The Sportsballers

Check out this week’s podcast on Podomatic and iTunes . We uploaded to Podomatic around 9pm Wednesday and it generally takes a few hours to show up on iTunes. Date Network Matchup Cory Eric Evan Sun 6:30p CBS NE vs LAR* (Score) MVP Rams (24-23) Cory Littleton Patriots  ✓ (31-24) Sony Michel Patriots  ✓ (38-31) Tom Brady Standings Super Bowl Cory Eric Evan Points* 0 1 1 Record 0-1 1-0 1-0 Season Cory Eric Evan Points* 29 43 32 Record 164-103 177-90 168-99 Playoffs Cory Eric Evan Points* 4 5 2 Record 6-5 7-4 4-7 *Points are awarded only for games picked correctly where one of the Sportsballers disagreed with the other two. -The Sportsballers

I'm Even Steven through eight games of this year's postseason, so hopefully I can win two out of these next three and come out ahead for the playoffs after a terrific regular year.  We've got two excellent matchups to decide who will play for Super Bowl LIII, and I'm excited to see how these games play out. NFC Championship Game: No. 2 Los Angeles Rams (13-3) @ No. 1 New Orleans Saints (13-3) 3:05 p.m. EST Line: New Orleans -3.5 The Saints met up for an epic game in the middle of the season, with the Saints handing the Rams their first loss of the year in the Superdome.  The teams seemed destined for a rematch in the conference title game, and lo and behold, here we are. The Rams were seen as the fading team heading into this years' playoffs, with a couple of easy wins buffering a series of lackadaisical efforts where they got owned by the Bears and shocked by the Eagles at home.  The teams' struggles could be tied to the struggles of Jared Goff down...

Once this week’s podcast is up on Podomatic and iTunes , we’ll insert the links into this post. Cory and Eric had a perfect divisional round, picking all home teams. Date Network Matchup Cory Eric Evan Sun 3:05p FOX LAR at NO Saints Saints Saints Sun 6:40p CBS NE at KC* Patriots  ✓ Patriots  ✓ Chiefs Standings Conference Cory Eric Evan Points* 1 1 0 Record 1-1 1-1 0-2 Season Cory Eric Evan Points* 29 42 31 Record 164-102 176-90 167-99 Playoffs Cory Eric Evan Points* 4 4 1 Record 6-4 6-4 3-7 *Points are awarded only for games picked correctly where one of the Sportsballers disagreed with the other two. -The Sportsballers

A modicum of redemption on Saturday puts me at 3-3 for this postseason.  Hopefully the good times can continue today, with two tough ones coming down the pipe.  Let's go! AFC Divisional Round: No. 5 Los Angeles Chargers (12-4) @ No.2 New England Patriots (11-5) 1:10 EST on CBS Line: New England -4.5 The Chargers are coming off an impressive win over Baltimore, boosting an already impressive road profile as they face their stiffest test yet heading to frigid Foxboro.  Warm weather teams are perceived as being ill-prepared to handle sub-freezing conditions, but the Chargers have shown exceptional resilience playing some of the tougher east coast teams late in the season.  Couple that toughness with their impressive talent and the Chargers absolutely have an appeal as an underdog pick this week, despite Philip Rivers' 0-7 record against Tom Brady since the two first met head-to-head in 2006. While the Chargers are an impressive team, the Patriots are perceiv...

Well, that was brutal.  A 1-3 wildcard weekend has me feeling sheepish heading into the divisional round.  We'll leave last week behind and get to the best weekend in football. AFC Divisional Round: No. 6 Indianapolis Colts (10-6) @ No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (12-4) 4:35 p.m. EST on NBC Line: Kansas City - 6 The Colts proved themselves worthy of the playoff stage by rolling over the Texans, and they figure to be a game opponent for the AFC's top seed.  Indy is playing well on both sides of the ball, with a resurgent Andrew Luck leading the charge while getting timely defense from a surprisingly strong front seven.  The Colts completely shut down the Texans' hapless offense until garbage time, allowing them to cruise to victory despite their offense sputtering in the second half.  They'll have an even bigger challenge trying to limit the high flying Kansas City Chiefs, who are coming off an all-time great offensive season. The Chiefs, meanwhi...

Once this week’s podcast is up on Podomatic and iTunes , we’ll insert the links into this post. All three Sportsballers had a rough first round, with each taking one point and a 1-3 playoff record into the divisional round. Date Network Matchup Cory Eric Evan Sat 4:35p NBC IND at KC* Chiefs  ✓ Chiefs  ✓ Colts Sat 8:15p FOX DAL at LAR* Rams  ✓ Rams  ✓ Cowboys Sun 1:05p CBS LAC at NE Patriots  ✓ Patriots  ✓ Patriots  ✓ Sun 4:40p FOX PHI at NO Saints  ✓ Saints  ✓ Saints  ✓ Standings Divisional Cory Eric Evan Points* 2 2 0 Record 4-0 4-0 2-2 Season Cory Eric Evan Points* 28 41 31 Record 163-101 175-89 167-97 *Points are awarded only for games picked correctly where one of the Sportsballers disagreed with the other two. -The Sportsballers