The Sportsballers

The Divisional round was unkind to me, with a failed two point conversion resulting in a 1-3 finish.  However, there's still time for me to break even this postseason.  I need three straight wins to finish out the 2019 NFL year to reach 6-5 for this playoff, so I've got to get these right.  Let's gamble. AFC Championship: Sunday, 3:05 p.m. ET on CBS No. 6 Tennessee Titans (11-7) @ No. 2 Kansas City Chiefs (13-4) Line: Kansas City -7 It was supposed to be an explosive showdown between the Ravens and the Chiefs to decide who wins the Lamar Hunt trophy, but the Ravens were soft and couldn't take a punch.  Full credit to the Titans for having the stones to deliver that punch and get here, but this is a tougher contest with a more battle-tested team who had to recover from their own errors last week in order to get here. The Titans can pull this off.  They have the running game to exploit Kansas City's porous rush defense, and their secondary has bee...

Well, after a week of wildcard fun, I’m 2-2.  Shocker, I know.  The matchups this weekend are a bit lopsided, but that’s why we gamble on the spreads.  Here’s what’s on tap for Saturday and Sunday. NFC Divisional Round Game 1: Saturday, 4:35 p.m. ET on NBC No. 6 Minnesota Vikings (11-6) @ No. 1 San Francisco 49ers (13-3) Line: 49ers -7 Like two years ago, the Vikings are coming off a thrilling playoff win over the Saints.  Last time, they got their asses absolutely kicked by the Eagles, and many blamed the no-show act on Minnesota’s inability to recalibrate for the next week.  I don’t think that happens again this time.  Minnesota didn’t need a miracle to win in the Superdome last week.  They just needed Kirk Cousins to outplay a future Hall of Fame quarterback in the biggest game of his life.  Okay, fine.  They needed a miracle.  They also proved, however, that they have the formula to beat anyone in the NFC when they have a h...

This week’s podcast was recorded Wednesday night. You can listen to our show on  iTunes ,  Spotify ,  Google Play , and  SoundCloud . Eric and Cory each got just one prediction correct in the wild card round, though Cory at least made the most of it by putting his maximum 16 confidence points on the Seahawks to beat the Eagles. Evan, meanwhile, took a sizeable lead in the season-long competition by winning the week on both fronts, going 3-1 and collecting 24 confidence points in the process. This week, confidence points will be assigned in multiples of four. Date Network Matchup Cory Eric Evan Sat 4:35p NBC MIN at SF* Vikings (4) 49ers (8) 49ers (8) Sat 8:15p CBS TEN at BAL Ravens (16) Ravens (12) Ravens (12) Sun 3:05p CBS HOU at KC Chiefs (12) Chiefs (16) Chiefs (16) Sun 6:40p FOX SEA at GB* Packers (8) Packers (4) Seahawks (4)   Standings Divisional Cory Eric Evan Poi...

This week’s podcast was recorded Wednesday afternoon. You can listen to our show on  iTunes ,  Spotify ,  Google Play , and  SoundCloud . A very strong Week 17 for Eric has him right in the mix with Evan entering the playoffs. Cory, meanwhile, fell off the wagon and his only hope is some strong picks in the playoffs. This week and next, confidence points will be assigned in multiples of four. Date Network Matchup Cory Eric Evan Sat 4:35p ESPN BUF at HOU* Bills (4) Bills (4) Texans (8) Sat 8:15p CBS TEN at NE* Patriots (8) Patriots (12) Titans (4) Sun 1:05p FOX MIN at NO Saints (12) Saints (16) Saints (16) Sun 4:40p NBC SEA at PHI Seahawks (16) Seahawks (8) Seahawks (12)   Standings Wild Card Cory Eric Evan Points 16 8 24 Record 1-3 1-3 3-1 Season Cory Eric Evan Points^ 1393 1412 1429 Record^ 162-98 165-95 167-93 *Denot...

Howdy, folks!  It's been awhile.  After a season of restricted funds and limited betting, I'm back in action for the NFL postseason.  Like last year, I'll be betting on the lines for all eleven playoff games as we conclude the 2019 football season.  We've got four pretty exciting contests coming up this weekend, so let's make some money! AFC Wildcard Game:  Saturday, 4:35 p.m. ET on ESPN No. 5 Buffalo Bills (10-6) @ No. 5 Houston Texans (10-6) Line: Houston -2.5 ESPN notoriously gets the worst playoff match-up of wildcard weekend, and this year doesn't appear to be much different.  Both the Texans and Bills are low-ceiling teams with limited Super Bowl aspirations, and the winner gets a date with either Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes in the divisional round.  Not great. The Texans have an unpleasant history playing in the opening postseason game on ESPN.  Houston has played on ESPN in each of their playoff appearances since 2015, whe...