Top Seeds Take The Field
By SPORTSBETTING.COM
The Wild Card Round has weeded out the pretenders and now after a week of rest it?s time to see just how good the top four seeds of this year?s playoffs really are.
NY Giants at Dallas
There have been several arguments over the years as to whether or not the second bye week of the season helped or hindered teams but given the status of Dallas WR Terrell Owens (ankle), who is still listed as questionable for Sunday?s game against the New York Giants, it is quite obvious which side of the fence the Cowboys rest on.
Dallas coach Wade Phillips said that Terrell Owens limped through Monday?s walkthrough and that Owens would be a game-time decision, but other players have let the cat out of the bag and there appears to be little doubt that Owens will indeed dress for the matchup.
Dallas is eager to erase the nightmarish memory of last year?s playoff demise where holder Tony Romo, yes, the same Romo that threw for 36 TDs and over 4,000 yards this year, bobbled the snap on what would have been a game-winning field goal against Seattle. And while Dallas and New York have met 91 times since 1960 during the regular season (Dallas leads the series 54-35-2 SU, including two wins in 2007), this will be the first ever playoff encounter between the two storied franchises.
Add New York?s 8-0 SU/7-1 ATS record in its past eight road games to the equation, along with the fact that Dallas has not won a playoff game since the 1996 Wild Card Round against the Minnesota Vikings and the stage is set for what should be a hard-hitting contest.
SPORTSBETTING.COM has the Cowboys listed as a 7.5-point favorite and an Over/Under of 47.
San Diego at Indianapolis
The San Diego Chargers know all about the drought of playoff wins, notching their first in 13 years last Sunday, and before Marty Schottenheimer is forced to shoulder all the blame, remember, the Bolts were only playing Marty Ball since 2002 (0-2 SU/ATS in playoffs during Schottenheimer?s tenure).
San Diego needed the first round, at least the first-half of its first round game against Tennessee, to work out some of the kinks in what was the fifth-highest scoring offense of 2007. San Diego faces the defending Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts this weekend at the RCA Dome in Sunday?s early game and for Indy this is a rare opportunity to play a revenge match. San Diego has won the past two meetings vs. the Indianapolis Colts, including a Sunday Nighter earlier this season, but neither game had near as much on the line.
When the two sides met in Week 10 it was almost like Indy was trying to give the game to the Chargers, neatly gift wrapped by six Peyton ? yes, we said Peyton ? Manning interceptions. The funny part is that Indy still had the game won if only their million dollar man Adam Vinatieri, often regarded as the most accurate kicker in league history, could have hit a chip shot from 29 yards out. WR Marvin Harrison is back in the lineup for Indy this week and Chargers TE Antonio Gates could be out, and it looks like the Bolts will be hard pressed to notch a second straight playoff win.
SPORTSBETTING.COM has the line set with the Colts as 8.5-point favorites and an Over/Under of 47.
Seattle at Green Bay
Seattle?s trip to Green Bay on Saturday has a homecoming tag attached to it for Hawks coach Mike Holmgren and it also has the ever-present Favre factor in place but make no mistake ? this game is about redemption. In Seattle?s last playoff visit to Lambeau, the Packers won when cornerback Al Harris returned an interception 52 yards for six. But it was the lead up to the events, starting with the coin toss to determine who would get the first crack in overtime that made the outcome so memorable.
?We want the ball and we?re going to score,? Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck told the referee and inadvertently the rest of the world via the ref?s microphone, and now the veteran QB gets another chance at keeping his promise.
Seattle?s top-rated defense vs. a young Packer offense playing in the biggest game of their lives will make for a great matchup and while the Packers? D has made a name for itself this year as well, the Seahawks offense gets a small lean here for experience.
One of the only reasons Seattle even found itself in OT during their last playoff visit was thanks to an offense that could not catch the ball. The recorded eight drops in that game and it was right on par with the way Seattle played that entire season. The Hawks did not remedy the problem instantly and it was not cured by simply changing WRs or even QBs. The only thing that seems to have helped Holmgren?s current staff of the ?drops? has been the commitment the team has made to passing and with the way things are going for Seattle on both sides of the ball right now, they could have the ability to upset the Pack this weekend.
SPORTSBETTING.COM currently has the line set with Green Bay as an 8-point favorite and the Over/Under is 41.
Jacksonville at New England
Jacksonville and New England play in the primetime slot Saturday night and now the pressure is on for the Pats to follow up their perfect season with a ring. Anything less will be seen as a failure by many in the sporting world but the New England players share the same sentiment. It should be a very entertaining game and hanging a double-digit line against this game Jaguar squad was not an easy task for oddsmakers.
The line on this game is sitting with the Pats as a 13.5-point favorite and an Over/Under of 48.5
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To conclude, we have to give credit to Jim Mora who, on Monday?s edition of Total Access on the NFL Network, waited until the final minute but finally gave Rich Eisen and the rest of the football world the treat they?d waited so many years to hear. Mora wrapped the show with a retake of his classic line from his days with the Colts, saying, ?Playoffs? You?ve got to be kidding me! Playoffs??
If that didn?t set the stage for this weekend?s Division Finals, what else could? Enjoy the games.
Visit SPORTSBETTING.COM to check out the great specials (5% juice on the NFL playoffs on Fridays, 10% sign up bonus, and free contests), the NFL lines and all the props for the playoff games.
By SPORTSBETTING.COM
The Wild Card Round has weeded out the pretenders and now after a week of rest it?s time to see just how good the top four seeds of this year?s playoffs really are.
NY Giants at Dallas
There have been several arguments over the years as to whether or not the second bye week of the season helped or hindered teams but given the status of Dallas WR Terrell Owens (ankle), who is still listed as questionable for Sunday?s game against the New York Giants, it is quite obvious which side of the fence the Cowboys rest on.
Dallas coach Wade Phillips said that Terrell Owens limped through Monday?s walkthrough and that Owens would be a game-time decision, but other players have let the cat out of the bag and there appears to be little doubt that Owens will indeed dress for the matchup.
Dallas is eager to erase the nightmarish memory of last year?s playoff demise where holder Tony Romo, yes, the same Romo that threw for 36 TDs and over 4,000 yards this year, bobbled the snap on what would have been a game-winning field goal against Seattle. And while Dallas and New York have met 91 times since 1960 during the regular season (Dallas leads the series 54-35-2 SU, including two wins in 2007), this will be the first ever playoff encounter between the two storied franchises.
Add New York?s 8-0 SU/7-1 ATS record in its past eight road games to the equation, along with the fact that Dallas has not won a playoff game since the 1996 Wild Card Round against the Minnesota Vikings and the stage is set for what should be a hard-hitting contest.
SPORTSBETTING.COM has the Cowboys listed as a 7.5-point favorite and an Over/Under of 47.
San Diego at Indianapolis
The San Diego Chargers know all about the drought of playoff wins, notching their first in 13 years last Sunday, and before Marty Schottenheimer is forced to shoulder all the blame, remember, the Bolts were only playing Marty Ball since 2002 (0-2 SU/ATS in playoffs during Schottenheimer?s tenure).
San Diego needed the first round, at least the first-half of its first round game against Tennessee, to work out some of the kinks in what was the fifth-highest scoring offense of 2007. San Diego faces the defending Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts this weekend at the RCA Dome in Sunday?s early game and for Indy this is a rare opportunity to play a revenge match. San Diego has won the past two meetings vs. the Indianapolis Colts, including a Sunday Nighter earlier this season, but neither game had near as much on the line.
When the two sides met in Week 10 it was almost like Indy was trying to give the game to the Chargers, neatly gift wrapped by six Peyton ? yes, we said Peyton ? Manning interceptions. The funny part is that Indy still had the game won if only their million dollar man Adam Vinatieri, often regarded as the most accurate kicker in league history, could have hit a chip shot from 29 yards out. WR Marvin Harrison is back in the lineup for Indy this week and Chargers TE Antonio Gates could be out, and it looks like the Bolts will be hard pressed to notch a second straight playoff win.
SPORTSBETTING.COM has the line set with the Colts as 8.5-point favorites and an Over/Under of 47.
Seattle at Green Bay
Seattle?s trip to Green Bay on Saturday has a homecoming tag attached to it for Hawks coach Mike Holmgren and it also has the ever-present Favre factor in place but make no mistake ? this game is about redemption. In Seattle?s last playoff visit to Lambeau, the Packers won when cornerback Al Harris returned an interception 52 yards for six. But it was the lead up to the events, starting with the coin toss to determine who would get the first crack in overtime that made the outcome so memorable.
?We want the ball and we?re going to score,? Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck told the referee and inadvertently the rest of the world via the ref?s microphone, and now the veteran QB gets another chance at keeping his promise.
Seattle?s top-rated defense vs. a young Packer offense playing in the biggest game of their lives will make for a great matchup and while the Packers? D has made a name for itself this year as well, the Seahawks offense gets a small lean here for experience.
One of the only reasons Seattle even found itself in OT during their last playoff visit was thanks to an offense that could not catch the ball. The recorded eight drops in that game and it was right on par with the way Seattle played that entire season. The Hawks did not remedy the problem instantly and it was not cured by simply changing WRs or even QBs. The only thing that seems to have helped Holmgren?s current staff of the ?drops? has been the commitment the team has made to passing and with the way things are going for Seattle on both sides of the ball right now, they could have the ability to upset the Pack this weekend.
SPORTSBETTING.COM currently has the line set with Green Bay as an 8-point favorite and the Over/Under is 41.
Jacksonville at New England
Jacksonville and New England play in the primetime slot Saturday night and now the pressure is on for the Pats to follow up their perfect season with a ring. Anything less will be seen as a failure by many in the sporting world but the New England players share the same sentiment. It should be a very entertaining game and hanging a double-digit line against this game Jaguar squad was not an easy task for oddsmakers.
The line on this game is sitting with the Pats as a 13.5-point favorite and an Over/Under of 48.5
*************************************************
To conclude, we have to give credit to Jim Mora who, on Monday?s edition of Total Access on the NFL Network, waited until the final minute but finally gave Rich Eisen and the rest of the football world the treat they?d waited so many years to hear. Mora wrapped the show with a retake of his classic line from his days with the Colts, saying, ?Playoffs? You?ve got to be kidding me! Playoffs??
If that didn?t set the stage for this weekend?s Division Finals, what else could? Enjoy the games.
Visit SPORTSBETTING.COM to check out the great specials (5% juice on the NFL playoffs on Fridays, 10% sign up bonus, and free contests), the NFL lines and all the props for the playoff games.
