Only one week has passed, but this year’s playoffs have already been quite fun. Of course, so much of the drama involved in the games has to do with the matchups, but we, as fans, were fortunate in that regard.
The best part? We have arguably better matchups in the Divisional Round.
After three games last week featuring divisional opponents, we have another on Saturday night. We also have the top-four seeds from the AFC advancing and a must-watch rematch of the Week 17 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills that was never completed because of the horrific health scare involving Bills safety Damar Hamlin.
We watch sports because of the drama, and the National Football League has not failed to deliver in that regard all season. The playoffs have simply been an extension of that.
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. Spread is listed as advertised number and odds at either DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook, or PointsBet. All efforts were made to provide picks at -110 or better, with some stretching to a -125 if no reasonable advertised spread was found.
*Confidence Picks – 2022 Season: 54-52-5 (Last Week: 1-1)
(2021 Season: 55-50) (2020 Season: 53-42-3) (2019 Season: 57-43-3) (2018 Season: 63-48-4) (2017 Season: 53-48-4) (2016 Season: 53-67-3) (2015 Season: 69-45-2) (2014 Season: 61-46-2) (8-Year Total: 464-389-21)
All Picks Against Spread – 2022 Season: 141-127-9 (Last Week: 3-3)
(2021 Season: 158-126-2) (2020 Season: 132-128-7) (2019 Season: 142-118-7) (2018 Season: 137-118-12) (2017 Season: 137-119-11) (2016 Season: 123-136-8) (2015 Season: 143-117-7) (2014 Season: 149-114-4) (8-Year Total: 1121-976-58)
Jacksonville Jaguars at Kansas City Chiefs
It was always going to come down to the number.
Every week, I write about my against-the-spread picks and, at one point, will mention what the spread ‘knows’ or ‘says.’ That has been my approach for years, and it is the most important element in trying to pick games. Sometimes the spread is the immediate answer, and other times it is the confirmation of an initial read.
Then there’s the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars, where the spread was simply going to be the last factor that tipped the scales. By how much remained to be seen.
I have loved