By Tony Scott
Friday, January 02, 2015
First of all, let me wish for you and yours a happy and productive New Year, and here’s hoping you spent a peaceful and happy Christmas in the bosom of your family and friends. Here’s also hoping that you enjoyed the games in Week 17.
Speaking of which, it was my best week all season in making picks against the JustBet point spread. I posted an 11-5 mark which took my overall record above the .500 mark and earned me some amount of respectability. It did not change the overall outcome, however, as new kid on the block and consistent lead dog, Mark Archer, won hands down from post to post. Congrats Mark, YOU ARE THE MAN. Now let’s see if you can keep it up in the play-offs.
Let me crave your indulgence for a brief moment or two as I muse about the regular season that just ended. First off, it proved once again that the only thing predictable about the NFL is its unpredictability. I enjoyed the regular season tremendously and was fascinated by both the on-field play as well as the off-field happenings. The NFL’s seamier side of things was exposed by the Ray Rice domestic violence incident and the Adrian Peterson child abuse case.
The handling — or mishandling of these matters by NFL Commissioner, Roger Godell — exposed his fallible side and brought his credibility into question. There were various other cases of substance abuse and behaviour detrimental to the team and the league. The great game and the young men who play it came under repeated fire.
In my four decades or so of being a fan of this game, I’ve witnessed many changes as the game and the players evolved. I can remember when there were only one or two black quarterbacks. My, how things have changed. In recent years the complexion of the teams has been transformed with the prevalence of black quarterbacks throughout. Jamaica has also had an influence. Have you noticed how many NFL players are sporting ‘dreadlocks’ these days?
Speaking of the Jamaican influence, we not only have the fastest men and women on the planet, we have players in the NFL of Jamaican heritage. The New England Patriots’ defensive back Patrick Chung has Jamaican parents. Detroit’s talented, but enigmatic defensive linesman Ndamukong Suh’s mum is from Spanish Town, and a host of other players past and present have Jamaican connections.
Incidentally, Suh was originally suspended for this weekend’s play-off match-up with Dallas, for stomping on Green Bay Packers’ QB Aaron Rodgers’ leg during their game last week. Luckily for the Lions, the suspension was overturned on appeal and Suh will play. Suh is a multiple offender and although he’s talented, he needs to get his head right.
Okay, to the play-offs we go. There are 12 teams in the play-offs, eight of which are playing this weekend in the Wild Card round. The four that have a bye are the Patriots, Broncos, Seahawks and Packers.
On Saturday, the Arizona Cardinals face the Carolina Panthers and the Baltimore Ravens face the Pittsburgh Steelers. My experience tells me that more often than not the home teams have the advantage, particularly in the play-offs. Noise and a hostile environment for the visitors is a given. This being the case, the Panthers should take care of business against a Cardinals team that’s plagued with injuries. If the Cardinals defence turns up, it could be a long and tiring afternoon for the Panthers. Still, I expect Cam Newton to have a good game. In the Ravens vs Steelers game, the home team again has the advantage as the combination of QB ‘Big Ben’ Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown will, in all probability, devastate the Ravens secondary and score points.
In Sunday’s games, the Cincinnati Bengals are at Indianapolis to face the Colts. Will Colts’ QB Andrew Luck choke in the post season and let through Andy Dalton and the Bengals, who have been knocking on the door for some time? I’m going to go against the grain and pick the Bengals to beat the Colts. In the late game, the Detroit Lions will visit the Dallas Cowboys and even with bad-boy Suh playing for Detroit, the Lions should be prepared to get a sound beating compliments of Tony Romo, Demarco Murray, and a few other guys on that explosive Dallas offence.
It’s going to be a wild and wicked Wild Card weekend. Enjoy the games and don’t forget to place your NFL bets with JustBet — Jamaica’s number one sports betting provider. And make sure to tune in to the JustBet sports betting feature, JustBet Before The Whistle, this and every Thursday at 9:30pm on TVJ.
To find out more about JustBet, including how to bet and where to place your bets, visit www.justbetja.com, ‘like’ us on facebook at www.facebook.com/justbet, ‘follow’ us on twitter at www.twitter.com/justbet_ja, watch our youtube channel at www.youtube.com/justbetja or call our help line toll-free at 1-888-SUPPORT (1-888-787-7678).
NFL WILD CARD PLAY-OFF SCHEDULE & JUSTBET POINT SPREADS
*Point Spread (or handicap) – number of points that one team is favoured over another.
*Under/Over (U/O) – A bet on whether the combined points in a game will be greater or lesser than a particular number
Saturday, January 3
CAR PANTHERS v ARI CARDINALS +4.5, U/O 38.5
PIT STEELERS v BAL RAVENS +3.5, U/O 47.5
Sunday, January 4
IND COL_S v CIN BENGALS +5.5, U/O 49.5
DAL COWBOYS v DET LIONS +7.5, U/O 48.5
*Handicaps and Under/Over are subject to change before kick-off
EXPERTS’ PICKS AGAINST THE SPREAD
Mark Archer’s Wild Card Play-off picks (in bold)
PANTHERS v CARDINALS
STEELERS v RAVENS
COLTS v BENGALS
COWBOYS v LIONS
Last week’s record: 11-5
Regular Season Record: 137-119
REGULAR SEASON PICKS CHAMPION
Peter Lindo’s Wild Card Play-off picks (in bold)
PANTHERS v CARDINALS
STEELERS v RAVENS
COLTS v BENGALS
COWBOYS v LIONS
Last week’s record: 11-5
Regular Season Record: 132-124
Andre Hutchinson’s Wild Card Play-off picks (in bold)
PANTHERS v CARDINALS
STEELERS v RAVENS
COLTS v BENGALS
COWBOYS v LIONS
Last week’s record: 6-10
Regular Season Record: 131-125
Tony Scott’s Wild Card Play-off picks (in bold)
PANTHERS v CARDINALS
STEELERS v RAVENS
COLTS v BENGALS
COWBOYS v LIONS
Last week’s record: 11-5
Regular Season Record: 129-127
View the original article here
Play-off time in the NFL as wild card round begins
