The last week of the NFL season is always pretty interesting, not so much for who is going to play but who ISN’T playing. The presence of COVID protocols and the NFL rules surrounding them just adds a bizarre dimension to it.
For the better teams, there is often something at stake, even if it’s just a better playoff seed. And with three wild card spots in each conference, more teams stay in the running.
So even though some of them will play this like it’s the preseason, we’ll do our best to pick winners.
Jets vs. Bills Parlay Betting
Time: Sunday, January 8 @ 4:25 PM ET
Totals Odds: Over 41 Points (-110) / Under 41 Points (-110)
The Play: OVER 41 POINTS (-110)
If not for a pretty poor decision on the part of rookie quarterback Zach Wilson, the Jets would have pulled off a huge upset over the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers. It was at least a lively effort on the part of the Jets, and even though you can’t trust New York very much on the defensive side (last in both points and yards allowed per game), they might be coming along a bit offensively.
Of course, we’d feel better about all this if running back Michael Carter could take the field (he suffered a concussion last week), because he has the look of a real anchor in the backfield. Elijah Moore probably won’t play because of a quad injury, but Wilson has made a nice connection with Braxton Berrios, who should be able to cash during free agency.
We’re expecting the Bills to pull out all the offensive stops in an effort to clinch the AFC East. They average 3.4 TD’s per game, while that is what the Jets give up. The weather might be a factor, but the snow showers are expected in the morning, not the afternoon.
Colts vs. Jaguars Parlay Betting
Time: Sunday, January 9 @ 1 PM ET
ATS Odds: Indianapolis Colts -15 (-110) vs.Jacksonville Jaguars -15 (-110)
The Play: COLTS -15 (-110)
The Jags wind this season up, while they speculate about who could be the next head coach. We wonder whether Trevor Lawrence might have a voice in who mentors him next. The Urban Meyer thing didn’t work out too well. Owner Shad Khan is keeping GM Trent Baalke around, which has J-Ville fans “clowning” him these days.
The Jaguars have actually covered four straight meetings. The last one was a 23-17 Indy victory, where the difference was a punt blocked and brought in for a TD. The Colts were actually outgained.
But the way things look at the moment, Jacksonville has dropped seven consecutive games, both straight-up and against the spread. And they have scored just 111 points over the last ten games, topping 17 just once.
Jonathan Taylor is at 1734 rushing yards. Meanwhile, James Robinson is not available for J-Ville (Achilles injury), and Lawrence threw three INT’s last week to being his season total to 17.
This is the must-win game for the Colts. And with Taylor, not to mention Carson Wentz (26 TD passes, just six INT’s), Indy has enough to turn this into a rout.
Steelers vs. Ravens Parlay Betting
Time: Sunday, January 9 @ 1 PM ET
ATS Odds: Baltimore Ravens -5 (-110) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers +5 (-110)
The Play: RAVENS -5 (-110)
Both of these teams need for Jacksonville to beat Indianapolis to have kind of a chance to grab an AFC wild card spot.
As we sit here, we are not certain whether Lamar Jackson is going to play or not. Of course, Tyler Huntley has been getting some experience, so he wouldn’t be coming in cold.
The Steelers expended a lot of emotional energy to make Ben Roethlisberger’s Heinz Field finale special, but the truth is, they could have easily lost that game if the Browns had been able to implement a real game plan (more on that below).
So they got help from Kevin Stefanski and also from Baker Mayfield (16 of 38 with two INT’s). Big Ben had 46 pass attempts and only 123 yards. Are you kidding?
The Steelers have dropped four straight games on the road, and up until Monday had allowed an average of 180.4 rushing yards per game over a seven-game stretch. They are at the bottom of the league giving up 4.8 yards per carry. And Baltimore offensive coordinator Greg Roman is going to figure out some way to run the ball.
Bengals vs. Browns Parlay Betting
Time: Sunday, January 9 @ 1 PM ET
ATS Odds: Cleveland Browns -6 (-110) vs.Cincinnati Bengals +6 (-110)
The Play: BROWNS -6 (-110)
As we said above, the Browns didn’t bring much of a game plan into their encounter with Pittsburgh. Did you hear ESPN’s Louis Riddick (a candidate for the Giants’ GM job, we’re told) keep screaming about how badly they needed to just run the ball with Nick Chubb? Well, head coach Kevin Stefanski had 20 running plays and 38 passes, which didn’t turn out well.
Well, Baker Mayfield is ticketed for shoulder surgery, so it’s Case Keenum’s show, and that’s probably a good thing. D’Ernest Johnson is on the COVID list, but Chubb should play, and Kareem Hunt could be in there as well (bonuses are on the line). By the way, Chubb had 137 rushing yards and two TD’s in the first meeting.
That was a 41-16 Cleveland victory. Sure, there’s revenge, but Cincy is locked into a playoff spot, so Joe Burrow (over 1000 yards the last two weeks) won’t play, and Joe Mixon is on the COVID list.
Packers vs. Lions Parlay Betting
Time: Sunday, January 9 @ 1 PM ET
ATS Odds: Green Bay Packers -4 (-103) vs. Detroit Lions +4 (-117)
The Play: PACKERS -4 (-103)
This one has a strange twist. The Packers have clinched the home field in the playoffs, but coach Matt LeFleur doesn’t want the starters sitting for two weeks (they’ll have a first-round bye). So Aaron Rodgers wants to play, and might just do that a little. Same goes for Davante Adams and others. All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari, back from injury, might even find his way into the game.
The Lions have covered six of their last eight games. And Dan Campbell gets effort out of them. We’re not sure whether Jared Goff will play (he’s practicing). If he doesn’t, Tim Boyle gets the call again. He’s no mystery to the Green Bay coaching staff, having spent the previous three seasons in their employ.
