The NFL playoffs are set to kickoff this weekend, with some intriguing match ups on deck. Maybe you’ve missed what the rest of the league has been doing this year because you’ve been engrossed in you team, who unfortunately missed the postseason, but no worries.
We were able to catch up with Nikki Adams and Ted Sevansky from Sports Book Review to get us up to speed on what to bet for the NFC Wild Card round.
First the current odds:
Seahawks at Vikings: SEA -4.5
Packers at Redskins: WAS +1
Seattle at Minnesota
Nikki Adams:
In week 13, Seahawks beat the Vikings 38-7
“That commanding win came in the midst of a stellar push down the stretch by the Seahawks, winning six of their last seven games and outscoring opponents 224-to-98 for a plus 126 differential. That’s a difference of 18-points per game. With the news that Marshawn Lynch is gearing up for the weekend, it’s only going to add another lethal dimension to the Seahawks’ offense.”
“Vikings closed the season on a three-game winning streak that was arguably their best run of form with comprehensive wins over the Bears, Giants and Packers, outscoring the triplet 107-to-47 for a plus 60 differential or an almost 20-point differential per game.”
“Seahawks bring a ton of experience into the playoffs, backed by championship credentials. The Vikings will be led into the playoffs by second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater who is making his postseason debut. There’s a lot to like about the hosts and they’ve played exceptionally well in the regular season, but this could be a case of biting off more than they can chew. The Seahawks have incredible momentum right now and they closed the season with an exclamation point, beating the very dangerous and talented Arizona Cardinals 36-6. We have to go with the OVER here as the Seahawks can run away with this one handily.”
Ted Sevransky:
QB evaluation
“First and foremost, there’s no comparison between Russell Wilson and Teddy Bridgewater. Wilson was a legitimate MVP candidate this year, and his play down the stretch was nothing short of putting him into the ‘best QB in football’ discussion. Wilson is a proven playoff performer and a Super Bowl winner. He’s elite, even on the road – remember his gutty win at Washington in the playoffs three years ago after the Seahawks had fallen behind 14-0?”
“Bridgewater has not shown any signs of improvement in his sophomore season. He threw four TD passes against the Bears hapless defense, but combined to throw only ten more TD’s in his other 15 games. In last week’s win against the Packers, Bridgewater missed numerous wide open receivers, unable to connect on anything but dinks and dunks. A kid from Miami who played his college ball at Louisville is not necessarily a great fit for a January game played outdoors in Minneapolis. The early forecast has game time temperatures hovering near zero, with a wind chill approaching -20. That’s not Bridgewater weather!”
Green Bay at Washington
Nikki Adams:
Packers vs. Redskins
47 point total — “That total has come down at most sports betting exchanges with some now sporting a 45-point total while others have come down to a low of 44.5-points. That’s quite the dramatic drop; the biggest drop of the entire wild-card slate thus far where total NFL odd are concerned.”
“The Washington Redskins come into the NFL playoffs this season as the surprise package of the entire field. Few had them down in their NFL playoff brackets when the season started, save for a few diehard fans maybe. Tale told, they capitalized on a rather dysfunctional NFC East but also did their part to earn their spot amongst the best in the league. The jury remains out whether they are legitimate contenders or simply a fortuitous fallout from the NFC East.”
“The Packers, meanwhile, took a dramatic nosedive down the stretch, winning just four of their last ten games to finish the season with a 10-6 SU mark. Most notably, they lost their last two games and rather badly – a 38-8 defeat in Arizona followed by a 20-13 loss to Minnesota, which cost them the NFC North title. The common denominator in those losses – or for that matter of their previous losses – is the stunted offense and suspect secondary.”
“The Redskins have averaged over 30-points in their last four games but they’ve also conceded in almost equal proportion, which could be a blessing in disguise for the Packers’ struggling offense to find its rhythm in the postseason. Washington’s defense is simply not up to snuff conceding 23.25 points during the course of the last four games.”
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
