Rafael’s 2021 NFL Wild Card Point Spread Picks

Rafael’s 2021 NFL Wild Card Point Spread Picks | Sports Takes & News | TooAthletic.com

The NFL begins their postseason this weekend with six Wild-Card games, two more than in years past. With only one bye week in each conference, three of the four division winners in the AFC and NFC will host a Wild Card team, and each game promises to provide a different backdrop from Saturday’s early NFL kickoff to Sunday’s primetime finale. Here now is a preview of all six NFL Wild-Card weekend game with my point spread picks of who will win and lose, with the odds and spreads for each game found at Sports Betting Dime.

Indianapolis @ Buffalo: The postseason begins in Western New York, a place that hasn’t hosted a home playoff game since the 1995 season. Paying a visit to the AFC East champions are the Colts, the last Wild-Card team in the conference who only made it because Buffalo knocked the Miami Dolphins out of the playoffs with a Week 17 win. Many are saying that Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen could not only be the AFC’s Most Valuable Player, but the NFL’s MVP; but regardless of who side of that debate you are on, it is clear the Colts defense will offer the Bills offense plenty of resistance on Saturday afternoon. Buffalo has been a steady 6.5-point favorite all week, which could be interesting for the many people who foresee this game being high-scoring (the over/under is 51.5 points). The Bills are a Kyler Murray-to-DeAndre Hopkins “Hail Mary” pass from having a ten-game winning streak heading into this game; their streak is still six game, in which they have won by almost 20 points per game on average. The Colts, surprisingly, have had issues holding on to leads, even in games they win, teams are able to come back on them; and against the potent Bills offense, that trend is likely to cost them in this game. Taking Buffalo -6.5 to win and cover.

LA Rams @ Seattle: The NFC West takes center stage in Saturday’s second Wild-Card game as the Rams head north to take on the division winning Seahawks. Each team held serve during the regular season by winning their game against the other on their own home field. Both games were close and low scoring, something oddsmakers and commentors expect to see against this weekend; that’s why Seattle is just a 3-point home favorite and the over/under is just 42 points. Two injuries will have an impact on this game, the first is Rams quarterback Jared Goff, who LA hasn’t said will be able to return from thumb surgery in time for this playoff game; the same questionable status that the Seahawks find safety Jamal Adams. With a solid defense going up against a backup QB, it is hard to bet against Seattle in this game, even if you believe LA’s defense is better. As a result, picking another favorite seems like the right play here, so I am taking Seattle to win/cover.

Tampa Bay @ Washington: A lot of things have happened in our nation’s capital since its football team was gifted the NFC East title by the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night. Assuming that the city is safe, and this primetime Wild-Card game takes place, the Buccaneers will be in town as the NFC’s fifth seed. Lead by the 43-year-old Tom Brady, who matched his age with the number of TD passes he had this season, Tampa Bay almost doubled the number of legitimate wins Washington had this season, but were stuck behind New Orleans, leaving them to play on the road. Despite needing to pack their bags for this game, the Bucs are an 8-point road favorite, making them at midweek, the second biggest favorite of Wild-Card weekend. Tampa Bay has clearly been the better team for most of the 2020 season, and how Washington “earned” their division title will sadly overshadow the comeback story of the season authored by their quarterback Alex Smith. For Washington, however, the magic carpet ride ends on Saturday night as the Buccaneers should win this game fairly easily, allowing them to reach the divisional round as their opponent ends their season without much of a fight. Tampa Bay -8 to win and cover by a least 14 points.

Baltimore @ Tennessee: Sunday’s Wild-Card tripleheader matches two teams who played each other in last year’s postseason, with only the city changing. The Ravens were run out of their own building by the Titans last year; but a year later, Baltimore quarterback and 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson will be able to avenge that loss in Tennessee. Despite having a prolific rushing attack, Baltimore may not have the best running game on the field Sunday as they face the newest member of the 2K rushing club, Tennessee running back Derrick Henry. With both teams able to run up and down the field, the over/under is 54.5 points with the Titans getting the token three-point favorite status. I can easily see Lamar Jackson pressing in this game to try and win this year’s and last year’s playoff game at the same time; and when someone with the ball in his hands presses, you get turnovers, something the Ravens won’t be able to afford. In what could likely be a one possession game for sixty minutes, I am taking Tennessee +3 to win a close game and cover.

Chicago @ New Orleans: Entering the postseason this year by way of the backdoor are the Bears, who lost their win-and-in game to Green Bay on Sunday but held on to the final NFC Wild-Card berth after Arizona lost to the Rams. For New Orleans, the second seed in the conference, this home game puts them on the road to reaching the Super Bowl, which has been their goal all season as the days of their quarterback Drew Brees continue to reach a precious few. There’s not much faith in the betting community for Chicago in this game, as the Bears began as an 8.5-point underdog but have fallen to a ten-point dog by midweek. As much as people talk about the Saints dynamic offense, it is their defense that has put them near the top of the NFC and among this year’s Super Bowl contenders. The combination makes them a bad match up for a Bears team has had less losses against teams with records above .500 than the two-win New York Jets did in 2020. If you want to miss one game this weekend without worrying about missing an upset, this is your game to skip. Take the Saints going away to win by at least 14, if not 17 or even 21 points.

Cleveland @ Pittsburgh: First rule of scheduling primetime NFL games, if you have a divisional matchup, grab it; except in this game, NBC is getting a game where the Browns head coach is out with Covid-19 as well as another coach and two players so far will be unavailable for this game. The last team to give anyone sympathy for dealing with Covid-19 are the AFC North champs from Pittsburgh, who had much of their 2020 season turned upside down by other teams dealing with issues that forced a Wednesday afternoon game. As we reached midweek, the Steelers had seen the betting line double, making them a six-point favorite in this Week 17 rematch that is taking place in the Steel City, rather than in Cleveland. It is hard to think that with all that is going on for the Browns that this Sunday night playoff game may be tough to focus on; and without their head coach being allowed to communication with the team or his staff on game day, things will be different all around. With a healthy quarterback named Ben Roethlisberger back behind center for Pittsburgh, laying the six point, or even more by game time should be an easy bet. Taking the Steelers to win the final game of Wild-Card weekend in the National Football league.

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