I'm like the kid in "Liar, Liar" who wished for Jim Carrey to stop lying, except instead, I think I accidentally wished for the Bengals to never win another playoff game, because that's the only way to explain this drought.
The Bengals' last playoff win came on Jan. I think I ate two hot dogs that day. I definitely didn't have any beer though, because I was only 8, and even Ohio doesn't let 8-year-olds drink, which I think is one of only three drinking laws that state has. I'd show you pictures of me at the game, but my parents didn't take any because I was an ugly kid.
Also, my dad couldn't take any, because he was playing in the game. Between the streak starting on my birthday and my dad scoring the last point, I think what I'm trying to say here is that the Bengals playoff drought is a touchy subject in my family. OK, now that I've gotten all of that off of my chest, I'm going to give you my pick in the game.
The game was actually close in the fourth quarter, but the Bengals blew it open when Derek Carr committed two ugly turnovers. If the Raiders are going to win, Carr is going to have to play a nearly perfect game and I'm not sure that's going to be possible because this game is going to feature Carr's personal kryptonite: Cold weather.
The forecast for Saturday is currently calling for a possibility of snow with a kickoff temperature under 30 degrees. Since entering the NFL in , Carr has made five starts when the temperature is under 38 at kickoff and he's gone in those games, although four of the five losses were by one score.
In those five losses, Carr is averaging He's also thrown a total of four touchdowns and five interceptions in those cold-weather games.
For once, the Bengals actually have a few things working in their favor heading into a playoff game. Not only will the weather be cold, but they're getting a Raiders team that has to fly across the country on a short week after playing an overtime game on Sunday night.
If the Bengals can't win this week, this drought might not ever end. The Bengals' year playoff losing streak started against the Raiders in January and I'm going to say it comes full circle on Saturday with a win for Cincinnati.
Record picking Raiders games this season: straight-up, against the spread Record picking Bengals games this season: straight-up, against the spread.
This game marks the third time since December 6 that these two teams have played each other and after picking the Bills to win in each of the first two games, I have to say, I haven't seen anything that's going to change my mind this time around. Mother Nature did her best to shut the Bills down by hitting the city of Buffalo with mph winds and those winds shut down the Bills' passing game.
I just Googled the weather for Saturday night and although the temperature is expected to be just 15 DEGREES, the greater Buffalo area is not expecting to see any abnormally strong wind speeds. Advantage: Bills. When the wind conditions are normal, like they were in the second meeting between these two teams, you can tell which team has more talent and that's Buffalo.
The Patriots simply had no answers for the Bills offense and although Belichick is a defensive genius, I'm not sure he has the manpower to do what he wants to do to slow down the Bills. Also, let's not forget that the Bills had one of the best defenses in football this year: They've surrendered the fewest yards and fewest points per game, so I won't be surprised if they hold the Patriots under 20 points. The Patriots will be starting a rookie at quarterback and let me just tell you, a rookie is the last person you want to be starting at QB in a playoff game.
Since , rookie quarterbacks are in playoff games and the only two wins came in games where a rookie was starting for both teams so a rookie had to win. Basically, I expect Mac Jones to struggle and the only way I think Patriots can win is if the game plays out exactly like their first meeting with the Bills and I don't think that's going to happen.
The Patriots are in the wild-card round over the past 15 years and I think the winless streak is going to continue. Record picking Patriots games this season: straight-up, against the spread Record picking Bills games this season: straight-up, against the spread.
Since , Brady has faced a total of four NFC East teams in the playoffs and although his team was favored to win each time, Brady is just straight-up in those games and against the spread. Sure, three of those games were Super Bowls, but let's not forget about last season when Taylor Heinicke and Washington gave the Buccaneers all they could handle in the wild-card round.
That being said, I don't think I can take the Eagles here. Going into this game, I have two big issues that are keeping me from picking Philadelphia. For one, they lost every big game they played in this year. The Eagles had six regular season games against teams that finished with double-digit wins and they went in those games and lost by an average of Of course, one of those losses came in a game where the Eagles were resting their starters In Week 18 against the Cowboys , so if we take out that game, then they went and lost those five games by an average of 11 points per game.
Not much better. The other thing that worries me about the Eagles is that this is basically the worst possible matchup for them. The Eagles led the NFL in rushing this year and if they were playing any other team, I'd honestly give some serious thought to picking an upset, but they're playing a Buccaneers team that is literally built to stop the run.
The Bucs surrendered the fewest rushing yards in the NFC and were one of only three teams in the NFL this year to give up less than 93 yards per game on the ground. The last time we saw these two teams on the field together, the Buccaneers won by six and I feel like we're going to see something similar on Sunday. Also, we might as well go ahead and crown the winner of this game as the Super Bowl champ because any time Brady has faced an NFC East team in the playoffs, the winning team has ended up winning the Super Bowl.
Record picking Eagles games this season: straight-up, against the spread Record picking Buccaneers games this season: straight-up, against the spread.
As you can clearly see, one of my goals for is to start sucking up to my bosses more. Claim Now. Defense has been the main calling card during that streak, with San Francisco ranked No.
While this Week 18 matchup is a different beast than those past run-ins, the game plan remains the same for San Francisco: do it on defense. They face an L. We missed the best of that number, but still like the Niners to at least keep this close. The Saints need some help to make the playoff cut, hoping the 49ers lose to the Rams in conjunction with a victory at Atlanta on Sunday. On the other sideline, the Falcons are playing for pride. This NFC South showdown is just the second time Atlanta has played at home in more than a month and marks the first road game for the Saints since December Matt Ryan and the Falcons are eager to get back out there after blowing a halftime lead at Buffalo last week.
The Saints, on the other hand, have watched their aerial assault decay due to injuries over the course of the year. Things have been especially dire on offense the past three weeks, in which NOLA has amassed a grand total of just 21 points — all but six off the foot of Brett Maher — and only a dozen of them in the second half. The final game of the regular season gives the Raiders as many as 3. Vegas has won three in a row since getting blasted by Kansas City in Week 14 — the kind of late-season loss that would have buckled the best of teams, especially those slogging through the off-field drama that the Raiders have endured.
But here they are. Los Angeles has been a terribly inconsistent team since mid-October and the wheels have wobbled worst when playing on the road. The Bolts, who rank fourth in points per play at home 0.
In Week 15, Kelce went off for yards on 10 catches against the Chargers. The Chiefs won't be on bye as the No. With Patrick Mahomes now operating closer to his old self, expect Kelce to get his fair share of targets. Kelce didn't play when the Chiefs cruised to a win over the Steelers in Week Another part of McClure's optimal NFL Playoff Challenge lineup includes rostering Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp , who finished the regular season with receptions, 1, yards and 16 touchdowns.
Kupp led the league in each of those categories and has eclipsed 95 receiving yards in 12 consecutive games. Kupp also had plenty of success against the Arizona Cardinals , Los Angeles' opponent on Monday, this season.
This pick could be the difference between winning your NFL Playoff Challenge or going home with nothing.
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