The Final Eight

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Let’s dive in…

Developing Stories 📰

After a great weekend of wild card games, we are now onto the divisional playoffs. The weekend starts Saturday with the Jaguars vs. The Chiefs at 3:30 central. Last time these two teams met the Chiefs won 27-17. The Chiefs will be a real problem for the Jacksonville defense, which has struggled at times against the pass. The Jaguars don’t rush the passer much which is a big advantage for Patrick Mahomes. I don’t see the Jaguars scoring against a Chiefs defense who was top in the league this year. It will be tough for the Jaguars to slow down the Chiefs offense. Look for Mahomes to put up some big numbers, which the Jaguars won't be able to match. The Chiefs will roll on to the AFC title game.

The Giants were impressive on offense in beating the Vikings last week, but this is a much tougher challenge for Daniel Jones. The Eagles ranked first in sacks this year and had five guys with 10 or more sacks. That is the definition of pressure. The Giants O-Line is going to be a concern, but OC Mike Kafka has done a nice job of adapting his offense with Daniel Jones. Look for the Eagles to rely on the pass game. The Giants will need their defensive front to step up when it matters. Philadelphia should pull this one out and advance to the NFC Championship Game.

The game of the weekend is The Buffalo Bills vs. The Cincinnati Bengals. We missed this matchup after the game was cancelled due to the Damar Hamlin injury. The NFL made the right decision to not finish the rest of the game. Now we truly get to see the Joe Burrow vs. Josh Allen Matchup. Both teams looked concerning but pulled out the victories in the end. I think they will play better here. The Bengals possibly have three starting offensive lineman out but the Bills don’t rush the passer well so it shouldn’t be a concern for Burrow. I expect this game to be a shootout with both QB putting up numbers.

We are ending the weekend with the Dallas Cowboys vs. The San Francisco 49ers. This is a revenge game for Dallas as they were knocked out of the playoffs last year by the 49ers. The Cowboys found their offense last week as they stomped on the Buccaneers. The 49ers have a better defense than Tampa but the Cowboys will still be able to move the ball if Prescott plays like he did last week. The 49ers will once again rely on Brock Purdy who has been on fire since taking over the starting position. He played well in their win vs. the Seahawks last week but this will be the best defense he will face. Prescott is the better QB so he should have the edge in Sunday nights game.

Headlines 🚨

Notre Dame HC Mike Brey to step down after 23 seasons

Deion Sanders lands #1 CB Cormani McClain as he flips to Colorado

On this day in Sport History: 1968 The Houston Cougars defeat the UCLA Bruins 71-69 to win basketball’s Game of the Century and end UCLA’s 47 game win streak

Loyola Marymount ends Gonzaga’s 76-game home win streak with a 68-67 victory

Aroldis Chapman agrees to 1-year deal with the Royals worth $3.75 million

The Bucaneers fire OC Byron Leftwich after finishing 25th in points scored

Sebastian Korda defeats former World #1 Daniil Medvedev in the 3rd round, the biggest win of his career

Former LSU QB Walker Howard transfers to Ole Miss

Steven Stamkos scores 500th career goal with a hat trick

TCU hires Ken Briles as new offensive coordinator

Trends 📈📉 via Oddsshark

🏈 Jaguars at Chiefs

• Jacksonville is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

• Jacksonville is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games

• Kansas City is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

• Kansas City is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

🏈 Giants at Eagles

• NY Giants is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road

• NY Giants is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games

• Philadelphia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against NY Giants

• Philadelphia is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games when playing NY Giants

🏈 Bengals at Bills

• Cincinnati is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

• Cincinnati is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road

• Buffalo is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

• Buffalo is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

🏈 Cowboys at 49ers

• Dallas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against San Francisco

• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games on the road

• San Francisco is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home

• San Francisco is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

🏀 Pelicans at Magic

• The total has gone OVER in 5 of New Orleans's last 6 games when playing Orlando

• The total has gone OVER in 7 of New Orleans's last 10 games on the road

• The total has gone OVER in 5 of Orlando's last 6 games at home

🏀 Warriors at Cavaliers

• Golden State is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Cleveland

• Golden State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Cleveland

• The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cleveland's last 5 games when playing Golden State

• Cleveland is 15-3 SU in its last 18 games at home

🏀 Heat at Mavericks

• Miami is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Dallas

• Miami is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Dallas

• The total has gone OVER in 6 of Dallas's last 7 games at home

• The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 7 games

🏀 Knicks at Hawks

• New York is 11-1 ATS in its last 12 games on the road

• New York is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games on the road

• Atlanta is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games

• The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Atlanta's last 11 games when playing New York

🏀 Pacers at Nuggets

• The total has gone OVER in 6 of Indiana's last 8 games when playing Denver

• The total has gone OVER in 11 of Indiana's last 15 games when playing on the road against Denver

🏀 Nets at Jazz

• The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Brooklyn's last 7 games on the road

• The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Brooklyn's last 7 games

• Utah is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Brooklyn

• Utah is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games

🏀 Grizzlies at Lakers

• Memphis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

• The total has gone OVER in 7 of Memphis's last 8 games

• LA Lakers is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Memphis

• The total has gone UNDER in 12 of LA Lakers's last 15 games when playing Memphis

🏀 Thunder at Kings

• Oklahoma City is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games

• Oklahoma City is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games

• Sacramento is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games

• Sacramento is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

Public Money 🤑 via VSiN at 9AMCT

🏈 NFL

56% of bets and 65% of money is on KC -8.5

37% of bets and 43% of money is on UNDER 53

28% of bets and 41% of money is on BUF -5.5

20% of bets and 31% of money is on UNDER 48.5 CIN at BUF

🏀 NBA

19% of bets and 50% of money is on CLE -8

14% of bets and 56% of money is on UNDER 224 GSW at CLE

46% of bets and 63% of money is on DEN -11

40% of bets and 66% of money is on UTA -7.5

48% of bets and 67% of money is on MEM -7.5

60% of bets and 73% of money is on SAC -3.5

Future Odds 🔮 via Bovada Sportsbook

Injury Report 🏥 via ESPN

BUF (S) Micah Hyde | Out - Neck

BUF (S) Jordan Poyer | Questionable 

BUF (DT) DaQuan Jones | Questionable 

BUF (DT) Jordan Phillips | Questionable

BUF (WR) Jamison Crowder | Doubtful - Ankle

BUF (CB) Dane Jackson | Day-to-Day - Knee

CIN (G) Alex Cappa | Questionable - Ankle

CIN (OT) Jonah Williams | Questionable - Kneecap

CIN (CB) Trey Flowers | Questionable 

DAL (S) Jayron Kearse | Questionable - Knee

DAL (DE) DeMarcus Lawrence | Questionable 

DAL (OT) Jason Peters | Questionable - Hip

JAX (WR) Kendric Proyer | Questionable - Shoulder

JAX (WR) Jamal Agnew | Questionable - Shoulder

JAX (QB) Trevor Lawrence | Probable - Toe

JAX (G) Brandon Scherrf | Questionable

JAX (C) Luke Fortner | Questionable 

KC (WR) Mecole Hardman | Out - Pelvis

NYG (LB) Azeez Ojulari | Questionable - Quadriceps

PHI (CB) Avonte Maddux | Out - Toe

SF (WR) Jauan Jennings | Probable - Ankle

SF (DT) Javon Kinlaw | Questionable

SF (CB) Ambry Thomas | Questionable 

SF (DE) Samson Ebukam | Questionable - Ankle

Weekend Picks 🔒

1/21/2023

Alexei Popryin -150 | This match will start around 2am so its shows up as Jan 21. I’m going with Popyrin’s experience. The former top 60 is in his fifth Australian Open, having previously made it to the third round back-to-back in 2019 and 2020. he home-court advantage could also play a hand to help the 23-year old. As one of two Australian players still left in the men’s singles bracket, the crowd will certainly act as an extra boost to Popyrin’s chances.

Christian Kirk OVER 64.5 receiving yards | Kirk has 1108 yards on the year. He is ranked 28th in Yards per reception at 13.2. If the Jaguars want a chance to win this game they are going to have to rely on their passing game.

1/22/2023

San Francisco/Dallas OVER 46 | Posted pick on Wednesdays newsletter

Bengals +5 | Buffalo is a great team, but they have not been covering the spread against quality teams. They have played five games this season against teams that ended up making the playoffs. They did not win any of those games by more than four points. The Bengals are a super bowl caliber team who has the talent to win this game outright.