastic weapons in Xavier Rhodes and Harrison Smith. With these two manning the back end of the defense the Saints will look to lean on Kamara and Ingram for most of the game.

The Vikings could be the first team in NFL history to play in the Super Bowl to which their city was hosting. A lot of football has to be played before we entertain that conclusion, as the Vikings play host to the high powered Saints. All around, the Vikings have impressed all season on both sides of the ball even though they have endured some massive injuries. Case Keenum has this team producing with efficiency as the run game fueled by Latavius Murray keeps teams guessing. Keenum has enjoyed his best season as a pro as he’s found his talented receiving core with regularity. Adam Thielen should be the vocal point in this contest as rookie Marshon Lattimore will be draped on Stefon Diggs. Defensively, the Vikings rival the Jaguars for the best all-around unit in the NFL. In every aspect on the defensive side, Minnesota employs elite talent playing with speed and quickness dissecting plays with precision. Rhodes should have his hands full with Michael Thomas, but a challenge he is poised to win much like he did against Julio Jones earlier this season. Harrison Smith should be noticeable all over the field as he will stay tight to the box to assist in stopping the league’s best run attack. With that said, this game should provide all the entertainment value we would expect from two elite clubs. Either team could come out victorious in this one as ADF predicts it to be tight. Three points should separate the final score in this contest! MIN doesn’t cover the spread @ -4.5 NWO 24 MIN 29 (L) 

Divisional Round Record: 2-2 (.500)

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