Last year I was better than 53% in my Breaking Vegas picks and I aimed for 60% this year. As the regular season comes to a close I finish slightly over 50%.
While this might not be the best way to “Break Vegas”, I look to the Playoffs to keep up my late-season momentum.
I will pick all 11 games of the Playoffs and also have prop bet picks before the Super Bowl.
This Wild Card Round is completely bi-polar. The games are either must-watch television or they are matchups that fans of the teams don’t even have interest in.
Let’s see who I pick this week…
Oakland Raiders +4 @ Houston Texans
Let me start with one of the most lackluster Playoff matchups in NFL history. If you polled the 100+ players on these two teams, I doubt 50 of them would even watch this game if they weren’t in it.
The Texans are a bad team that won the worst division in the AFC. Even though they won the division, I would much rather watch Andrew Luck and the Colts or Marcus Mariota and the Titans. This Texans team has underwhelmed all year but is hosting a game in the Wild Card Round. The worst investment in the NFL was the contract given to Brock Osweiler. He can earn some of that contract with a home Playoff win.
On the other hand, the Raiders were one of the feel-good stories of the NFL season. A late-season injury to Derek Carr brought that to a screeching halt. Carr is one of the good guys of the NFL and was really developing into the franchise quarterback that the Raiders so desperately needed for so long. All of that is in the past and not the Raiders are starting fourth round pick Conner Cook under center. It will be the first time ever that a rookie quarterback made his first start in a Playoff game. Not a lot of precedence here, but let me give you a hint, it won’t go well.
Neither team can score enough points to run away with it, but the Texans find a way to win.
Texans 16 – Raiders 14
Detroit Lions +8 @ Seattle Seahawks
Seattle is one of the toughest places to play in the NFL. That only gets intensified entering the Playoffs. Home field advantage is absolutely crucial for the Seahawks this year because this is not the team that people are accustomed to. Without Earl Thomas, this defense is missing their captain. The passing game has been hot and cold. The offensive line and running game have been abysmal at points. If the Seahawks want to make a run, they need major efforts from Russell Wilson and Jimmy Graham.
The Lions are a sleeper in my opinion. If Matthew Stafford can adjust to his finger injury on his throwing hand, this team has the offensive firepower to play with anybody. The last two weeks of the regular season the Lions lost to the Cowboys and the Packers. Those two teams just so happen to be two of the best teams in the league. There isn’t a lot of belief in this Detroit team right now and that has driven this line. Bet the Lions in this one.
Seahawks 24 – Lions 20
Miami Dolphins @ Pittsburgh Steelers -10
This is the line that I have the least faith in. This is also the first time that the Steelers will play a Playoff game with Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and LeVeon Bell on the field at the same time. That will be the difference.
Pittsburgh can score 50 any given night. In the Playoffs, with a little bit more motivation, I expect their best performance of the year.
Steelers 38 – Dolphins 27
New York Giants @ Green Bay Packers -4.5
I fully admit that I am a Cowboys fan and I am hoping they can go to and win the Super Bowl this year. If I take my biased lenses off, I don’t know that there is a hotter team in the NFL than the Green Bay Packers.
Despite several flaws, the Packers have won 7 games in a row and have a healthy Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers is, arguably, the most talented quarterback to play the game. He is playing at the top of his abilities and has the team around him believing in him. He is the rare quarterback and leader that has every other person on that team bought in. This is a dangerous Packers team heading into January.
Although the Giants have some very quality victories this season, and have a track record of success in the Playoffs, I just don’t see this team a legitimate contender. This team is not a great offensive team, despite having Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. The Giants only scored 310 points this season, good for only 26th in the NFL. The other NFC Playoff teams…
Atlanta Falcons scored 540 (1st)
Green Bay Packers scored 432 (4th)
Dallas Cowboys scored 421 (5th)
Seattle Seahawks scored 354 (18th)
Detroit Lions scored 346 (20th)
While you can make the case that defense wins championships, you still have to score points to win games. This Giants team just hasn’t scored enough points for anyone to have much faith in them. The stakes get bigger and the opponents tighten down their defenses come January. Giants just won’t have enough to make a dent in the NFC Playoffs.
Packers 28 – Giants 21
| Wins | Losses | Push | Percentage | |
| Week One | 1 | 3 | 1 | 30% |
| Week Two | 1 | 4 | 0 | 20% |
| Week Three | 2 | 3 | 0 | 40% |
| Week Four | 2 | 3 | 0 | 40% |
| Week Five | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60% |
| Week Six | 2 | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| Week Seven | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60% |
| Week Eight | 2 | 3 | 0 | 40% |
| Week Nine | 3 | 1 | 1 | 70% |
| Week Ten | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60% |
| Week Eleven | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60% |
| Week Twelve | 2 | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| Week Thirteen | 1 | 4 | 0 | 20% |
| Week Fourteen | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60% |
| Week Fifteen | 4 | 1 | 0 | 80% |
| Week Sixteen | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60% |
| Week Seventeen | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60% |
| OVERALL | 41 | 40 | 4 | 50.6% |
*All betting lines provided by Bovada.LV on the Thursday preceding particular NFL week.
