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Bengals (9-7) at Texans (10-6)
LINE: HOUSTON BY 3
Had Pete Rose bet on this Cincinnati team to make the playoffs this season, he would have made a bundle.
The Bengals were supposed to have a down year, but somehow found their way to the postseason.
Rookie quarterback Andy Dalton was a big help. While his numbers were moderate, perhaps good for a rookie, he offered some stability where it is needed most. His poise and leadership disseminated to other young teammates and it has changed the landscape in Cincy.
However, there is still a ways to go. Cincinnati?s only win against an above-.500 team, was against the dicey Titans. When losing twice to both the Steelers and Ravens, the Bengals failed when it counted most.
Granted, the current version of the Texans isn?t at the level of some of the winning teams that the Bengals lost to. Injuries to key personnel have this team on a three-game slide heading into the playoffs. While that?s never a good thing, Houston can take some comfort in that its last win occurred against these Bengals, a month ago in Cincinnati. That was Tyler Yates? second start as a pro. He will now be at home with Andre Johnson back in the line-up and a top-notch running game behind him.
We saw Baltimore?s Ray Rice slice through these Bengals on two occasions this season. Arian Foster can do the same and with Houston?s staunch defence behind him, Yates and Co. should be able to get this franchise its first playoff win.
TAKING: TEXANS -3
RISKING: $33 TO WIN $30
Lions (10-6) at Saints (13-3)
LINE: NEW ORLEANS BY 10.5
New Orleans was a 10?-point choice at this time last year before being shockingly bounced by the inferior Seahawks.
If we?re Lions? fans, that can?t be good. New Orleans does not need any extra motivation.
The Saints are in some sort of crazed zone right now. They haven?t lost since October. They have not lost at home this season, outscoring their visitors by a whopping 329-143 count. Detroit was one of the teams that stopped by this season and were neatly disposed of in a 31-17 loss.
Of course, this dynamic offence is orchestrated by the record-setting arm of Drew Brees. Brees is a precision passer, complimented by an array of superb offensive stars. The emergence of TE Jimmy Graham, and the addition of RB Darren Sproles, has made this unit more potent than ever.
The Lions are not equipped to slow it down. Detroit allowed the 22nd-most points in the league. Just last week, in a game they needed to win in order to avoid flying here, the Leos allowed Packers backup QB Matt Flynn to carve them up for 480 yards, six TDs and 45 points in his second career start. While Detroit has some offensive weaponry of its own, the Saints defence is an unheralded group that has enough talent and experience to hold the Lions at bay.
Detroit is thrilled to participate in its first playoff game since the end of the 1999 season. It is definitely something to build upon but this stop is where the ride comes to an abrupt end for now.
TAKING: SAINTS -10.5
RISKING: $33 TO WIN $30
Falcons (10-6) at Giants (9-7)
LINE: NY GIANTS BY 3
Forget records. Forget most of the stats. The basic difference between these two is that that Falcons are soft and the Giants are not.
Come playoff time, gritty trumps pretty.
The Giants? recent schedule had them defeating the Cowboys in two must-win games. They beat the Jets in an important battle of New York. Prior to those contests, the Giants went toe-to-toe with the Packers, lost in New Orleans, dropped a tough one to rival Eagles, lost in San Francisco and defeated the Patriots. Suddenly, 9-7 doesn?t look so bad.
It wasn?t quite the same for the Falcons. After their Week 8 bye, Atlanta faced just one playoff team and it was the Saints team they were chasing for the division. The Falcons lost both meetings, the latter by 29 points. Other opponents included the Bucs, Jaguars, Vikings, Titans and Colts.
This is not a great setting for the Falcons. Atlanta plays best in a dome, where it hosted eight games this season and also had the luxury of playing four road games indoors. This is outside, in East Rutherford, in January, in cold and in wind.
Conditions aside, the Giants are getting healthier, particularly on defence. Jason Pierre-Paul has become a feared pass rusher and combined with Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora, the Giants can pressure Matt Ryan all afternoon. New York?s Eli Manning is at the top of his game and has found a rhythm with an exhilarating Victor Cruz.
When the going gets tough, the Giants get going and we expect nothing less here.
TAKING: GIANTS -3
RISKING: $22 TO WIN $20
Steelers (12-4) at Broncos (8-8)
LINE: PITTSBURGH BY 9
This one isn?t about who can win, it?s more a case of whether the Broncos can score enough points to cover.
Not often do you see a road favourite in this price range with the total sitting at 34. We won?t bore you with the mathematical details but basically, oddsmakers are estimating that Denver should score approximately 13 points.
So our next question becomes, if the projection is accurate, will Pittsburgh get the 23 points or so needed to cover? We?re thinking they won?t. The Steelers have been on the limp for the past few weeks. QB Ben Roethlisberger has been hobbling around and is clearly not at full speed. Pittsburgh lost its top runner in the season finale when Rashard Mendenhall went down and will be replaced by Isaac Redman.
Safety Ryan Clark also is out but that shouldn?t matter. Safeties are only required when the opposition has a quarterback. The Broncos do not. They have a guy that lines up under centre, who is a strong role model for both teammates and fans alike. He is also is quite athletic and might make a good slotback someday. But Tim Tebow is not a quarterback.
Denver?s defence is the key here and with the Broncos playing at home while taking a slew of points against a hurting visitor, a low-scoring affair seems likely.
TAKING: BRONCOS +9
MONEY BETS
Last Week: Lost $36
Current bankroll: $631
LINE BETS
Last week?s record: 8-7-1
Season: 116?124?12
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Source: http://www.torontosun.com/2012/01/05/randall-the-handles-nfl-selections-wild-card-weekend
joe torre dog the bounty hunter michele bachmann west virginia university amber rose jessica biel tim howard
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