The Divisional Round of the playoffs has arrived. It’s time to rejoice.
For a football fan, this is it. This is the big weekend of the postseason. Of course, the actual champion won’t be crowned for weeks, and we are months removed from the fanfare that is Opening Day. But, with the last surviving four teams from each conference all in action over a two-day span, we can look forward to the best possible football being played in the near future.
We won’t be disappointed. Even if we don’t have perfect matchups – rematches between the Saints and Cowboys and Eagles and Rams would have probably been a little more fun – we have most of the best offenses in the sport about to take the field.
We also have a strange trend that can create somewhat wild results. Dating back to the later rounds of last year’s playoffs, underdogs have absolutely dominated against-the-spread. This bodes well for our picks as a whole, since we tend to lean on the teams getting points, but it has also created a few discounts in other areas.
It also challenges those teams that secured the top-two seeds in their respective conferences to be able to remain as high as the expectations suggest. With that, we will either see some ‘statements’ made or the official changing-of-the-guard to the underdogs who continue to play at a high level.
Regardless, the action should be outstanding.
Below are predictions for each game against the spread. Spreads have been taken from various websites and are subject to change. The spread in parenthesis denotes the selected team. An asterisk denotes a confidence pick.
*Confidence Picks – 2018 Season: 61-48-4 (Last Week: 1-0)
(2017 Season: 53-48-4) (2016 Season: 53-67-3) (2015 Season: 69-45-2) (2014 Season: 61-46-2) (4-Year Total: 236-206-11)
All Picks Against Spread – 2018 Season: 132-116-12 (Last Week: 4-0)
(2017 Season: 137-119-11) (2016 Season: 123-136-8) (2015 Season: 143-117-7) (2014 Season: 149-114-4) (4-Year Total: 552-486-30)
Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs
Arguably the best sports weekend of the year – annually, and this season is no exception – begins with one of the most exciting matchups we could have. After a Wild Card Round in which defensive-based teams – as a whole – took the spotlight, two of the best offenses will go head-to-head on Saturday afternoon. And that’s just the start of the intriguing storylines.
We have the regular season dominance of head coach Andy Reid against his own personal missteps in the postseason. We have the reemergence – and re-recognition – of Andrew Luck as one of the best quarterbacks in the sport, and his health finally keeping pace with his talent. We have the quiet strength of the Colts’ defense, which is usually absent in the face of elite offenses. And we have the glaring liability that is the Chiefs’ defense and the necessity for one of the most dynamic offenses in years to carry the team to victory.
We have it all on Saturday afternoon. And it’s only the first of four games, this weekend.
Starting with the reliable expectations, the Kansas City Chiefs will score. Often. Even with the aforementioned drop-off in production for Andy Reid’s teams when they get into the playoffs, it would take a monumental decrease for the offense to suffer – the Chiefs scored at least 26 points in every single game, this year.
The Indianapolis Colts will score, too. In addition to an excellent offense led by an elite quarterback – with playoff experience and a win under his belt, this year – the Colts will face one of the worst defenses in the league. In fact, it was so dismal that it prompted the most telling concern that will plague Kansas City in the coming weeks.