Saturday 4:30 PM ET
Los Angeles Chargers (-3) at Houston Texans
Serious question: who would you want as your starting quarterback in September, CJ Stroud or Bryce Young? It’s very clearly a debate worth having now, as Stroud struggled in year two and Young looked every bit a franchise QB down the stretch of this season.
I don’t see any reason to believe this Texans team will win a playoff game. They don’t do anything particularly well. Lay the points, even on the road.
Saturday 8:00 PM ET
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens (-10)
The instinct for gamblers will be obvious. Since most of these Steelers/Ravens games are like 16-14, take the Steelers and that pile of points.
But right now, the Ravens are one of the best teams heading into the tournament and the Steelers are, quite possibly, the worst team remaining.
Is Russell Wilson is going into Baltimore and outscoring the Lamar Jackson/Todd Monken juggernaut? How? Lay the points.
Sunday 1:00 PM ET
Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills (-8.5)
There used to be an old gambling maxim when it came to the NFL postseason: never bet the shaky quarterback on the road.
Bo Nix is going to be a good player, especially if he sticks with Sean Payton for the duration of his career. But he’s still a rookie, entering one of the league’s most hostile environments, facing a terrific defensive coaching staff.
Denver getting to the playoffs is a massive achievement in 2024. Their season ends in Buffalo. Lay the points.