The post season is here! And today is day one of Wild Card Weekend. A few weeks ago I had picked the Saints and Raiders to each get a Wild Card spot. The Raiders are in and the Saints did their job last week but the Rams screwed that one up. I didn’t bet every game this year, but I ended the regular season with a 131-92 record on moneyline picks.
Raiders vs Bengals
The first game of the day is between the Raiders and the Bengals. The Bengals clinched the AFC North with an exciting win over the Chiefs two weeks ago. They rested some folks last week with nothing on the line, coming in fresh today. The Raiders had the opposite experience, playing in the last game of the regular season and it coming down to the wire in overtime against the Chargers.
The question is can that same Raiders team from last week show up and can they get off to a good start again. The Bengals won when the teams met earlier this season as part of the losing spiral the Raiders entered into after a series of issues off the field. Darren Waller was back last week but we didn’t see much from him yet. He had 116 yards against the Bengals the first time. Hopefully he can give this offense an added boost.
I like what Joe Burrows has been able to put together this season and I’ve been high on the Bengals as of late, but I have to root against them today. I am putting him in my parlay with 262.5 yards. I’m hoping Renfrow gets more than just touchdowns today, because his yards were what I missed on last week. I will bet on Mixon getting a touchdown. After all of that, I think the Raiders have a chance to win this, so I feel pretty good about covering 5.5. Bisaccia has done a great job with this team and I’m excited to see how they finish the season.
Patriots vs Bills
Rounding out the day is the division matchup between the Patriots and the Bills. They split the previous two games this season, both winning on the road. Both teams have ran in spurts all year. I like the Bills and what they’ve put together.
There is the connection to another playoff team, Matthew Stafford’s brother in law, Chad Hall, is the wide receiver coach for the Bills. He has been working with a great cast including Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, and Emmanuel Sanders. It’s been fun to see Diggs career progress and I even saw him play a few times in Minneapolis.
On the other side of the ball is a young quarterback in Mac Jones. But this is familiar territory to coach Bill Belicheck so you really can’t count them out. It’s going to be cold and this wouldn’t be the first time this year the weather has been a factor for these two teams. Mac was 2-3 with 19 yards in the first matchup due to the extreme winds as the Patriots got it done on the ground. I’m giving the nod to the Bills today.
First Round Wild Card Picks
Heading into the weekend here is how I’m feeling like things will shake out.
Raiders over Bengals
Bills over Patriots
Bucs over Eagles
49ers over Cowboys
Chiefs over Steelers
Rams over Cardinals
The Pat McAffee Show in partnership with FanDuel are giving away lots of money this weekend. There are a few different tiers of betting and depending on how much you bet determines how much you get back. Four of the games this weekend have a different team from the show coming up with a parlay bet. Check out the #SameGameParlayHoliday and bet with me on FanDuel. If you use my link to sign up, we both get bonus funds.